Edsel Grizzler: Ghostly shadows by James Roy

UQP, 2011. ISBN: 978 0 7022 3881 9.
Having missed their train back to Verdada, Edsel and Jacq are digging a hole under the city of Widen, without fully understanding why they are doing so. With their water rations about to be consumed, they find a beacon which they believe may help them find their way out of the tunnel. By unraveling a jumper, hand knitted by Jacq's Gran, the pair leave behind a trail of wool to help them find their way back to their starting point. Journeying through the tunnel, they have some unnerving experiences in which they find it difficult to identify fact from fiction. When they meet an old friend, they believe they will be saved but not everything is as straightforward as they might hope.
Despite the adventure, interesting characters, settings, inventions and twists and turns in the plot, I found this a difficult title to read . . . due mostly to the fact that I have not yet read the first two books of the trilogy! Whilst some series seem to contain predominantly 'stand alone' titles, this did not. Having read the final book, I am now keen to read the previous books to learn more about the journey and characters in the series and make more sense of the events herein. With the themes of loyalty, friendship and the desire to atone for one's wrongs, this book has some positive aspects. I plan to revisit the series as a whole as it certainly seemed to be another entertaining and thought provoking read.
Jo Schenkel