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Product Description
Review
“…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
Product Description
This is the story of Ayna and Ceri, who both had Gifts, and of Gair, who thought he was ordinary.
Gair spent his time gazing out onto the Moor and brooding. Ayna could answer questions about the future, Ceri could find things which were lost. Gair seems to have no Gift and knew he was a disappointment to his jovial, heroic father – who is Chief. Perhaps his feelings of not fitting in was what made him so curious about these other different sorts of beings who lived on the Moor – the Giants and the Dorig. Certainly it was because he believed he was ordinary that he did his best to become wise, and to learn as much as he could abou the three great Powers of Sun, Moon and Earth. And when the crisis came, Gair found the knowledge he had gained was to help save not only his own life but those of all his people.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Diana Wynne-Jones's books are enjoying a much-deserved resurgence, thanks to the renewed interest in well-written juvenile fantasy. One of the latest reprinted novels is "Power of Three," a unique story about three very unusual siblings, and the Moor that is under attack.
The leader of the mound of Garholt has three children. Eldest Ayna has the Sight, and youngest Ceri has the Gift of Finding AND the Gift of Thought. The middle child, Gair, considers himself extremely ordinary, and tries to become wise and skilled to make up for his lack of extraordinary gifts. Gair isn't as ordinary as he had thought, but his secret talents lie hidden until a disaster falls.
Long ago, their uncle Orban killed a Dorig (a water-dwelling reptilian creature) for its golden collar, and the Dorig's brother laid a curse on everyone. Now the Dorig invade the mound when the chief is out on a hunt and the three kids manage to escape, taking refuge with the Giants (who are apparently ordinary human beings). They learn that they're running out of time -- the Moor will soon be turned into a lake, driving out the Giants and killing the Moung People and Dorig, unless they find a way to stop it.
"Power of Three" is in some ways a much darker book than many of Jones' others. There are more complex issues about morality and ethics. Not to mention the enviroment, and the question of what makes a person special. (Even before Gair's gift surfaces, he's considered special for his hunger for knowledge) There's murder, trickery, there are battles (not magical ones either), hostage situations and curses that affect entire populations.
Jones gives the Mound People a semi-Celtic flair; the story about how the kids' dad had to win their mom is reminiscent of old Irish legends. The shapeshifting, water-dwelling Dorig are suitably mysterious and alien. Jones fills her story with atmospheric wildlands, cozy British houses and plenty of vivid descriptions.
Gair is clearly the center of this book. He's a likable kid, quiet when his rotten cousin isn't taunting him, and more thoughtful than his siblings. Ayna and Ceri are also well-done. The biggest problem is probably Gerald and Brenda. While Jones does a passable job with these two, it takes awhile to warm up to them because we don't get a lot of insight into their thoughts.
"Power of Three" is a fast-paced, well-written fantasy adventure, full of strange and mysterious creatures (and a few who are all too familiar). Like just about all of Jones' works, a treat.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What a pure unadulterated pleasure to be re-reading The Power of Three. Last time I read it I was just eight - Thirty years later and I'm still just as impressed. Three Children borne by a wise-woman of the 'faerie' race (who consider themselves to be people) show rare gifts; not just of Magic, but of making peace and finding common ground with traditional racial enemies - what a shame that the lessons they learned can't be put to use in the World today! The novel is well written, with a thread of wry humour throughout which will please adults and children alike. I have Nephews and Nieces, and I will certainly be presenting them with this story when they are old enough to follow it, along with other childrens' classics such as the Chronicles of Narnia.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My first exposure to DWJ was Power of Three. I LOVE this book and have given it to friends both small and not-small who love engrossing, brilliant fantasy stories.
There are people living in the moorish mounds whose existence is threatened by both Giants and Dorigs (scaly underwater-living creatures). These three races have shakily co-existed for many years, but now the Dorig are overpopulated and are driving the people from their mounds to make room for themselves. Meanwhile, Giants are preparing to flood the entire moor to increase water supplies. All of this bad luck seems tied to a curse on all three races that only the children of Gest, chief of Garholt, can fix.
Gair, the oldest son, is convinced that he's far too ordinary, unlike his brother Ceri, who has the gift of Thought, or Ayna his sister with the gift of Sight - and especially unlike his brawny, heroic father. As ordinary as his odious cousin Ondo, Gair isn't sure what he can possibly do to save his people.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
I first read this when I was a kid and was a bit nervous about rereading it, I'm so glad that i did though. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Rhian
Just superb
Now that I'm all growed up, I still remember what it was first like to read "Power of Three" (and Charmed Life) all those moons ago. It was just superb. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2003 by StuartR
Brilliant!
I loved this book so much i read it twice in a row. the different powers make it really fun. the three kids live with their mother and father who is the head of his clan or tribe... Read more
Published on 23 April 2003
Adventure, mystery, rivalry, morality: the power of DWJ
This is another fantastic read from Diana Wynne Jones. The story focuses on the tension and rivalries between the tiny bee-farming Lymen, mysterious water-living Dorig and... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2002 by K. Barton
I couldn't stop reading it
When you read this book for the first time, start early in the day. The first time I read it I couldn't take my eyes away from it and I ended up finishing it at 4.00am. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2001
simply wonderful
from beginning to end, I wanted this book to last longer.
there's the conflict between the dorig and the giants and Gair's people. Read more
there's the conflict between the dorig and the giants and Gair's people. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2001
Super!
This book was outstandingly good.I really enjoyed reading it. It is about three races of people living in very different ways on an English moor. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 1999
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