Vox (The Edge Chronicles)

Vox is a children's fantasy novel by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, first published in 2003. It is the sixth volume of The Edge Chronicles and the second of the Rook Saga trilogy; within the stories' own chronology it is the eighth novel, following the Quint Saga and Twig Saga trilogies.

Plot summary

The book starts by saying that the edge has had soome strange goings-on. The edge has suddenly become a sweltering place, and a storm is gathering. Orbix Xaxis is in his tower, dropping two young librarian knights out of a cage into a pit full of monsters. When he hears flesh being ripped apart in the pit, he calls it a "Sweet Song". Meanwhile, Rook Barkwater is on patrol in a skycraft. Suddenly he is hit by a fireball and his craft crashes into the rocks below. Rook Barkwater is very upset because it was his skycraft. He is saved by his old friend Felix, who comforts him. Rook is astonished to see his friend and Felix explains that when it became clear he could never be a librarian he took to Screetown. Felix states that he has made a new organization called the Ghosts of Screetown. When Felix invites Rook to dinner at the sunken palace, Rook sees that there is a picture of a large family that used to live there. Under the picture a scroll says that this is the family of Quintinius Verginix. Rook returns to Undertown and is trapped by slavers, while trying to get back to the librarian knights. The slavers sell him to a housekeeper of Vox Verlix's in his crumbling palace of statues, where he spends a few days doing work for Vox Verlix. While in the palace he learns about Vox's plan to destroy General Tytugg and the shrykes in the sewers. Rook agrees to trick the Shrykes into thinking they are going to kill the librarians. Cowlquape arrives and finally confronts Vox and approves to his plan but he does not know about the machine full of phraxdust (the baby). When they are set to go Rook remembers about the baby and set off to destroy it but when he arrives he starts sweating and a drop of sweat makes the Baby explode. Rook gets safely to the top of the Mire with the librarians and they set off to the Freeglades.