Finally, I’ve finished my re-read of the Edge Chronicles! I haven’t reviewed them all – some of them are similar and there wasn’t much to say – but the last chronicle ought to be reviewed. At almost 500 pages, this paperback is a long way from the short first book, Beyond the Deepwoods. That one will always be my favourite. As the series continued, I enjoyed them less. They became complicated and had a lot of side characters and side plots. The worldbuilding is incredible though, and I realised something that hadn’t struck me before. These are fantasy books but instead of magic, the emphasis is on science and technology. Flight, in particular, is very important, with the eras defined by the method of flight power. In the last book, we enter the fourth age of flight.

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.