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4.0
One of Diana Wynne-Jones' most endearing characters is Howl, an eccentric and isolated wizard who whirls around the land of Ingary in a moving castle.
And while Howl is not the protagonist of the "World of Howl" trilogy, he is the vital character that links the three books together -- "Howl's Moving Castle," "Castle in the Air" and "House of Many Ways." These three interlaced books shows off Jones' whimsical multiverse and knack for odd, charming characters at its best, as well as stories that slip sideways in all sorts of clever ways.
In "Howl's Moving Castle," a misunderstanding leads to ordinary Sophie Hatter being turned into a crone by the malevolent Witch of the Waste. Finding old age oddly liberating, she wanders away from her hat shop, and becomes the cleaning lady for the powerful wizard Howl, who lives in a moving castle with his fire demon Calcifer. Calcifer strikes a deal with Sophie -- if she can break the contract between him and Howl, he'll restore her youth. The catch is, neither he nor Howl can tell her WHAT the contract is.
While assisting Howl and his apprentice Michael, Sophie discovers that Howl's reputation for wickedness is rather exaggerated -- he doesn't actually eat girls' hearts and suck out their souls, but he is a prodigious flirt who abandons girls once he gets them to fall for him. He's also kind of a drama queen. But soon Sophie finds that the powerful wizard is ensnared in a horrifying curse -- and Howl has only a little time before the curse strikes.
"Castle in the Air" introduces us to carpet salesman Abdullah, who is whisked off by a magic flying carpet to the garden of the beautiful SultanFlower-in-the-Night. But when Flower-in-the-Night is kidnapped by a djinn, Abdullah is framed for her abduction -- and with the help of his magic carpet, a cat and her kitten and a very grumpy genie, he ends up on a wild adventure that crosses to the land of Ingary.
In "House of Many Ways," Charmain Baker ends up looking after Great-Uncle William's cottage.... which sounds pretty normal, except that William is a wizard and his house has a door that can lead to any place. As magical creatures and problems -- as well as a befuddled apprentice -- enter her life, Charmain becomes enmeshed in a strange conspiracy involving the Lubbock, a horrifying purple insect-creature.
"World of Howl Collection: Howl's Moving Castle, House of Many Ways, Castle in the Air" is probably the least unified of Diana Wynne Jones' series. While Howl and Sophie plays pivotals part of every story, their part in the story is not always obvious -- instead we follow some quirky characters like Charmain and Abdullah, who have their own journeys that just happen to intersect with Howl's in some major way.
And however he appears, Howl is a delightful character -- he's fickle, immature, flamboyant, eccentric, irresponsible and has cultivated a distinct image as a wicked, heart-devouring sorcerer to keep everyone far away from him. And yet, he's oddly charming and fun to read about, especially as a foil to the sensible Sophie.
All of the things Jones is best-loved for are here -- multiverses, cats, some very odd magic, clever subversions of the old fantasy cliches (Sophie laments that she is doomed to a dull life because fortunes are only found by the youngest in a family) and a puckishly British sense of humor. Her writing has an enchanting briskness, wherever the story goes (Howl expresses his angst by oozing green slime all over), and only a few stumbling blocks (the lubbock is.... kind of an absurd villain).
"World of Howl Collection: Howl's Moving Castle, House of Many Ways, Castle in the Air" brings together all three of the books dealing with Howl Jenkins Pendragon -- even if they initially don't seem very much connected. Charming, odd and magical.
And while Howl is not the protagonist of the "World of Howl" trilogy, he is the vital character that links the three books together -- "Howl's Moving Castle," "Castle in the Air" and "House of Many Ways." These three interlaced books shows off Jones' whimsical multiverse and knack for odd, charming characters at its best, as well as stories that slip sideways in all sorts of clever ways.
In "Howl's Moving Castle," a misunderstanding leads to ordinary Sophie Hatter being turned into a crone by the malevolent Witch of the Waste. Finding old age oddly liberating, she wanders away from her hat shop, and becomes the cleaning lady for the powerful wizard Howl, who lives in a moving castle with his fire demon Calcifer. Calcifer strikes a deal with Sophie -- if she can break the contract between him and Howl, he'll restore her youth. The catch is, neither he nor Howl can tell her WHAT the contract is.
While assisting Howl and his apprentice Michael, Sophie discovers that Howl's reputation for wickedness is rather exaggerated -- he doesn't actually eat girls' hearts and suck out their souls, but he is a prodigious flirt who abandons girls once he gets them to fall for him. He's also kind of a drama queen. But soon Sophie finds that the powerful wizard is ensnared in a horrifying curse -- and Howl has only a little time before the curse strikes.
"Castle in the Air" introduces us to carpet salesman Abdullah, who is whisked off by a magic flying carpet to the garden of the beautiful SultanFlower-in-the-Night. But when Flower-in-the-Night is kidnapped by a djinn, Abdullah is framed for her abduction -- and with the help of his magic carpet, a cat and her kitten and a very grumpy genie, he ends up on a wild adventure that crosses to the land of Ingary.
In "House of Many Ways," Charmain Baker ends up looking after Great-Uncle William's cottage.... which sounds pretty normal, except that William is a wizard and his house has a door that can lead to any place. As magical creatures and problems -- as well as a befuddled apprentice -- enter her life, Charmain becomes enmeshed in a strange conspiracy involving the Lubbock, a horrifying purple insect-creature.
"World of Howl Collection: Howl's Moving Castle, House of Many Ways, Castle in the Air" is probably the least unified of Diana Wynne Jones' series. While Howl and Sophie plays pivotals part of every story, their part in the story is not always obvious -- instead we follow some quirky characters like Charmain and Abdullah, who have their own journeys that just happen to intersect with Howl's in some major way.
And however he appears, Howl is a delightful character -- he's fickle, immature, flamboyant, eccentric, irresponsible and has cultivated a distinct image as a wicked, heart-devouring sorcerer to keep everyone far away from him. And yet, he's oddly charming and fun to read about, especially as a foil to the sensible Sophie.
All of the things Jones is best-loved for are here -- multiverses, cats, some very odd magic, clever subversions of the old fantasy cliches (Sophie laments that she is doomed to a dull life because fortunes are only found by the youngest in a family) and a puckishly British sense of humor. Her writing has an enchanting briskness, wherever the story goes (Howl expresses his angst by oozing green slime all over), and only a few stumbling blocks (the lubbock is.... kind of an absurd villain).
"World of Howl Collection: Howl's Moving Castle, House of Many Ways, Castle in the Air" brings together all three of the books dealing with Howl Jenkins Pendragon -- even if they initially don't seem very much connected. Charming, odd and magical.