The Princess and the Goblin - by George McDonald.

Free US/UK Kindle Classic

The Princess and the Goblin is an 1872 fantasy by Scottish writer George McDonald.  It is certainly an overlooked classic.  (US Edition)  (UK Edition) 

Let's let the Amazon Reader Reviewers have their say:

"It must first be understood that George MacDonald inspired such authors as J.R.R. Tolkien, W.H. Auden, Madeline L'Engle and E. Nesbit. C.S. Lewis regarded him as his master. If you are a fan of these authors then you might want to seriously consider exploring the works of one who inspired them.. . . MacDonald knows magic and weaves magic in his tale. He also knows how Faerie and the realms of Faerie works. Having been a fan of Tolkien most of my life I have read many of his essays on the realm and I recognize the strange laws of the realm that are difficult to put down to paper but you recognize them even if you can't communicate them yourself."

" . . . it's a mixture of shimmering magic and dark grimy bleakness, written in lushly fantastical prose. The childlike princess can be a little annoying at times, but otherwise this book is a gem."

I have to say that one reviewer described the heroine as a bit "twee."  If you need help with that, it means treacly.  Well we can't all be "Jo" of Little Women.  I suppose you might say "Beth" was a bit twee . . .

Now in these subterranean caverns lived a strange race of beings, called by some gnomes, by some kobolds, by some goblins. There was a legend current in the country that at one time they lived above ground, and were very like other people. But for some reason or other, concerning which there were different legendary theories, the king had laid what they thought too severe taxes upon them, or had required observances of them they did not like, or had begun to treat them with more severity, in some way or other, and impose stricter laws; and the consequence was that they had all disappeared from the face of the country. According to the legend, however, instead of going to some other country, they had all taken refuge in the subterranean caverns, whence they never came out but at night, and then seldom showed themselves in any numbers, and never to many people at once. It was only in the least frequented and most difficult parts of the mountains that they were said to gather even at night in the open air. Those who had caught sight of any of them said that they had greatly altered in the course of generations; and no wonder, seeing they lived away from the sun, in cold and wet and dark places.

That's a good beginning!

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