With Count Karlstein (originally published in a different form in Great Britain in 1982), Pullman shows himself again a master storyteller-this time in a light vein. The forces of good and evil, very much in evidence, do not have the intricacy and ambiguity of his later, more ambitious work: here melodrama supplants drama with a cast of characters boasting such telling names as Herr Snivelwurst, the wicked Count Karlstein's faithful follower, and Sergeant Snitsch of the local police. But it is the characters with such unassuming Victorian names as Lucy and Charlotte who capture our affection. On All Soul's Eve, these two young nieces of the count are destined to become sacrificial lambs to save their uncle from the Mephistophelean pact he entered into with Zamiel, the Demon Huntsman, tales of whom circulate widely in their mountainous Swiss village. Lucy and Charlotte, having been spirited away by a kindhearted maidservant, meet up with the wily, charismatic traveling showman Doctor Cadaverezzi. Meanwhile, Miss Augusta Davenport, the erstwhile English teacher of our heroines and a feminist ahead of her time, arrives at Castle Karlstein to inquire about them. In pursuit of the girls, these characters and more move rapidly between castle fortresses and hidden caves, between the comfortable local tavern and Karlstein's ominous hunting lodge. Young Hildi Kelmar, the rescuing maidservant, owns most of the narration. But she shares it with Lucy and Charlotte, the increasingly involved Miss Davenport, and a cameo appearance by the lovable but seemingly buffoonish Max Grindoff, sidekick to the doctor. In a clever ploy, consistent with the overt showiness of the story, altered typography announces a change in narrator. Histrionic writing complements the exaggerated plot line, which ends satisfyingly with villainy punished and virtue rewarded; two deliciously anticipated marriages climax this over-the-top romantic thriller.
Can you hear the distant howling of hounds and the thunder of ghostly hooves? It's All Souls' Eve and Zamiel the Demon Huntsman has come to claim his prey! He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, where the evil count has hatched an evil plan; he'll sacrifice his two young nieces to save himself. Can Lucy and Charlotte outwit their uncle and his oily henchmen to escape their dreadful fate? From the award-winning author of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife comes a spooky, funny thriller just right for those middle-grade readers looking for horror—and humor.
1102212800
Count Karlstein
Can you hear the distant howling of hounds and the thunder of ghostly hooves? It's All Souls' Eve and Zamiel the Demon Huntsman has come to claim his prey! He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, where the evil count has hatched an evil plan; he'll sacrifice his two young nieces to save himself. Can Lucy and Charlotte outwit their uncle and his oily henchmen to escape their dreadful fate? From the award-winning author of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife comes a spooky, funny thriller just right for those middle-grade readers looking for horror—and humor.
18.0
In Stock
5
1
18.0
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940177424248 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Random House |
| Publication date: | 11/17/2020 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 8 - 11 Years |
Videos
From the B&N Reads Blog