Fantasy in the Castle Tower: On Freedom, Magic, Water Spirits and Late Harvest

**Josha Schaback: "The Monkey of Karlsruhe"

Karlsruhe, 1848: Inventor and former revolutionary Carl von Sauerbronn returns from an expedition in Brazil - with a singing monkey. During the days of the Baden Revolution, the monkey Julius becomes a symbol of freedom, reason, and resistance. While Sauerbronn attempts to educate the animal, his daughter Susanne teaches it to speak - and to love. Soon revolutionaries, court officials, and an enchanted public fall under the spell of this unusual three-way story.

Schaback tells with wit, linguistic refinement, and a sense of the grotesque - in the spirit of E.T.A. Hoffmann and simultaneously as a clever commentary on the present day. "The Monkey of Karlsruhe" is his first novel. Schaback studied German literature, theatre and music studies, and directing; he writes and translates opera libretti, creates texts for children's concerts, and is the author of the non-fiction book "Children's Musical Theatre in Germany". His stories "The Machine" and "Across the River" (illustrated by Marek Walczak) were published by Brot&Kunst.

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**Chrissy Em Rose: "The Legend of the Raven King"

"Little girl, beware. The black raven watches over you. Always appears when you call him, but grows angry when you seek him. Little boy, be good. The black raven flies in the night. Always keeps a watchful eye on you, but do not seek him, or he will punish you."

A village that believed itself safe from the Toceras plague now finds itself in the grip of locust-like creatures. When winter ends, supplies and houses will vanish. The only hope is the Raven King - a legend, a whisper in the darkness. It is precisely the storyteller who does not believe in him who must find him.

Chrissy Em Rose has been publishing fantasy for more than ten years. Her first publication came about in 2012 from the idea of leaving something special for her children.