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Castle Cant #2
Escape from Castle Cant
The baron's headstrong daughter Pauline's rescue from Castle Cant by her heroic half-sister Lucy was just the beginning of the madcap adventure launched in The Secret of Castle Cant, K.P. Bath's acclaimed debut novel. Now hungry and homeless, they are left to fend for themselves in the war-torn Barony, which is full of danger and bounty hunters. Can the girls escape to the Outlands to fight the corrupt gum trade that claimed their father's life?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
K.P. Bath
4 books8 followersK.P. (Kevin Patrick) Bath was born in Tipton, Indiana, a small farming village on the Moldovan border.
He was convicted of possessing child pornography in july 2010 and sentenced to 7 years in prison.
His parents were laborers. Bath learned reading and sums at St. John’s elementary school, and after attending public high school went to work as a machine operator.
After some years of factory labor Bath enrolled as an undergraduate at the state university (“Old Mimeograph”), from which he eventually emerged as a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude). He remains a bachelor to this day.
Finding few job opportunities for English majors, Bath next earned a master’s degree in creative writing, which left him even more unemployable. Penniless and alone, he turned to his pen. The result was his first novel, The Secret of Castle Cant.
The book found a following among the better sort of child, and spawned a sequel, Escape from Castle Cant. With the purchase of a ukulele Bath entered a period of contented productivity.
He was convicted of possessing child pornography in july 2010 and sentenced to 7 years in prison.
His parents were laborers. Bath learned reading and sums at St. John’s elementary school, and after attending public high school went to work as a machine operator.
After some years of factory labor Bath enrolled as an undergraduate at the state university (“Old Mimeograph”), from which he eventually emerged as a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude). He remains a bachelor to this day.
Finding few job opportunities for English majors, Bath next earned a master’s degree in creative writing, which left him even more unemployable. Penniless and alone, he turned to his pen. The result was his first novel, The Secret of Castle Cant.
The book found a following among the better sort of child, and spawned a sequel, Escape from Castle Cant. With the purchase of a ukulele Bath entered a period of contented productivity.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 26, 2012
I actually really enjoyed this book and its predecessor when I read them several years ago. But then I saw this article, and any illusions I had of this just being a fun book for kids was destroyed:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-08/ju...
The author is currently serving time for possession and trading of child pornography. Really nasty stuff, as it mentions in the article.
I'm grossed out beyond reason, because I can't imagine how his position of trust as an author could possibly have led to crimes against the very children he was writing for. This is all conjecture on my part, but I can't get that image out of my head.
Reading these books are up to you, since they're actually good stories, but the subtext and implications behind his words are too much for me to handle.
Basically a repeat of info from my review of first book in series.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-08/ju...
The author is currently serving time for possession and trading of child pornography. Really nasty stuff, as it mentions in the article.
I'm grossed out beyond reason, because I can't imagine how his position of trust as an author could possibly have led to crimes against the very children he was writing for. This is all conjecture on my part, but I can't get that image out of my head.
Reading these books are up to you, since they're actually good stories, but the subtext and implications behind his words are too much for me to handle.
Basically a repeat of info from my review of first book in series.
September 26, 2013
After I read this book, but before I started writing the review, I did a little research on the internet. Basically, I was looking for a link to the author's website (which doesn't exist). Only then did I learn that Mr. Bath was arrested in 2009 and sentenced in 2010 to six years in prison for possession of child pornography. So right off I am faced with the awkward question, whether or not I should recommend a book written for children by a man who exploited children. The librarian who wrote this editorial explored this question. It isn't a conclusive opinion, and it isn't necessarily mine, but it's a thoughtful piece. Instead of making this review about that question, I would like to refer concerned kids and their parents first to that article, and urge them to think about it, discuss it, and form their own opinion. Then you can decide whether anything else I have to say about this book is worth your time.
This book is a sequel to The Secret of Castle Cant, which I read many years ago. Like the sequels to many other books I enjoyed, I have had this one on my shelf for so long that I forgot what the original book was about and had to re-read my own review of it to refresh my memory. I understand there is a third book in the series, titled The Black Arrow of Cant, published in 2007. As far as I can tell, there is nothing in these books that would suggest anything off about the author's attitude toward children. There is perhaps a tiny hint of adult content, more implied than stated: the two young heroines, best friends Pauline Cant and Lucy Wickwright, know how babies are made. They learn, moreover, that they were both conceived through extramarital affairs. The only other surprises of a questionable or inappropriate nature are a couple of references to farting.
While we don't see adults exploiting children in these books the way their author did, we do see ambitious men trying to use the two girls' claims to the Barony of Cant to set themselves up in power, and people of all ages threatening the safety and freedom of these girls as they flee from their would-be regents. We see examples of orphaned children moving around freely with unrelated adults and, in some cases, forming warm friendships with them. I didn't see any harm in any of this while I was reading the books, but knowing what I know now... Use your judgment. It's up to you. You may also want to take into account how seemingly innocent books like this might have been used, in fact or fancy, to lure victims in, etc. Like the author of the essay previously cited, I revise my opinion on this every minute that I spend thinking about it. So don't rely on me to give you the answer.
Reading the book on its own terms, as my ignorance at the time allowed me to do, I thought a bit more highly of it than the librarian cited above. I was charmed by the whimsy of an isolated country, situated on the fold of everybody's maps, cut off by natural barriers from most modern progress and outside influence—a country capable of having a civil war over chewing gum—a country where references to present-day culture and technology ring like distant echoes into a time where vehicles are drawn by horses and mules, and battles are fought with swords and crossbows. It's a story full of humorous names such as "The Rev. Mr. Pius Frodd," where a tourism pamphlet can bear the incredible title: "VISIT FARAWAY BOONDOCK! 'The Tenesmus of Trans-Poltroon'." The adult world through which the hero girls move is both ridiculous and dangerous, and even the well-meaning grown-ups often make things worse for them through misunderstanding and failure to listen. But the girls make their share of silly, immature mistakes too, ensuring that their escape from the Barony of Cant will be as perilous, confusing, and full of setbacks as can be.
Pauline, believed to be the legitimate daughter of the late Baron of Cant, is supported by the Loyalist Faction; their leader, former Postal Commissioner Vladimir Orloff, proclaims himself her regent and plans to rule in her name. Meanwhile former lady's maid Lucy, who was raised by an adoptive family after being born to a servant girl in the castle, now turns out to be the Baron's acknowledged daughter. The Causist rebels, led by Oxford-educated firebrand Arden Gutz, mean to use Lucy as just such another figurehead—while, at the first taste of power, they prove to be no different from the old ruling class they mean to replace. You may think the resulting civil war is a meaningless trifle, but what it's really about is the gum trade. Whoever controls it, holds the real power in the Barony of Cant.
There is something sinister and wrong about how addictive this gum is, which is specially manufactured for import into the Barony. Ultimately Pauline and Lucy conclude that neither of them can rule securely until the gum industry has been cut off at the root. But to do that they must escape not only the castle, but the whole country. And that means surviving betrayal by gypsy-like Tinker children, an attack by pirates, a wilderness survival ordeal, and a hair-raising scene at a public execution. Meanwhile their allies, such as stuttering astronomer Luigi Lemonjello and poteen smuggler Lillian Lungwich, have adventures of their own that blend slapstick comedy and deadly menace with a surreal seamlessness.
It isn't perfectly done. At times the plot line seemed a bit slack and arbitrary. There were times when, for reasons I can't put a name on, my attention wandered. But the main characters share a warm friendship, and their vivaciousness and passion and willingness to grow makes their story quite effective. I guess the bottom line is that I read it, I enjoyed it, and I do not begrudge the time I spent with it; so I feel that I owe the book, if not its author, credit for that much. Whether, in light of facts that lie outside this book, I would recommend it to parents and children, is another question. I do try to uphold the principle of freedom from censorship, and that includes the soft censorship of consigning disgraced authors to the damnation of memory. But being so far from knowing my own mind in this case, I leave it up to you.
This book is a sequel to The Secret of Castle Cant, which I read many years ago. Like the sequels to many other books I enjoyed, I have had this one on my shelf for so long that I forgot what the original book was about and had to re-read my own review of it to refresh my memory. I understand there is a third book in the series, titled The Black Arrow of Cant, published in 2007. As far as I can tell, there is nothing in these books that would suggest anything off about the author's attitude toward children. There is perhaps a tiny hint of adult content, more implied than stated: the two young heroines, best friends Pauline Cant and Lucy Wickwright, know how babies are made. They learn, moreover, that they were both conceived through extramarital affairs. The only other surprises of a questionable or inappropriate nature are a couple of references to farting.
While we don't see adults exploiting children in these books the way their author did, we do see ambitious men trying to use the two girls' claims to the Barony of Cant to set themselves up in power, and people of all ages threatening the safety and freedom of these girls as they flee from their would-be regents. We see examples of orphaned children moving around freely with unrelated adults and, in some cases, forming warm friendships with them. I didn't see any harm in any of this while I was reading the books, but knowing what I know now... Use your judgment. It's up to you. You may also want to take into account how seemingly innocent books like this might have been used, in fact or fancy, to lure victims in, etc. Like the author of the essay previously cited, I revise my opinion on this every minute that I spend thinking about it. So don't rely on me to give you the answer.
Reading the book on its own terms, as my ignorance at the time allowed me to do, I thought a bit more highly of it than the librarian cited above. I was charmed by the whimsy of an isolated country, situated on the fold of everybody's maps, cut off by natural barriers from most modern progress and outside influence—a country capable of having a civil war over chewing gum—a country where references to present-day culture and technology ring like distant echoes into a time where vehicles are drawn by horses and mules, and battles are fought with swords and crossbows. It's a story full of humorous names such as "The Rev. Mr. Pius Frodd," where a tourism pamphlet can bear the incredible title: "VISIT FARAWAY BOONDOCK! 'The Tenesmus of Trans-Poltroon'." The adult world through which the hero girls move is both ridiculous and dangerous, and even the well-meaning grown-ups often make things worse for them through misunderstanding and failure to listen. But the girls make their share of silly, immature mistakes too, ensuring that their escape from the Barony of Cant will be as perilous, confusing, and full of setbacks as can be.
Pauline, believed to be the legitimate daughter of the late Baron of Cant, is supported by the Loyalist Faction; their leader, former Postal Commissioner Vladimir Orloff, proclaims himself her regent and plans to rule in her name. Meanwhile former lady's maid Lucy, who was raised by an adoptive family after being born to a servant girl in the castle, now turns out to be the Baron's acknowledged daughter. The Causist rebels, led by Oxford-educated firebrand Arden Gutz, mean to use Lucy as just such another figurehead—while, at the first taste of power, they prove to be no different from the old ruling class they mean to replace. You may think the resulting civil war is a meaningless trifle, but what it's really about is the gum trade. Whoever controls it, holds the real power in the Barony of Cant.
There is something sinister and wrong about how addictive this gum is, which is specially manufactured for import into the Barony. Ultimately Pauline and Lucy conclude that neither of them can rule securely until the gum industry has been cut off at the root. But to do that they must escape not only the castle, but the whole country. And that means surviving betrayal by gypsy-like Tinker children, an attack by pirates, a wilderness survival ordeal, and a hair-raising scene at a public execution. Meanwhile their allies, such as stuttering astronomer Luigi Lemonjello and poteen smuggler Lillian Lungwich, have adventures of their own that blend slapstick comedy and deadly menace with a surreal seamlessness.
It isn't perfectly done. At times the plot line seemed a bit slack and arbitrary. There were times when, for reasons I can't put a name on, my attention wandered. But the main characters share a warm friendship, and their vivaciousness and passion and willingness to grow makes their story quite effective. I guess the bottom line is that I read it, I enjoyed it, and I do not begrudge the time I spent with it; so I feel that I owe the book, if not its author, credit for that much. Whether, in light of facts that lie outside this book, I would recommend it to parents and children, is another question. I do try to uphold the principle of freedom from censorship, and that includes the soft censorship of consigning disgraced authors to the damnation of memory. But being so far from knowing my own mind in this case, I leave it up to you.
July 3, 2010
I really enjoyed the narrator of this audio book. He is a bit inconsistent with the way he pronounces names, but his character voices are hilarious.
On a side note, I was disturbed to read that the author is going to jail on charges of possessing child pornography. That makes it harder to recommend an otherwise funny book - what happens when a child decides to get more information on this author? Yikes!
On a side note, I was disturbed to read that the author is going to jail on charges of possessing child pornography. That makes it harder to recommend an otherwise funny book - what happens when a child decides to get more information on this author? Yikes!
July 22, 2012
I'm not sure how to feel about this book. It was a very enjoyable read, but I just learned that the author has been convicted for possession of child pornography.
September 8, 2008
So, since I read the first I felt compelled to read the second...the first one had an ending that pretty much leaves the girls out in the middle of nowhere. Ok, so the second book ends much the same way as the first wide open for the next one...didn't like that too much. It was alright, wouldn't be one I'd read again or really recommend for that matter, and I'm kinda mad that I now feel like I have to read another one to find out what happens.
February 19, 2011
Okay follow-up to the first one. Cute, light stuff. I might be a little concerned with letting a kid younger than 4th or 5th grade or so read it just because there are some references to adultery and affairs that might prompt a kid who is not familiar with the birds and the bees to ask some questions...
June 12, 2012
Part 2 of the trilogy, every bit as good as the first with even more kooky and likeable characters. Still wouldn't recommend it even though I loved it because the publishers pulled the plug on publishing the third book in the series. Who wants to read two fat books and never know the ending?
April 23, 2008
So great! Can't wait to meet this guy next week. Have your 12-year-old read it!
July 7, 2011
I liked this book as much as the first one. I thought the story progressed to show the bond of great friends/sisters.
July 9, 2012
Top 5. Author has a questionable background and the book is hard to come by but it is one of my favorites!
January 14, 2025
Just really political and not a lot of progress to the plot. Plus the series was never finished because the author was convicted of possessing CP (lost a star for that)
Want to Read
April 8, 2026A
August 30, 2008
This still carried on some of the humor of the previous series, but it sort of became redundant. We have another discovery of birth origin, this time from the supposed princess. I think things could have diverged a little bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2011
Didn't finish the book.
May 4, 2011
Yet again a book I couldn't finish. It was just too boring.
September 2, 2015
this had potential. much about the story is geared for young children, but the author throws in a few things in that made me wish I had previewed it more before letting my family listen to it.
October 29, 2008
a continuation of a fun story- still, it is not as well written as some
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews