Due to this, I recommend reading the books in order to get the full, fun effect.
When Charmain’s great-uncle, the royal wizard of their land, becomes mysteriously ill and is carried off by elves to be tended to, Charmain is volunteered by her wealthy aunt to look after his house in his absence.
To Charmain this is an opportunity to read nonstop without pesky, bothersome parents about to disturb her – but she soon discovers that time to read at this unique house may be tougher to come by than she expected.
A humble, ordinary dwelling on the outside, Charmain’s great-uncle’s residence is a wonder from the inside – with the ability to bend space and time. There’s also a clingy, stray dog in residence that may or may not be magical and an inconvenient arrival of a clumsy wizard’s apprentice.
To top all of this off, Charmain becomes involved in the king’s search to find clues on how to locate a mysterious Elfgift to save her country, meanwhile avoiding a menacing purple Lubbock with bad intentions.
All in all not the reading paradise she expected it to be…
House of Many Ways has that eccentric, quirky vibe that I love – and despite not having the faintest idea what was going on for a while, I was still thoroughly delighted with the novel. The writing style alone brings a smile to my face!
An interesting aspect to House of Many Ways is that except for being a book lover, Charmain is not the most likable of heroines. She’s selfish, brash, impulsive and insensitive. However, as always, Jones is fantastic at weaving character development and growth into what initially seems to be just fantasy fluff.
There are a few great shout-outs to Castle in the Air, as well as Howl’s Moving Castle. I felt the follow-up with those characters were charming and definitely entertaining.
I can’t say that the plot in House of Many Ways was as clearly concise as the first two books – but as it began to near the end I saw how it all started coming together. Difficult not to appreciate the intricacy!
As with each Diana Wynne Jones novel I have read thus far – I see strong re-read potential here!!!
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