andydear's review against another edition
4.0
I can't even fathom!!!!!! This story is ridiculous, and stressful, and complicated, and such! a! good! time!
I love every character; Hume is sweet and kind of an idiot and also just a kid!! (mostly)
Ann is smart and resourceful and as always Jones never let's her falter to be lesser than she can be!!! Mordion is a dork with anxiety and I love him and want him to be happy.
I walked into and discovered I was totally and completely confused, but totally chill with it. It's like watching Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency for the first time, you just have to accept that you won't understand until the end. It's just gonna be a lot of pieces that look like they don't fit until they do. I loved this story, I love Jone's writing and I can't wait to send it off to other's to read too.
I love every character; Hume is sweet and kind of an idiot and also just a kid!! (mostly)
Ann is smart and resourceful and as always Jones never let's her falter to be lesser than she can be!!! Mordion is a dork with anxiety and I love him and want him to be happy.
I walked into and discovered I was totally and completely confused, but totally chill with it. It's like watching Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency for the first time, you just have to accept that you won't understand until the end. It's just gonna be a lot of pieces that look like they don't fit until they do. I loved this story, I love Jone's writing and I can't wait to send it off to other's to read too.
baffledbiscuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
literatehedgehog's review against another edition
3.0
I'd read anything a GROCERY LIST by Diana Wynne Jones, so of course I tackled her bizarre sci fi, heroic epic riffing adventure tale here. It had the most absurd cover and a pretty absurd plot, with characters with multiple identities and tons of Arthurian, Beowulf, Fitela, etc, references - some of which I caught, many of which I breezed over. The glorious thing about a Jones novel is that you don't have to understand her references and inspiration. Like Fire and Hemlock, sure the undertones enhance your reading, but you can enjoy the story just fine without comprehending all of that.
Pretty goofy but still enjoyable. Howl's Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci series are still my favorites of hers though.
Pretty goofy but still enjoyable. Howl's Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci series are still my favorites of hers though.
al_b's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wild, wonderfully creative, and masterfully executed. The slow realization after a lot of confusion was so satisfying.
rosekk's review against another edition
3.0
It was really clever in places, but most of the book felt like nothing was happening, or what was happening didn't seem to carry any weight. I get that this is due to the nature of the story, but it still meant the book was hard to read.
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
A blend of sci-fi and fantasy, this is a complex novel with sophisticated ideas that doesn't quite hold all of its threads together. Ann wanders into the nearby copse and discovers it's actually a huge wood with weather all its own. There she meets the mysterious boy Hume and his guardian Mordian. Meanwhile, we learn of Hexwood, a dangerous machine that has been placed on earth by distant aliens. These two things are tied together somehow, but Ann doesn't have many of the puzzle pieces. It's hard to summarise this book without spoiling it, but it's an interesting web of mysteries, surprises and reveals. I enjoyed some of it very much, because Jones' realism and compelling narrative voice kept me hooked, but there are places where the story drags or doesn't entirely add up. There's so much in this story that these days it would probably have been published as a trilogy - the dense storytelling sometimes makes it very engaging, and sometimes means it's hard to care about or keep track of the characters. Interesting, but only for DWJ fans.
caedocyon's review against another edition
4.0
Reread, yeah, but I do so like this book. Wild fantasy/sci-fi/Arthurian legend mash-up with time travel and reality-warping mind games. What's not to like? I still haven't completely sorted out the details of how the events are ordered, but I don't doubt there is one (you can count on DWJ!), and you can enjoy it and make sense of it without having to go to that level of analysis.
gillothen's review against another edition
5.0
Re-read, and even more brilliant than before. Multiple plots and timelines interwoven with stunning expertise, themes and motifs effortlessly brought into a story which opens out constantly. Some of her finest writing.
andreastopit's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dessa's review against another edition
4.0
Reread July 2020: honestly this twisty little maze of a book holds up, except can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop writing out accents phonetically?