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votesforwomen's review against another edition
4.0
I have this weird thing about Dianna Wynn Jones books. I know that they will be wonderful and I will love them... but I have an awful case of cover judging EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Archer's Goon was no exception; the only reason I picked it up was that I had to return it to the library the next day. But I'd hardly started it when I was sucked into the story. I don't know if it was better than Howl, but that would take a lot. There's not much that is better than Howl.
Things I liked:
-The characters. I didn't trust any of them, but... yeah. Hathaway was one of my favorites, as was Shine, which is weird I know but whatever. I also really liked Howard.
-Howard gets his own bullet because he was just awesome. I liked how he was both similar and different than Blade from Dark Lord Of Derkholm? Although that revelation at the end... yeah. More about that later.
-I loved how everything worked. And the Goon! He was kind of great! Until you find out that he's ... not really a Goon, that is.
-The accurate representation of authors was the greatest thing ever. Quentin was stereotypical but not so much so that he got annoying, and he was still very real and unique. He was one of my favorites.
-The plot twists? Except for one which I didn't love? But I'll get to that.
What I didn't like:
-I just didn't understand the part where Howard was actually Venestrus? It came kind of out of nowhere and I don't appreciate it. ??
-I didn't like Fifi. I don't know.... we just didn't seem like the kind of people who would get along.
-The ending felt a tad bit easy? But other than that it was terrific.
4.5 stars! Another excellent story from DWJ.
Archer's Goon was no exception; the only reason I picked it up was that I had to return it to the library the next day. But I'd hardly started it when I was sucked into the story. I don't know if it was better than Howl, but that would take a lot. There's not much that is better than Howl.
Things I liked:
-The characters. I didn't trust any of them, but... yeah. Hathaway was one of my favorites, as was Shine, which is weird I know but whatever. I also really liked Howard.
-Howard gets his own bullet because he was just awesome. I liked how he was both similar and different than Blade from Dark Lord Of Derkholm? Although that revelation at the end... yeah. More about that later.
-I loved how everything worked. And the Goon! He was kind of great! Until you find out that he's ... not really a Goon, that is.
-The accurate representation of authors was the greatest thing ever. Quentin was stereotypical but not so much so that he got annoying, and he was still very real and unique. He was one of my favorites.
-The plot twists? Except for one which I didn't love? But I'll get to that.
What I didn't like:
-I just didn't understand the part where Howard was actually Venestrus? It came kind of out of nowhere and I don't appreciate it. ??
-I didn't like Fifi. I don't know.... we just didn't seem like the kind of people who would get along.
-The ending felt a tad bit easy? But other than that it was terrific.
4.5 stars! Another excellent story from DWJ.
sarahholland's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes, you just need a classic book by Diana Wynne Jones.
kristensk's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
kettlekitten's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tarugani's review against another edition
2.0
I love a lot of Diana Wynne Jones books but this wasn't one of them. Ah well.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
“This book will prove the following ten facts:
1. A Goon is a being who melts into the foreground and sticks there.
2. Pigs have wings, making them hard to catch.
3. All power corrupts, but we need electricity.
4. When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, the result is a family fight.
5. Music does not always sooth the troubled beast.
6. An Englishman's home is his castle.
7. The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
8. One black eye deserves another.
9. Space is the final frontier, and so is the sewage farm.
10. It pays to increase your word power.”
I read this because Neil Gaiman recommended as a comfort read. Somehow, I am not the correct audience for this novel. I thought it was fine, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. I am pretty sure this is my problem not the author’s or the book’s.
1. A Goon is a being who melts into the foreground and sticks there.
2. Pigs have wings, making them hard to catch.
3. All power corrupts, but we need electricity.
4. When an irresistible force meets an immovable object, the result is a family fight.
5. Music does not always sooth the troubled beast.
6. An Englishman's home is his castle.
7. The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
8. One black eye deserves another.
9. Space is the final frontier, and so is the sewage farm.
10. It pays to increase your word power.”
I read this because Neil Gaiman recommended as a comfort read. Somehow, I am not the correct audience for this novel. I thought it was fine, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. I am pretty sure this is my problem not the author’s or the book’s.
jickyjacks's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first Diana Wynne Jones' book I had read many years ago. It caused me to devour most of her other work and I'm happy to report my boys loved it too. It may not be her best book, but has some of her best characters in my mind. And it's characters that Jones excels at. She creates such lively, humorous characters, sets them up in a minor mystery with a whimsical setting, and what follows is usually quite entertaining. In this case a 13 year old boy, Howard, with his short tempered, aptly named little sister, Awful, must figure out why 7 "wizard" siblings, who control/govern their town, are obsessed with their father's writings. The writings seem to be keeping the siblings from leaving the town. While suspecting each other of being behind it, the siblings make Howard's and his family's life miserable in attempts to gain more information from them. Unfortunately, no one seems to know the answers. It's a setup for funny character interaction and turns out to be a pretty good mystery and reveal at the end. Only knock I have is that it's not a easy book to read aloud. Found myself getting tongue-tied and confused often by how some sentences were worded.
terst's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! Funny, entertaining, adventurous... Makes me look forward to when I'll have children and will be able to read it to them