The Clash of the Sky Galleons
a review by Valmic
The novel The Clash of the Sky Galleons, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, tells about Quint, a young sky pirate, and his pursuit of the wicked Turbot Smeal.
Along his journey, Quint learns the skill of being skeptical. In the beginning, he trusts the traitor captain, Thaw Daggerslash. Although Quint is not as gullible as Little Red Riding Hood, the act of trusting Thaw as a crew member was similar to the act of Little Red trusting the wolf, even though she didn’t know much about him. Later on, he ventures to the vast Deepwoods, where small, cute creatures called wig-wigs live. They may appear nice, but they really are bloodthirsty predators. Like Quint did, I judged a roller coaster by its daunting look, but it turned out to be a really fun ride. After being through so many situations where things were not what they seemed, Quint starts to judge people more carefully. It is easy to imagine how his experiences with the deadly wig-wigs and mutinous Thaw changed him. All in all, Quint learned the value of good judgement through his adventure.
After his father’s great pursuit of Turbot Smeal, the young pirate Quint discovers that Smeal has been dead for a long time. What is the author’s message when he makes Wind Jackal’s great pursuit end up being a waste? I think that he means we shouldn’t follow directions on pieces of random paper. Every time Captain Wind Jackal goes to the location notified on the anonymous notes, a trap is there instead of Turbot Smeal. His blind chase reminds me of Sadie in The Kane Chronicles, by Rick Riordan, who acts on impulse in cases like Wind Jackal’s situation.
In the book, I didn’t like how so many characters died. The Nightwaif assassin, Quint’s family, and Steg Jambles are only a few friends of Quint who meet their demise in the tale. I wonder why the author decided to kill so many characters off. Is he trying to convey a message? Even though the novel can be very tragic, it was an overall excellent book, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone.
Valmic is a sixth grade student. Thank you, Valmic!