![]() ![]() ![]() “Its rich in pitch and has been mined to within an inch of itself.”… the island was stone grey and full of ramshackle buildings that looked as though they’d been put up temporarily only to become permanentĪlongside this sightseeing wonder and whimsy are strong undertones emphasising of the dark sides of colonialism with the pitch mines and islands stripped to the bone for resources taken away to Lontown, Vane’s omission of calling the continents by their agreed names instead the Lontown traditions and indeed this childhood quest for the Fourth Continent and how they could turn dark in the hands of the wrong grown ups. The beautiful whimsy remains, from what I happened to shout out loud in excitement (Bambicorns!!!) actually called ‘roamers’ in the book to underwater pod homes (sssh) it had a feel of the joyfulness of The Road to Eldorado meets the unfolding wonder of Journey to Atlantis. Savannah like plains to sandy tropical islands and heady humid jungles the sense of immersion in place is cinematic, Vashti has done an outstanding job of world building and the full sensory experience is just a delight to enjoy. It travelled at a slow pace, and there was something calm and rhythmic in the way it moved… the scent of peppermint mixed with dry grass caught on the wind. The heat was blistering and sweat trickled the length of his spine, but that didn’t dampen the joyful feeling of freedom being atop this glorious creature. What is Eudora Vane really up to, and what secrets are hiding? Whilst doing their duty on Harriet Culpepper’s airship Aurora, the twins travel to tropical islands to look for the missing adventurer, with Maudie hitting her engineering stride with ambition and grit, and Arthur feeling a little lost in the expectations of others but something dark is lingering below the surface of this task. Cover by George Ermos internal map illustrations by Jamie Gregoryįamous explorer Ermitage Wrigglesworth has gone missing and the dastardly Eudora Vane of all people is arranging a large scale rescue mission.
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