The novels of Diana Wynne Jones
D. Gascoyne
patterns emerge. A child or children, often poorly treated by parents or
other relative, either meets a magical personage and undergoes a life change
or discovers hidden talents in him or herself. Often the life change is not
unambiguously positive. Don't think for a minute, though, that Jones' works
are repetitive (in the Lackey vein, for instance), What elevates Jones'
novels from standard wish fulfillment children's or ya fantasy is a
combination of the quality of the writing, the inventiveness and originality
of the plots and occasionally a downright dark side to them. I'm going to
move through them more or less in publication order, but with series
reorganized into internal chronological order.
Wilkin's Tooth. Fairly standard and not terribly memorable "domestic"
children's fantasy. I've forgotten it.
No grade.
The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites for
fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two with
pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the kids
are given chemistry sets that turn out to be magical. One item lets them
fly, one makes them invisible and so on. A highlight is when "dragons
teeth" sown in the driveway turn into Greek warriors who emerge speaking
words that look like real Greek but when read out loud read "Let me at 'im"
and such like. A
Eight Days of Luke
Young David is forced to spend his summer holidays with his truly awful
relations. One day he mutters a series of nonsense words and inadvertently
frees the mysterious Luke from his prison. To say more would be to give too
much away. Great fun. A-
Dogsbody
An early example of Jones' darker works. Sirius the dog star commits a
crime and is forced to live in the body of a mongrel dog. As a dog, he is
adopted by a girl who is almost the slave of an awful foster mother. Has a
more powerful ending than one might expect. A-
The Chrestomanci series (Charmed Life was the first in publication date, but
Lives of Christopher Chant is first in internal chronology)
The Lives of Christopher Chant.
Young Christopher Chant, who is largely neglected by awful parents,
discovers a talent to travel between worlds. Things get considerably more
complicated from then on. Parallel universe device is believable and well
handled, characters of Christopher and a young Goddess who just wants to
read English boarding school books are well drawn. B+
Charmed Life
Kit Chant is unmagical and is put upon by his truly awful sister. He and
his sister are one day taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be educated. Life
becomes extremely complicated. This is one of my top five - thoroughly
delightful, even if ending is not unambiguously happy. Knocks the spots of
Harry Potter imho. Chrestomanci in his elegant dressing gowns is an
inspired figure. A+
The Magicians of Caprona
Young Tonino is the only unmagical member of his large family, who is one of
two important families in the city. Of course, it's up to him to save the
day when things go wrong. There's a bit of a take-off on Romeo and Juliet;
Punch and Judy comes into it. Light but enjoyable. B+
Witch Week
A tradition school story with magic, in which one (or more) of a class in a
world in which witchcraft is forbidden is a witch. Fun but not up to the
standard of the others in the series. B
The Dalemark Quartet
The Spellcoats
Another group of abandoned children find themselves on a raft on a river on
a voyage of discovery. Interesting more for concept than execution. Don't
get me wrong; I liked it, but don't seem to remember it very well. B
Drowned Ammet
The weakest of the four. I've only read it once and really don't remember
it. No grade.
Cart and Cwidder
The best of the four. More hopeless parents and children who discover
hidden powers. Interesting use of music as power. There's a nice horse,
too. B+
The Crown of Dalemark
Girl from "our" world crosses over into Dalemark and more or less saves the
day. A bit confusing at end, not entirely satisfactory, but worth reading.
B
Other Standalone novels
The Power of Three
An interesting take on notions of national and racial pride and tradition
hatreds. Also explores the idea that size is relative. Worth reading but
not outstanding. B
The Time of the Ghost
Very dark, but wonderful. One of three sisters finds herself as a ghost,
and is not sure which sister she is or how she got that way. Dreadful
parents possibly based on Jones' own (which is a truly frightening thought).
A
The Homeward Bounders
Fabulous. One of my top five. Very very loosely based on a fantasy war
game, but goes way beyond that. Boy is flung into multiple universe and
told to find his own way home. Prometheus comes into it. So does the
Flying Dutchman. And it somehow all makes sense. And you have no idea how
lonely you get - one of the best last lines! A+
Fire and Hemlock
Mileage varies tremendously on this one, but it's one of my favourites. A
loose variation on the Tam Lin story, conflated with Thomas the Rhymer.
Another neglected child learns to be a hero when she meets a musician.
Includes a rare for Jones but well handled romance. Ending is extremely
ambiguous, source of disappointment or annoyance for some. It made sense
to me! A+
Howl's Moving Castle
This is probably my all time favourite. It's funny, it's romantic, it turns
fairy tale cliches upside down, and does great things with John Donne. What
more could you ask for? A+
Castle in the Air
If this was not the sequel to the above it would probably be very enjoyable,
but it's a thumping disappointment after HMC. Plays with Arabian Nights
rather than (or partly as well as) northern fairy tales but somehow just
doesn't quite work. B-
Archer's Goon
For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive ways. A-
Black Maria
Most notable for the most dreadful of Jones' dreadful relatives. Otherwise
not her most inspired work. B-
Tale of Time City
One of Jones' weakest, I think. Very complicated time paradox plot which
somehow doesn't quite come to life. Ambiguous and slightly dark ending
doesn't help. C+
Hexwood
Another very complicated time paradox plot - and more characters who turn
out to have hidden depths. B+
A Sudden Wild Magic
Her only "adult" novel. It's not dreadful (I liked it better on rereading)
but it's really not very good. C
The Dark Lord of Darkhelm and Year of the Griffin
Take place in a fantasy world governed by the cliched rules she sets out in
A Tough Guide to Fantasyland (not a novel, but required reading for any
fantasy fan; it's hilarious). Enjoyable but neither one is inspired. Both
B
Deep Secret
This was great fun once more, the best of her books since Archer's Goon.
And it has elements of that - it combines person with hidden identity trope
plus multiple worlds plus a delightful portrayal of a "Con" B+/A-
Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written. Have
I left anything out?
Debbie
Brian Palmer
> Eight Days of Luke
> Young David is forced to spend his summer holidays with his truly awful
> relations. One day he mutters a series of nonsense words and inadvertently
> frees the mysterious Luke from his prison. To say more would be to give too
> much away. Great fun. A-
I thoroughly enjoyed this one when I was a kid, and it helped inspire
me to read a lot of Norse mythology. Fun, fun read.
> Cart and Cwidder
> The best of the four. More hopeless parents and children who discover
> hidden powers. Interesting use of music as power. There's a nice horse,
> too. B+
I'd put this at A-, at the least. Agree that it's the best of the
Dalemark quartet, though; the others were disappointing compared to
this.
> The Homeward Bounders
> Fabulous. One of my top five. Very very loosely based on a fantasy war
> game, but goes way beyond that. Boy is flung into multiple universe and
> told to find his own way home. Prometheus comes into it. So does the
> Flying Dutchman. And it somehow all makes sense. And you have no idea how
> lonely you get - one of the best last lines! A+
I think this is my favorite Jones. I've been looking now for years in
the hope that I'll find it in the store; I've only seen it once at a
library (where I first read it; the library is sadly no longer
accessible).
> Fire and Hemlock
> Mileage varies tremendously on this one, but it's one of my favourites. A
> loose variation on the Tam Lin story, conflated with Thomas the Rhymer.
> Another neglected child learns to be a hero when she meets a musician.
> Includes a rare for Jones but well handled romance. Ending is extremely
> ambiguous, source of disappointment or annoyance for some. It made sense
> to me! A+
I remember reading this,and it's slipped through my mind. For whatever
the reason,I didn't think it was especially memorable.
> Howl's Moving Castle
> This is probably my all time favourite. It's funny, it's romantic, it turns
> fairy tale cliches upside down, and does great things with John Donne. What
> more could you ask for? A+
Perhaps I'd appreciate it more if I read it now. I bounced off it
pretty hardthe first time I read it, and had to try again just to get
through it.
> Archer's Goon
> For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
> going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
> best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive
> ways. A-
Definitely much better the second time,for me.
There was also a short story I saw (and skimmed through most of) in
the store recently (I assume collected with some other stories, but I
can't remember), which brings together Cat from _Charmed Life_ and
Tonino from _The Magicians of Caprona_. Don't think it was great, but
it was enjoyable,and I think very capably showed both's flaws.
--
If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of
exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an
idea, which an individual may exclusively possess [only] as long as he
keeps it to himself.... -- Thomas Jefferson
David Eppstein
"D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> wrote:
> Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written. Have
> I left anything out?
_Wild Robert_ (about which I remember little) and _Yes, Dear_
(children's book about a girl who finds a magic leaf).
--
David Eppstein UC Irvine Dept. of Information & Computer Science
epps...@ics.uci.edu http://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/
Steve Parker
wrote:
>The Homeward Bounders
>Fabulous. One of my top five. Very very loosely based on a fantasy war
>game, but goes way beyond that. Boy is flung into multiple universe and
>told to find his own way home. Prometheus comes into it. So does the
>Flying Dutchman. And it somehow all makes sense. And you have no idea how
>lonely you get - one of the best last lines! A+
This one was so creepy and atmospheric. I loved it and I think it's
time for a re-read.
>Archer's Goon
>For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
>going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
>best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive ways. A-
This one's my favorite. It always reminded me a bit of Zelazny's
_Amber_ series, what with all the in-family backstabbing and the fact
(rot-13'd to avoid a HUGE spoiler) gung gur ureb fgnegf bhg jvgu uvf
zrzbel bs gur snzvyl erzbirq naq arrqf gb yrnea nobhg 'rz...snfg!. V
nyfb yvxrq gur jubyr angher/ahegher guvat.
Steve
--
My review pages have moved.AGAIN. The new address is
http://home.attbi.com/~sparker9/home.html
Ashland Henderson
> When you've read a lot of Jones' novels, you begin to see certain plot
> patterns emerge. A child or children, often poorly treated by parents or
> other relative, either meets a magical personage and undergoes a life change
> or discovers hidden talents in him or herself. Often the life change is not
> unambiguously positive. Don't think for a minute, though, that Jones' works
> are repetitive (in the Lackey vein, for instance), What elevates Jones'
> novels from standard wish fulfillment children's or ya fantasy is a
> combination of the quality of the writing, the inventiveness and originality
> of the plots and occasionally a downright dark side to them. I'm going to
> move through them more or less in publication order, but with series
> reorganized into internal chronological order.
>
> Wilkin's Tooth. Fairly standard and not terribly memorable "domestic"
> children's fantasy. I've forgotten it.
> No grade.
>
> The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites for
> fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two with
> pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the kids
> are given chemistry sets that turn out to be magical. One item lets them
> fly, one makes them invisible and so on. A highlight is when "dragons
> teeth" sown in the driveway turn into Greek warriors who emerge speaking
> words that look like real Greek but when read out loud read "Let me at 'im"
> and such like. A
Couldn't get into it at all. I'll have to try it again one of these days
since any number of my friends loved it.
> Eight Days of Luke
> Young David is forced to spend his summer holidays with his truly awful
> relations. One day he mutters a series of nonsense words and inadvertently
> frees the mysterious Luke from his prison. To say more would be to give too
> much away. Great fun. A-
Good solid stuff and even rereads very well. One quibble, it's not just
the summer holidays David is spending there, the people are his legal
guardians.
> Dogsbody
> An early example of Jones' darker works. Sirius the dog star commits a
> crime and is forced to live in the body of a mongrel dog. As a dog, he is
> adopted by a girl who is almost the slave of an awful foster mother. Has a
> more powerful ending than one might expect. A-
One of my two most favorite Jones books. It's a bit dark but the happenings
are wonderful and the end quite powerful indeed.
> The Chrestomanci series (Charmed Life was the first in publication date, but
> Lives of Christopher Chant is first in internal chronology)
All good solid stuff.
> The Lives of Christopher Chant.
> Young Christopher Chant, who is largely neglected by awful parents,
> discovers a talent to travel between worlds. Things get considerably more
> complicated from then on. Parallel universe device is believable and well
> handled, characters of Christopher and a young Goddess who just wants to
> read English boarding school books are well drawn. B+
>
> Charmed Life
> Kit Chant is unmagical and is put upon by his truly awful sister. He and
> his sister are one day taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be educated. Life
> becomes extremely complicated. This is one of my top five - thoroughly
> delightful, even if ending is not unambiguously happy. Knocks the spots of
> Harry Potter imho. Chrestomanci in his elegant dressing gowns is an
> inspired figure. A+
>
> The Magicians of Caprona
> Young Tonino is the only unmagical member of his large family, who is one of
> two important families in the city. Of course, it's up to him to save the
> day when things go wrong. There's a bit of a take-off on Romeo and Juliet;
> Punch and Judy comes into it. Light but enjoyable. B+
>
> Witch Week
> A tradition school story with magic, in which one (or more) of a class in a
> world in which witchcraft is forbidden is a witch. Fun but not up to the
> standard of the others in the series. B
This one struck me as pretty dark as well but I didn't like it as much as
the others. I think this was actually her first published novel.
> The Dalemark Quartet
>
> The Spellcoats
> Another group of abandoned children find themselves on a raft on a river on
> a voyage of discovery. Interesting more for concept than execution. Don't
> get me wrong; I liked it, but don't seem to remember it very well. B
My other most favorite of Jones' novels. There's a kind of mythic feel to
it that appealed to the anthropologist buried in me.
Maybe just below Dogsbody and The Spellcoats for me but easily the one of
her's that I reread the most often. [
Micole Sudberg
>There was also a short story I saw (and skimmed through most of) in
>the store recently (I assume collected with some other stories, but I
>can't remember), which brings together Cat from _Charmed Life_ and
>Tonino from _The Magicians of Caprona_. Don't think it was great, but
>it was enjoyable,and I think very capably showed both's flaws.
"Stealer of Souls" in *Mixed Magics* (US title), which collects four
Chrestomanci short stories. I liked it because it avoided most of the
problems you get when authors bring together characters from separate
books--they don't immediately like each other, their adventure doesn't require
loads of backstory for each, and their interaction isn't smooth. It's a good
story. That said, in the same collection I prefer "Carol O'Neir's One
Hundredth Dream" and "The Sage of Theare."
--m.
Elaine Thompson
<epps...@ics.uci.edu> wrote:
>In article <N%ru8.35067$de1.1...@news3.calgary.shaw.ca>,
> "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>
>> Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written. Have
>> I left anything out?
>
>_Wild Robert_ (about which I remember little)
The title character is the Restoration era ghost of a warlock. But I
thought this was a short story? I've got it in an anthology.
--
Elaine Thompson <Ela...@KEThompson.org>
David Eppstein
Elaine Thompson <Ela...@KEThompson.org> wrote:
> >> Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written.
> >> Have
> >> I left anything out?
> >
> >_Wild Robert_ (about which I remember little)
>
>
> The title character is the Restoration era ghost of a warlock. But I
> thought this was a short story? I've got it in an anthology.
I have it as a thin paperback standalone book (Mammoth, 1991) with
interior illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark.
Robert Sneddon
>"D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> writes:
>
>> Howl's Moving Castle
>> This is probably my all time favourite. It's funny, it's romantic, it turns
>> fairy tale cliches upside down, and does great things with John Donne. What
>> more could you ask for? A+
>
>Perhaps I'd appreciate it more if I read it now. I bounced off it
>pretty hardthe first time I read it, and had to try again just to get
>through it.
This is apparently being animated by Studio Ghibli in Japan (home of
Master Miyazaki, director of Laputa, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour
Totoro etc.)
>
>> Archer's Goon
>> For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
>> going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
>> best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive
>> ways. A-
I recall this was dramatised by the BBC a while back for children's
television.
There's a collection of Diana's shorter works in a volume called "Minor
Arcana".
--
Robert Sneddon nojay (at) nojay (dot) fsnet (dot) co (dot) uk
Jocelyn Lavin
Brian Palmer <bpa...@leland.stanford.edu> wrote:
>> Cart and Cwidder
>> The best of the four. More hopeless parents and children who discover
>> hidden powers. Interesting use of music as power. There's a nice horse,
>> too. B+
>
>I'd put this at A-, at the least. Agree that it's the best of the
>Dalemark quartet, though; the others were disappointing compared to
>this.
A+ for me - there are bits of it that have stayed with me since I read it,
over 20 years ago - particularly Kialan. I never forgot him.
--
Angel: What's this?
Cordy: Enemies of Merl list.
Angel: Hey! Why is *my* name at the top of this list?
Cordy: Ah - 'a'?
D. Gascoyne
"Ashland Henderson" <macea...@astound.net> wrote in message
news:441d41d1.02041...@posting.google.com...
> "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:<N%ru8.35067$de1.1...@news3.calgary.shaw.ca>...
> > Young David is forced to spend his summer holidays with his truly awful
> > relations. One day he mutters a series of nonsense words and
inadvertently
> > frees the mysterious Luke from his prison. To say more would be to give
too
> > much away. Great fun. A-
>
> Good solid stuff and even rereads very well. One quibble, it's not just
> the summer holidays David is spending there, the people are his legal
> guardians.
True, though they farm him out to a boarding school the rest of the year.
D.
Andrew Plotkin
> In article <N%ru8.35067$de1.1...@news3.calgary.shaw.ca>,
> "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> wrote:
>> Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written. Have
>> I left anything out?
> _Wild Robert_ (about which I remember little) and _Yes, Dear_
> (children's book about a girl who finds a magic leaf).
Yoif, I hadn't heard of those either.
I have no other novels to list, but it's worth adding several short
story collections: _Believing is Seeing_, _Warlock at the Wheel_,
_Everard's Ride_ (a NESFA collection).
My all-time favorite DWJ short story is "The Sage of Theare" (in
_WatW_). Chrestomanci has a walk-on role, as he does in many of her
short stories.
--Z
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
* Make your vote count. Get your vote counted.
Andrew Plotkin
> I have no other novels to list, but it's worth adding several short
> story collections: _Believing is Seeing_, _Warlock at the Wheel_,
> _Everard's Ride_ (a NESFA collection).
> My all-time favorite DWJ short story is "The Sage of Theare" (in
> _WatW_).
Or, indeed, not. Someone just said it was in a collection called
_Mixed Magics_. I don't have that one; I think my copy of "The Sage of
Theare" is in some other anthology entirely, a non-author-specific
one.
Brian McCullogh
Brian Palmer wrote:
>
> "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> writes:
>
> > The Homeward Bounders
> > Fabulous. One of my top five. Very very loosely based on a fantasy war
> > game, but goes way beyond that. Boy is flung into multiple universe and
> > told to find his own way home. Prometheus comes into it. So does the
> > Flying Dutchman. And it somehow all makes sense. And you have no idea how
> > lonely you get - one of the best last lines! A+
>
> I think this is my favorite Jones. I've been looking now for years in
> the hope that I'll find it in the store; I've only seen it once at a
> library (where I first read it; the library is sadly no longer
> accessible).
According to Amazon it will be reprinted in the US by Greenwillow on
April 30. It is also available in Canada (Harper Collins Canada, Nov.
2000) and the UK (Collins, Nov. 2000). My favourite Jones so far; she
doesn't pull her punches, does she?
Brian McCullogh
Iain Scott
: Wilkin's Tooth. Fairly standard and not terribly memorable "domestic"
: children's fantasy. I've forgotten it.
: No grade.
I agree, not one of her better ones... IIRC, a pair of siblings start up a
"get your own back" business in order to get some cash, but end up
defeating a witch.
: The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites for
: fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two with
: pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the kids
Nitpick: three kids with the Mum, the two brothers and a sister.
:
: Dogsbody
I really like this one.
:
: The Chrestomanci series (Charmed Life was the first in publication date, but
: Lives of Christopher Chant is first in internal chronology)
:
: The Lives of Christopher Chant.
: Charmed Life
: Kit Chant is unmagical and is put upon by his truly awful sister. He and
: his sister are one day taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be educated. Life
: becomes extremely complicated. This is one of my top five - thoroughly
: delightful, even if ending is not unambiguously happy. Knocks the spots of
: Harry Potter imho. Chrestomanci in his elegant dressing gowns is an
: inspired figure. A+
ALL of these knock spots of Potter... probably not surprising as Rowley
seems to have err, "been inspired by very similar sources". Not that
Potter is bad, just that these are better!
:
: The Magicians of Caprona
:
: Witch Week
: A tradition school story with magic, in which one (or more) of a class in a
: world in which witchcraft is forbidden is a witch. Fun but not up to the
: standard of the others in the series. B
But depicts an english school much better than the Potter books... (maybe
I've been going to the wrong schools!)
: The Dalemark Quartet
: The Spellcoats
: Drowned Ammet
: Cart and Cwidder
: The Crown of Dalemark
: Girl from "our" world crosses over into Dalemark and more or less saves the
: day. A bit confusing at end, not entirely satisfactory, but worth reading.
: B
I liked this more than the others... perhaps because, though it is
confusing it does sort of explain what is going on with the others in the
quartet.
: Other Standalone novels
:
: The Power of Three
:
: The Time of the Ghost
:
: The Homeward Bounders
:
: Fire and Hemlock
: Mileage varies tremendously on this one, but it's one of my favourites. A
: loose variation on the Tam Lin story, conflated with Thomas the Rhymer.
: Another neglected child learns to be a hero when she meets a musician.
: Includes a rare for Jones but well handled romance. Ending is extremely
: ambiguous, source of disappointment or annoyance for some. It made sense
: to me! A+
Indeed, perfectly clear... after the third reading!
:
: Howl's Moving Castle
:
: Castle in the Air
:
: Archer's Goon
: For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
: going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
: best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive ways. A-
Also made in to a TV series by the BBCs childrens drama department.
: Black Maria
: Tale of Time City
:
: Hexwood
: Another very complicated time paradox plot - and more characters who turn
: out to have hidden depths. B+
Now this one _is_ complicated. I think there is one paragraph towards the
end from which you can reason out whats going on, but it took some
effort...
:
: A Sudden Wild Magic
: Her only "adult" novel. It's not dreadful (I liked it better on rereading)
: but it's really not very good. C
Hmm.. only read it once, and wasnt that impressed.
:
: The Dark Lord of Darkhelm and Year of the Griffin
: Take place in a fantasy world governed by the cliched rules she sets out in
: A Tough Guide to Fantasyland (not a novel, but required reading for any
: fantasy fan; it's hilarious). Enjoyable but neither one is inspired. Both
: B
Dark Lord is better, IMO.
: Deep Secret
: This was great fun once more, the best of her books since Archer's Goon.
: And it has elements of that - it combines person with hidden identity trope
: plus multiple worlds plus a delightful portrayal of a "Con" B+/A-
Wonderfull, truly wonderful.
cheers,
Iain
Iain Scott
: "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca> writes:
:
: > The Homeward Bounders
: I think this is my favorite Jones. I've been looking now for years in
: the hope that I'll find it in the store; I've only seen it once at a
: library (where I first read it; the library is sadly no longer
: accessible).
They have all been recently republished in the UK, if thats any help...
cheers,
Iain
D. Gascoyne
"Iain Scott" <is9...@sis.bris.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:GuMnn...@bath.ac.uk...
> D. Gascoyne (gasc...@shaw.ca) wrote:
> : Wilkin's Tooth. Fairly standard and not terribly memorable "domestic"
> : children's fantasy. I've forgotten it.
> : No grade.
>
> I agree, not one of her better ones... IIRC, a pair of siblings start up a
> "get your own back" business in order to get some cash, but end up
> defeating a witch.
>
> : The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites
for
> : fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two
with
> : pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the
kids
>
> Nitpick: three kids with the Mum, the two brothers and a sister.
>
D.
Micole Sudberg
>Andrew Plotkin <erky...@eblong.com> wrote:
>
>> I have no other novels to list, but it's worth adding several short
>> story collections: _Believing is Seeing_, _Warlock at the Wheel_,
>> _Everard's Ride_ (a NESFA collection).
>
>> My all-time favorite DWJ short story is "The Sage of Theare" (in
>> _WatW_).
>
>Or, indeed, not. Someone just said it was in a collection called
>_Mixed Magics_. I don't have that one; I think my copy of "The Sage of
>Theare" is in some other anthology entirely, a non-author-specific
>one.
There's a lot of overlap in DWJ collections, complicated by some of them
getting published in the US, some in the UK, some in both but with different
titles ... "The Sage of Theare" is in both *Mixed Magics* and *Warlock at the
Wheel,* although the first place I encountered it (and, indeed, DWJ) was in
Susan Shwartz's anthology *Hecate's Cauldron*.
--m.
Brian Palmer
> According to Amazon it will be reprinted in the US by Greenwillow on
> April 30. It is also available in Canada (Harper Collins Canada, Nov.
> 2000) and the UK (Collins, Nov. 2000). My favourite Jones so far; she
> doesn't pull her punches, does she?
All right, that's the sort of news I like hearing. I'm only hoping it
lives up to my memories; I don't think _Cart and Cwidder_ did, quite
(especially since the fourth book of the quartet diminished it
somewhat for me).
Richard Horton
wrote:
>The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites for
>fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two with
>pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the kids
>are given chemistry sets that turn out to be magical. One item lets them
>fly, one makes them invisible and so on. A highlight is when "dragons
>teeth" sown in the driveway turn into Greek warriors who emerge speaking
>words that look like real Greek but when read out loud read "Let me at 'im"
>and such like. A
>
I've just read this, in the recent reissue. (It must be said, DWJ,
and readers, have benefited greatly from the rising tide of J. K.
Rowling's popularity lifting all boats.) Very enjoyable, though
perhaps things are resolved a bit too easily. Brady Bunch but
somehwat darker and more fantastical. I'd say B+.
>
>The Chrestomanci series (Charmed Life was the first in publication date, but
>Lives of Christopher Chant is first in internal chronology)
>
>The Lives of Christopher Chant.
>Young Christopher Chant, who is largely neglected by awful parents,
>discovers a talent to travel between worlds. Things get considerably more
>complicated from then on. Parallel universe device is believable and well
>handled, characters of Christopher and a young Goddess who just wants to
>read English boarding school books are well drawn. B+
>
>Charmed Life
>Kit Chant is unmagical and is put upon by his truly awful sister. He and
>his sister are one day taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be educated. Life
>becomes extremely complicated. This is one of my top five - thoroughly
>delightful, even if ending is not unambiguously happy. Knocks the spots of
>Harry Potter imho. Chrestomanci in his elegant dressing gowns is an
>inspired figure. A+
>
>The Magicians of Caprona
>Young Tonino is the only unmagical member of his large family, who is one of
>two important families in the city. Of course, it's up to him to save the
>day when things go wrong. There's a bit of a take-off on Romeo and Juliet;
>Punch and Judy comes into it. Light but enjoyable. B+
>
>Witch Week
>A tradition school story with magic, in which one (or more) of a class in a
>world in which witchcraft is forbidden is a witch. Fun but not up to the
>standard of the others in the series. B
>
I'd rank _Witch Week_ a bit higher -- the darkness is perhaps a bit
unexpected but I still think it works, overall. _Charmed Life_ is
definitely the prize of these four books, though.
>The Dalemark Quartet
>
>The Spellcoats
>Another group of abandoned children find themselves on a raft on a river on
>a voyage of discovery. Interesting more for concept than execution. Don't
>get me wrong; I liked it, but don't seem to remember it very well. B
>
>Drowned Ammet
>The weakest of the four. I've only read it once and really don't remember
>it. No grade.
>
>Cart and Cwidder
>The best of the four. More hopeless parents and children who discover
>hidden powers. Interesting use of music as power. There's a nice horse,
>too. B+
>
>The Crown of Dalemark
>Girl from "our" world crosses over into Dalemark and more or less saves the
>day. A bit confusing at end, not entirely satisfactory, but worth reading.
>B
>
Now I think all of these novels are pretty good. _Drowned Ammet_ has
a main character who is perhaps annoyingly clueless at times, but I
ended up mostly convinced. B+ for it, I think, B for _The
Spellcoats_, A- for _Cart and Cwidder_ and _The Crown of Dalemark_.
It's wrong to say the girl is from "our" world -- she's from the
future of Dalemark, but it's still the world of Dalemark, probably
roughly an analog to the early 20th century, but it's definitely their
world, not ours.
>The Homeward Bounders
>Fabulous. One of my top five. Very very loosely based on a fantasy war
>game, but goes way beyond that. Boy is flung into multiple universe and
>told to find his own way home. Prometheus comes into it. So does the
>Flying Dutchman. And it somehow all makes sense. And you have no idea how
>lonely you get - one of the best last lines! A+
>
This is indeed outstanding. And very sad, but logical.
>Fire and Hemlock
>Mileage varies tremendously on this one, but it's one of my favourites. A
>loose variation on the Tam Lin story, conflated with Thomas the Rhymer.
>Another neglected child learns to be a hero when she meets a musician.
>Includes a rare for Jones but well handled romance. Ending is extremely
>ambiguous, source of disappointment or annoyance for some. It made sense
>to me! A+
>
Even though the ending didn't quite make sense for me, I still loved
it. My favorite DWJ book, clearly an A+.
>Howl's Moving Castle
>This is probably my all time favourite. It's funny, it's romantic, it turns
>fairy tale cliches upside down, and does great things with John Donne. What
>more could you ask for? A+
>
This is great fun, but too light to be an A+. I'd give it an A.
>Archer's Goon
>For me, this one improved on re-reading, even though I knew how things were
>going to turn out. The first of a series of time paradox fantasies, and the
>best, I think. Domestic fantasy mixed with sf in very inventive ways. A-
>
She really likes the parallel worlds theme, too, which this seems
related to. A- seems about right.
>
>Deep Secret
>This was great fun once more, the best of her books since Archer's Goon.
>And it has elements of that - it combines person with hidden identity trope
>plus multiple worlds plus a delightful portrayal of a "Con" B+/A-
A solid A for me. I am given to understand that the Convention hotel
portrayed is very like a hotel actually used for some Eastercons.
--
Rich Horton | Stable Email: mailto://richard...@sff.net
Home Page: http://www.sff.net/people/richard.horton
Also visit SF Site (http://www.sfsite.com) and Tangent Online (http://www.tangentonline.com)
David Eppstein
Richard Horton <rrho...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> Now I think all of these novels are pretty good. _Drowned Ammet_ has
> a main character who is perhaps annoyingly clueless at times, but I
> ended up mostly convinced. B+ for it, I think, B for _The
> Spellcoats_, A- for _Cart and Cwidder_ and _The Crown of Dalemark_.
> It's wrong to say the girl is from "our" world -- she's from the
> future of Dalemark, but it's still the world of Dalemark, probably
> roughly an analog to the early 20th century, but it's definitely their
> world, not ours.
On the other hand, "The True State of Affairs" seems to really be a
Dalemark story featuring someone from our world.
Liz Broadwell
: D. Gascoyne (gasc...@shaw.ca) wrote:
: : Witch Week
: : A tradition school story with magic, in which one (or more) of a class in a
: : world in which witchcraft is forbidden is a witch. Fun but not up to the
: : standard of the others in the series. B
: But depicts an english school much better than the Potter books... (maybe
: I've been going to the wrong schools!)
Heck, it depicts the social relations of childhood as well as any
realistic novel I've ever read -- which is why I hated it as a child
but read it with wry enjoyment now. Nan's journal entry about the
hierarchy of Real Boys and Real Girls and Others in her class is sad,
true, amusing and priceless. DWJ in a nutshell, that.
: : Hexwood
: : Another very complicated time paradox plot - and more characters who turn
: : out to have hidden depths. B+
: Now this one _is_ complicated. I think there is one paragraph towards the
: end from which you can reason out whats going on, but it took some
: effort...
I enjoyed the nonlinear plotting. There's a kind of dream-logic to the
whole setup that I find compelling: representatives of an interstellar
corporate conglomerate becoming enmeshed in a reenactment of the Grail
quest being run by an advanced cyborg with interference from an
otherworld power. And then DWJ whacks you between the eyes with
Mordion's life story. Brr. I love this woman.
Peace,
Liz
--
Elizabeth Broadwell, or, ebroadwe at | "I've been beaten by things that,
dept dot english dot upenn dot edu, | that, uh, that were pretty -- that
of the Department of English | weren't -- that stunk."
at the University of Pennsylvania | -- Randy Newman on the Oscars
Nancy Lebovitz
--
Nancy Lebovitz na...@netaxs.com www.nancybuttons.com 100 new slogans
I want to move to theory. Everything works in theory.
Elizabeth Evans
> In article <goulbu80c9cd48sf8...@4ax.com>,
> Elaine Thompson <Ela...@KEThompson.org> wrote:
>
> > >> Boy! When I started, I hadn't realized how many novels she'd written.
> > >> Have
> > >> I left anything out?
> > >
> > >_Wild Robert_ (about which I remember little)
> >
> >
surreal, from what I remember.
D. Gascoyne
"Richard Horton" <rrho...@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:IyNu8.5038$SV6.12...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
> On Mon, 15 Apr 2002 03:43:41 GMT, "D. Gascoyne" <gasc...@shaw.ca>
> wrote:
>
> >The Ogre Downstairs. Terrific "domestic" fantasy. One of my favourites
for
> >fun "comfort" reading. A blended family (two children with Mum and two
with
> >pompous truly awful Stepdad - the "ogre") learns to get along when the
kids
> >are given chemistry sets that turn out to be magical. One item lets them
> >fly, one makes them invisible and so on. A highlight is when "dragons
> >teeth" sown in the driveway turn into Greek warriors who emerge speaking
> >words that look like real Greek but when read out loud read "Let me at
'im"
> >and such like. A
> >
>
> I've just read this, in the recent reissue. (It must be said, DWJ,
> and readers, have benefited greatly from the rising tide of J. K.
> Rowling's popularity lifting all boats.) Very enjoyable, though
> perhaps things are resolved a bit too easily. Brady Bunch but
> somehwat darker and more fantastical. I'd say B+.
>
stronger, books. It was only the second of hers that I read (I was
fortunate to find Charmed Life first) and I was delighted with it. Having
read reams of domestic fantasies as a child(Edward Eager and Barbara Sleigh
most notably), it was great to read one that seemed to bring the genre into
the late 20th century while retaining the charm of the earlier books. I give
it high marks because it transcends a genre. But then you can say that
about nearly all her books, really, can't you?
(snip to section on Dalemark books)
> Now I think all of these novels are pretty good. _Drowned Ammet_ has
> a main character who is perhaps annoyingly clueless at times, but I
> ended up mostly convinced. B+ for it, I think, B for _The
> Spellcoats_, A- for _Cart and Cwidder_ and _The Crown of Dalemark_.
> It's wrong to say the girl is from "our" world -- she's from the
> future of Dalemark, but it's still the world of Dalemark, probably
> roughly an analog to the early 20th century, but it's definitely their
> world, not ours.
>
I need to reread Drowned Ammet. Part of the problem for me was that I
looked for it for simply years after reading Cart & Cwidder and Spellcoats,
and then was crashingly disappointed when I finally found it. I liked the
main character much more when he reappeared in Crown of Dalemark. I think
I probably should have ranked C&C and Spellcoats higher and said more about
them, but they seemed to defy definition somehow, especially Spellcoats.
Just an outline of the plot of C&C doesn't do justice to the characters. So
much of it is reaction and emotion, just like the way the music-magic works
in the Cwidder... You're right, of course, about the girl in Crown coming
from Dalemark's future, not ours. Humph. Brain slippage strikes again.
> >Howl's Moving Castle
> >This is probably my all time favourite. It's funny, it's romantic, it
turns
> >fairy tale cliches upside down, and does great things with John Donne.
What
> >more could you ask for? A+
> >
>
> This is great fun, but too light to be an A+. I'd give it an A.
>
Oh pooh. Lightness is extremely difficult to pull off well. That's like
not giving Oscars to comic actors. And there's something to be said for
pure unadulterated fun. I'll stand by my A+ :-)
>
> >
> >Deep Secret
> >This was great fun once more, the best of her books since Archer's Goon.
> >And it has elements of that - it combines person with hidden identity
trope
> >plus multiple worlds plus a delightful portrayal of a "Con" B+/A-
>
> A solid A for me. I am given to understand that the Convention hotel
> portrayed is very like a hotel actually used for some Eastercons.
>
Yes, I need to reread it - I've only read it once and remember loving it
when I did but couldn't remember it well enough to be confident about giving
it a high grade.
cheers,
Debbie
Carol Hague
>"The Sage of Theare" is in both *Mixed Magics* and *Warlock at the
> Wheel,*
Also in _Minor Arcana_ - or is that the UK title for one of the above?
--
Carol Hague
Lee Ann Rucker
<gasc...@shaw.ca> wrote:
> The Chrestomanci series (Charmed Life was the first in publication
> date, but
> Lives of Christopher Chant is first in internal chronology)
> Charmed Life
> Kit Chant is unmagical and is put upon by his truly awful sister. He
> and
> his sister are one day taken to Chrestomanci Castle to be educated.
> Life
> becomes extremely complicated. This is one of my top five - thoroughly
> delightful, even if ending is not unambiguously happy. Knocks the
> spots of
> Harry Potter imho. Chrestomanci in his elegant dressing gowns is an
> inspired figure. A+
I'm not sure which one I picked up - the back cover said "Christopher
and his sister" but the children were Cat (aka Eric) and Gwendolyn.
Cat *is* unmagical, and Gwendolyn *is* truly awful, and they do go to
Chrestomanci Castle.
I got halfway through - to the point where Janet shows up - before
wondering just *when* Cat would figure out that covering for his sister
was not a good idea.