Sky Pirates: Echo Quickthorn and the Great Beyond

What would it be like to live a life of privilege in a safe, orderly, colourless world, where in spite of everything, you have a strong feeling that you don’t belong? Echo knows, but she has a spirit of adventure and a thirst for knowledge about her origins that lead her into frequent mischief, to the despair of her companion, Prince Horace. The unexpected and accidental arrival of an eccentric explorer from a city of which she was hitherto unaware plunges Echo and her pet lizard into a journey that opens up a world of possibility, discovery and perilous adventure!
Fast paced, amusing and life-affirming, the story carries the reader with Echo through a vividly realised landscape of new places and experiences. Echo and Horace are perfect foils for each other, with complementary traits and skills that provide the resourcefulness and confidence they need as they unravel the truth about Lockfort and the mystery of Echo’s heritage. A strong message of self-belief, following your own path and being open to possibilities arises from the children’s journey to a better understanding of themselves and each other.
This is an entertaining, exciting and heartwarming adventure story, perfectly pitched for its target age range.

Get ready to be carried away on a heart-stopping adventure of secrets, airships, maps, stolen jewels and pirates! Sky Pirates by Alex English joins the ranks of Brightstorm (Vashti Hardy) and Cogheart (Peter Bunzl) as a brilliant science fiction airship adventure with a strong, clever girl at its centre.

Eleven-year-old Echo lives in the palace of Lockhart as the king’s ward and really doesn’t fit in. She knows nothing of her past or who her parents are. Her only clue is a beautiful hair pin with a golden wolf head and a single emerald eye that was left amongst her blankets when she was a baby. Echo longs to venture outside the castle and find someone like her, to find her parents and who she truly is. However, an old prophecy and the orders of the cruel king mean the gates of the city remain locked and no one is permitted to journey into the land beyond. The belief that there is nothing beyond the Barren keeps the people inside and living under a tyrant.

Then one night, Echo is woken by a huge turquoise and copper airship outside her bedroom window. She meets the most unusual Professor Mangrove Baggerwing – inventor, explorer, adventure – who claims to have come from a city beyond the Barren. Could this be true? Could there be more to the world? Could her parents be out there somewhere? Echo has to find out and sets off on the greatest adventure of her life! Accompanied by her pet lizard, Gilbert, and her friend, the crown prince Horace, Echo faces dangers and mysteries that lead her to places she never imagined. Will she end up with the same fate as Beatrix Skitterbrook, the Woman who Thought the World Went On, and disappear forever or will she discover the truth she’s always dreamed of and find out where she really belongs?

This amazing adventure will be published by Simon and Schuster Children’s UK in August 2020. Thank you to NetGalley for this fantastic book!

This is a lot of fun! I love the world English had created - sky ships and clockwork dragons and a map of unexplored places. The story is fat-paced and engaging, with a brave and stubborn main character. Looking forward to book 2!

A swash-buckling pirate adventure like no other.

Filled with intrigue, friendship and wonderfully imaginative worlds.

Alex English has a magical way with words, a way that pulls you into her carefully crafted world and gently takes you on the most magnificent adventure.

OKAY, this book features a very clever pet lizard named Gilbert. WHAT. ELSE. DO. YOU. NEED. TO. KNOW?? It also features other favourite troupes of mine: a plucky headstrong heroine, a hate-to-love friendship arc, and a slightly steampunk-y technology system. OH, and imaginative world building, a kindly and clever professor with five cats and PIRATES.

Basically this book is everything I love. Deftly written and stunningly smart, SKY PIRATES is Fun with a capital F. I thought the concept of a country shut off from the rest of the world was so interesting and executed brilliantly. I really enjoyed Echo’s tenacity, her determination, and her growth as a character in terms of the importance of friendships, belonging and found family. I also ADORED the focus on inventing and the kooky technology Echo encounters on her adventures (particularly the mechanical pigeon messenger!! SO COOL).

The plot is pace-y and exciting. I read this in a flash–I just couldn’t put it down and I think that marks it as a great middle grade adventure book. I also think it left off at a point that makes it PERFECT for a sequel. I’ve got my fingers crossed we’ll see more of Echo’s adventures in the future.

My ten-year old loved this book as much as I did. A really fast-paced, map-cap adventure that has you gripped from the first page, and provides lots of fun along the way. So good that we're pre-ordering it now to have our own paper copy. Love the cover too! Thanks so much for the chance to have an early read.

This Middle Grade adventure novel is so much fun! Echo's story is full of twists and faced-paced action. There was a little bit of everything: chase scenes, mechanical dragons and (of course) pirates. The plot was really tight and everything came together very well at the end (although I hope we discover what happened to the second hair pin in book two...)

The locations were wonderful and vividly described. I would love to visit the Violet Isles and Port Tourbillon. The man-eating fauna, beautiful butterflies and an assortment of pickled food brought English's world to life, creating a story that young readers will love to lose themselves in.

Echo is a really strong protagonist - she's opinionated, brave, and never gives up. I loved her relationship with her pet, Gilbert, and her complicated friendship with Prince Horace. Both Echo and Horace undergo some really strong character development over the course of the novel, and it is heartwarming to watch them grow.

I really hope there's more to come from Echo, Gilbert and Horace.

I was provided with an advanced copy of Sky Pirates by Alex English via NetGalley for review.

I can honestly say that i loved this book. The imagination that has gone into it is absolutely brilliant. A story about adventure and finding your true family. The flow of the book was fantastic and the story was just wonderful.

I loved it. 5 stars!
Fast paced middle grade adventure involving pirates, dragons, undiscovered places, great inventions and fierce characters.
I've always been kind of a shy Horace but I'm inspired by Echo now, she's blooming brilliant! And Gilbert, the real deal!
I enjoyed it so so much and made me forget about how awful everything looks in the real world right now. However, there's always hope and books, always books to make it better.
Everyone should read this adventure!

Buckle up for one heck of a ride!
Echo is adventurous, impetuous and constantly in trouble with the king. She is not one to sit quietly and embroider pillows when there are sights to see and corridors to explore, not to mention wishing she were living outside the castle walls in the city with other children. Constantly accompanied by Gilbert, her faithful and loyal lizard pet, the pair get up to all sorts of trouble. Echo is a ward of the king, having been abandoned as a baby. Living in a city in lockdown (how very apt), Echo is warned that nothing exists outside the city walls, nothing but the barren, a wasteland that no one could survive in.
King Alfons has declared the walls will remain locked until such time as his prophecy comes true. “When Tuesday arrives on a Sunday, when a she-wolf soars by dragon flight, when they king’s blood turns from red to white, then the gates of Lockfort shall open.”

Waking one evening, Echo is surprised to find a sky ship stuck on the castle. Helping to rescue the ship and its only passenger brings valuable information and trouble to the kingdom. Professor Daggerwing imparts the truth- that there is a much larger world outside the city, and proves it with a map- plenty of new places, city names and the sea can be seen but can they be believed? Echo devours this information and is keen to learn more but the Professor is captured, the sky ship hidden and the map destroyed.
Echo’s inner adventurous spirit is properly awakened and she can think of nothing but the world she is missing, the rescue of the Professor and the chance to travel on a sky ship. Of course, escape will not be easy but we know never to underestimate children!

This is Echo’s only chance to find answers to her life long questions and search for her mother. Echo knows nothing of her mother but she was left with a pin bearing a jewellers mark. Thrilled when her rescue and travel on the sky ship are successful, Echo is prepared for anything- except for a stowaway. “Pudding hearted” Prince Horace has tagged along for the journey by accident and now he is here believes he must convince Echo to come back to the castle.

Finding refuge with the Professor in Port Tourbillon, Echo and Horace are introduced to the world outside their city walls. New faces, new mechanisms and incredible opportunities are offered. Echo sets off on a mission to learn about the pin, however a chase from the Queen’s guard soon puts an end to finding easy answers. A quick getaway on the sky ship, Hummerbird is in order.

A forced landing, help from a flying woman and giant man eating flowers await Echo and Horace in the next phase of their adventure. Throughout their time in Port Tourbillon, Echo is warmed about a band of dangerous and dastardly sky pirates, The Black Sky Wolf Pirates. Rumoured to be the worst there is, Echo comes to believe her mother is imprisoned by them. Not one to shy from danger, Echo heads straight towards their last sighting, accompanied by Horace, who is proving to be more courageous than initially thought.

The first meeting with the pirates is unexpected, and meeting Captain Indigo Lil is full of fear, until formal introductions are made and celebrations are in order!

When all the pieces start to fall into place and a sense of belonging and happiness come together, there is the inevitable trouble! As they are all captured and thrown into the dungeons of Lockfort, Echo begins to lose hope. It is Horace, who rekindles her adventurous spirit and the two hatch an escape plan!

This is such a thrilling adventure- featuring a feisty girl intent on finding answers and exploring the world! It also features a boy with hidden courage, family reunions and secrets shared. Prophecies told, adventures had and kingdoms found.
Sheer brilliance!

A brilliantly well written book, I can see children everywhere enjoying this book as much as I did. The characters and story line was engaging and left me wanting to read more. I can’t wait to see what is next from this author.

This is a fun and fast paced romp through lands unknown. Exciting and interesting characters, a good mix of young, older, male, female and not to mention animals and pirates!

Once you start reading you will not want to stop until you know how it ends and when it ends you will want more.

Echo, Horace, Gilbert and those they meet along the way will grab your hand ans whizz you off to far flung places full of adventure. A great read for all ages and but brilliant for those who may not be quite ready for a lengthy book, (or the darkness of some steam punk stories) but still want the excitement and intrigue.

Sky Pirates is a beautifully written adventure book featuring Air Ships, Pirates and a lizard named Gilbert!

Echo is living a privileged life in Lockfort. There is nothing seemingly beyond Lockfort except the barren and edge of the world......or so it seems.

When Echo and Horace, her friend who is also the King's son hitch aboard an Airship, they experience and see more than they had expected to.

This is a lovely tale of family, friendship and determination and I was fully invested in Echo and her wanting to find the family she has never had.

Highly recommended!

A proper adventure - pacy and thrilling with a spirited female lead, stolen jewels, mechanical dragons, airships, sky pirates, and A LIZARD CALLED GILBERT! It's such an imaginative and fantastical story and the start of an exciting new series. 5 stars from me!

A thrilling adventure for children aged eight and above! Echo is living in the palace of a strange Kingdom where outside is said to be a wasteland. The king imprisons those who disagree, but if course echo ends up escaping and having her eyes opened to the wider world. She's a strong female character with an unusual male sidekick, an amusing explorer/inventor with an airship,a mystery about who her family is and pirates- basically everything you could want in a story! Very enjoyable with mild peril. Would be very happy to read to my class.

Just one chapter while I'm waiting for the tea to brew. That's how I started this book. Never Drank that tea, it had grown cold and yucky by the time I remembered it and then I kept on reading until I had finished.

This was soooooo good!

Echo is a head-strong heroine. Gilbert is the most amazing pet lizard you've ever met. There's a clever Professor with five cats (great names!). Horace, an unwilling yet willing sidekick. A king who's making terrible choices for his country/city. And - drumroll - Sky Pirates.

Perfect for any armchair adventurer from the age of 8.

A rollercoaster of an adventure from the very beginning, this book promises to take you on a thrill ride.
Echo’s adventure to find a place where she belongs, a place where she fits in will be very identifiable with children of this generation who, for whatever reason, are feeling similar emotions to this wonderfully complex character.
A must for any primary classroom bookshelf!

Lockfort is ruled by King Alfons and the gates to the city are permanently closed. The residents of Lockfort don’t go outside the gates. The only thing out there is the Barren. And beyond that? Nothing. The Barren is the edge of the world.
Echo was raised inside the castle by King Alfons but doesn’t know where her parents are. She was left on the castle doorstep as a baby. Now she spends most of her time with her best friend, Gilbert the lizard. King Alfons has a son called Horace, but he’s only really interested in butterflies. One night, Echo is accidentally visited by an explorer called Professor Daggerwing who arrives in an airship and claims there are lands beyond the Barren. He is thrown in the castle dungeons for his outrageous lie, but Echo can’t stop thinking about it. What if there is something beyond the Barren?
Echo helps Professor Daggerthorn escape along with Horace (who is an accidental stowaway in the airship) and together they travel to Port Tourbillon. Echo is fascinated by the unusual contraptions and machines she sees all around and tries to find out more about a wolf-shaped hairpin that her mother left her. She keeps hearing about the Black Sky Wolves, a notorious group of sky pirates that everyone seems to want to keep as far away from as possible.
Echo is feisty and longs to discover what lands there are beyond the Barren. Her adventures take her from Port Tourbillon to the Violet Isles and reluctant adventurer, Horace, is her travel companion, along with the insightful Gilbert. This book is a fun adventure and I loved how action-packed it was, moving as quick as the airships themselves. The characters developed as they learnt to cope with their changing circumstances and perhaps were able to do more than they thought themselves capable of. This book will be loved by anyone who enjoys a good adventure story, especially if they involve airships! I was delighted to find out this was a series. I can’t wait to read more about Echo’s adventures in the Beyond!

An exciting, fast-paced action adventure starring a determined and feisty female main protagonist called Echo. Alex English weaves an enchanting tale with great characterisation and outstanding world-building skills. The immensely detailed descriptions of Lockhart, Port Tourbillion and the Violet Isles create vivid images of these wildly inventive places. The story had me gripped from the start.

Eleven year-old Echo has grown up believing that nothing exists outside the city walls of the Kingdom of Lockfort - there is only the barren and then the edge of the world. Echo is King Alfons ward as she was abandoned as a baby outside the palace doors. The only clue to her heritage is a small gold and emerald hairpin that was clipped to her baby blanket. To keep everyone safe King Alfons has locked the gates of Lockfort and they will only open when the prophecy has been fulfilled. Echo feels trapped and out of place and wishes there was more.

Her wish comes true when eccentric Professor Mangrove Daggerwing accidently crashes his airship into her bedroom window. He shows her a map full of magical places just waiting for her to explore. Together with her extremely intelligent pet lizard, Gilbert, and the introverted entomologist, Prince Horace who stowed away in the airship, Echo sets off on an incredible adventure to find out who her parents are. On their journey they encounter giant butterflies, mechanical dragons and of course… notorious sky pirates.

Horace and Echo have a brilliant prickly relationship that grows to real friendship. I particularly liked the way the reluctant adventurer Horace develops the courage to stand up for what he believes at the end of the book.

A great escapist book to read alone or to listen to in the book corner or at bedtime. A must read for fans of Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart series. I can’t wait to read what is next in store for Echo Quickthorn.

This is a fun adventure tale, which I read in one sitting. It tells the story of Echo, who is growing up in an unsettling, courtly world of privilege where something just isn’t quite right. Sky Pirates is entertaining and the character relationships (Echo, Gilbert – her pet lizard – and Horace) are well developed.

I will be recommending this to children in my class, particularly for fans of Cogheart and Brightstorm.

Thankyou netgalley for the kindle version, i'm so grateful!
I've been wanting to read middlegrade again for ages but being 27 didn't want to be judged. After watching booktubers my age rave about middlegrade i decided to do so and i'm so glad i did. That cover and sky pirates in the title had me so intrigued and i was not disappointed, this resparked and reminded of the magic and whimsy of middlegrade. This was so fun to read and just shut off from the real world for a while. A pet lizard called Gilbert just topped it off.

This is a book which quickly won praise from my 10 year old grandson, who writes: “This is an interesting story of adventure and excitement. It is about a 12-year-old girl named Echo whose uncle is the king of Lockfort. After the king’s brother, Echo’s father, dies the king pretends she is an orphan and takes her away from her mother who he blames for his brother’s death. The king who is full of grief, bans people from leaving and pretends there are no other countries so that he can hide Echo from her mother. It is an engaging story of finding family and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. I thought it was perfect reading for a 10-year-old.” It would seem presumptuous to argue with that, so this gets a five star review; it was also devoured remarkably quickly - always a good guide to the enjoyment derived from reading a book.

What a wondrously exhilarating adventure! Sparkling with excitement, exploration, danger and discoveries, Echo’s splendiferous adventures completely enthralled me, and I can’t wait to go adventuring with her again.

Echo doesn’t feel that she belongs in Lockfort City and yearns for a life of adventure which is a problem as she has been told that nothing exists beyond the City walls … until the night the rather eccentric Professor Mangrove Daggerwing sails his airship into her life and shares a map … and so begins the adventure she has been waiting for, an adventure to find her mother with nothing more than a hairpin with a wolf’s head and a belief that her mother did not abandon her as a baby.

Echo finds herself sailing to Port Tourbillon with her best friend, Gilbert (who happens to be THE most adorable lizard), the rather timid Prince Horace who sneaks aboard the sky-ship and the Professor. Tracking down her one connection to her mother, Echo soon finds herself on the run from the Queen’s Guards, making new friends and in search of the infamous Black Sky Wolves sky-pirates. Her search leads to danger, incredible discoveries and new beginnings …

The world-building is absolutely superb from the uniformity of Lockfort and its people to the riot of colour and rich diversity that is Port Tourbillon to the old-fashioned and delightful sky-ship which really made me want to join the adventure … even if I am afraid of heights. I’d love to have tea on a hammock, but I might have to say no to the squibnuts!

I absolutely adored Echo. She has an adventurer’s soul: determined, curious and courageous with a sense of justice and a kind heart. Gilbert, her lizard, is a loyal, helpful and intuitive companion who she has an almost telepathic connection with. I never thought I’d say this, but I want a Gilbert! I also really liked Horace who adores books and is fascinated by butterflies. He may not be a typical hero, and is a rather reluctant adventurer, but, when it matters most, he proves himself to be a loyal friend who is braver than he believes and shows that words can be just as important as actions when it comes to courage. The relationship between Echo and Horace is brilliant: they may bicker and argue but, when it matters, they always look out for each other.

I really liked that gender stereotypes are challenged. The female characters in this story are brilliant role models for STEM with Echo operating the sky-ship and Abena Tuesday engineering a mechanical dragon. I also really liked that Horace is portrayed as more sensitive, timid and a bookworm fascinated by butterflies.

This is an unmissable adventure into an exciting world that kept me entranced throughout.

I really enjoyed this book, it was such a fun adventure. Echo is a brilliant character, full of energy and quick thinking. It was great to read her journey - both physical and emotional - as she escapes Lockfort and searches for her mother. All the characters were well realised, and even the main villain (King Alfons) was understandable. He was (extremely misguidedly) trying to protect his people. I thought the character development of Prince Harold was particularly good.

I loved all the different places that Echo and her friends visit, you really get a sense of the different places. Each island or city seems very distinct.

I feel that as well as being a lot of fun to read, there’s an important message in this story, summed up by the verse from Professor Daggerwing at the beginning of the book - that walls imprison as well as protect.

If you’re looking for a fun adventure, with steam airships and fantastical lands, then this is the book for you. I’d recommend it to adults as well as children. I really hope there will be a sequel.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.