Christopher Edge - ESCAPE ROOM: Game Zero - Book Review - Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books

Get ready to enter the Escape Room: Game Zero! This thrilling new vibrant middle-grade novel by Christopher Edge, author of the bestselling Escape Room series, is an absolute must-read for young adventurers and lovers of virtual reality games. 

When a swirling flock of birds plunges the sky into darkness, Eden finds herself transported to The Escape, a virtual world unlike anything she's ever imagined.  This is no ordinary game; it's a place where the impossible becomes possible and nothing is as it seems.  Teaming up with the enigmatic Ted, Eden must navigate treacherous landscapes, solve mind-bending puzzles, and overcome escalating challenges to unlock the secrets of this captivating and absorbing digital realm. Edge wonderfully crafts a world brimming with suspense, intrigue, and heart-pounding excitement.  The fast-paced plot keeps readers on the edge of their seats, while the richly detailed virtual landscapes pop and spark the imagination.  Eden and Ted's burgeoning friendship adds a touching layer of camaraderie to their perilous quest.

"Escape Room: Game Zero" is more than just an adventure; it's a celebration of the power of games to transport us to new worlds and unlock the hidden potential within ourselves.  A true testament to Edge's talent as a storyteller, this book is sure to be a massive hit with young readers and leave them craving more.  Don't miss out on this extraordinary escape room experience – it's a game-changer!

Published by Nosy Crow Books 5.Jun 2025. Book Cover Illustration by David Dean. Book Series Escape Room. 

Check out these other brilliant books from Christopher Edge:

• Black Hole Cinema Club - Book Review HERE
• Escape Room - Book Review -Book Review HERE
• The Many Worlds of Albie Bright - Book Review HERE
• The Jamie Drake Equation - Book Review HERE

Christopher Edge (Author), David Dean (Illustrator) - Black Hole Cinema Club Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

  

Christopher Edge's "Black Hole Cinema Club" takes readers on a whirlwind adventure that combines the magic of cinema with heart-pounding action. In this immersive tale, Lucas and his friends find themselves thrust into a world beyond their wildest imagination when they step into their local cinema, aptly named, 'The Black Hole'.

From the moment the movie marathon begins, Edge's storytelling grips readers with its non-stop excitement. As the friends watch in disbelief, a black tidal wave bursts out of the screen, plunging them into an epic and dangerous journey. What follows is a rollercoaster of secret hideouts, prehistoric monsters, lost cities, and impossible missions, all woven together to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Lucas and his friends face increasing peril with each cliffhanger scene they encounter, raising doubts about the line between fiction and reality. The author cleverly explores the power of imagination and the responsibility that comes with being the hero of your own story. As the plot reaches its climax, the stakes are raised, and readers will find themselves racing alongside Lucas and his friends to save the day.

This book is an epic page-turner that will captivate readers of all ages. The author skillfully blends elements of adventure, mystery, and friendship, creating a story in his own unique style that is not only thrilling but also heartfelt.

Black Hole Cinema Club is due to be released by Nosy Crow Books on March 14th, 2024. It is set to become a must-read for fans of adventure and cinema. Therefore, it's time to get the snacks and drinks ready as Christopher Edge once again delivers an exhilarating and thought-provoking tale that will leave readers longing for their own cinematic adventures. BUY HERE!

Christopher Edge - ESCAPE ROOM - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

 

Are you ready to ESCAPE to the Escape Room? This is the latest book by Christopher Edge which is due to be published by Nosy Crow Ltd on the 3rd Feb 2022. The book cover is brilliantly produced by the talented illustrator, David Dean. We arrive at the start of the book with a buzz of excitement as the main character arrives at The Escape; a reward for working so hard. We are led slowly into a fantasy adventure with the trademark qualities that you associate with this author. There's a plot full of puzzles and a deadly sting in the tale as a group of children (unknown to each other) have a race against time to battle the rooms and actually save the world. 

It's only Fantasy? 

However, the Host has other ideas as you skip and dive through this fantastic narrative escaping danger and sometimes death. The author drags you through different creative and eventful moments that will have readers gripped in a vortex of magic fantasy realism. Find the answer and you'll find the key to escape. Although, along the way, you'll visit an amazing library and battle a strange chess automaton that was built 250 years ago. If you need even more madness you'll also hurtle across an unknown galaxy in a spaceship and encounter extinct species of animals that just might eat you alive. 

The author has a great way of putting an important message into his books. There's a quirky twist whilst still managing to weave a web of epic ingredients together to create an exhilarating ending. He does this in a very imaginative way that only natural storytellers can do. This is a story that is so much more; great entertainment with a  massive thought-provoking moment that leaves you reflecting. Have you got the Answer? Find out by reading the book - enjoy!

 Other recommended books published by the author: 

The Many Worlds of Albie Bright

• The Jamie Drake Equation
• The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
• The Longest Night of Charlie Noon
• Space Oddity 
• Twelve Minutes to Midnight 

Christopher Edge - The Longest Night of Charlie Noon - Book Review - Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books

"If you go into the woods, Old Crony will get you."

Secrets, spies or maybe even a monster... What lies in the heart of the wood? Charlie, Dizzy and Johnny are determined to discover the truth, but when night falls without warning they find themselves trapped in a nightmare. Lost in the woods, strange dangers and impossible puzzles lurk in the shadows. As time plays tricks, can Charlie solve this mystery and find a way out of the woods? But what if this night never ends...?

We are just about to skip, hop and jump into summer, so why not review the latest book by Christopher Edge at this time. The Longest Night of Charlie Noon will be published in paperback by Nosy Crow books on the 6th June 2019. The brilliant book cover artwork has been produced by Matt Saunders and comes with shimmering lettering that will sparkle both on and off the bookshelves. The illustrated cover inspires the characteristics of the story inside and leaves you asking many questions about the story. It certainly piqued my interest and  encouraged me to explore the story inside. In my opinion, this is an illustration job that has been done very well.

This is another fantastic plot that blends a deep sense of darkness with a science-fiction grounding. The story is told with a real sense of emotion and passion which drives this story into the woods and beyond. The book is inspired by a classic childhood read by Denys Watkins-Pitchford - a book called Brendon Chase. This planted a small acorn of an idea that the author explores and runs with before it explodes into a large Oak tree dangling with fantasy entrails. 

Whilst doing some research for the book, Christoper spent a very scary night in lower woods. This visit for me has has helped him capture the spirit, darkness and the magic beauty of nature and the great outdoors.

The three characters try and find a way out of the forest (an ancient woodland on the border of Gloucester and Wiltshire). However, they soon become incredibly lost and surrounded by ghostly shapes and strange noises. The deeper into the woods they go, the more ethereal the journey becomes. Charlie, Dizzy and Johnny are led on a puzzling nightmarish adventure that will have you engrossed in this ghost story/time-travel mystery. As time stops and the heart beat races, what will happen next?

This is a compact story full of wild imagination. The author has an expert eye for pulling on the emotional heartstrings of the characters and the readers. A giggle here, a sob there and a howl from the wind which will rattle the bushes and make you run for cover as the eeriness creeps in and plays with your mind. As with all stories by Christopher, you never just know what is going to happen next. His quirkiness for story telling and the exquisite blending of character dialogues makes his books standout; this book is no exception. 

This is another middle-grade blossom that will bloom to grasp a bigger audience. It's an interesting and great concept for a story. Intelligent, with a clear moral underlining and instilling the author's passion for teaching, science and nature. This book reflects on the world helping other people in finding comfort during the hardest and bleakest of times. It's another great story which captures the beating heart, so pick up a copy and read it sooner rather than later! 

Christopher Edge - The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Book Review (Nosy Crow)

Cover illustration by Matt Saunders.

How do you know you really exist? It's Maisie's birthday and she can't wait to open her presents. She's hoping for the things she needs to build her own nuclear reactor. But she wakes to an empty house and outside the front door is nothing but a terrifying, all-consuming blackness. Trapped in an ever-shifting reality, Maisie knows that she will have to use the laws of the universe and the love of her family to survive. And even that might not be enough...A mind-bending mystery for anyone who's ever asked questions.

It's always a real pleasure to receive a book for review, especially a book written by Christopher Edge. The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day will spring into the universe on the 5th April 2018. It is published by Nosy Crow, the Children's Publisher of the year 2017, and will hurtle through the black holes of space just in time to land in a bookshop near you. 

This might be the strangest book Christopher Edge has written. The narrative is emotionally challenging and thought provoking. As you follow the two female characters, Maisie and her sister you will soon find yourself sucked into a vortex of everyday family life. It might even be a mirror image of your own reality, fallings out, fighting, family disputes, friends making fun at you etc -  that's not too unusual, RIGHT? Well, that REALITY changes through a dramatic plot twist.  A collision course of atoms explodes into life, a tiny flutter of fantasy particles dance on the heads of the reader. It really challenges the direction you thought the story was taking and makes you want to read more, and quickly. 

The plot turns the adventure into an ever-shifting reality that will engulf you into a world of blackness. You'll hurtle into a chilling and mind-bending fantasy universe which is devoid of colour and leads you into the bizarre. This part of the story is very surreal - it certainly captured my attention. I was led into a mystery that I was desperate to uncover.  

It's very cleverly written, although all of the books that Christopher has written have been brilliant. This is a truly thought-provoking and touching story that will gently pull on the heart-strings. It will gently take you on a journey which exercises your emotional self to the full. 

Like all books by Christopher, it is full of scientific facts and wonder. It bestows a mini educational adventure that surely any teacher would recommend. It is a brilliant and well thought out story that will ask many questions of the reader whilst exploring what it's like to be human. Could we actually be characters subconsciously playing out our lives in a book or computer game? Will we ever know? The world we live in is a miracle and, just like the power of reading, this is a book that you will love and want to read. 

Christopher Edge: Guest Post - Top 3 Inspirations Behind The Jamie Drake Equation - #WorldBookDay Post

Happy World Book Day everybody. Today will also see the publication of Christopher Edge's latest novel The Jamie Drake Equation. It will spread its wings and fly off, courtesy of Nosy Crow, and can be found in all good book shops today. I recently read and reviewed this book and really loved it, so see what I had to say about this book in my review HERE. Anyway, I would like to welcome Christopher to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books blog to talk about the inspiration behind his book. 

No book tumbles from the mind of its author without a spark of inspiration to send it on its way. Here are the top 3 inspirations behind my new book, The Jamie Drake Equation. 

E.T. 
The Jamie Drake Equation is about a ten-year-old boy called Jamie whose dad is an astronaut on the International Space Station getting ready to launch humanity’s first interstellar mission in search of alien life. Perhaps the most-famous fictional alien ever created is Steven Spielberg’s E.T. I remember my older brother taking me to watch this movie at our local cinema and craning my neck from our front-row seats as this spellbinding film of first contact unfolded on the screen. But more than being just a film about aliens, E.T. is a story about friendship, family and the impact of his parents’ divorce on Elliot. And in The Jamie Drake Equation, Jamie’s encounter with a strange message from the stars is the start of his realisation that his family life isn’t as perfect as he thought.

Astronauts 
Last year I had the honour of hearing the Canadian astronaut, Commander Chris Hadfield, speak at the Emirates Festival of Literature in Dubai. He spoke about his childhood dreams, of humanity’s greatest achievements, the wonders of the universe and the power of inspiration. “It begins with the spark of an idea,” he said, “It begins with literature.” Powerful words for any author to hear!

I saw for myself the inspiration that space exploration can spark when my son and daughter both rushed home from primary school, buzzing with excitement after taking part in the Cosmic Classroom live link with Commander Tim Peake onboard the International Space Station. And as we sat together to watch the ISS soar through the night sky, the story of The Jamie Drake Equation started to take shape in my mind. 

David Bowie 
I first heard David Bowie’s music on a mixtape that a friend made for me when I was seventeen, ‘Life on Mars’ nestling between Syd Barrett and the Smiths. And from the moment the piano intro played and Bowie started singing of the girl with the mousy hair, I was entranced. Working as a Saturday boy in Our Price Music, I quickly schooled myself in David Bowie’s back catalogue: Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Low, Let’s Dance... until the record-buying public of Bolton rose up in protest and demanded I started playing Right Said Fred instead. 

From Space Oddity to Blackstar, David Bowie’s music has always been written in the stars, his lyrics slipping free from Earth’s gravity to explore science fiction themes, loving the alien and giving a voice to the alienated. David Bowie died while I was writing The Jamie Drake Equation, but in my mind his music was the soundtrack for key scenes in the story. I talked about the book soundtrack I created for The Jamie Drake Equation with Chris Hawkins on BBC 6 Music and you can listen to the interview Here. And if you’d like to see which scenes Bowie’s songs soundtracked, you can listen to the chapter-by-chapter soundtrack Here. 

So these are a few of the inspirations behind The Jamie Drake Equation: aliens, astronauts and a singer made of stardust.

Synopsis: How amazing would it be to have a dad who's an astronaut? Rocket launches, zero gravity, and flying through space like a superhero! Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station and Jamie ought to think it's cool but he just really misses him...Hanging out at his local observatory, Jamie picks up a strange signal on his phone. It looks like alien life is getting closer to home. But space is a dangerous place and when his dad's mission goes wrong, can Jamie prove that he's a hero too? A cosmic adventure for anyone who's ever looked at the stars, from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. Cover illustration by Matt Saunders.





Website:www.christopheredge.co.uk

Christopher Edge - The Jamie Drake Equation - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

How amazing would it be to have a dad who's an astronaut? Rocket launches, zero gravity, and flying through space like a superhero! Jamie Drake's dad is orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station and Jamie ought to think it's cool but he just really misses him...Hanging out at his local observatory, Jamie picks up a strange signal on his phone. It looks like alien life is getting closer to home. But space is a dangerous place and when his dad's mission goes wrong, can Jamie prove that he's a hero too? A cosmic adventure for anyone who's ever looked at the stars, from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. 

As soon as you turn the first page, you will suddenly find yourself being transported into a gravitational time dilation. The real world will slow down, as the fantasy universe kicks in, and powers you on into outer space and beyond. The very first page will hook you into a cracking story about a young boy, called Jamie Drake, and his famous astronaut father, who recently left earth. He is flying through space on a mission to send small probes to the further reaches of space, hoping to find proof of extraterrestrial life, but what will they find?

The book is beautifully written. It fully explores science and scientific elements including the solar system and the possibilities of intelligent life beyond planet earth. It is a great educational ride; it subconsciously makes learning fun, cool and very interesting. Christopher really shows off his passion, once again, by showing readers just how much fun science can be through a good story narrative and mixing it with action adventure and family life.  

Another great element of this story is that it has a historical impact on the world today. With the ever-increasing topics of space travel and life beyond earth, the author asks many questions for the reader to think about and perhaps even discuss in class. Just like the characters in Jamie's school, the children are involved in making models, dressing up as aliens and being involved in a live broadcast to space which is beamed into the school from the International Space Center. All are very uber cool, right?

This story is a cosmic ray of light that will uplift your soul to the nebulae and back. It will take you on the best journey that the imagination has to offer and let you escape into a fantasy world that is filled with reality and fantastic characters that make you feel warm at heart. It is all delivered with a bucketful of heart and snappy middle-grade dialogue throughout. The mystery and a twist will keep the reader on their toes until the very end of the book. 

Chris and the team at Nosy Crow have delivered another award winning performance. It is published in paperback on the 2nd March 2017 and has been wrapped up in another fantastic book cover illustration by Matt Saunders.