Details
Synopsis
In the mountains of Switzerland the wicked Count Karlstein plots to abandon his two orphaned nieces in a hunting lodge as prey for the Demon Huntsman and his ghostly hounds.
| Size | | Length: | 243 pages | | Height: | 7.8 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 5.6 oz |
Industry Reviews
Originally published in Britain in 1982, Pullman's light-hearted debut effort appears in the U.S. for the first time. A welcome diversion for fans impatiently awaiting the final installation of the trilogy begun with The Golden Compass, this novel though lacking the more serious underpinnings of the author's later books showcases the boisterous narrative style that fans will recognize as an established element of Pullman's repertoire. Set in a Swiss village in 1816, the story revolves around wicked Count Karlstein, his two wards the English orphans Lucy and Charlotte and the nasty bargain Karlstein has struck with Zamiel, the Demon Huntsman, a supernatural being who annually haunts the local woods on All Souls' Eve. Pullman adds further zest to the mix with the appearance of characters like the orphans' former schoolteacher, the indomitable Augusta Davenport ("I was able to console myself with the reflection that an English gentlewoman can rise above any circumstances, given intelligence and a loaded pistol"), and the actor and sometime swindler known as Doctor Cadavarezzi (aka Signor Brilliantini), a mountebank as charming as he is sly. Briskly narrated in a variety of voices, including those of Lucy (influenced by such contemporary gothic novels as The Mysteries of Udolpho) and the bumbling, hilariously self-important police sergeant Snitsch, the plot undergoes a series of twists and turns too complicated not to mention delightfully improbable to delineate here. In an exuberant conclusion worthy of the best of comic operas, the orphans find a true protector, the evil Count is served his just deserts and the formidable Miss Davenport is reunited with her long-lost love. Dashing, sparkling and wildly over-the-top fun. Ages 8-13. (July)
Bukey
Gr 5-8-In this deliciously gothic thriller there are enough demon huntsmen, evil guardians, and brooding castles to please even the most desensitized reader. The telling of the tale changes hands from beginning to end, but the principal narrator is Hildi Kelmer, a teenage maidservant at Castle Karlstein. When she hears that Count Karlstein plans to offer up his two young nieces to Zamiel the Demon Huntsman on All Soul's Eve as part of an old bargain, she must move quickly to get the two innocents to safety. However, getting from point A to point B in this story is a long, involved process, mined with almost every gothic device possible. Among the cast of characters are Hildi's brother Peter, who recently escaped from jail where he was serving a sentence for poaching; Miss Davenport, a formidable Englishwoman and former teacher of the orphan girls; goodhearted Max the Coachman, whose bad luck with sausages has landed him with the slick debonair outlaw Doctor Cadaverezzi; and Max's true lost love, the faithful but ditzy Eliza. Each of these characters is flawlessly drawn, and the changes in narrative voice would be obvious, even without the changes in typeface. However, it is the intricate plot, with its interconnected twists and turns and cliff-hanger chapter endings, that will really sell this book. The pacing is delightful, with horrific crescendos every few chapters, and comic relief in the others. After the excitement of Zamiel's visit, the literary tidying up of plot threads is a welcome relief. Try this for those readers not ready for Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, but beyond the pale horror of R. L. Stine's "Fear Street" books.-Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Fredrickson
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