The Double-Edged Sword – Sarah Silverwood (Nowhere Chronicles #1)
Hachette Gollancz, 2010
352 pages
RRP: AU$22.99
ISBN: 9780575095793

Reviewed by Kate Smith

I have never been one to avoid books because of their targeted age range. I have come across both shockers and brilliant stories in all ages ranges, and The Double-Edged Sword lies far closer to the positive end of the spectrum, despite not being primarily targeted to an adult audience.

The Double-Edged Sword is not a complex tale and therefore is a lovely smooth read, however it promises to become darker and more involved as The Nowhere Chronicles continue.  The ongoing story shows promise in developing greater depth both or story and concepts encountered by the main characters.  Silverwood gives just enough information at the right times to keep the reader interested and to unfold the plot; the tale is either difficult to grasp nor so obvious that boredom sets in. Silverwood does not provide long winded descriptions to paint the worlds in question, but creates images with a lovely economy of words.  Likewise, she does not explain concepts central to the plot in a rush but unfolds the Nowhere and Somewhere worlds smoothly and slowly as gathering information about a new environment would tend to occur.

The premise of parallel universes or worlds is not a particularly new one, however I found myself liking the concepts that Silverwood explained.  The randomness of the Nowhere, its temporal diversity, the mystery of the great river and the Ageing, all provide many questions that will hopefully generate answers in later books.

Much of the joy of The Double-Edged Sword lies in its potential in future novels, and while it is not a “must read” or a life-changing novel it is a diverting read and I am looking forward to reading further soon in the next book, The Traitor’s Gate.