Review
Praise for CONRAD'S FATE "CONRAD'S FATE is quintessential Chrestomanci -- funny, smart, twisty, exciting, tricky, delightful and always perfectly magical." Neil Gaiman "Diana Wynne Jones ought to be crowned with coloured garlands because she is the best writer of magical fantasy for children in this country ... you'll gleefully swallow Conrad's Fate as another unpredictable dose of animal spirits." 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 "This witty, satisfying story can be read on its own, but is much richer when read as part of the series. It's a must for all Jones fans." School Library Journal "A wild romp with a fast-paced and satisfying conclusion, Conrad's humorous adventures will appeal to Christopher's existing fans and Jones neophytes alike." Kirkus "!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 For The Merlin Conspiracy: "The characterisation is first rate, the ideas are fabulous ! This is fantasy at its most inventive -- canny, funny and far-reaching." The Telegraph "A curiosity shop of a book ! a pleasure to lose yourself in." The Sunday Times "The Merlin Conspiracy is Wynne Jones on top form ! [her] powerful narrative and her ability to create extraordinary charachers with real emotions make her more than a worthy rival to J K Rowling." Financial Times "A must for all Wynne Jones fans, past, present and future." Limited Edition
Product Description
Magical mayhem is afoot in a new adventure set in the worlds of the nine-lived enchanter Chrestomanci. As many people know already, it's Chrestomanci's job to control the magic in the related worlds. Using magic is always dangerous, and it always has consequences, so even the best-intentioned witch or warlock needs help and guidance from time to time. Not only that, but there are plenty of ordinary people in the worlds without even a whiff of magical ability, and they need someone to make sure that the magic-users don't get their own way all of the time. Even so, in the village around Chrestomanci Castle, all sorts of magical misuse is going on which very few people seem to be aware of! When Cat Chant finds the egg in Gammer Pinhoe's attic, he knows he has to have it. Marianne Pinhoe isn't sure what Gammer will think about that, but she lets him take it anyway. Rumour has it it's an elephant egg, but Cat's convinced it's a dragon's egg. Within the safety of Chrestomanci Castle, the egg eventually hatches - and at the same time, chaos breaks out in the surrounding village. Can Cat and Marianne get to the root of the problem, and can Cat's new charge help?