Receive The Castle Of Desires Fabricated By Neale Osborne Available As Volume

Castle of Desires was an interesting book that had two main plot lines: reality and stop motion,

The italics of the story was based in stop motion, at least that was my impression, The stop motion story was very strange and hard to follow in my opinion, but was well written, It wasn't a story that I would want to read again, but I would suggest people read it due to the nature of the story, Two stories that link but don't appear to,

The actual story following the real life adventures of Max, who isn't what he appears to be, The story starts out very boring and slow, but picks up pace aboutof the way in, Once you're there, you are hooked and don't want to put the book down!

Overall, the story was well planned out and written well, but it didn't keep me to interested.
At about half way through the book I was tempted to put the book down but I struggled through it, Neale Osborne could improve with his next book by putting more twists or action into his plot to keep it interesting,

It was good, and I liked it, but I would label it as "okay", It didn't stand out to me like other books have in the past, But still a great novel! Neale Osborne is a fabulous writers!

Those interested in Hollywood, fiction, and original stories would like this novel,

Two out of five,

I received this novel for free through Goodreads First Reads, In a stormswept tavern, in a village of yore, Cornelius, the creepy, secretive sorcerers apprentice gives the unsuspecting Professor Gast a key one with the power to unlock the doors of the Castle of Desires.
Within the castle chambers are all that any man could wish for: wealth, leisure, servants, lovers and, if he so desires, he may even summon up a military empire

On the eve of Halloween,, the swaggering, charismatic Maximilian Richter arrives at the cartoon studios of Pineville, an isolated gated community in the sunkissed Californian hills.

As a bitpart actor in early talkies as gangster, tough guy, hired muscle, hoodlum every scene Max had been in had simmered with sin,
And now, within the walls of Pineville, Max is free to sweettalk his way into the affections of the unsuspecting community, stirring up a secret storm of seduction, vice and violence

Neale Osbornes first novel for older readers is a unique period piece, set on the edge of historical Hollywood, cutting between stopmotion fantasy and live action reality

Rated '' this book contains mature themes for older readers, but no explicit adult content, bad language or any material likely to offend.
The Castle of Desires is quite a different book to my others, Firstly, its set in a real time and place, and concerns a fictional cartoon studio called Pineville ins California it also deals with more adult themes which was why it wasnt suitable for my publisher Oxford Childrens Books although the main character is a tenyearold Hispanic girl living in a very grownup world.
I say a real time and place yet a significant portion of the book is set in mythical Volkaland and concerns the animated character Hans Gast who gains access to the many wonders found within the Castle of Desires.

I had toyed with the ideas for this storywithinastory for nearly twenty years, and wanted to tackle the biggest themes of all What would any man want from life What are those things he might desire most of all especially if they were granted in a magical way The obvious comparison is, of course, Faust, and structurally I found myself drawn to a favourite opera Duke Bluebeards Castle by Bartók with a libretto by Béla Balázs Hans tour, chamberbychamber around the the gothic Castle of Desires reflects the action in the reallife story the narrative timeline too from Halloween to Thanksgiving, to Cinco de Mayo, and beyond had to take into account actual events, such as the premiere of Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and a devastating storm that hit California in.
I found these events to be real assets to the story, and it was a fascinating challenge to have to bring them to life in my own words.

I dont like to reveal too much about the plot, but I will add that this tale, with a villain at its heart as opposed to a hero does tend to make for a slightly pessimistic read, reflecting the world's tragic trajectory as the idyll of Pineville becomes overtaken by sin and circumstances.
And the overall intention was to present an allegory of political power towards the end of thes,
One theme that occurs throughout is the use of paradox to mirror the uncertain nature of things, and the sinister side of ambitions and desires: “upper depths”, “real unreal”, “retro futuristic”, “paradisal nightmare”, “finding fault with the flawless” etc.

On a lighter note, the novel can also be seen as a homage to the pioneers of film animation: Georges Méliès, Willis OBrien, Ray Harryhausen, Ladislas Starewicz and naturally, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
The cast of characters at least, appearancewise is based on movie of the time, so the narrative has a feel of a drama being played out in cinematic terms.
Cartoon fans might also have fun spotting the many references to Disney films sprinkled throughout the story from Steamboat Willie to The Princess and the Frog! I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.


I liked the dual nature of this book and its premise, I thought the switching between the stopmotion movie and the real world was an interesting way to tell a story, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.
I am a big fan of Disney, of handdrawn animation, and of stopmotion animation, and I enjoyed all of the animation references and the movie studio setting.


I liked Jemima and I enjoyed her story, and I eagerly anticipated the movie tidbits at the beginning of each chapter, The movie narratives were one of the best aspects of the book, I liked hating Max, but as the book went on, I was less and less convinced of Max's motivations, I know he was a bad person, but that did not seem to be enough of a motive for all of the terrible things he did, and his character was too simplistic.
Max was a run of the mill villain who embodied cliches he did not have a distinct villain persona of his own, I was also unsure as to why Artie would employ untrustworthy outsiders as security guards when the men who lived onsite could have done the job better.
I know Artie wanted a security guard, a male model for the animation, and a role model for Luke, but why would Artie not do a better background check on Max, especially in regards to Max being a role model for his son Why would Artie not check on Max's interactions with Luke, and why would Ruth not report the issue to Artie Why would Sally not report that she was run off the road by one of the security guards I understand that Artie was a bit of a doddering old man who did not see people's flaws, but the entire situation with the thug security guards seemed contrived, and it was not well supported.
A businessman trying to run a community and a studio would not be that ignorant, The conclusion of the book was also unsatisfying, Why did Artie not try to reopen the animation studio at Pineville and give people back their jobs

Overall, the book started well, and the separate movie/real world narratives were intriguing.
However, the villain was not well drawn, and the conclusion springing from the shaky foundation of the villain seemed rushed and too simple, I enjoyed the book and the author's writing style, but I

had to give it three due to its flaws, But even with the flaws, it was a fun read, and I am glad I had the opportunity to enjoy it, Neale Osborne was born in July, His debut childrens novel Lydias Tin Lid Drum was published by Oxford University Press in, and followed in, by the exotic sequel Lydias Golden Drum, A new illustrated revision of Tin Lid Drum was published inas Lydias Enchanted Toffee, The Castle of Desires fromis a novel for older readers, set ins California and in the enchanted chambers of a Gothic castle, A trio of novelettes the Seasonal Dreamworlds was published in, along with retrospectives of his illustration work: Sweet Art, Sour Puss and a compilation Bitter Sweet, Neale Osborne was born in July, His debut childrens novel 'Lydias Tin Lid Drum' was published by Oxford University Press in, and followed in, by the exotic sequel 'Lydia's Golden Drum', A new illustrated revision of 'Tin Lid Drum' was published inas 'Lydia's Enchanted Toffee', 'The Castle of Desires' fromis a novel for older readers, set ins California and in the enchanted chambers of a Gothic castle, A trio of novelettes the 'Seasonal Dreamworlds' was published in, along with retrospectives of his illustration work: 'Sweet Art', 'Sour Puss' and a compilation 'Bitter Sweet', sitelink.