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jickyjacks's review
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
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
fclancy93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
saraubs's review
5.0
This was phenomenal! My only experience with Diana Wynne Jones thus far has been Howl's Moving Castle - a book I had already loved because of the film adaptation - and I am embarrassed that it has taken this long for me to move on to her other works.
Having only sampled a small selection of what she has to offer, I can already say with confidence that DWJ has one of the brightest, most impressive imaginations of any author I've had the pleasure to read. In Archer's Goon she takes what could be a straightforward fantasy/mystery and turns it into something weird and (thoroughly!) wonderful. Her writing is immersive, pulling us into the lives of her characters, and the setting is easy to visualize, even for those of us who struggle with such things. And the dialogue! Diana Wynne Jones is so clever - I found myself laughing multiple times per chapter.
This was honestly such a delight and I would recommend to anyone who loves fantasy. Archer's Goon, though likely shelved as Middle Grade, transcends categorization, as is the way for the very best books. This would be brilliant to read aloud to children, and I can't wait to share it with mine!
Having only sampled a small selection of what she has to offer, I can already say with confidence that DWJ has one of the brightest, most impressive imaginations of any author I've had the pleasure to read. In Archer's Goon she takes what could be a straightforward fantasy/mystery and turns it into something weird and (thoroughly!) wonderful. Her writing is immersive, pulling us into the lives of her characters, and the setting is easy to visualize, even for those of us who struggle with such things. And the dialogue! Diana Wynne Jones is so clever - I found myself laughing multiple times per chapter.
This was honestly such a delight and I would recommend to anyone who loves fantasy. Archer's Goon, though likely shelved as Middle Grade, transcends categorization, as is the way for the very best books. This would be brilliant to read aloud to children, and I can't wait to share it with mine!
thejenjineer's review
5.0
*Sigh* There's nothing like a good Diana Wynne Jones book. I think all her books are great, personally, but I have my favorites. I'm placing this in the top ten, somewhere after Fire and Hemlock and the Chrestomanci series.
I love the larger than life characters, and I love how for each one we had to hear about them though reputation before meeting them face to face.
I love the larger than life characters, and I love how for each one we had to hear about them though reputation before meeting them face to face.
emuna's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
dmturner's review against another edition
3.0
An engaging hodgepodge
I suspect this book was written by Quentin, the father of the protagonist, Howard, because it would be just like him to dash off this preposterous and often entertaining story in one high-speed binge of twists.
It’s basically a book about family, and about siblings especially, and also a book about how the improbable and the impossible permeate our lives in a most annoying way. And it’s also a fantasy about being a person of singular powers.
I suspect this book was written by Quentin, the father of the protagonist, Howard, because it would be just like him to dash off this preposterous and often entertaining story in one high-speed binge of twists.
It’s basically a book about family, and about siblings especially, and also a book about how the improbable and the impossible permeate our lives in a most annoying way. And it’s also a fantasy about being a person of singular powers.