The characters in the book didn’t stand out to me, as much as the ideas. What I’ve always found mind-boggling, from the very first time I saw the map of the Edge which prefaces the start of each book, is the Edge itself. What is it an edge of? Is there something below it, or does the waterfall go on forever? The book kind of addresses the latter, although it was still a little mysterious. The story does wrap the plot up neatly, but is longer than it needs to be. The title refers to a group of adventurers and academics who explore below the Edge cliff, facing the peril in their quest to further their knowledge. I think the book is a good ending to the series, but not one of the best.

Published by Corgi, 2019.

It’s an action-packed story with lots of clever inventions and snappy characters. The idea of dwarves eating through the earth, like worms, was particularly interesting. I didn’t like the violence, however. The very different perspective on fairies was unusual and the worldbuilding was detailed. The writing style was over-reliant on people grinning, grunting and snorting! They also tended to curl their fingers around things. I’m happy to have revisited this book, but I don’t fancy catching up on the series. A film adaptation was released in 2020, to generally negative critical reviews.

Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, everything about this film is so well-done. It’s very similar to the book, with some changes. Some of these are to improve the plot – such as Grandma arriving at the house while the other grandparents are there, not after they’ve left, to heighten the drama of their clashes over religion, and the boy who Margaret has a crush on, Moose, returning her feelings at the end of the book to give her some hope of a relationship after summer camp. Other changes are to make the film more suitable for today’s audience, such as more diversity in the characters and no references to the young male teacher’s attraction to the most developed girl in the class. I really liked Abby Ryder Fortson’s portrayal of Margaret and Kathy Bates as Grandma. Where I might differ from the critics is that I found Rachel McAdams as the mother quite over-acted. Her character was also given an arc where she goes from being a people-pleasing pushover to being able to say no.

In summary this is a wonderful film about girls growing up.

Film poster: Lionsgate, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73006457

The book follows 17-year-old Leopold as he starts to see weird things which leads him to Sunderworld, where he believes he is a chosen one with strong magical powers. He and his best friend Emmet are drawn into a quest, or an escape, or something (it wasn’t clear to me). I liked some of the details of Sunderworld, such as ‘focusers’ which are like cameras but which aid with casting spells. It’s YA fiction but the age of the characters and the frequency of swearing suggests this is the very top end of YA. The descriptions of the characters’ expressions was somewhat annoying, with a lot of narrowing and widening of eyes, glares, frowning, etc. Moreover, I know that Leopold is supposed to be a disappointment, but he wasn’t very appealing. Maybe I’m just not the right audience for the book, however I did enjoy the concept.

Published in 2024.

This is one of those books where you realise how cleverly the author crafted the narrative. As soon as you finish, you go back to the beginning and flip through it again. I enjoyed the book more than I expected to and I’m glad I gave it a second glance in the charity shop, where I was searching for an ’emergency paperback’ for when I didn’t have access to e-books. The only aspect I wasn’t keen on is that Frances repeats the same phrases, most notably ‘I suppose’. She was always supposing things and I think that teenagers are more likely to say ‘I guess’. She does have a slightly old-fashioned way of speaking but this could be an influence from her grandma who brought her up. In summary, a good read!

First published by Hot Key Books, 2016.

There are two versions of this adaptation. The original theatrical release in 1983, and the re-release, ‘The Complete Novel’, in 2005, which restored some deleted scenes and added some pop music to the soundtrack. The Complete Novel is a near-perfect adaptation which closely follows the storyline. The only things missed out are some minor details and the consequences of Soda and Sandy’s relationship. I would have liked more voiceover from Ponyboy occasionally to remind us that he is writing the story and to tell us what’s going through his head. There are great performances from the young actors C Thomas Howell (Ponyboy), Matt Dillon (Dallas), Ralph Macchio (Johnny), Patrick Swayze (Darry), Rob Lowe (Soda), Emilio Estevez (Two-Bit), Tom Cruise (Steve Randle) and Diane Lane (Cherry). Tom Waits appears in the minor role of Buck Merrill and there are also cameos from Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nicholas Cage, and Sofia Coppola.

If you’ve seen both versions of the film, it’s obvious which is the best version and the truest to the novel. The main differences between them are that the re-release has a better soundtrack and some significant scenes, such as the one where Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs (he has a cut on his neck, which has no explanation if you’re watching the original version) and scenes at the courtroom and school.

In summary, read the book, then watch the Complete Novel.

Film poster by IMP Awards, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15732289

When Luke wakes from a coma after suffering from meningitis, he experiences things in a different way. Before, he was an ordinary teenage boy who was a good runner and not particularly creative. After, he has a limp and his senses are mixed up, inspiring him to write. There is also a creature living in his head, Dreeg, who encourages him to use his powers to manifest characters from his imagination and to heal his leg. When Luke has premonitions of his sister being in danger, fiction and reality start to blur.

The way in which the author writes about Luke’s sensory experience is amazing. Scents, colours, sounds, tastes, insects, mists, slime, a glorious and frightening cacophony. What’s interesting is how that is taken further with the powers he is given. Dreeg seems very real, a shapeshifting devil which tempts Luke with visions of success with sport and girls.

As you might expect from a teen book from the early 2000s, there are some attitudes and language that would not be in a similar book published today, due to rapidly changing sensitivities.

It’s a good and unusual read, which I won’t be revisiting now that I’ve read it three times.

Published by Hodder, 2002.

The book shows some influence from The Catcher in the Rye and West Side Story, while it pre-dates the musical Grease by a few years. It has been influential and is still popular today. I vaguely remember reading an extract of it for English class, but despite reading a lot of YA fiction during my teenage years, I never encountered the whole book, until I discovered it in a charity shop for 40p and read it in 2017. I’ve now re-read it and am frankly amazed at the author’s achievement. The book has plot, pace, personalities, a strong sense of place, a compelling narrative voice and deeper meanings. The writing isn’t perfect and there are a lot of repeated words (the most over-used is probably ‘grinned’) but I think that’s what makes the narration believable, because at the end you find out that the novel you’ve just read was written by Ponyboy himself.

First published in 1967. This edition by Puffin Modern Classics, 2003, with an introduction by Julia Eccleshare. There is an inscription on the front endpaper: ‘For Jacob, With love, Mum & Dad Christmas ’05’.

A film adaptation was released in 1983.

The film follows the book closely, including most of the plot points and a lot of original dialogue. As is the way with all films, the tearjerker topics – romance and the healing of a broken family – dominate the storyline. The main element left out is Cassandra’s angst about her religious beliefs. This means that the vicar’s role becomes very minor. Notably he is played by the same actor who was Mr Collins in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, obviously an Austen reference there. However, we see so little of him that his inclusion seems pointless. Thomas, the younger brother of Cassandra and Rose, has a few years taken off him in this film and is a little nerd. Miss Marcy, the giggly librarian, is a minor character from the book who was left out of the film. Other characters not appearing are the pub landlady, a farming family and the cat. The outdated racial perspectives in the book described the appearance of Leda (a terribly avant-garde photographer, whom Cassandra hates) as ‘dark’ and ‘greasy’ – in the film, her otherness is instead marked by a bizarre hairstyle and vamp lipstick.

I would say that the film is a good substitute for reading the book and ‘captures’ the essence effectively.

Image taken from BBC iPlayer.