The Autumn Castle (Europa Suite) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kim Wilkins
Publisher: Gollancz
Category: Book
List Price: $14.45
Buy New: $4.16
You Save: $10.29 (71%)
New (2) Used (4) from $3.97
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 940681
Media: Paperback
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0575076488
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780575076488
ASIN: 0575076488
Publication Date: March 10, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: In stock - Sent fast from British booksellers.
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Product Description
Berlin in autumn: Christine Starlight is living in an artists' colony in the crumbling urban shadows of the old east. Her lover Jude is a painter; his beauty and patience help her bear the chronic pain that is a legacy of the car crash that crippled her and killed her beloved parents. Out of the blue comes a crimson-haired beauty, who presides over a land where a witch dwells in a well, a wolf is the queen's counsellor and fate turns on the fall of an autumn leaf. For a brief span, the lands of faery and mortal man march hand in hand and Queen Mayfridh has taken the chance to seek out Christine, her childhood friend. But dealings with faeryland are never simple: as Christine yearns for Mayfridfh's world, where mortals feel no pain, so Mayfridh in turn is becoming addicted to Christine's, where there are tastes and textures and the danger of forbidden love. As secrets and jealousies and betrayals begin to unpick the threads that bind their lives, so yet another danger stalks them: the cruel and brilliant billionaire sculptor Immanuel Z. He is hunting faery bones for the grandest sculpture of them all ...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 A nasty little fantasy July 16, 2008
DogsDeserveCompassion (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was an intriguing mix of fantasy, relationship drama with a little horror thrown in (though it wasn't nearly as "disgusting" as I was expecting). I read it a few weeks ago and can still vividly remember bits of it. Christine, the main character, who has a run in with the faery realm when she meets up with an old long-lost friend was too naive and doormat-like for me and the rest of the characters were all unlikable to me for various reasons but overall I found it an interesting book. Mandy Z., a madman focused on destroying all fairies in the most brutal fashion he can imagine, kept me turning the pages moreso than all of the relationship drama surrounding the characters.
Personally, I would've preferred a less tidier, much more bittersweet ending for several of the characters but it wasn't meant to be. . .
 Amazing, Can't Believe it is out of print! April 28, 2008
LupusLunae
This book is amazing. It is a dark urban fantasy that draws deeply upon faerie lore but isn't afraid to create its own rules when necessary. When I say dark, I do mean dark. As in some of the "boning" scenes have inspired nightmares. This book is a great stand-alone, powerful example of what the genre should be. It's disturbing and fascinating, full of magic and at the same time relying on the everyday and mundane world of Berlin to balance the faerie realm. The characters are all realistically flawed, young individuals who become tangled in extraordinary events yet retain their own (often selfish) drives and concerns that creates a more interesting coterie of characters than one usually encounters in urban fantasy (i.e. hero/ine, victim, love interest etc) Overall, just a great book, enjoyable and well done. Why the hell is it out of print?!?
 Australian SF Reader August 1, 2007
Blue Tyson
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Autumn Castle is definitely a bit much of a romance novel for me, although it is better than your garden variety version of those.
A woman meets one of those faerie type guys, after hanging around in a bohemian type community for a while, and the human blokes aren't good enough for her.
Yeah, he ain't ugly, no shock there.
Misadventures in both worlds happen thereafter.
Entertaining urban fantasy May 27, 2007
kazza (Pittsburgh, PA United States)
I've had this book on my reading list for quite some time. I just finished it and was so glad I read it. Christine Starlight is a young woman living in Germany with her artist boyfriend. Her life has been full of tragedy, having lost her parents as a child in a horrible accident; the same accident has left Christine in chronic pain. Her parents were famous and left her enormously wealthy, but Christine refuses to touch the money until she is married.
As a child, Christine was best friends with May, the girl next door. They pricked their fingers and became blood-sisters. Shortly thereafter, May is taken from her house in the night, never to be seen again. That is, until one day when Christine takes a fall and wakes up in a beautiful otherworld only to find that her childhood friend is Queen Mayfridh, who rules a faery kingdom. The kingdom is only accessible to Christine because the two worlds are aligned for a short time.
When Christine is pulled back to her world, Mayfridh decides to journey to the Real World to find here again. She then becomes entangled in a plot of romance, betrayal and magic, beautifully woven together. Kim Wilkins keeps a close eye on the rules of the magic, and it never gets out of hand, even for a fantasy novel.
My only criticism is the ending. I predicted it about halfway through the story. Still, it is very much worth reading, and for fantasy lovers, it won't disappoint.
Supernaturally Wonderful August 15, 2006
Barbara Boggs (White Plains, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins is a lovely, romantic, thrilling fantasy that blends the folklore of Europe into an intricate tapestry of dark fantasy storytelling. It's filled with shapeshifters, witches, and magic, and every page is a complete delight to read. I will be reading and rereading this book for years.
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