(no subject)

[the_rck]

I just finished reading Diana Wynne Jones' The Merlin Conspiracy. I enjoyed it. It has much the same flavor as Deep Secret, which makes sense given that it's set in the same universe and has a character in common. I find it a bit odd that this is a children's book while the other was published as an adult novel-- I don't find that much to distinguish them in terms of the maturity level I'd say they require.

Jones' is an author I've loved for a long time. The first book of hers that I read was Charmed Life. I found it in a supermarket paperback rack and picked it up without any certainty that I'd like it. (I had three main sources of books during those years, apart from the public library-- The bus depot which got new books once a week and carried some used books (shelved in no particular order), the Goodwill store and the supermarket. This lack of bookstores, combined with the fact that the public library was pretty tiny, was one of the factors that made me fairly bitter about having moved away from Ann Arbor.)

It was summer. I'm sure of that much because I remember reading the book outside rather than in the house. I think I was in high school by then, but I'm not sure, so I can't say which summer exactly. I just remember biking away from the house and settling down elsewhere to read.

Shortly after I read Charmed Life, The Spellcoats came out. I grabbed it as soon as I saw it. The flavor of the book was entirely different, but I loved it too. Then I started using interlibrary loan to get my hands on the rest of Jones' books and keeping my eyes open for copies I could buy. At this point, there are only a couple of her books that I don't own. I've been astonished by the range of styles in which she writes. As one reviewer put it, "Even Diana Wynne Jones doesn't write like Diana Wynne Jones." I find that variation both a wonder and a frustration. When she publishes a new book, I can't predict what it'll be like or how much I'll like it. With most authors, I can reasonably judge when I'm in the right mood to start their latest work, but with Jones, I can only guess.

Because of Jones' varied styles, I can't pick just one favorite book of hers. It varies by my mood. Archer's Goon, The Homeward Bounders and Howl's Moving Castle are probably the top three. (Of course, then I start thinking The Dark Lord of Derkholm or... Well.)

Comments

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

I Love Howl's Moving Castle, have very strong feelings about Homeward Bounders and Fire and Hemlock, but I am never get over the Dalemark Quartet. I read Cart and Cwiddr, The Spellcoats and Drowned Ammet and thought: "Interesting. This is a series?" But Crown of Dalemark brought it all together and was just plain great.

Glad there's a DWJ fan out there... but I know what you mean about styles. I was expecting to love all the Chrestomani books, for example, and liked Christopher Chant quite well... very disappointed how the rest had very little in common with the first one.

[the_rck]

I was the opposite way about the Chrestomanci books. The Lives of Christopher Chant wasn't what I expected it to be. If I recall correctly, it was the last Chrestomanci book she wrote-- I know that Charmed Life, Witch Week and The Magicians of Caprona came out first (Is that all the Chrestomanci books?).

Of course, my problem with the Dalemark Quartet was that I kept expecting the style to be like that of The Spellcoats, so I must say that I understand what you mean about the Chrestomanci books.

I've never been able to find a copy of The Changeover (her one non-fantasy novel), and I don't have Yes, Dear. I think I've got everything else.