Christopher Edge's books sit comfortably in the middle of the children's category, not too long and reasonably accessible, yet high in quality of content and writing. As such they are most welcome on our bookshops shelves - but should not stay there for too long.
His first publications were a trilogy of historical mystery adventures, starting with Twleve Minutes to Midnight (2012). These are highly entertaining romps with a strong girl lead and more than a touch of lurid melodrama inspired by the 'Penny Dreadfuls' of the late Nineteenth Century. Recently the author has exchanged science for history as the inspiration of his fiction - and to some of the most difficult thinking of recent science at that. However the results are splendid.
Of course, others have already used fiction as a vehicle for explaining difficult scientific concepts to children, perhaps most notably Professor Russell Stannard in his Uncle Albert books (starting with The Time and Space of Uncle Albert, 1989) and the George series, penned by Lucy Hawking in collaboration with her famous father, Stephen (starting with George's Secret Key to the Universe, 2007).
However, whereas Russel Stanard is himself an eminent scientist, and Lucy Hawking has a direct connection to one, Christopher edge is a novelist. He actually does a pretty good job of explaining some fiendish concepts from contemporary science and philosophy, such as 'Schrodinger's Cat', but his primary interest is in the narrative that he can construct around these ideas. In fact he might upset some pure scientists because he weaves fantasy and actual scientific theory together without distinguishing very clearly between them. But then it is possible to argue that quantum physics has become the point where science and science fiction/fantasy almost meet anyway. Certainly Christopher Edge uses this possibility in both challenging and exciting ways.
His story is that of a boy trying to come to terms with the recent loss of his monther. He becomes obsessed with the idea of looking for her in parallel worlds, where, some of the most radical scientific theories would seem to suggest, she will not have died. His journeys into these other worlds, and what he finds, and doesn't find there, are at the fascinating heart of his story. The issues of childhood bereavement and loss are sensitively handled and helpfully moved forward by the end of novel. However there are perhaps other books that deal with this subject more profoundly. This is not so much a book to give to a grieving child as to a thinking one. Its parallel-universe-hopping may not always be completely logical, any more than is the time travel in Back to the Future, but it raises the most interesting issues. In doing so it provides material for some fascinating, and perhaps important, reflection for those children who can open their minds up to it. It is a book both educational, in the very best and biggest sense, and hugely entertaining at the same time.
One of the most difficult issues in life is knowing what you can change about yourself and what you can't;what you should try to change and what you shouldn't. This novel will help many children along the path towards that understanding. It is one for for children who ask questions, ponder, wonder and imagine - and that makes it very special. It explores the gap between the cutting edge of science and the world of fantasy, and implies that it might be far smaller that we thought.
A review of this, Christopher Edge's most recent children's novel, will be added here very shortly.