Grimbolds Other World

by Nicholas Stuart Gray

Book Overview

Mother Meg blew out the candle and closed the door behind her. A heavy weight landed on the bed and a husky voice asked, "Might I have your attention?" It is the black cat Grimbold who introduces the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441303803
• ISBN13: 9780441303809
• Release Date: May 1986
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Glittering Grimbold's adventures in the world of night

I had this book read to me by my mother when I was seven, and fell in love with it... an enduring affair it seems, as I have just finished reading it. to my own seven-year-old son. He was even compelled to leave his xbox and stop slaughtering Orcs , to beg for a nightly chapter of the adventures of the not-quite-all-there goatherd, Muffler, in the world of night.The nightworld is configured in the same fashion as our own, but more mysterious, elemental, and enchanting. Cats are twice their usual size, with powers of magic some of us have always suspected they possessed. Nicholas Stuart Gray was a renowned children's writer, child actor,and playwright. His style combines sinuous story-telling with seductive wit, making the dialogue a joy to read, unlike the often leaden exchanges of fantasy fiction. Old themes are explored, the sense of being different, the yearning to belong but not conform, and , most poignantly, the pain of loss, of abandonment, separation, ageiing and death..I haven't made it sound all THAT jolly yet , have I? There is even a ring of power, and a sorcerer who, if not exactly evil, displays a fine temper and a nasty turn of phrase. Above all, this is a funny book, displaying a feline wit. The characters are gloriously drawn, and outrageous. A camp , damp ghost called Heliotrope, ineptly materialising and scaring itself silly, assorted talking horses and other friendly beasts, and the cool, glamorous Grimbold himself, the sleek ringmaster of this nocturnal circus, make this book a deep delight for the imaginative of all ages.

Fantasy perfected

Okay, it may not be perfect literature, but it is perfect childrens fantasy. The originality of the cats and other animals and the nightworld they know of has been unjustly neglected. You may have trouble finding the books, but read them if you do!

Grimbold is Great

My Dad has told to sit down and prattle on about Grimbold and Muffler in the hope that the publishers will put Nicholas Stuart Gray books back into print again. Dad read us Grimbold's Other World,and this is what I think of it:Muffler,brought up by farmers, meets Grimbold the cat, who takes the boy into the Night World, where cats grow enormous and dogs quiver like mice,and where Sable,the merciless sorcerer, lives in Red Tower, with his mischeivous son, Gareth. Gareth always defys his father,and gets into rather serious trouble, but Muffler and Grimbold help him.Muffler also meets the Hob,who lives in the barn and is the luck of the farm,and Madam Nettleweb, Sable's scatty sister.This is a fabulous book,full of magic and mystery. I recommend it for any age from 7 and upwards.

A great collection of short, inter-related fantasy stories.

One of my favourite books ever, this humorous and quirky collection of short stories about one boy and his relationship with the world of faery is written with intelligence and wit. Grimbold is a large black cat who guides Muffler, the foundling child raised by farmers, on many midnight adventures through the "night world", where everything becomes, physically, what it is spiritually, or mentally. Cats are huge, fearsome and fast, and dogs are small, cringing things full of fear. (Great for cat people: I felt very vindicated.) I highly recommend it for bedtime reading, as it is harmless and not frightening at all, and each chapter can be read on its own. Grimbold is full of dry, sarcastic humor, and Muffler is an endearing character for children and parents alike.Nicholas Stuart Gray is a very talented, underappreciated artist who wrote other children's fantasy fiction. Notably, he wrote a story called "Seventh Swan", about the last of the ! "swan prince" brothers from the fairy tale. The premise of the novel is, what happened to the poor prince who was left with one swan's wing at the end of the story?

A charming fantasy in the flavor of CS Lewis's Narnia tales.

An orphaned child, the realms of magic, dragons, wizards, and a large, talking cat... Grimbold's Other World has all the earmarks of an enduring fantasy novel appropriate for genre-lovers of all ages. When Muffler, hero of the tale, discovers his gift of speaking to animals both commonplace and magical, his adventures are just beginning - and his affiliation with Grimbold, a black cat with mystic powers, leads him into the wild lands of the "Night Worlds" to become the unwilling champion of a powerful wizard's son, the defender of dragons, and a word-magician in his own right. His journeys through the worlds of spells and incantation lead him on a hero's quest where the ultimate prize is one he did not seek - his own true identity, and his destiny in the world of men. It baffles me that this book ever fell out of print... the chapter involving dragons alone will have children of all ages howling in delight! I highly recommend it to fantasy fans of the old school, loving the old magics of CS Lewis and Tolkien.