Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest
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Authors: Matt Haig
and the
Forbidden Forest
and the
Forbidden Forest
MATT HAIG
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
A division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Published by The Penguin Group.
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.). Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England. Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.). Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd). Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017, India. Penguin Group (NZ), Cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd). Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa. Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England.
Copyright © 2007 by Matt Haig.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher.
First American edition published in 2007 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. G. P. Putnam's Sons, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Haig, Matt, 1975â
Samuel Blink and the forbidden forest / Matt Haig. p. cm.
Summary: Accompanied by his aunt's Norwegian elkhound, Ibsen, twelve-year-old Samuel ventures into a weird forest filled with strange and dangerous creatures to rescue his younger sister, Martha, who has been mute since their parents' recent death.
[1. Brothers and sistersâFiction. 2. MagicâFiction. 3. Imaginary creaturesâFiction. 4. Norwegian elkhoundâFiction. 5. DogsâFiction. 6. OrphansâFiction. 7. NorwayâFiction.] I. Title. PZ7.H12597Sam 2007 [Fic]âdc22 Â Â Â 2006024827
ISBN: 978-1-1012-0067-4
For Andrea
There is a place you must never enter. It is a place where evil has many faces, and where creatures of myth and legend live and breathe. And kill. It is a place beyond dreams or nightmaresâa place that has so far been too feared to be called anything at all. Now, in this book, I will explain the unexplained, and give fear a name that suits it well. That name shall be Shadow Forest, and it will plant terror in your hearts.
âProfessor Horatio Tanglewood
THE HUMANS
Samuel Blink
âA twelve-year-old boy, with worse luck than most, who has never considered himself to be a hero. Which is a shame, as he'd really make quite a good one.
Martha Blink
âSamuel's younger sister, who thinks she's in a musical. She's not. She's in the back of her parents' car singing annoying songs in Samuel's ear. Well, it is her birthday.
Liv Blink
âMother of Martha and Samuel. Thinks Martha's singing isn't annoying at all, unlike her husband's driving.
Peter Blink
âFather of Martha and Samuel. Angry driver. Going to be lucky if he makes it through the first chapter.
The Norwegians:
Aunt Eda
âLiv Blink's Norwegian sister. Samuel and Martha Blink's aunt. Former Olympic javelin thrower. Owner of a happiness lamp, ten pairs of long johns, a house near Shadow Forest, and a hairy chin. She misses her husband, Uncle Henrik, who disappeared in the forest ten years ago.
Uncle Henrik
âSsssh! Don't mention Uncle Henrik when Aunt Eda's around. She'll probably start crying.
Oskar
âA grocer in the village of FlÃ¥m, with a soft spot for bow ties and tall women (especially Aunt Eda).
Fredrick
âOskar's son, who likes to play on his calculator. Don't worry too much about himâhe's only in two chapters.
Old Tor
âHe's old. Andâ¦erâ¦he's called Tor. He paints pictures of mountains and fjords. And the occasional two-headed troll.
Other Humans:
Professor Horatio Tanglewood (aka the Changemaker)
âAn evil Englishman who lives in a wooden palace in the middle of Shadow Forest, which he rules under the name of the Changemaker. He wrote a book called
The Creatures of Shadow Forest
and keeps the pickled heads of his enemies in jars. His favorite music in the world is the sound of a child screaming. He is currently working on his autobiography.
The author
âGoes by the rather boring name of “Matt Haig,” although he was in fact christened Zerebubul Osrich Winterbottom the Third. He rudely interrupts the story on two occasions, just when you're getting into it. He once bumped into Professor Horatio Tanglewood in his local library. The Professor asked to borrow his pen but never gave it back.
The Dog:
Ibsen
âA Norwegian elkhound, owned by Aunt Eda. Loves brown cheese, sleep, and human children. Hates the forest.
The Witches:
The Shadow Witch
âUses the power of shadows to transform herself and other forest dwellers. Lives with her master, Professor Horatio Tanglewood, in his wooden palace. She breathes shadow clouds, and usually turns herself into a cat when she leaves the forest.
The Snow Witch
âThe Shadow Witch's sister, who used to cast weather spells. Currently in an underground prison with weakened powers, she faces certain death. She has known better times.
Huldres:
Vjpp
âA thoroughly cruel prison guard who, like all huldres, fears daylight and lives underground. In case you're wondering how to pronounce his name, you can't. It's impossible.
Grentul
âA slightly less cruel prison guard who is extremely loyal to Professor Tanglewood (known to huldres as the Changemaker). He dreams of the old days, when huldres weren't scared of the sun.
Trolls:
Troll-the-Left and Troll-the-Right
âTwo heads of the same troll, who hate each other's guts (which, technically speaking, they share).
Troll-Father, Troll-Mother, Troll-Son, Troll-Daughter
âA friendly family of trolls who have only one eye among them.
Other Creatures:
The Tomtegubb
âA golden, barrel-shaped creature who wears bright-colored clothes and sings happy tunes, even when he knows there is nothing to be happy about.
The Truth Pixie
âA pixie living in a log cabin on the Eastern region of Shadow Forest who poisons passing visitors and finds it impossible to lie. (If he invites you to dinner, have a good excuse ready.)
The Slemp
âA giant furry creature, combining the physical aspects of a bear and a lion, with a belly comfier than any pillow. He spends most of his life asleep, dreaming of berries. Can gobble a human head in one bite.
Gray-Tail the Rabbit
âAn old rabbit who has convinced the others in his pen that Thubula, the rabbit God, is going to save them all. In fact, they're probably going to end up in a troll casserole.
Calooshes
âEven more stupid than rabbits, Calooshes are tall, three-headed birds who run around the forest squawking and falling into holes.