George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin is a children's fantasy novel. It was published in 1872 by Strahan & Co. The sequel to this book is The Princess and Curdie, in which Princess Irene and Curdie are a year or two older, and must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift and a monster called Lina to help his quest. Anne Thaxter Eaton writes in ''A Critical History of Children's Literature'' that ''The Princess and the Goblin'' and its sequel quietly suggest in every incident ideas of courage and honor. Jeffrey Holdaway writing in New Zealand Art Monthly said that both books start out as normal fairytales but slowly become stranger, and that they contain layers of symbolism similar to that of Lewis Carroll's work.