Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Take to the skies in this thrilling new series from author Alex English. (BEWARE: THERE WILL BE PIRATES!)
11 year-old Echo Quickthorn has grown up believing that nothing exists outside the Kingdom of Lockfort, but everything changes when an eccentric professor parks his airship outside her window armed with a map that shows all the magical places that exist beyond the city walls.
Together with her pet lizard, Gilbert, Echo sets off on an incredible adventure to find her missing mother; an adventure that will take her to unimaginable places filled with giant butterflies, mechanical dragons and . . . sky pirates!
Praise for Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond:
"Strap yourselves in for an exhilarating ride!" - Daily Mail
"Fizzes with magic and wonder" – Abi Elphinstone, bestselling author of SKY SONG
"A charmingly madcap adventure, with endearing friendships, sparkling wit, and a swashbuckling journey across pirate-infested skies. I loved it. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Cogheart." – Hana Tooke, author of THE UNADOPTABLES
“A spirited protagonist, a charming side-kick and a believable villain come together in this tightly plotted, visual, treat for the senses. I want to soar over the rainbow rooftops of Port Tourbillon and the toadstooled forests of Tyrian in my very own airship.” – Nizrana Farook, author of THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT
“Sky Pirates is a fast-moving adventure story full of intrepid explorers, ingenious inventors, stolen treasure and mysterious undiscovered lands. If you like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (and who doesn't?) you'll love Sky Pirates too!” Kirsty Applebaum, author of THE MIDDLER
"From the very first page, I felt as if I'd been grabbed by the hand by a best friend and taken on the journey of a lifetime. Pacey, thrilling and endearing too. If I was ever to encounter sky pirates, I can think of no one I'd want by my side more than clever, brave Echo." – Joanna Nadin, author of the RACHEL RILEY series
“A breath-taking adventure and a wonderfully imagined story of friendship and danger in strange places.” – Claire Fayers, author of THE VOYAGE TO MAGICAL NORTH
"An incredible adventure, brimming with friendship and danger" – The Bookseller
Customer Reviews
Brilliant start to an adventure series!
Lockfort is ruled by King Alfons and the gates to the city are permanently closed. The residents of Lockfort don’t go outside the gates. The only thing out there is the Barren. And beyond that? Nothing. The Barren is the edge of the world.
Echo was raised inside the castle by King Alfons but doesn’t know where her parents are. She was left on the castle doorstep as a baby. Now she spends most of her time with her best friend, Gilbert the lizard. King Alfons has a son called Horace, but he’s only really interested in butterflies. One night, Echo is accidentally visited by an explorer called Professor Daggerwing who arrives in an airship and claims there are lands beyond the Barren. He is thrown in the castle dungeons for his outrageous lie, but Echo can’t stop thinking about it. What if there is something beyond the Barren?
Echo helps Professor Daggerthorn escape along with Horace (who is an accidental stowaway in the airship) and together they travel to Port Tourbillon. Echo is fascinated by the unusual contraptions and machines she sees all around and tries to find out more about a wolf-shaped hairpin that her mother left her. She keeps hearing about the Black Sky Wolves, a notorious group of sky pirates that everyone seems to want to keep as far away from as possible.
Echo is feisty and longs to discover what lands there are beyond the Barren. Her adventures take her from Port Tourbillon to the Violet Isles and reluctant adventurer, Horace, is her travel companion, along with the insightful Gilbert. This book is a fun adventure and I loved how action-packed it was, moving as quick as the airships themselves. The characters developed as they learnt to cope with their changing circumstances and perhaps were able to do more than they thought themselves capable of. This book will be loved by anyone who enjoys a good adventure story, especially if they involve airships! I was delighted to find out this was a series. I can’t wait to read more about Echo’s adventures in the Beyond!