Changes

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It's the final chapter. There's nothing let left now but the last confrontation. Blade has nothing left to lose and at last revenge is in sight. Under pressure from the porkers and the gangs, and with his private empire crumbling, Hawk has retreated to his remote hideout. Blade is there, waiting. But Hawk is surrounded by a private army of security. Dozens of grinks and gobbos lie between Blade and his nemesis and getting past them isn't going to be easy. But Blade has his instinct back and nothing is going to stand in his way. Losing is not an option. But can he beat the man who has never known defeat? Can he find redemption?

Mostly, it's startlingly original - there's nothing like it out there at all. On the surface the series comprises is composed of short, sharp, shocking episodes that can be read in a single sitting and eschew complicated sentences and difficult words. So, it's intended for the fabled "reluctant reader" audience then, right? Well, yes, it is. Reluctant readers will love the gritty setting, the pace, and the tension. They'll also love a mere hundred and fifty pages of large type.

And well, no, it isn't. I've only described the surface of ''Blade''. The episodes tie together into a mystery thriller with a very complicated background and enough twists and turns to shake a stick itat. It's challenging to work out each piece of the puzzle. Dig a bit deeper and you find some strong themes of exclusion and redemption. Dig deeper again, and you suddenly realise that these books - so vivid, so immediate, so exciting and so quick to read - actually have a tremendously complex structure. There's the notoriously difficult second person narration - Blade is talking to a passive character called Bigeyes - and there's the Clockwork Orange-style argot of nebs and grinks and gobbos and grime. These are "proper" novels with "proper" conceits that can be usefully analysed in the classroom - in fact, if Blade doesn't find his way onto the GCSE curriculum, I'll want to know why. Let's interest them with something exciting, contemporary and relevant, eh?

There's the notoriously difficult second person narration - Blade is talking to a passive character called Bigeyes - and there's the Clockwork Orange-style argot of nebs and grinks and gobbos and grime. These are "proper" novels with "proper" conceits that can be usefully analysed in the classroom - in fact, if Blade doesn't find his way onto the GCSE curriculum, I'll want to know why. Let's interest them with something exciting, contemporary and relevant, eh? I truly can't praise this series highly enough. I've loved it from start to finish. And ''Risking All'' is a fitting close - even if I do feel rather bereft now it's all over. There's a twist in the tale I hadn't seen coming at all and yes, we do finally find out about Bigeyes. Highly, highly recommended.

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