Product Description

No one in the village of Karlstein dares to leave their homes on All Souls' Eve - the night Zamiel the Demon Huntsman comes to claim his prey. But the evil Count Karlstein has struck a terrible bargain with Zamiel, and so the lives of his two 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! A deliciously terrifying and wickedly funny Gothic tale, Count Karlstein is the first-ever children's book by Philip Pullman, winner of the Whitbread Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Fiction Award and two Smarties Awards. Originally published in 1982, this new edition of Count Karlstein is a treat no Pullman fan should miss.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #351311 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Review
Philip Pullman has won the Smarties Prize Gold Award, for "The Firework-Maker's Daughter", the Guardian Fiction Award, the Carnegie Medal for "Northern Lights" and the Whitbread Prize for "The Amber Spyglass". His other books include "The Ruby in the Smoke", "Clockwork", "I Was a Rat" and "Spring-Heeled Jack".

From the Back Cover
No one in the village of Karlstein dares to leave their homes on All Souls’ Eve – the night Zamiel the Demon Huntsman comes to claim his prey.
But the evil Count Karlstein has struck a terrible bargain with Zamiel, and so the lives of his two 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!
A deliciously terrifying and wickedly funny Gothic tale, Count Karlstein is the first-ever children’s book by Philip Pullman, winner of the Whitbread Award, the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Fiction Award and two Smarties Awards. Originally published in 1982, this new edition of Count Karlstein is a treat no Pullman fan should miss.

About the Author
Philip Pullman is one of the most highly acclaimed children's authors of the decade. He has been on the shortlist of just about every major children's book award in the last few years, and has won the Smarties Prize (Gold Award, 9-11 age category) for THE FIREWORK-MAKER'S DAUGHTER and the prestigious Carnegie Medal for NORTHERN LIGHTS. He was the first children's author ever to win the Whitbread Prize for his novel THE AMBER SPYGLASS.

Customer Reviews

gothic and hilarious
I warn you: this is not a book that children should read. It's a book that adults should read to children. The fact is that Philip Pullman does a beautiful job of spoofing Victorian "trash" novels and horror romances like Stokers "Count Dracula" whilst writing one himself - for children, supposedly, but I doubt that any child will find it half so funny as their parents will.
Count Karlstein owns a castle deep in the Swiss Alps (which bear a surprising resemblance to Transylvania at times) and has made a pact with the Demon Huntsman Zamiel that ensures Karlsteins continued good health and ownership of the castle. But the time has now come for him to pay his side of the bargain - a life. Fortunately his two orphaned English nieces are sent to live with him as their only remaining relative, and so he decides to sarifice them to Zamiel! But the girls (who have read far too many "horror" stories themselves and use various Victorian expressions in capitals) enlist the aid of their old Headmistress Augusta Davenport, the travelling magician Dr. Cadaverezzi, and, of course, the maidservant Hildi and her brother Peter. A Horrifing Tale ensuses...

A Good Listen
I bought this audio book back in June to listen to during the summer. I am spending a year in France and cant always listen to the radio and it was only this week I started listening to the CDs, I was put off listening to them because being an HDM fan I didn't want (it sounds stupid) to be disloyal to Lyra, Lee Scorsby, Lord Asrial even Mrs Coulter and the rest of them by getting to know new characters. But within a few minutes of listening I was hooked and the style and prose is so Philip Pullman it is a joy to listen to. It is a dramatised version rather like HDM which I first came into contact with Jan 2002 when it was on the radio. I shall certainly be putting this in the car for 5.5hr car journey back to UK. It felt very comfortable and the characters immediately likeable if Hidl were to meet Lyra they would be best friends as would Max and Lee. Buy it, curl up on the sofa on a wet afternoon and immerse yourself in an imaginary parallel Switzerland

Count Karlstein Is Brilliant Buy it or else
What a book! I picked it up not knowing quite what to expect and could not put it down. Pullman mixes suspense, horror and humor all in one very entertaining book. The book follows one story from various perspectives with the main narrative coming from Hildi the main character. This offers a greater insight into the whole story for the reader. Wonderful Brilliant Marvellous .....Buy it now you'll love it.