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House of Many Ways
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
“Diana Wynne Jones ought to be crowned with coloured garlands because she is the best writer of magical fantasy for children in this country” Evening Standard
“Diana Wynne Jones could teach Stephen King and JK Rowling a thing or two … [she] has a skill for inserting just the right amount of detail in her written words, leaving you satiated but not stuffed.” SFX
“Diana Wynne Jones is, quite simply, the best writer of magic there is, for readers of any age.” Neil Gaiman
“…Her hallmarks include laugh-aloud humour, plenty of magic and imaginative array of alternate worlds. Yet, at the same time, a great seriousness is present in all of her novels, a sense of urgency that links Jones’s most outrageous plots to her readers’ hopes and fears…”
Publishers Weekly
“Truly magical – guaranteed to leave you gasping – even hotter than Potter”
The Bookseller
Product Description
A chaotically magical sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle.
Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy, but Great Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland an his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places - the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, to name but a few.
By opening that door, Charmain is now also looking after an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard and a box of the king's most treasured documents, as well as irritating a clan of small blue creatures.
Caught up in an intense royal search, she encounters an intimidating sorceress named Sophie. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read Howls Moving Castle and Castle in the Air, I was waiting for this to come out with a great deal of anticipation. And I can safely say that it was worth the wait.
Howl, Sophie and Calcifur make a welcome return and have more prominent roles in the story, which was a welcome surprise. The new main character Charmain, a sheltered young woman sent to take care of her wizard uncles magic house, is an engaging character who gradually comes to realise that she has magical talents of her own.
If I have any complaints to make its only that the villains of the story, the lubbock and the lubbockins, never really seemed like much of a threat in the story. And the ending, although satisfying, was slightly abrupt.
Overall this story is definetely worth a read, though I definetely recommend reading the first 2 books first if you havn't done so already.
Howl, Sophie and Calcifur make a welcome return and have more prominent roles in the story, which was a welcome surprise. The new main character Charmain, a sheltered young woman sent to take care of her wizard uncles magic house, is an engaging character who gradually comes to realise that she has magical talents of her own.
If I have any complaints to make its only that the villains of the story, the lubbock and the lubbockins, never really seemed like much of a threat in the story. And the ending, although satisfying, was slightly abrupt.
Overall this story is definetely worth a read, though I definetely recommend reading the first 2 books first if you havn't done so already.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What a fun read! I have read the previous two books in the series, 'Howl's Moving Castle' & 'Castle in the air' and enjoyed them immensely, books to be kept and shared with my nieces and nephews. 'House of Many Ways' was a great tale and it included my favourite characters, Howl and Sophie, plus the introduction of some new characters. There are some genuine laugh out loud moments, I have never laughed so much at the actions of one little white dog called 'Waif', if you get the chance, read the Howl series, you will thank me for it.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A few years ago, Hayao Miyazaki made a gorgeous anime movie based on the classic fantasy novel "Howl's Moving Castle," about a wizard and the artificially-aged girl who falls for him.
It must have made Diana Wynne Jones nostalgic for her flamboyantly-dressed, quirky wizard hero and his little family, because he plays a pivotal role in "The House of Many Ways." And the rest of the book is the kind of work Jones has been producing for many years -- a complex, tight little plot full of magical mysteries and bizarre problems, and at least one gutsy adolescent hero.
When the Wizard of High Norland falls ill and has to be hospitalized by elves, his great-great-niece-by-marriage Charmain is roped into taking care of his cottage.
But Charmain has a rather difficult time with the magical cottage and all the odd spells it contains. She also struggles with the cooking, cleaning, vast seas of soapsuds, a timid dog, a tribe of angry kobolds, and the arrival of Uncle William's new apprentice Peter -- who never gets magic quite right. In the middle of all this, she finds that she has a new job working with the King in his library.
But there are no fewer problems in the King's mansion, where Charmain is ordered to find information on something called the Elfgift. And the sorceress Sophie Pendragon -- along with her toddler, fire demon and cutesy, too-smart "nephew" -- have arrived to do some investigating as well. But even with powerful wizards nearby, this conspiracy's key may lie with Charmain -- and the vile magical creature lurking near the House of Many Ways...
It's been almost twenty years since Diana Wynne Jones last visited Howl, Sophie, Calcifer and the magical moving castle -- although they're presented so freshly in this book that you wouldn't know they'd ever been gone. And though Charmain is indisputably the heroine of this piece, she still gets the spotlight stolen by Howl -- or "Twinkle" -- whenever he appears.
And around this, Jones crafts a complex plot full of magical Elfgifts, missing gold, elves and a very suspicious heir to the throne. There are various minor plot threads, puzzles and developments that don't seem very important at the time, only to have Jones suddenly weave them all together. And I'll say this -- she knows how to spin up a brilliant fictional conspiracy.
And it's written in Jones' signature style, with plenty of English villages, castles, and wizards, and plenty of mildly eccentric characters -- not to mention the forays through the various space'n'time-bending doorways. Plus a wacky sense of humor, of course ("How DARE you do that! I'm not used to it!"). Charmain produces most of this, with her disastrous (and bubbly!) attempts at keeping house.
Charmain is a pretty good heroine for the book -- she loves books and dogs, and has been living with a mother who thinks magic and housework aren't nice or respectable. You can guess how long that lasts. And she works well alongside the understandably irritable Peter, a likable kid who has more real-world experience than Charmain has ever had.
And then there's the Howl Brigade -- our favorite wizard spends most of the book disguised as a truly nauseating, golden-curled, lisping child, which understandably drives Sophie crazy. His cleverness, power and vanity are undiminished, but it's a relief when "Twinkle" stops lisping. And the fire demon Calcifer gets to play a pivotal role in the story.
"The House of Many Ways" could as easily be called "The Story of Many Ways" -- a brilliant, sparkling book full of fantastical humor and mystery. Definitely a must-read.
It must have made Diana Wynne Jones nostalgic for her flamboyantly-dressed, quirky wizard hero and his little family, because he plays a pivotal role in "The House of Many Ways." And the rest of the book is the kind of work Jones has been producing for many years -- a complex, tight little plot full of magical mysteries and bizarre problems, and at least one gutsy adolescent hero.
When the Wizard of High Norland falls ill and has to be hospitalized by elves, his great-great-niece-by-marriage Charmain is roped into taking care of his cottage.
But Charmain has a rather difficult time with the magical cottage and all the odd spells it contains. She also struggles with the cooking, cleaning, vast seas of soapsuds, a timid dog, a tribe of angry kobolds, and the arrival of Uncle William's new apprentice Peter -- who never gets magic quite right. In the middle of all this, she finds that she has a new job working with the King in his library.
But there are no fewer problems in the King's mansion, where Charmain is ordered to find information on something called the Elfgift. And the sorceress Sophie Pendragon -- along with her toddler, fire demon and cutesy, too-smart "nephew" -- have arrived to do some investigating as well. But even with powerful wizards nearby, this conspiracy's key may lie with Charmain -- and the vile magical creature lurking near the House of Many Ways...
It's been almost twenty years since Diana Wynne Jones last visited Howl, Sophie, Calcifer and the magical moving castle -- although they're presented so freshly in this book that you wouldn't know they'd ever been gone. And though Charmain is indisputably the heroine of this piece, she still gets the spotlight stolen by Howl -- or "Twinkle" -- whenever he appears.
And around this, Jones crafts a complex plot full of magical Elfgifts, missing gold, elves and a very suspicious heir to the throne. There are various minor plot threads, puzzles and developments that don't seem very important at the time, only to have Jones suddenly weave them all together. And I'll say this -- she knows how to spin up a brilliant fictional conspiracy.
And it's written in Jones' signature style, with plenty of English villages, castles, and wizards, and plenty of mildly eccentric characters -- not to mention the forays through the various space'n'time-bending doorways. Plus a wacky sense of humor, of course ("How DARE you do that! I'm not used to it!"). Charmain produces most of this, with her disastrous (and bubbly!) attempts at keeping house.
Charmain is a pretty good heroine for the book -- she loves books and dogs, and has been living with a mother who thinks magic and housework aren't nice or respectable. You can guess how long that lasts. And she works well alongside the understandably irritable Peter, a likable kid who has more real-world experience than Charmain has ever had.
And then there's the Howl Brigade -- our favorite wizard spends most of the book disguised as a truly nauseating, golden-curled, lisping child, which understandably drives Sophie crazy. His cleverness, power and vanity are undiminished, but it's a relief when "Twinkle" stops lisping. And the fire demon Calcifer gets to play a pivotal role in the story.
"The House of Many Ways" could as easily be called "The Story of Many Ways" -- a brilliant, sparkling book full of fantastical humor and mystery. Definitely a must-read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great story, great characters, strong ideas
Here's my exhaustive review - it was a very enjoyable read. I love the animated film of Howl's Moving Castle so I wanted to read more about that world and those characters, and... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Sean
A good sequel - not her best, but still highly readable
I don't think it's possible for Diana Wynne Jones to write a bad book. Her writing is so very readable, drawing you in as a reader, and she manages to get readers totally engaged... Read more
Published 12 months ago by BookWorm
Brilliant...
I read Howls Moving Castle after watching the movie a couple of years ago and loved both of them.
I stumbled across this book not too long ago and gave it a read, a very... Read more
I stumbled across this book not too long ago and gave it a read, a very... Read more
Published 12 months ago by James
The best of the "Howl" series!
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Castle in the Air", both of which were beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jack M
House of Many Ways review
Saw the film Howl's Moving castle and then found out it was a book first so I had to go back and read the whole series.
Do the same they are very well written.
Do the same they are very well written.
Published 16 months ago by Rosie E. Wilson
one of the best books...EVER!
this is one of the best books i have read yet in all my 14 years!i picked it up in a church jumble sale for 5p and i wasn't able to put it down!!! Read more
Published 16 months ago by izzybubble
delightful
Just a little short of "The Little Prince" or "Pinocchio" this wonderful little book has the uncomparable charm of those works written for kids but capable to address adults as... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Furio
Good Stuff!
I am a huge Howl's moving castle fan, and although I wished there was more of Howl and Sophie, this is a really good read all on its own. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ms. Stephney Girvan
Welcome to house of fun!
This may be a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, but it stands on it's own as a independent story about a spoilt teenage girl called Charmain who becomes involved in a magical... Read more
Published on 20 July 2009 by GeekZilla
Nice follow-up to "Howl's Moving Castle"
I just found out that there is a follow-up to one of my most-beloved fantasy novels, "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones (a real must read). Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2009 by jackyswings
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