Play The Princess and the Goblin — an interactive story where YOU are the hero

after the classic by George MacDonald, 1872

Goblins are tunneling up under the mountain toward the castle, and only a magic thread and a miner boy's courage stand between them and the throne. Play Princess Irene or brave Curdie, follow the thread into the dark, and foil the goblins' flood.

A moment from one playthrough

Your grandmother's invisible thread pulls you — impossibly — straight toward the goblins' tunnels instead of home, and you can hear Curdie's muffled shout through the rock, trapped. Trust the thread into the goblin dark to reach him, or drop it and dig where his voice is loudest?

Play The Princess and the Goblin now →

Start free — 10 diamonds when you confirm your email. No subscription; narrated aloud; plays in 26 languages.

The Somni Tales reader: an open book with two pages of a story, an ink illustration, and a “write what you do” bar below.

Live The Princess and the Goblin, don't just read it

In this interactive telling of The Princess and the Goblin, you don't read about the hero — you are the hero. The Storyteller keeps George MacDonald's world true to the original — its characters, its places, its mood, all held as canon — then narrates every scene aloud and draws the moment you're in as an ink illustration. You type or speak what you do next, and the world answers: it remembers the promises you made, the things you took, and the people you crossed. Follow George MacDonald's plot faithfully, or step off it and watch a brand-new version of The Princess and the Goblin unfold — one that still reaches a real ending.

How it works

The Storyteller holds the world of the book as canon — its characters, places and mood — and opens with you as the hero.
Type or speak anything: the world reacts, remembers, and stays true to the original's spirit.
Every playthrough is a brand-new story. Follow the plot — or break it and see what happens.

Common questions about playing The Princess and the Goblin

Is The Princess and the Goblin free to play on Somni Tales?

You get 10 diamonds free when you confirm your email — enough to open The Princess and the Goblin and step into the first scenes. After that, diamonds cost from $5 with no subscription, and unused diamonds are refundable within 14 days.

Do I have to follow George MacDonald's original plot?

No. The Storyteller holds The Princess and the Goblin as canon so its world, characters and mood stay true — but your choices write a brand-new telling. Follow the classic beats, or break from them and see where the story goes.

Can I play The Princess and the Goblin aloud and in my own language?

Yes — every scene is narrated aloud word by word, and The Princess and the Goblin plays in 26 languages. Change the language, voice and reading speed any time from the reader's Settings.