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Amazon.co.uk Review
Think of a world, almost like our own but a little more genteel and old-fashioned, where magic and witchcraft is as common as mathematics--but just as dangerous in the wrong hands. In The Lives of Christopher Chant--the fourth book in her Worlds of Chrestomanci series--Diana Wynne Jones succeeds in creating a vision of England close to our expectations of what should be, but subtly different enough to excite our interest and draw us into a strange new world of incredible reality and possibilities.
Christopher Chant is a dreamer, a boy who returns home each night with strange gifts from his nocturnal travels and leaves sand in his bed as proof. He's happy to play cricket and wander the world in secret--so having nine lives and being the next "Chrestomanci" is not part of his plans for the future. It's only when an evil smuggler known as The Wraith threatens his existence that the young Christopher truly takes hold of his destiny. He must try to halt his loss of lives and defeat evil before times runs out.
Set at least 20 years before the events as told in the first Chrestmanci novel, Charmed Life, The Lives of Christopher Chant is a detailed fantasy and wild adventure with dollops of humour that will challenge and intrigue every fan of this sequence of otherworldly novels.
Chrestomanci patrols the pages of three more full-length novels--Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona, Witch Week and in a collection of short stories, Mixed Magics. He is undoubtedly Diana Wynne Jones' finest creation and should not be missed. --John McLay --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
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
“Truly magical – guaranteed to leave you gasping – even hotter than Potter”
The Bookseller
“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
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First Sentence
It was years before Christopher told anyone about his dreams. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was years before Christopher told anyone about his dreams. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is an excellent book. I borrowed it from the library and began reading it one evening and read right through the night. I just couldn't put it down. I'd recommend it to any lover of fantasy books, young or old. I'm 19 and I still think it's among the best books I've ever read!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
No offence to charmed life but this is secretly my favourite of the Chrestomanci books. It has the best hero-Christopher Chant makes me laugh even when he's being rude and obnoxious and its obvious he's really a very nice person and a bit of a softy(besides Cat is wet and weedy and annoying).I also loved it for the extra insight it gives you into world 12a and how Chrestomanci got to be like he is in Charmed life and why Millie is Called Millie which is brilliant and very cool
It has a very clever plot all about other worlds and multiple lives and evil gangs of smugglers with a magical twist which is written with all the flair and wit I have come to expect from a Diana Wynne Jones book (eg the mallory towers spoof)and has some very neat peices of charachteristation (eg Tackroy and Millie-the-godess)which make it that little bit special and more enjoyable the climax is well measured and skillfull and keeps you constantly turning pages desperate to get to the next bit. This book is brilliant-read it.
It has a very clever plot all about other worlds and multiple lives and evil gangs of smugglers with a magical twist which is written with all the flair and wit I have come to expect from a Diana Wynne Jones book (eg the mallory towers spoof)and has some very neat peices of charachteristation (eg Tackroy and Millie-the-godess)which make it that little bit special and more enjoyable the climax is well measured and skillfull and keeps you constantly turning pages desperate to get to the next bit. This book is brilliant-read it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I can assure you that you will never read a book with so much scope for the imagination as this. The creativity and magic of the book means that it will stay with you for years to come. Every person who I've spoken to enjoyed this book, which is intended for children but is fine for the adults who are a child at heart!
Christopher Chant is a young boy, sorely neglected by his parents, who is the same as every other young boy who you would meet apart from one thing - he has nine lives. Every night, he enters a world fraught with danger and excitement - he goes where no child has gone before. When his gift is realised, he is sent away to Chrestomanci Castle against his will. I will not say any more in case I spoil it for you!
I would recommend this book to people of all ages, especially to children who are not keen readers as the characters are likeable and the story is easy to follow. It has also won numerous awards, including a place on the newly revised 'Top 100 Books to Read Aloud' list.
Readers, you would be stupid to let this book pass without reading it!
Christopher Chant is a young boy, sorely neglected by his parents, who is the same as every other young boy who you would meet apart from one thing - he has nine lives. Every night, he enters a world fraught with danger and excitement - he goes where no child has gone before. When his gift is realised, he is sent away to Chrestomanci Castle against his will. I will not say any more in case I spoil it for you!
I would recommend this book to people of all ages, especially to children who are not keen readers as the characters are likeable and the story is easy to follow. It has also won numerous awards, including a place on the newly revised 'Top 100 Books to Read Aloud' list.
Readers, you would be stupid to let this book pass without reading it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
if you need something now that harry potter has finished school
These are an excellent series of books and deserve to be more publicised if you liked the Harry Potter books you will enjoy these..... Read more
Published 10 months ago by j
A fast paced, inventive, magical book
The story of young Christopher Chant and how he grows in to both his magic and his inheritance. To Christopher the landscape beyond his bedroom which leads to multiple worlds... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Asha Sahni
Well written and a good addition to the Chrestomanci series
Love this story it is an amazingly insightful introduction for children about the theory of the Quantum Universe, but a great little bit of story telling about a boys adventure.
Published 21 months ago by Kevin Bransbury-jones
An Inmaginative Book.
Its taken me about 3 years to actualy want to sit down and finish the series of books, that is not because 'The Chrestomanci Series' are bad, but because I was a rather lazy... Read more
Published on 13 April 2009 by Blue Shoes
Brilliant book - no child should miss it
Recently ordered this for my nephew who loves it as much as I did (and still do). The best of the Chrestomanci series in my opinion. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2008 by Luciana Montmorency
Amazing!
This book was amazing. The storyline was original and intigueing and there was always a new twist to the story. It was never boring. A book for all ages, highly recomended!
Published on 22 Jan 2006 by "aoifeduff1"
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Far better than charmed life. I like the character of Christopher much better than Cat.
Published on 28 Sep 2003 by "annabellabellyann"
A good read, though not her best
Like the rest of the Chrestomanci series, this book is interesting and inventive in its exploration of what forms magic can take. Read more
Published on 23 May 2003 by "rhube13"
How glorious to find there are worlds other than ours
Christopher is one of a kind, left all alone with a steady stream of nursemaids, who never last long because of his parents, he finds a way to visit other lands (Anywheres) and... Read more
Published on 26 July 2001
brilliant story of how a boy learns his destiny
a brillant book about how a boy learns to cope after finding out he has nine lives and that he is to be the next chrestomanci and that having a destiny is difficult to avoid
Published on 28 Jan 2001
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