The ToymakerWhat good is a toy that will wind down? What if you could give a toy a heart? A real heart. One that beat and beat and didn't stop. What couldn't you do if you could make a toy like that? From the moment that the circus boy, Mathias, takes a small roll of paper from the dying conjuror, his fate is sealed. For on it is the key to a terrifying secret, and there are those who would kill him rather than have it told. Pursued by the sinister Dr. Leiter with his exquisite doll and malevolent dwarf, preyed on by the circus master and his vicious painted wife, Mathias is drawn into a relentless nightmare. A nightmare that will lead him to the Toymaker, and to a knife as cruel as frost. A relentlessly dark and sinister tale of a young boy's living nightmare, this debut novel will send shivers down your spine and will haunt you long after the final page. With the atmosphere of Philip Pullman'sI Was a Rat!, this is a brilliantly frightening tale from an exciting new literary talent. From the Hardcover edition. |
Contents
Prologue | 7 |
Two The Man with the Silvertopped Cane | 34 |
Four The Road Through the Wood | 54 |
Six The Pile of Barrels | 78 |
Eight The Stranger on the Horse | 97 |
Ten The Piece of Paper | 121 |
Twelve The Tracks in the Snow | 145 |
Fourteen What Katta Had to Do | 169 |
Twenty Estella | 250 |
Twentyone The Writing on the Wall | 265 |
Twentytwo The Small Lead Box | 282 |
Twentythree Across the Ice | 292 |
Twentyfour Death in the Chapel | 311 |
Twentyfive The Drumshaped Room | 319 |
Twentysix The Duchess | 335 |
Twentyseven Last Steps | 350 |
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Common terms and phrases
Anna-Maria began beneath beside big horse blade blood breath Burner woman carriage caught chest closed coat cold conjuror crowd dark DAVID ALMOND dead door Dr Leiter dropped dwarf empty Estella eyes face Felissehaven felt fingers floor girl going gone Gustav happen hard he'd hear heard held hold hurt inside Jacob JEANNE BIRDSALL Judy Blume Katta looked knew knife Koenig Koenig put Koenig stood lamp lantern lifted light Lutsmann Mathias didn't Mathias looked Mathias's Meiserlann Menschenmacher mouth move never nodded PENDERWICKS picked piece of paper pistol pulled pushed put his hand red card roof seen she'd shook his head shouted shut silver-topped cane slowly smell smiled snow someone sound stairs staring Stefan steps stone stood stopped suddenly sure tell thick things thought took tried tunnel turned round Valter voice wait walked wall watched window wood