The Eye of the Warlock

Further Tales Adventures #3

by P.W. Catanese

"When a stranger knocks on his door and promises to lead him to hidden treasure, twelve-year-old Rudi is skeptical. And he's even more suspicious when the stranger proclaims that the jewels belonged to the legendary Hansel. Sure, Rudi's heard stories: the witch, the oven, the sister named Gretel. But he never fully believed they were real. Until now..." Life has been unkind to Rudi -- and to Lucie and Elsebeth, the two little girls he looks after. So when this stranger announces he needs Rudi's help to uncover Hansel's treasure, Rudi sees a way out.

And so an incredible journey -- one filled with mist-covered castles, a treehouse-dwelling outsider, and creatures called murglins -- begins. But as Rudi, the girls, and the stranger weave their way through the rambling woods, Rudi notices the clouds blackening and a thick fog descending. He wonders, "Has the forest always been this...creepy?" And those shadows between the trees -- is their tiny group being followed?

Then the unthinkable happens: Lucie and Elsebeth are stolen Who would take them? Rudi gets his answer in the shape of a warlock. And his ransom price is steep: "Bring me Hansel and the children will be returned." Is a simple woodcutter like Rudi any match for a thousand-year-old villain?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

P.W. (Paul) Catanese is the author of fantasy-adventure novels (published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster). His next novel, DONNY'S INFERNO, a supernatural adventure, will be published in early 2016.

A crisp style, fast pacing, interesting characters and vivid descriptions have made Catanese a favorite with everyone from reluctant readers to teachers to adults seeking a thrilling escape. His books have been turned into acclaimed audiobooks, and translated into many foreign languages.

In its starred review, Publisher's Weekly said “Catanese dazzles in the first of the planned Books of Umber...Catanese packs a lot into the book: rich characterizations, well-choreographed action sequences and genuinely surprising twists at the end. An auspicious start to the series.”

VOYA called The Thief and the Beanstalk "a rollicking adventure meshed with complex characters and an intriguing spin on a familiar tale..."

Paul is always happy to hear from readers.

Reviews

[Kayla Rayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book every year at girl scout camp in hopes the evil newts that surrounded the lake would show their true forms and I could be off on an adventure far greater than making lanyards and practicing my archery. Camp was still fun without the fantastical elements in this book however.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children grow up learning the story of Hansel and Gretel and their trip through the woods to the gingerbread house. We even know how they got away. But what we don't know is what happened after the witch was destroyed. Now is our chance. Rudi lives in the woods with his uncle, his horrible aunt, and Lucie and Elsebeth. His aunt is not happy about having so many mouths to feed and she complains regularly. When she takes Lucie and Elsebeth on a walk through the woods with her husband and leaves them there Rudi is angry and worried. He sets out to find them and encounters a strange looking woman. Looks can be deceiving and the stranger helps Rudi find the girls, but first he has to promise to never bother her again. When the trio gets back to the cottage a man is there who wants to be taken to a cottage further in the woods. They must get help from the strange woman again, which is very dangerous. On the way there they discover more about the man’s real identity and what he really wants. Fog is everywhere and it adds to the spooky feeling in the woods. Unfortunately, there is an evil warlock lurking in the forest and it's after the very man they're accompanying. All the fog they are running into is a trap. Now the warlock has his sights set on them. Is there any way to get out of his clutches? What does he really want? Can the terrible creature be stopped? You'll have to find out by reading this riveting tale!

I was excited to read The Eye of the Warlock by P.W. Catanese after finishing two of the author’s other books, and I was not disappointed! I enjoyed finding out what became of Hansel and Gretel, and I liked the way the characters developed. Rudi loves the young girls and will do anything to protect them. He's a great character, but his anger is his downfall. The evil characters play their part well. Boy do you despise them! Just like the characters, the reader gets to figure out what's real and what is an illusion. Don’t get tricked by the fog! I recommend this book to kids in fourth grade and up who enjoy fantasy, fairytales, and twists on stories. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rudi is the son of a woodcutter, and distant cousins to the famous Hansel and Gretel. He even lives in their old house. But when a stranger comes, hunting for the rest of the treasure supposedly left at the witch's house, Rudi ends up hunting for the origin of those stories. If he can find treasure, he can leave home, and take the two girls living with their family with him, away from the cruelty of his stepmother. The legends, though, hide a sinister reality . . .

I liked what this did with the story of Hansel and Gretel, from what it kept, to what it twisted somewhat, to what storytellers added on to embellish. The gingerbread house, for example, was an ordinary house enchanted with an illusion of sweets to put the children at ease before they were lured into captivity. It feels a lot more solid this way.

Another strength of the book is strong characters. From Marusch and her solitary existence to Hansel and what became of him, the characters feel like real people, struggling with real issues. Hansel and the cottage, for one. He's bold enough setting the whole thing up, but when confronted with a place where he was once captured and expected to die, he's assaulted by flashbacks and can barely follow through.

Overall this is an interesting look at what came next. Once again, readers of the Happenstance books are likely to recognize a few things (and will probably find Umber's tiny role much more amusing). I rate this book Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantasy expounding on the Hansel and Gretel fairytale. The main character is Rudi, a young man who is taking care of two little orphan girls, while living in the house of his uncle, married to a real harridan. Rudi is a distant cousin of Hansel. When a man knocks at their door and asks for Rudi's help in finding the cottage in the woods where Hansel and Gretel were once imprisoned by the witch, saying that there are riches there to be found, Rudi agrees. He doesn't trust Aunt Agnes, who tried to get rid of the little girls once before, and is disillusioned with his uncle, whose mind seems to be going. But the forest is very dangerous and the person who finds the treasure just might be at risk from a horrible warlock living in the forest who is trying to find the treasure for himself.

This was an interesting fantasy tale full of adventure for a mid-grade reader. I liked it.

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may not be a masterpiece, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. Rudi often got on my nerves, but I liked how his anger problem was always addressed by characters and it even tied in with the plot later on. A lot of little things came back later in the story, which I always appreciate. Little things certain characters say that are repeated later by different characters. Misplaced items. That kind of thing.

Vilikus is a pretty decent villain too. His whole domain kind of gave me the creeps, and it was really easy to envision. I kept wanting them to befriend a murglin though.

I really like Hempel. He's so cute.

Plus, references to the Books of Umber. Which weren't even written until after this book. Boom.

[Melissa Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twist to Hansel and Gretel's "happily ever after". Is it just me or are American authors beginning to write like Japanese authors? I have never seen or heard of a Japanese tale with a truly "happy" ending.

[TeAndrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was right, When readers read his book they 'WANT ESCAPE'
While reading this book, I felt as if I was actually in the woods standing beside Rudi and the girls.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually a pretty good book. i loved the way the author added more to the classic story to make it more interesting, yet still telling the original story. The complexity makes it more fun!

[Samantha Yepez · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨3/5

This is an interesting take on Hansel and Gretel’s life after their escape from the witch’s house. I liked the creativity and plot-twists in this book. I also liked how magical and fantastical it felt.

[Christopher Ramsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling continuation of the story of Hansel and Gretel. Only now it years later and cousin Rudi stumbles across the house in the woods while looking for his younger sisters who were missing. Many adventures occur which challenge young Rudi's skills and patience.

[J.A. Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read. Fantasy with a sort of vision quest. Great adventure that keeps you glued to the pages.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happened after Hansel and Gretel? Find out in this adventure story.

[Athena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Not bad. The characters were all pretty interesting and it was full of excitement and adventure.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read about a loving brother and adolescent growth

[Charly · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF page 11. Every character reaction is dialled to a full 10. Gets old *fast*.

[Kimberly Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

A near spin-off from Hansel and Gretel! 3.5/5

[Heschel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had this book back in 4th grade, instantly finished it the day after I bought it. The first few chapters easily reeled me in. It's still one of my favorite books in my collection.

[Della Tingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It occurred to him that people could be far crueler than he’d ever believed possible” (8).

“You’re far too angry, Rudi. Don’t look at me that way—you’re proving my point, don’t you see? Listen, I know you have your reasons. You’ve been wronged, you’ve been lied to, you’ve been beaten down. But let me tell you something about anger, something I know from experience. It’s like a fire, Rudi. Right now it can be useful to you, because it focuses you, and makes you stronger and braver than you might otherwise be. But it’s only useful if you have it contained. A fire in a stove is a good thing, Rudi. It will warm and feed you. But if the fire gets too hot, if you lose control—poof, there goes the whole house. The house of Rudi. Do you understand me?” (129).

I love Rudi! Great character!

Catanese takes the tales we all grew up with and provides much expanded endings. This is a fun read for Hansel and Gretel fans like me!

[Rebecca Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a really interesting premise. But, it didn't grab me the way some of the author's other work has. I enjoyed the overall plot, but the pacing felt off. Also, I found it difficult to like the main character, Rudi. I wanted to like him, and there were times I did, but other times I just found him irritating. I did love the references to Lord Umber though; that made me happy. I would consider reading this book again, but there are so many books and so little time that I think I would only do so if I had little else to choose from. It would also depend on what those other options were...
So, basically, it was not my favorite, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend it to people who like retellings of fairy tales. Although I would probably suggest the whole series, not just this one.

Rating: Heavy PG or light PG-13 for fantasy violence and some disturbing themes and sections.

[Cleo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is a sort of continuation of the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. Rudi lives in the same cottage that Hansel and Gretel lived in with Lucie and Elsebeth, two little girls, and a cruel aunt and kind-hearted but weak uncle. When a stranger asks for Rudi's help to find Hansel's treasure, Rudi sees a way out of his miserable life for himself and the girls. But he and the stranger discover that evil has come to the forest. And then Lucie and Elsebeth are stolen by a warlock. The ransom price is that the warlock wants Hansel. It sounded like an interesting plot, and I enjoyed parts of the story, but the characters felt odd and unrealistic. Rudi has big problems, and so does Hansel. Also, the action goes a bit too fast for my taste. It did have its moments, though. Just not my style of fantasy.

All of my reviews can be read at my blog, www.novareviews.blogspot.com.

[Melaniemouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was way better than the first two. I was hoping they'd get better as they go, because I read the "Umber" trilogy before these, and really loved that, and so I was a little disappointed with the first couple of these ones. I think the author definitely started picking up steam and improving in spades the more he wrote. So yes, this one was a quick, fun, JV fantasy that was creative enough to hold my interest the whole way through. I've been telling my 3rd and 5th grader about this series and they want to read them, so I need to get the first ones from the library again.

[Dalton]

Rudi agreed to stay with the warlock to let his freinds go soon his freinds figure out the warlock's not letting them go like rudi thought and now they have 30 murglins after them they encourage the kids with them to throw rocks at the murglins and soon beat them after beating the murglin's the kids are reunited back with their parents and set out to free rudi after saving rudi they lived as happily as what would be expected [ lol that what hansel say's :]

[JennEllen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of the fairytale-based fiction genre and though this is not the best I've read, I still enjoyed it. Good character development of the main character, though I would have loved a bit more from some of the others--but there's only so much that one can fit into a children's book.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun continuation of the Hansel and Gretel story with a new generation of children. Fast moving, creatures were pretty gross, storyline was interesting and the action towards the end of the story kept the pages flying.

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting in the same way as the others, fine for the age group though at times sometimes it may be scary depending on the reader. The writing is sometimes over the top, but there are some characters I grew to like ok.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spin-off of the story of Hansel and Grettel. The protagonist is Rudy, the nephew of a woodcutter. Tells how Rudi, Hansel, Marusch and Uncle Hempel defeat an evil Warlock.

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not spectacular, but a solid three stars.

[Rose]

JF Cat

[Tripleguess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, pretty creepy. ... I felt like there was too much back and forth; it's usually best not to "backtrack" in a story, somehow. Other than that, good stuff.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the creepier books that I've ever read.