A review by champipen
Freeglader by Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell

5.0

I don't know hat it is about these books, but they strike a chord in me. Gorgeous illustrations, lovely worldbuilding, constant growth and shifting of characters, simplicity and complexity at once within an easily consumable book.

Freeglader carriers on where its precursor left off, somehow picking up directly after the contents of the previous book without making it feel like you needed to read it. The reader is brought up to speed by general statements, the characters and conflict are introduced, go. There's not a hint of fat on this story, trimmed and lean, but it's filled to bursting with colorful characters and setpieces and cultures.

Something I liked in particular was the development of the main character's rival who served as a stand-in while the mc suffered from memory loss, something that seems to happen on occasion with the main characters in these books. I also appreciated the strong hints of anti-intellectualism presented over the series that really rear their heads in the previous book and this one.

Just read it. I'm going to keep leaving reviews until you do.