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Count Karlstein - The Novel [Paperback]

Philip Pullman (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 Nov 2007

Count Karlstein, or The Ride of the Demon Huntsman, was Philip Pullman's first novel for children, published by Chatto and Windus in 1982. It is a wonderful gothic melodrama which he first wrote as a play for school-children when he was an English teacher.

No one in the village of Karlstein dares to leave their home on All Souls Eve - the night Zamiel, the Demon Huntsman comes to claim his prey.

But the evil Count Karlstein has struck a terrible bargin with Zamiel, and so the lives of his young nieces, Lucy and Charlotte,are in danger. Their only hope lies with Hildi, a castle maidservant, and her fearless brother, Peter. Can they save the girls from their dreadful fate? Only one thing is certain - the Demon Huntsman will not return to his dark wood unsatisfied!

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Frequently Bought Together

Count Karlstein - The Novel + Clockwork + Spring-Heeled Jack
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Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Corgi Childrens (1 Nov 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0552557307
  • ISBN-13: 978-0552557306
  • Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.8 x 19.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 153,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Philip Pullman
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Product Description

Amazon Review

"I might have occupied my mind usefully with Improving Thoughts, but the only improvement I could imagine then was a pair of wings, to enable me to fly to freedom. And, of course, a Head for Heights. I cleaned the dust from the window and peered out hopefully, but there was nothing but a Horrid Precipice, with jagged crags several thousands of feet below." Such are the woes of young Charlotte, locked in a tower room of her uncle's gloomy Castle Karlstein in 19th-century Switzerland. Escaping this predicament seems the least of her worries: in a solemn blood pact, her evil uncle, Count Karlstein, has promised to sacrifice his two orphaned nieces, Lucy and Charlotte, to Zamiel the Demon Huntsman--on midnight of All Souls' Eve--in return for his current riches.

First, however, the heartless Count and his "lip-licking, moist-handed, creeping, smarming" secretary, Herr Arturo Snivelwurst, will have to catch Lucy, too--and it is no small task with the headstrong, 14-year-old Hildi Kelmar; her 18-year-old, handsome-in-a-scowling-sort- of-way brother, Peter; and the intrepid English teacher Miss Augusta Davenport on the girls' side. As Miss Davenport herself points out, "an English gentlewoman can rise above any circumstances, given intelligence and a loaded pistol." The events in this delightful gothic farce unfold quickly in a variety of narrative voices, artfully building in suspense to a powerful, terrifying, deeply satisfying stand-off between the Count and the Demon Huntsman of Impenetrable Darkness himself. Subplots and loose ends are gracefully, happily, justly tied up in the light of day, finally allowing readers to exhale.

British novelist Philip Pullman, masterful storyteller and creator of the best-selling adventures The Northern Lights and The Subtle Knife, mesmerizes us again with his playful, suspenseful thriller Count Karlstein. Readers young and old will revel in every angle, twist, and turn of this breathlessly paced, very funny page-turner. --Karin Snelson --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"It's whirlwind plotting, manipulated into a pulsing tale of darkened hearts, treachery and at long last, redemption" (Kirkus )

"In this deliciously gothic thriller there are enough demon huntsmen, evil guardians, and brooding castles to please even the most desensitized reader" (School Library Journal )

"Dashing, sparkling, and wildly over the top" (Publishers Weekly )

"Any youngster who likes ghostly tales of the macabre accompanied with much humour will get a lot of fun from this unusual book" (Junior Bookshelf )

"Ingeniously-designed comic-cum-novel, a gothic pastiche that can be read as simple fun or as a literary lesson" (Guardian )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A child's comment 31 Mar 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I bought this book for my grandson's 8th birthday, and I feel it's his opinion that counts.

Dominic's comment. terse and to the point:"It's BRILLIANT"

I'm only an adult and not supposed to read children's books, but I admire Philip Pullman very much, and I thought the book was hilarious and original in its mix of cartoons and prose.

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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars More prose and less pictures please 30 Oct 2000
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Philip Pullman is one of the most skilled writer's working today and I thought that this story was very entertaining but didn't show what he was really capable of. I found the cartoons interrupted the flow of the story, although I suspect a child might enjoy them very much. The story was very sophisticated. I love the way it appeals to adults and children - as all good books should.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Pullman fan! 11 July 2010
By Twinkle
Format:Paperback
Having read Phillip Pullman before I anticipated I'd like the book. I did. It was set at a fast pace; witty; engaging, exciting and unpredictable right to the end. There are some laugh-out-loud names and the conclusion is very satifying. Full marks as ever to Mr. Pullman.Anyone over 8 would like it!!
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