Beyond the Deepwoods facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell |
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| Illustrator | Chris Riddell |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1 October 1998 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 0-385-40967-2 |
| OCLC | 42274574 |
| Preceded by | The Clash of the Sky Galleons |
| Followed by | Stormchaser |
Beyond the Deepwoods is an exciting fantasy novel for young readers. It was written by Paul Stewart and illustrated by Chris Riddell. The book was first published in 1998. It's the first book in The Edge Chronicles series that tells the story of Twig. This book takes you on an amazing adventure through a dangerous forest.
Plot Summary
Twig's Journey Begins
Twig grew up believing he was a woodtroll. He lived with them deep in the Deepwoods. But Twig always felt different from the others. He dreamed of being a sky pirate, soaring through the air. One day, his adoptive woodtroll mother told him a big secret. He wasn't a woodtroll at all! She found him abandoned in the woods as a baby.
His mother told him to visit their cousin to think things over. Twig set off on his journey. But he accidentally wandered off the safe path. This was a huge mistake for a woodtroll. The Deepwoods is full of scary creatures and evil spirits. The most dangerous one is the Gloamglozer.
Dangers in the Deepwoods
Twig soon met a slaughterer who was fighting a hover worm. Twig bravely killed the worm. The grateful slaughterer invited him to stay in his village for the night. The next morning, Twig had to leave quickly.
Later, Twig faced a skullpelt, a creature that hunts those tricked by lullabee trees. A newly hatched caterbird saved him. This special bird knew about Twig's destiny. It told him his path lay "beyond the Deepwoods." The caterbird then flew off, promising to return if Twig was in danger.
That night, Twig nearly became food for a bloodoak, a tree that eats people. He escaped and found himself in a gyle goblin colony. The Grossmother, their leader, almost fed him to the goblins. Luckily, a gyle goblin helped him escape.
Twig then met an injured banderbear, a large forest predator. The banderbear was sick from a bad tooth. Twig pulled it out, and they became great friends. Sadly, the banderbear was later killed by a swarm of wig-wigs. These tiny, fierce creatures act like piranhas.
Twig almost drowned in a swamp. A flathead goblin rescued him, but then vanished. Twig then met a young girl who took him as a "pet." She lived in an underground society of termagant trogs. Twig stayed with her for a few months. But then she drank sap from a bloodoak root. This turned her into a monstrous adult trog. A male trog surprisingly saved Twig and showed him the way out.
Finding His True Family
Finally, Twig met some sky pirates. Their ship had crashed because its special flight-rock was hit by lightning. Twig helped them fix it. Their captain, Cloud Wolf, told a story about his past. Twig realized that Cloud Wolf, whose real name was Quintinius Verginix, was his true father! Twig wanted to join his crew.
But the next morning, Twig woke up alone. His father had left him again. Heartbroken, Twig saw that the pirates' campfire had started a forest fire. Twig ran for his life. He ended up in the Edgelands, at the very edge of the Deepwoods. There, he met the Gloamglozer face to face.
The Gloamglozer tried to trick Twig. It said Twig could become a Gloamglozer too, since he didn't fit in anywhere else. The creature also revealed it had been secretly guiding Twig's journey. It had appeared as the slaughterer, gyle goblin, male trog, and flathead goblin. When Twig agreed, the Gloamglozer instead threw him off the side of the Edge!
Just in time, the caterbird returned! It rescued Twig and dropped him onto Quintinius Verginix's ship. Twig was finally reunited with his real father. His father apologized for leaving him and promised to always protect him. Twig and the sky pirates then set sail for new adventures.
