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diamondolc's review against another edition
5.0
Ughhh Diana Wynne Jones is a legend. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a fantasy novel this much. Nowadays it’s hard for me to truly feel immersed while reading but this one did it for me. It was just really fun and imaginative and I didn’t expect the ending but I loved how all the pieces fell together. It also really made me want to re-read Howl’s Moving Castle because I got the vibe that they are supposed to take place in the same magical universe.
Crossing my fingers that the rest of the series is good because I’ve been burned before by classic middle grade fantasy series that had a strong start and then got really bad really fast (I’m looking at you, The Dark Is Rising…) but I think I can trust my GOAT Diana.
Crossing my fingers that the rest of the series is good because I’ve been burned before by classic middle grade fantasy series that had a strong start and then got really bad really fast (I’m looking at you, The Dark Is Rising…) but I think I can trust my GOAT Diana.
x0pherl's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fine little book, and quite short. Not nearly as good as Howl's moving castle.
anyoneb's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jenmkin's review against another edition
3.0
The idea is fun, and this is well-executed children’s fantasy, but these characters didn’t shine as much as some of those in Dianna Wynne Jones’s other works
carryfiasco's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
yopoydan_kirjat's review against another edition
2.0
Vaikka Diana Wynne Jonesin teokset, kuten [b:Derkinhovin musta ruhtinas|18113361|Derkinhovin musta ruhtinas|Diana Wynne Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372065018l/18113361._SY75_.jpg|869986], [b:Merlin-salaliitto|18685271|Merlin-salaliitto|Diana Wynne Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382043763l/18685271._SY75_.jpg|1004338] ja [b:Liikkuva linna|10707081|Liikkuva linna|Diana Wynne Jones|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1299428323l/10707081._SY75_.jpg|2001] ovat hurmanneet minut nuorempana, ei tämä hänen keskeiseksi tuotannokseen nimetyn sarjan avausosa onnistunut saamaan minua puolelleen. Plussaa rinnakkaistodellisuuksista ja Janetin kommentista, kuinka "ompeleminen on naisten häpeällistä alistamista".
Syitä, miksi kirja ei kolahtanut:
- Inhosin Gwendolenia ja Kissa oli vaisu hahmo
- Sivuhahmotkin olivat aika mitäänsanomattomia
- Hidas alku, mutta lopussa mennään pikakelauksella (kliseinen lopputaistelu)
- Kirjailija, joka jääköön nimeämättä on ottanut tästä vaikutteita omaan tuotantoonsa (orpo maaginen poika, Crestomancin nimeä ei saa mainita tai hän tulee paikalle: "Henkilö Joka Asuu Tuolla Linnassa - hän ei ansaise että hänen nimensä mainitaan", Crestomanci jättää kertomatta Kissalle asioita aivan kuten Dumbledore Harrylle, hirnyrkkitematiikkaa mm. Viulu-kissan tapauksessa)
- Käännös oli hieman töksähteleva (ymmärrän vain osittain, miksei haluttu kääntää uudelleenjulkaisua varten, koska se maksaa)
- Sanan "letukka" käyttö lastenkirjassa, Crestomaci lyö Kissaa korville
- "Hän venytti -- silmien nurkat vinoiksi kuin kiinalaisella" (s. 118) Oikeasti? Olikohan tuo kauhean hyväksyttävää edes kirjan ilmestymisen aikaan
- Kissan ja Gwendolinen vanhemmat olivat keskenään serkkuja...
Syitä, miksi kirja ei kolahtanut:
- Inhosin Gwendolenia ja Kissa oli vaisu hahmo
- Sivuhahmotkin olivat aika mitäänsanomattomia
- Hidas alku, mutta lopussa mennään pikakelauksella (kliseinen lopputaistelu)
- Kirjailija, joka jääköön nimeämättä on ottanut tästä vaikutteita omaan tuotantoonsa (orpo maaginen poika, Crestomancin nimeä ei saa mainita tai hän tulee paikalle: "Henkilö Joka Asuu Tuolla Linnassa - hän ei ansaise että hänen nimensä mainitaan", Crestomanci jättää kertomatta Kissalle asioita aivan kuten Dumbledore Harrylle, hirnyrkkitematiikkaa mm. Viulu-kissan tapauksessa)
- Käännös oli hieman töksähteleva (ymmärrän vain osittain, miksei haluttu kääntää uudelleenjulkaisua varten, koska se maksaa)
- Sanan "letukka" käyttö lastenkirjassa, Crestomaci lyö Kissaa korville
- "Hän venytti -- silmien nurkat vinoiksi kuin kiinalaisella" (s. 118) Oikeasti? Olikohan tuo kauhean hyväksyttävää edes kirjan ilmestymisen aikaan
- Kissan ja Gwendolinen vanhemmat olivat keskenään serkkuja...
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
The start of a long-overdue reread to this fantasy series that I loved as a child, pre-Harry Potter. (And indeed, there are some definite similarities between Harry and this novel's hero even beyond their distinct Britishness, from the wide-eyed entrance into a world of magic to the overbearing family each boy will eventually eclipse.) This particular volume is not the earliest in chronology, but it was the first to be written / published and is probably still the best introduction to the core concept of Chrestomanci, that absentminded civil servant who happens to be the most powerful wizard alive. I like how author Diana Wynne Jones writes him almost like an Agatha Christie detective -- or the Doctor on Doctor Who -- as someone easy to dismiss as a bumbling oaf until the sharpness of his mind finally springs into action.
With that being said, this debut has never been my favorite of the books, as its young protagonist spends a little too long as a passive pushover for his abusive older sister. I'm glad he's a more minor figure in the other stories, rather than the sole focus throughout. This initial plot also relies rather heavily on people keeping needless secrets from one another when an open conversation could quickly clear everything up, and although I'm swept away by the possibilities of the multiverse setting, we don't really get to see too much of it just yet. But the overall character dynamics and the ideas Jones introduces are just as great as I remember.
[Content warning for a few unfortunate features that mark the 1977 publication date, from corporal punishment of schoolchildren to authorial fatphobia and one line so egregiously racist that I really hope it's been edited out of later editions.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
With that being said, this debut has never been my favorite of the books, as its young protagonist spends a little too long as a passive pushover for his abusive older sister. I'm glad he's a more minor figure in the other stories, rather than the sole focus throughout. This initial plot also relies rather heavily on people keeping needless secrets from one another when an open conversation could quickly clear everything up, and although I'm swept away by the possibilities of the multiverse setting, we don't really get to see too much of it just yet. But the overall character dynamics and the ideas Jones introduces are just as great as I remember.
[Content warning for a few unfortunate features that mark the 1977 publication date, from corporal punishment of schoolchildren to authorial fatphobia and one line so egregiously racist that I really hope it's been edited out of later editions.]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
roots2080's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0