A fun kids book about belonging, you meet so many characters and the world is so dangerous. The pictures are fantastic. ( )

Long review but worth it:
Top 5 favorite book series!
Growing up, I 'accidentally' got into this series because the bookstore was out of The Spiderwick Chronicles books, and it was a recent release and claimed to be just as promising.
It's rare to find other people who knew of these books and even rarer for those who had read them growing up- everyone was more laser-focused on the more popular Harry Potter titles and the like.
It never fails- every time I read one of these books, they cast a spell over me. It is way more challenging to put it down. It's easy to read and written just seriously enough that it radiates more intelligence and passion in a single chapter than most books would dream of having in a library.
Full of high fantasy logic & lifestyle, it will even have you reaching for a dictionary infrequently because it does have some vocabulary and diction that can expand your personal lexicon. The writing style is likeable and the plot/course of events always manages some kind of hook. The Edge Chronicles is its own thing, but if you want to compare and find some way to describe it to outside readers- it has heavy Alice in Wonderland vibes mixed with Lord of the Rings with maybe a distant flair of the Dark Crystal.
Perfect for any fantasy fan, but there is some graphic scenes in there containing creature violence and battle scenes that describe the wounds in detail. Younger audiences can enjoy this but probably best to be mature and not too squeamish (even then, these descriptions aren't so common and aren't insanely detailed in description but are definitely present). That said, this is further evidence that older adults can enjoy this book with little trouble. Don't be that person that shelters their kid from a fantastic series just because a little blood is present- that's stupid.

This is important to note about the series as a whole. I actually did not know this until recently- but the series has a chronological order and has 'trilogies' within the series regarding a certain character. Each saga focuses on a different character per inner trilogy, and documents that character's story/journey as a central focus. (Think of these as 'sub series', similar to how Terry Pratchett structured his novels )

THE QUINT SAGA
#4 The Curse of the Gloamglozer
#8 The Winter Knights
#5 Clash of the Sky Galleons

THE TWIG SAGA
#1 Beyond the Deepwoods
#2 Stormchaser
#3 Midnight over Sanctaphrax

THE ROOK SAGA
#5 The Last of the Sky Pirates
#6 Vox
#7 Freeglader

THE NATE SAGA
#10 The Immortals (2009)

(This series isn't of the main core books but is rather takes place after the events of the main series)
THE CADE SAGA
The Nameless One (2014)
Doombringer (2015)
The Descenders (2019)

However! Please don't let this seemingly cattywampus reading order throw you off. The publisher and author both agree and publically go on record to say that the order in which they were written and published works fine. Each book is stand-alone and does a superb job of keeping the reader up to speed, no matter where you start. Reading them in normal chronological order does just a good a job as any and in some cases, works the best.
Me? I started book #1 and chose to go in publisher chronological order- it's what works best for me. (That is- the Twig saga was my starting point, and then carried on chronologically 4, 5, 6, etc as expected traditionally)
The reason this series has this sort of structured order is because when The Twig saga was first written in the 90s, it was intended to be a single novel- but the author had so much fun writing it, that he just kept going with it.
The history of these books is pretty intriguing:
http://www.edgechronicles.co.uk/edge-chronicles-book-order/

This book series would be and could be used for an epic D&D campaign. In fact, I encourage it. I wish there was a published, canon version that could come packaged and ready to play. Packed to the gills with original high-fantasy creatures (a few examples: Rotsuckers, Banderbears, Venomous hover-worms, Prowlgrins, Caterbirds etc) and a diversity of races just as original (Slaughterers, Shrykes, Termagant Trogs, Hammerhead goblins etc.) it really stands out and is a cut above the rest with imagination. This is the only series you will find with these unique named creatures- no other series contains them. Each novel is satisfying and provides its own justice, cliffhangers, and rich development. Sometimes, you feel as though you are a historian of this fantasy rather than a casual reader. It's definitely a series that takes commitment if you want to see it entirely through- so it's great for people that want to pick a series and stick with it and have plenty of reading material. It's also excellent for people who maybe tired of the usual fantasy trope with dragons and wizards. It will impress with its character development and break from the more common fantastical creatures.

I started the series shortly after it was published, and I haven't finished the series yet (I'm on book #6) but I have enjoyed this amazing and memorable series over my 25+ years of growing with it. This is an underappreciated series as a whole, and it bothers me only slightly so many people sleep on this series.

Verdict: READ IT! ( )

9788495808622

What set this apart for other fantcey books is it odd creatures that are not found in any other book. Beyond the Deep Woods is action pack. With Twig running in to trouble and ecaping from trouble get old afore awhile. Then again this is great book to get boys to read, not saying girls can't enjoy it to. I will has to hunt down the second book. ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission. Title: Beyond the Deepwoods Series: The Edge Chronicles Author: Chris Riddell & Paul Stewart Rating: of 5 Battle Axes Genre: Children's SFF Pages: 290 Format: Kindle Synopsis: Twig, an unusual wood troll, finds out he is adopted and is sent off to live with a distant relative. He gets off the path and ends up having MANY adventures culminating in finding his father, a human sky pirate. My Thoughts: I didn't realize this was a children's book when I started it. I thought it was for teens. However, I realized my error right away and adjusted my thought process and expectations, hence allowing me to finish this without throwing a hissy fit. Things happen. That more than adequately sums up how this books works. Several times I kept waiting for the main character to wake up and get back to where he last was only to realize that THIS event was in fact happening and it was NOT a dream sequence. I was ok for the first half of the book and then I started getting antsy and wanting things to wrap up. I suspect kids would simply accept the abrupt changes in the story, as they can relate, ie, their whole world can change in an instant without any input from them or any kind of control. It is part of being a child. As an adult I simply had enough. I'm keeping on through the series, but I am glad it will be quite some time before I revisit this series. " ( )