Reading tip: The Edge Chronicles

I'm not sure if I've written about the series of fantasy books written by Paul Stewart and superbly illustrated by Chris Riddell, so I'll do that now as I've just finished another book.

I first came across it when I was in Dublin with nothing to read and Beyond the Deepwoods caught my eye as I was browsing a book shop. As soon as I started reading, I was hooked as it's not the usual high fantasy style. Other than humans, there are instead of elves, dwarves, orcs and the like various wonderful and unusual creatures (including myriads of different goblins who aren't all evil and completely new creatures like the banderbears). Everything else is a bit stranger and weirder, too. There are no magic users but (weird) scientists. Nature as a whole is really rather freaky.
An interview with the authors can be found here.

The best book to start with is the trilogy Beyond the Deepwoods/Stormchaser/Midnight over Sanctaphrax starring Twig.
There are two other unconnected (as yet and they are set a number of years apart) storylines, one starring Quint (beginning with The Curse of the Gloamglozer) and the other starring Rook Barkwater, starting in The Last of the Sky Pirates and continuing in Vox (which I just finished) and Freeglader.

The books are written for kids (9-11) but are very enjoyable and actually quite deep. Disturbingly, they are also quite violent and graphic. For example, in Vox, there are lot of graphic descriptions of injuries, brutality/torture or a goblin who has his belly ripped open in battle and desperately tries to hold his guts in...

All the books contain loads of superb illustrations by Chris Ridell which underline the weirdness of the world and characters.

Highly recommended.

[Photo] Cambridge Requiem

Took the 70-200 f2.8 this time, using the monopod for support and it worked a treat. I'm really happy with these. Again, no major processing other than desaturating. Click the thumbnail below to open the gallery.

[Cambridge] Photography again

It doesn't look like it's going to rain today so anyone up for meeting up in town later today, about 6ish?

[Photo] Gloomy Cambridge

belak_krin asked for some gloomy/gothic images of Cambridge so I went into town this evening and came up with these. I deliberately went for dramatic angles and underexposed most shots and I think it worked. Click on the thumbnail to open the fotopic gallery.