Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci ANNOTATION
Four separate incidents test the power of the Chrestomanci, a powerful enchanter with nine lives, to control misuses of magic on various worlds.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Dapper, debonair, and wise, the great enchanter Chrestomanci has nine lives and a strong personality as well as strong magic. That personality reverberates in each of these four dazzling stories.
A warlock tries to escape Chrestomanci's justice by fleeing to another world -- with hilarious results. Cat Chant and Tonino Montana reluctantly join forces when Chrestomanci sends them on a visit that turns suddenly dangerous. The youngest best-selling dreamer needs Chrestomanci's help when she finds she can't dream anymore. And as the gods of an ever-so-orderly world try to destroy the young Sage of Dissolution, Chrestomanci lends a hand.
SYNOPSIS
PerfectBound e-book exclusive extras: Diana Wynne Jones's The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Nine Notes; Author Interview.
Dapper, debonair, and wise, the great enchanter Chrestomanci has nine lives and a strong personality as well as strong magic. That personality reverberates in each of these four dazzling stories.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
" `Stealer of Souls,' the only story original to the collection, is also its most ambitious and successful, offering Jones aficionados the pleasure of watching characters from different books (Charmed Life's Cat Chant and The Magicians of Caprona's Tonino Montana) meet for the first time," wrote PW. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
Omnibus paperback editions combine two Chrestomanci novels in each volume: Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant make up The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Volume I; Volume II has The Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
Chrestomanci is the overseer of a parallel world to ours. His job is to monitor all of the magic in his world to make sure that it is not misused. In this collection of four short stories, Chrestomanci is challenged by the things that happen around him. In the first tale, a warlock escapes his own time to find that he cannot escape his problems. In the "Stealer of Souls," an evil enchanter from the past has found a way to stay alive for over 100 years. He believes that if he collects the souls of other powerful enchanters, he will regain his youthfulness and become the most powerful magician in the land. It is up to two of Chrestomanci's understudies to save the day. In another story, Carol Oneir is paid to dream. Her dreams have been saved and sold for some time now. The only problem is, now she is having a hard time creating her much-anticipated 100th dream. She turns to Chrestomanci for help. In the last story of this collection, a young man sets out to find the wise sage. Chrestomanci guides him through his self-discovery in his travels. This collection, attempting to capitalize on the Harry Potter craze, falls short of what a reader of this age would want. There are a number of holes in the story that I believe would only be filled by reading the previous four novels. Then this collection of short stories might be worth the read. I believe I will leave it off my recommended reading list. 2000, Greenwillow Books, $15.95 and $15.89. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Scott S. Floyd
VOYA
Chrestomanci, the nine-lived guardian of magic, plays large and small roles in the four short stories of this collection. Each tale teaches a lesson. One is a take-off on O'Henry's The Ransom of Red Chief, with a banned magician getting a pass to a world in which he can use his magic again. Employing it to rob a bank and steal a car, he finds himself stuck with an obnoxious child and a vicious dog. Another story muses that fate cannot be evaded—in a perfectly ordered world, fear of disorder causes the predicted disorder. Then there is the tale of that overbearing child who dreams lovely dreams and sells them. Sells them, that is, until her dream characters go on strike. The main reason to have this book on shelves, however, is for the longest of the stories that delves into where all those nine lives might go and what almost becomes of the last life of a formerly powerful magician. Jones told of the selection and training of magicians and of worlds within worlds in her various books that begin chronologically with The Lives of Christopher Chant (Greenwillow, 1988/VOYA June 1988), prequel to Charmed Life (Greenwillow, 1977), and the other Chrestomanci novels. Her work is on what-to-read-after-Harry Potter lists, but fantasy addicts already know her well. Like J. K. Rowling and Philip Pullman, Jones slides her plots along the edge of what readers know to be real, teasing that the magical world might be just down that platform, over in the parking lot, through that mirror. Shades of C. S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll, perhaps? VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9).2001, Greenwillow, 144p, $15.95. PLB $15.89. Ages 11 to 15. Reviewer: Lynne Hawkins
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Four previously published stories of varying length. The first and shortest is about a magicless warlock who suddenly finds himself in a new world, with his magic restored. He lands in the hands of a spoiled little girl and her dog. Given the choice of jail or caring for the youngster, he chooses the former. The longest of the stories involves Cat Chant and new boy Tonino Montana. They are sent on a disastrous visit that ends with them releasing the souls of eight enchanters from the power of an evil enchanter. Story three, which is perhaps the most fun, is about Carol Oneir, "the world's youngest best-selling dreamer." Her hovering mother and her own desires for the trappings of fame are too much pressure for her though, and her dreams dry up. With the direct help of Chrestomanci, Carol discovers that her main characters are unhappy; as they escape from her dreams, she is released to live a relatively normal life as well. The last story features Thasper, son of a god, who is destined to bring down the order of Heaven. His father's attempts to avert the disaster will leave readers scratching their heads and pondering the effects of even the simplest act on everything else in space and time. The plots are fully realized and engaging, but characterizations are uneven-Thasper and the Willing Warlock are rather flat, while Carol and her dream folk leap right off the page. "Chrestomanci" fans will best appreciate this book. For a truly delightful short-story collection, try Michael Stearns's A Wizard's Dozen (Harcourt, 1993).-Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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