Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac

Catweazle #1 & 2

by Richard Carpenter

In this series of adventures Catweazle, a time traveling magician from the eleventh century, turns up in a stately home, which he turns upside down in his search for the signs of the Zodiac with which to complete his magic flying spell.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens

176 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1971

About the author

Richard Michael "Kip" Carpenter (14 August 1929 – 26 February 2012) was an English screenwriter, author, and actor who created a number of British television series, including Robin of Sherwood and Catweazle.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I read "Catweazle" about ten times, I started reading this. I probably only read it five or six times.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this as much as the first one ... five stars from my 11 year old self!

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a worthy successor to the first one. You can tell they had a look at what worked in terms of plot and humour from the first series and made good use of that.

There's a more cohesive over-arching plot and the ridiculous situations and misunderstandings are very clever.

The only downside is the ending. Even my son thought it was a let-down. A case of the writers not knowing what to do and coming up with something totally lame.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catweazle, the magician, escapes a Norman dungeon by traveling through time 900 years forward to modern England. Here Catweazle befriends a young student, Cedric. Cedric is obsessed with finding the lost treasure of Lord Alfred rumored to be hidden somewhere on his family's estate. Together, they embark on a quest to discover the thirteen signs of the Zodiac and give Catweazle the magic power to fly.

[Duncan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is OK but the real magic is in the TV version. All time classic. Really I'd give the book 3 stars but the TV series 10 stars out of 5. To be honest, the book just cannot compare to the TV show.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Anna Ryan-Punch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful book actually has the best ending. Not everything needs to be fully neat and resolved for kids. Everything works!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book and a great introduction of children who are interested in fantasy and humor. I liked the overall plot of the novel, Catweazle trying again to get home, and enjoyed the self contained episode presented in each chapter. A fun book that is great to lighten your mood.

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carpenter brought Catweazle back for a repetitive sequel that does everything the first book does but in a not-so-interesting way. Unlike "Catweazle," this novel does feel childish and simplistic in the age old tradition of young adult books. It's a nice idea to bring back such a delightful character, but it's really pointless if the work doesn't give us anything fresh or new.