Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
July 1, 2013/in Fiction 10-14 Middle/Secondary /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 201 July 2013
Reviewer: George Hunt
ISBN: 978-1521916421
Price: £4.99
Publisher: Independently published
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 10-14 Middle/Secondary
Length: 224pp
Buy the Book

The Princess and Curdie

Author: George MacdonaldIllustrator: Helen Stratton

First published in 1882, this book is a sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, in which the bold young miner Curdie rescues a child princess from the imps which dwell beneath her mountain kingdom. As Curdie grows into a man, he is called upon again by the princess’s goddess-like great-great-grandmother to embark upon a quest to cleanse the capital of the human vermin who are poisoning the king and corrupting the court.  Curdie’s mission is preceded by a purification rite in which he plunges his hands into blazing roses; it is accomplished with the help of a monstrously deformed dog and a host of other mutant creatures, later revealed to be former humans morphed by their own evil ways. Macdonald was a visionary, a romantic and a committed moralist. The book is an allegory of sin and redemption, with frank sermonizing in every chapter. His language is supersaturated with symbol and imagery, a rhapsodic mingling of themes from myth and  gospel. This book should appeal to lovers of fantasy with a tolerance for preaching. Their reward will be an unforgettable journey that may lead them eventually to Phantastes and Lilith, Macdonald’s even stranger books for older readers.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2013-07-01 01:00:132021-11-05 19:34:12The Princess and Curdie

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

‘Exceptionally talented illustrators’ Shortlist announced for the 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize

May 15, 2025

Next stop Shakespeare’s Globe – finalists of Poetry By Heart competition 2025 announced

May 8, 2025

School Library Association announces Information Book Award longlist and new nationwide Book Club

May 7, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Stan Stinky In a Glass Grimmly
Scroll to top