Escape and Wonder

The book repeatedly invites readers to leave the mundane world—especially London—for fantastical realms at the edge of the world, emphasizing the allure of adventure and the imagination as a refuge from everyday weariness.

The entire chapter is a chronicle of adventures at the edge of the world, emphasizing escape into a realm of wonder.

Shepperalk's joyous gallop across the plain and his departure from his mother's cavern embody a sense of escape into a world of wonder and freedom.

Shard and his crew escape the law and the hangman by retreating to a secret floating island, a wondrous and hidden refuge.

Miss Cubbidge is literally lifted from her mundane London life into a magical, timeless realm of dragons, pearls, and enchanted seas.