Product Description

Upon escaping from the castle, Tal is found by Milla, an Icecarl marauder intent on killing the boy. But soon the two find that they must work together. As they struggle to find a place for themselves in the intricate Castle World, their two worlds collide, one a home for the spirit and intellect, and the other a realm of aggression.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56342 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780439176835
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Garth Nix, the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed novels Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen, as well as the Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series, has had a long and varied career in the publishing world. After receiving his degree in professional writing from the University of Canberra, he started working in the publishing industry, steadily moving from the positions of sales rep to publicist. In 1991 he became a senior editor with a major multinational publisher. After a period in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, he left publishing in 1993 to work as a marketing communications consultant, but came back in 1999 to become a part-time literary agent. Garth Nix currently lives in Sydney with his family and lots of books. For more information about Garth Nix, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks

Customer Reviews

A good read!
First of all I have been waiting for this book to come out, for what seemed like an eternity! The first one really leaves you hanging, so you have to read that one first, but unfortunetly this one ends with a cliff hanger too. Tal has returned to his home, the Castle after being out in a mysterious world full of ice and danger, to find a definalty not so warm welcome. Enemies he didn't even know he had are trying to get him! I can't say too much else or there will be no suspence in the book. All I can say is you might want to wait to read this book until you have the third (called Aenir) because you'll need to know what happens to Tal quickly or it will drive you crazy!

Garth Nix does it again!
Castle is the second installment in the Seventh Tower series. In the last book, The Fall, Tal is hurled away form the castle to be found by Icecarls, a nomadic people that follow animal migrations for survival. Milla, an Icecarl girl, is ordered to help Tal get back to the castle and, in return, get a new sunstone for her clan's iceship. In this book Tal and Milla get back to the castle only to find that Tal's family is on the wrong side of a political power play. Tal's father disappeared in the first book and now his younger brother appears to have been kidnapped. With his mother ill and his sister forced to live with a couple of very nasty relatives, Tal turns to his eccentric Great-Uncle Ebbitt for help. After many narrow escapes, Tal and Milla enter the spirit word of the Chosen, of which Tal's family are members, in order to find a book that may help them solve the mystery of Tal's father's disappearance.

In the first book Nix tears down traditional gender roles. He continues to do that in this book while at the same time rounding out the major characters personalities. We begin to see more sides of both Tal and, especially, Milla. In this book Nix also starts to address the cultural arrogance that both Tal and Milla have learned from their societies. I think Nix has a great way of addressing some of the major social concerns of today's society in an a manner that's easily digestible for the intended age group for this book. He does so with an intriguing and well written story. I think that the book (and series) will appeal to both boys and girls since the both heros play an equal role in the story and both are dependent on the other equally for survival. If fact, at the end of this book both Tal and Milla realize just that.

I highly recommend this book. It's enlightening and it's a terrific fantasy.

Solid follow-up
Life is tough if you're a Garth Nix protagonist. The author cuts right to the chase in the second book of the Seventh Tower series, "Castle," by picking up where "The Fall" left off. Things get darker and tenser, and the mystery becomes even more twisted.

Tal's family is being mysteriously victimized, and will become outcasts unless he can get into the mystical land of Aenir. But now he's captive of the Icecarls, and is the grudging ally of the tough wannabe-shieldmaiden Milla. After meeting with the ancient Mother Crone, Tal agrees to help sneak Milla in, so they can both find Sunstones -- he for his family, she for her people.

But they have more trouble. After getting inside and consulting with Uncle Ebbitt, he tells them that they must find the Codex in Aenir. Then things take a hideous turn: The two kids are captured. Tal is imprisoned in the Pit -- and discovers something about his father's fate. And Milla is trapped with the half-shadow-half-man monster Fashnek, in the Hall of Nightmares...

Though "Castle" is not as strong as "Fall," it's a darker, weirder story that adds to the mystery. Why does Sushin hate Tal and his family so much? What is happening to the Sunstones, if they're dying and becoming useless? And who was the mysterious Longface, a Chosen taken in by the Icecarls -- what was he terrified of?

Nix's talent for fantastical horror is also more evident here, in the hideous Fashnek, who has an insectile shadow-claw over part of his body. While "Fall" was pretty much pure fantasy, "Castle" has the darker, more macabre bits -- probably even more as the series progresses. And his talent for creating familiar but alien cultures now extends to the Icecarls as well as the Chosen.

Tal was a well-rounded character to start with, and he doesn't disappoint in this book. Milla gets a bit more depth, and shows some liking for Tal and Uncle Ebbitt. She softens a little bit, while being no less tough. Uncle Ebbit is likably quirky, but more serious, and the Mother Crone is an intriguing old wisewoman.

The second part of the "Seventh Tower" series is a little darker than the first book, and a little more of what fans expect from Nix. And he knows when to stop, just to make them dash eagerly for "Aenir."