Interactive Historical Fiction e-books
Witch Dog by John and Patricia Beatty
During his imprisonment at Linz Castle in Austria during the 30-Year-War, Prince Rupert the Devil receives a poodle puppy as a gift. There the pup named Boye grows into a fine dog, one which Rupert intends to take home with him to become a battle dog. Upon Rupert’s release, he and Boye head to England to join King Charles I’s Cavaliers during the English Civil War against the Parliamentarian Roundheads. Boye, Rupert’s ‘luck,’ is believed by the Roundheads to be a witch dog, with the ability to turn invisible at will, to catch bullets with his teeth, and to be the secret of Rupert’s success.
An English page, Hugh, serving Rupert is jealous of how his master adores this cur and steals Boye away in the night giving him to the Roundheads so that Hugh may become the Prince’s favorite. Now Boye is on his own, experiencing life in dungeons, cages and wandering on the road of the English country side in the cold. He searches for his master during the Civil War in a historical world where the Witch Dog isn’t always in luck and Rupert is missing one of the few beings he has come to love. For ages 12 and above.
“Boye, pudelhund of Prince Rupert of Bohemia (nephew to Charles I of England), is based on an actual character...and this story relies on researched accounts of the times which include reports of the animal. When Rupert favors pet poodle over page Hugh Joliffe ... the boy gives Boye to the enemy, namely Roundhead Elnathan Parmenter ... who nurses a grudge against the dog. Rumors circulate about Boye’s supernatural powers (e.g. he can make himself invisible), but all such attributes are explained in human... or...canine terms. Boye overcomes tremendous obstacles, endures suffering at the hands of Parmenter, even learns to distinguish Roundheads from Cavaliers by their smells. Rupert has a life of his own but he really did consider Boye a good luck charm.”
“This is not merely a story about a dog, but actually a romantic and sympathetic portrait of Rupert, Prince of Bohemia, who served as a cavalry commander under his uncle, Charles I, during the English Civil War. But Boye the witch dog, Rupert’s pet poodle, played a historical role in the war as the object of the superstitious fears of the Roundheads, who thought him a talisman, the source of Rupert’s good fortune. A good novel of adventure that will introduce readers to some fascinating historical figures.”
