Laszlo Kubinyi

The talking cat Shukru returns for his second adventure in this follow-up to Zeki and the Talking Cat Shukru, this time coming to the aid of the alchemist into whose laboratory he crashes his flying machine one stormy night. Ordered to produce gold by evil Count Zlotgar, or face being fed to the terrible monster Zludd, Dezso is in desperate need of allies. Determined to help his new friend, Shukru enlists the aid of Tom the Wildcat, Eshper the Fox, Aydin the elf, and the local villagers, leading to an epic showdown with Zlotgar...

Like its predecessor, The Cat and the Flying Machine is considerably enhanced by Laszlo Kubinyi's marvelous black and white illustrations, with their delicate detail, and expressive figures and faces. Unfortunately, the artwork is not enough to save this somewhat muddled story, which suffers from a sense of rushed confusion towards the ending. Kubinyi fans will enjoy the visuals, but young fantasy readers can find better fare...… (más)

Inspired by the terrible tale of Czar Vladimir of Kiev's raid on the town of San'at Shehri, Shukru the talking cat and his friend Zeki the duduk-player set out from Istanbul on a quest to teach the music-hating leader a lesson. With a clever cat, a music-loving princess, and a last-minute escape, Zeki and the Talking Cat offers the beginning reader an exciting chapter-book fantasy.

Laszlo Kubinyi, who is perhaps best known for illustrating a number of Lloyd Alexander's juvenile fantasies, here presents his own story. Heavily indebted to various folklore traditions, Kubinyi's tale has many motifs the reader will recognize, from the clever cat to the inevitable final reward. But the real treasure is the artwork, with its wealth of detail and expressive figures.… (más)