The Last of the Sky Pirates facts for kids
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| Author | Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell |
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| Illustrator | Chris Riddell |
| Cover artist | First edition |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Edge Chronicles |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1 September 2002 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 384 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-60200-6 |
| OCLC | 59501135 |
| Preceded by | Midnight Over Sanctaphrax |
| Followed by | Vox |
The Last of the Sky Pirates is an exciting children's fantasy novel. It was written by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, and first came out in 2002. This book is the fifth story in The Edge Chronicles series. It's also the first book in a new set of three stories called the Rook Saga.
Unlike the earlier books, this one mainly follows a new hero, Rook Barkwater. His best friend, Felix Lodd, is also important. But don't worry, Twig, the main character from the first three books, also appears! The story is about Rook's journey to become a special "librarian knight." He has to face off against the sneaky Guardians of Night. This book also mentions a character named Vox Verlix, setting the stage for the next adventure in the series.
Contents
The Story of Rook Barkwater
Rook Barkwater lives in a secret world beneath Undertown. This place is a network of old sewer tunnels. A group of librarians lives there, secretly working against the mean Guardians of Night. Rook is just a low-ranking librarian. But he dreams of becoming a "librarian knight." These knights are special. They travel into the dangerous Deepwoods. Their mission is to find a cure for "stone-sickness." This sickness has ruined the floating rocks that make sky-sailing possible.
Rook never thought his dream would come true. His best friend, Felix Lodd, seemed much more likely to be chosen. But everyone was surprised when Rook was picked to be a knight! Two other young librarians, Stob Lummus and Magda Burlix, were chosen with him.
The Journey to the Deepwoods
Rook, Magda, and Stob begin their journey. They travel along the Great Mire Road. This is a bridge controlled by creatures called shrykes. It helps them cross the swampy Mire. On their way, Rook helps a sky pirate named Deadbolt Vulpoon escape. Finally, the new librarian knights reach the Eastern Roost. This is a big city where the shrykes live.
They get help from a friendly male shryke named Hekkle. With his help, the three knights travel across the Deepwoods. They eventually arrive at a safe place called the Free Glades.
A Traitor and a Rescue Mission
In the Free Glades, Rook, Stob, and Magda are joined by Xanth Filatine. Unknown to them, Xanth is a Guardian of Night in disguise. He is secretly sending information to the Guardians. His goal is to help them ambush the librarian knights. During his training, Rook learns how to build a "skycraft." This is a small vehicle that can fly one person.
Xanth pretends to break his leg in a skycraft accident. This means he can't go on the important journey the knights have been training for. Rook also takes part in a daring raid on the Foundry Glade. He goes with Felix Lodd's sister, Varis Lodd, and a slaughterer named Knuckle. Varis had saved Rook from slavers when he was very young. Their mission is to free the banderbear slaves held there. During this raid, Rook gets hit by a poisoned arrow. He takes the hit to save a banderbear's life.
The Great Convocation and the Skyraider
Rook then starts his own important journey. His goal is to find the Great Convocation of Banderbears. He becomes friends with a young banderbear named Wumeru. He follows her, even though she doesn't want him to, to the Convocation. The banderbears discover Rook's presence. They are about to harm him. But the banderbear Rook saved earlier stands up for him.
Then, Rook meets Twig! Twig is the main hero and a sky pirate from the second Edge Chronicles trilogy. He is now an old man. Twig reveals that his sky ship, the Skyraider, is still flying. It hasn't been ruined by stone-sickness yet. Twig and Rook gather a crew of banderbears. They plan to attack the Guardians of Night's fortress, the Tower of Night. Their main goal is to free Cowlquape Pentephraxis, an old friend of Twig's.
The Final Battle and a Cliffhanger
While Twig and the Skyraider keep the Guardians busy, Rook sneaks into the tower. He uses his skycraft to free Cowlquape. As they are about to fly away, a rope gets stuck. The skycraft is trapped! Xanth, the traitor, confronts Rook. They had become good friends in the Free Glades. It seems Xanth hadn't forgotten their friendship. Xanth quickly cuts the rope. This allows Rook and Cowlquape to fly away safely.
Meanwhile, the Skyraider finally gives in to stone-sickness. It slowly starts to fall towards the Edge. Rook and Cowlquape are sad about Twig. He was hit by a crossbow-bolt from the chief guardian, Orbix Xaxis. Twig decided to go down with his ship. But at the very last moment, Twig's loyal caterbird catches him. The caterbird had promised to always watch over Twig. It flies towards the healing waters of Riverrise. The story ends with a cliffhanger, leaving us to wonder if they make it in time!
Main Characters
- Rook Barkwater
- Felix Lodd
- Stob Lumnus
- Magda Burlix
- Deadbolt Vulpoon
- Hekkle
- Xanth Filatine
- Knuckle
- Varis Lodd
- Twig
- Orbix Xaxis
