Count Karlstein
by Diana Bryan, Philip Pullman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diana Bryan, Philip PullmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-02-22
ISBN: 0375803483
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Yearling
Book Reviews of Count Karlstein
Book Review: Count Karlstein
Summary: 5 Stars
Count Karlstein-Dark, fantasy novels have always been a favorite of mine. That's why I fell in love with Count Karlstein. Count Karlstein, by Phillip Pullman, was an ironic twist of inhumane seriousness and discreet humor. It was very well written and never once was I bored with it. I really enjoyed the writing style, characterization, and plot of Count Karlstein.
Phillip Pullman's use of colorful, vivid words, really brought flair to this story. I loved how he went from total seriousness to laugh out loud funniness. One example of his unique humor, was when Sergeant Snitsch was trying to write a police report on the arrest of Doctor Cadavarezzi. The Sergeant could never seem to get the Doctor's name right, and therefore, he was never arrested. Another situation was when Max tried to enter a competition with the prize of money and the title of being named forest ranger. Max didn't have a musket, so he used his coach horn and a frozen pea for his ammunition. Oddly enough, Max trips while firing his coach horn and the pea collides off the pillars, into the audience and ends up strangling the unsuspecting mayor's wife. Some of the situations in this story were so bizarre I couldn't help but laugh. This and other funny situations led to my great enjoyment in this book.
The characters in this story were so unique, I was amazed. When each new character was introduced, I fell in love with them instantly. Not only were they funny and interesting, they all had a mind of their own. First there was Hildi, the ever so kind, handmaiden who was always there when you needed her. Then there was Count Karlstein, the villain of the story, who always had an evil plan up his sleeve. There was also Snivelwurst, Count Karlstein's assistant, who couldn't stop sneezing and coughing, and was afraid of Count karlstein himself. Doctor Cadavarezzi however was a favorite of mine. He always had a trick to pull, or a pocket to pick, and you had to watch your back; otherwise you could be cheated by this mysterious man.
The eerie plot was what entranced me the most. Count karlstein takes place in a secluded village in the Swiss Alps. There, is Castle Karlstein, owned by Count Karlstein. The maidservant Hildi discovers the Count's horrible plan of disposing of his young nieces, Charlotte and Lucy, so Hildi decides to help them. Hildi hides the girls in the mountain guides hut. Trouble then explodes in the village when the girls appear missing. Several humorous chararacters try to help the girls, and make sure they stay out of harms way. Count karlstein was an awesome book about courage, bravery, and the fight for life. I was amazed at how the carefully woven plot could be scary, yet hysterical. It was almost like you were there, experiencing all the events that took place in the novel. The surprising twists had me engrossed until the very end. I never knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't wait to find out.
Overall, this was a very good book that was well worth the read. Phillip Pullman is my favorite author and I wasn't at all disappointed in reading Count Karlstein. I'd totally recommend this book to anyone who's into dark mystery and fantasy stories. It was an awesome book, with an awesome story line, awesome characters, and Phillip Pullman's writing style was awesome all in this own. This novel held my attention with its writing style, lively characters, and entertaining plot.
Summary of Count Karlstein
Now in paperback, a spooky and funny middle-grade thriller from the author of The Golden Compass."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 bestselling adventures The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, mesmerizes us again with his playful, suspenseful thriller Count Karlstein, released in the United States 16 years after its appearance in the United Kingdom. Readers young and old will revel in every angle, twist, and turn of this breathlessly paced, very funny page-turner. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson
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