A review by malorisaurus
Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman

3.0

I am most familiar with Philip Pullman due to his "His Dark Materials" trilogy, and I have also read his short children's book "Clockwork". Count Karlstein is much more in line with the latter, and a book that I probably would have enjoyed at around 6 years of age (just as reference in the off chance that someone would like input on whether or not their child would like it). The story itself, while fun and exciting, really didn't hold much for me in terms of memorability. If you want something with a little more to it than a simple adventure, then I wouldn't recommend this book. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't a fine story! It is. I would like very much to read it aloud to a child because there are so many opportunities to really make the story come to life. Count Karlstein reads like a yarn that is told around a campfire, and so the best way to enjoy it seems to be to read it aloud.

**EDIT**
Turns out I also read "The Ruby in the Smoke" when I was 12, but I was unaware that it was written by Philip Pullman until just now! Fancy! I remember liking that very much, though I have a weakness for books with an extremely intelligent, violently stubborn female protagonist.