Other editions of book The Princess and Curdie

The Princess and Curdie, written by George MacDonald, is the sequel novel to The Princess and the Goblin. The action continues to center around Princess Irene and Curdie as they set out to overthrow some corrupt ministers who are poisoning the king. George MacDonald was a Scottish author and Christian minister who is considered to be one of the main pioneers of the fantasy genre of fiction. MacDonald's books influenced many great authors that followed such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Edith Nesbit. MacDonald wrote many classics such as Lilith, Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, and At the Back of the North Wind.

It has been two years since the last book. Princess Irene and her father go to Gwyntystorm, while Curdie (a miner boy who is the friend of the Princess) stays at home with his mother and father. As the years go by, Curdie begins to hunt for pleasure. He also slowly begins to doubt Irene's story of her great-great grandmother. One day, he shoots down a white pigeon. Curdie then remembers Irene's tale of her grandmother's pigeons, assumes the one he has shot down was one of them, and becomes aware of his folly. A light appears at the roof of the castle, and Curdie follows it. There, Curdie meets the old Princess, who appears small and withered, contrary to Irene's descriptions. The old Princess gently tells Curdie of his wrong thinking, and he confesses. Because he now believes, the pigeon heals. He is then told to keep his bow and arrows but use them for good instead of bad things. The old Princess then tells Curdie he must go on a special quest. Before she sends him, she burns his hands in her special fire of roses. His cleansed hands now possess the ability to be able to feel the hands of his fellow men and detect what kind of person (good or bad) they are on the inside. She also gives Curdie's father a special emerald to keep while Curdie is away on the quest. If Curdie is in danger, the emerald will change colour, to alert his father to go after him. Curdie is given a monstrous yet friendly beast, Lina, as his only travelling companion. Lina saves him from many perils as they travel to Gwyntystorm. Once they reach their destination, Curdie's task becomes clear: he finds himself at the King's palace, where the King lies weak and ill in his bedchamber with his daughter Irene his only nurse. Having sneaked in to spy on what is going on and eavesdrop on the palace servants, Curdie realises that the King's "doctor" is actually slowly poisoning him. The palace servants and courtiers have all become morally corrupt and enemies of the king. No one can be trusted and both the Princess and the King are in mortal danger, so Curdie realises why the Old Princess has sent him: he must save the king (Irene's father) from a plot to poison him and steal his kingdom by forcibly marrying his daughter Princess Irene to an evil pretender. With the aid of the old Princess, who has been disguised as a housemaid, the king, his daughter, and the kingdom are saved. Curdie and Princess Irene are later married and rule the kingdom after the king dies. However, they have no children, and after they both die, the kingdom deteriorates until one day it collapses and has never been spoken of again.

Excerpt from The Princess and Curdie Curdie was the son of Peter the miner. He lived with his father and mother in a cottage built on a mountain, and he worked with his father inside the mountain. A mountain is a strange and awful thing. 'in old times, without knowing so much of their strangeness and awful ness as we do, people were yet more afraid of mountains. But then somehow they had not come to see how beau tiful they are as well as awful, and they hated them - and what people hate they must fear. Now that we have learned to look at them with admiration, perhaps we do not feel quite awe enough of them. To me they are beau tiful terrors. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Princess and Curdie is a children's classic fantasy novel by George MacDonald from late 1883. The book is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin. The adventure continues with Princess Irene and Curdie a year or two older. They must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift. A monster called Lina aids his quest.

In this sequel to the classic fantasy The Princess and the Goblin, Curdie is given a strange gift: he can read a person’s character by touching their hands. But he’s not sure what good that is when the kingdom starts falling apart. Along with his trusty monster, Curdie must decide what to believe, who to help, and who to fight when the king grows mysteriously sick and the princess is helpless. Enjoyable for all ages, The Princess and Curdie is a clever fable of falsehood versus truth and appearance versus reality. “Most myths were made in prehistoric times, and, I suppose, not consciously made by individuals at all. But every now and then there occurs in the modern world a genius…who can make such a story. MacDonald is the greatest genius of this kind whom I know.” —C. S. Lewis “Surely, George MacDonald is the grandfather of us all—all of us who struggle to come to terms with truth through fantasy.” —Madeleine L’Engle “The magical, the fairy story…may be a vehicle of mystery. This is what George MacDonald attempted, achieving stories of power and beauty.” —J.R.R. Tolkien

The Princess and Curdie George MACDONALD (1824 - 1905) The Princess and Curdie is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. It's been a year since the Princess Irene and Curdie first met, and a year since the goblin incident and all appears to be going well in the Kingdom. Or is it? After a visit from Irene's great-great-grandmother, Curdie finds himself on a mission to save the kingdom, with a rather strange companion in tow.

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Formatted for e-reader Illustrated About The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald The Princess and Curdie is a children's classic fantasy novel by George MacDonald from late 1883. The book is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin. The adventure continues with Princess Irene and Curdie a year or two older. They must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift. A monster called Lina aids his quest.

In this sequel to the classic fantasy The Princess and the Goblin, Curdie is given a strange gift: he can read a person’s character by touching their hands. But he’s not sure what good that is when the kingdom starts falling apart. Along with his trusty monster, Curdie must decide what to believe, who to help, and who to fight when the king grows mysteriously sick and the princess is helpless. Enjoyable for all ages, The Princess and Curdie is a clever fable of falsehood versus truth and appearance versus reality. “Most myths were made in prehistoric times, and, I suppose, not consciously made by individuals at all. But every now and then there occurs in the modern world a genius…who can make such a story. MacDonald is the greatest genius of this kind whom I know.” —C. S. Lewis “Surely, George MacDonald is the grandfather of us all—all of us who struggle to come to terms with truth through fantasy.” —Madeleine L’Engle “The magical, the fairy story…may be a vehicle of mystery. This is what George MacDonald attempted, achieving stories of power and beauty.” —J.R.R. Tolkien