While this book is not as well known as "Twenty Thousand Leagues" or "Around the World," it is Verne at his best. The descriptions of the villagers, their costumes, lifestyles and belief in the supernatural make an interesting read on their own but, coupled with an exciting adventure story, this is fine reading indeed. Young readers might not have known what a "nyclatop" was but, if they saw one flapping its wings around a dark fortress in the Carpathians, they would run for their lives, just like hero Nic Deck. One page of ads at back listing Popular Stories for Boys by Edward S. Ellis. Taves & Michaluk V039. Myers 8.
