Edge Chronicles Books In Order

Publication Order of The Edge Chronicles Books

Chronological Order of The Edge Chronicles Books

Edge Chronicles series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell are some of the most popular children fantasy and science fiction novels. The novels are a collaboration between Paul Stewart a writer of children’s, fantasy and science fiction novels, and Chris Riddell an illustrator, cartoonist and occasional author of children’s novels. The two first met in 1993 since their children attended the same school. Chris needed someone who had novels he could illustrate, and Paul had already written some novels that could do with some illustrations. Their first collaboration was on the “Rabbit and Hedgehog” books that came out between 1998 and 2003. They got their inspiration for the Edge Chronicles series from a map of an imaginary world that Riddell drew before challenging Paul to create a novel about it. The first novel of the series was “Beyond the Deepwoods” that took the duo three years to write. While it was first commissioned as a single standing novel, it was later made into a trilogy. The Edge series now has more than fifteen full length novels, a book of maps, five short stories and the “Weird New Worlds” blog, which is now defunct. The authors intend to make “The Descenders” the thirteenth novel the last in the series.

As a duo writing the Edge series, they would work on the development of characters and plots together sometimes starting from Chris’s illustrations or sometimes from Paul’s writing. They would then have long conversations for several days or weeks after which they would decide on the structure of the narrative. They do not agree all the time and their discussions can become heated debates though they always remain friends. Once they are done with the discussions, Paul will write the first copy, then Chris will rewrite or edit before Paul makes the last draft.

The Edge Chronicles has four trilogies in the “Quint Trilogy,” the “Twig Trilogy,” the “Rook Trilogy,” and the “Cade Trilogy” in addition to four other novels. The Edge Chronicles are set in “The Edge”, a fictional world on a vast cliff that has no bottom. Most of the novels are divided into sagas with each having one lead character. The series happens over a six century period that are further divided into “Ages of Flight.” During the first age, the floating rocks stayed airborne but then they were hit with stone sickness that made them crumble and crash. The residents then shifted to wood before moving on to phrax power. One of the major themes in the novels is the power of flight with the ages of flight being defined by how advanced the technology employed is. The series is noted for its fauna and flora and its many maps that showcase the various locations in The Edge. The first three trilogies came out between 1998 and 2006, with the “Immortals”, which came out in 2009 serving as a conclusion to the first three trilogies. The series was to end with the tenth novel with Weird New World the authors’ blog serving as a continuation with weekly instalments. But once the authors had finished writing the 66 chapters, they decided to make the fourth trilogy from the stories and characters they had been writing about.

“The Curse of the Gloamglozer” the first novel of the Edge Chronicles is set in Sanctaphrax, a magnificent city atop a giant rock filled with air pockets that makes it possible for it to float in the air. It is anchored to Undertown by a massive anchor chain. Sanctaphrax is full if political subterfuge and intrigue and the citizens need to be on top of their game since everyone tries to outdo each other. The biggest conflict is between the persons that study the intricacies of weather known as sky scholars, and the people that study the fauna and flora of the land of the Edge known as earth scholars. Linius Pallitax the Most High Academe and leader of Sanctaphrax, is a well-intentioned person who is determined to bring the conflicts to an end. But his curiosity will be his downfall as he often dabbles in things that he should never touch. The only thing that may save their world may be Quint, a loyal and noble lad and son of a sky pirate. He has spent most of his life on the sky ships, which travel the skies held aloft by floating rocks that are smaller versions of the Sanctaphrax rock. His father is Wind Jackal. who has always been the best of friends with Liniu Pallitax. The Most High Academe convinces him to let the lad get top class education and serve as Linius’s assistant. Quint shows his leadership abilities nobly going about his duties, even as he develops a romantic but rather tense relationship with Maris his boss’s daughter. But then he learns that Linius has been conducting dangerous experiments and that it is up to him and Maris to save the Most High Academe from his own arrogance.

“The Winter Knights” the second novel of the Edge Chronicles series is a sequel to the first novel of the series. Quint had saved the day in the “Curse of the Gloamglozer” but the victory had been costly. Linius Pallitax had lost his life for his obsessive curiosity. The professors of darkness and light are now the new Most High Academes. The two lovebirds have been separated as Maris has been sent to live with her disgusting relatives while Quint is sent to the elite Knights Academy by the Professor of Light. The academy trains the braves and finest youth of Sanctaphrax to protect their city against enemies. But the Professor of Darkness has sponsored Vilnius from Undertown to the Academy and it is not long before he is going for Quint. Things are worsened by the fact that Undertown and Sanctaphrax are taken over by terrible cold weather that has brought about deep freezes, and blizzards. The complication is that cold rock typically rises and thus Sanctaphrax is at great risk of floating away. Hax Vostilix a megalomaniac professor takes advantage of this by mobilizing people by claiming that a great storm was on the way and the all the Knights Academic need to prepare for it. Quint needs to rescue Maris from captivity and get to the bottom of the cause of the winter weather if they are to stop the cunning Vilnius and Hax from taking over.

“The Clash of the Sky Galleons” the third novel of the series opens to Quint having been successful in rescuing Maris. They have both left the Sanctaphrax and linked up with Wind Jackal Quint’s father on a sky ship. But then they get news that the man responsible for the mass slaughter of Wind Jackal’s family long presumed dead still lives. Quint’s father is ready to do anything including risk all that he has to catch Turbot Smeal and exact revenge on him. This results in a hair raising adventures and a wild goose chase with Maris and Quint at some point lost in the dangerous Deepwoods when they are separated from their ship. Thaw Daggerslash also has a bone to pick with Turbot and he joins the quest looking for revenge. But it soon becomes apparent that the man has a dark side to him. But that is not the biggest danger as Quint soon learns of a plot to eliminate sky pirates from the universe. Quint may be all that is standing between tyranny and freedom in the skies.