Helpful Score: 6
Very good book. I thought it was a childeren's book at first glance, but couldn't have been more wrong -- many twists and turns, and the characters are very believable. And every book can be read by itself -- you don't need to read book 1 to understand book 3, or read book 4 to understand book 5. They are all completely seperate, taking place in entirely different universes -- universes that are interconnected by the magic that flows through all of them, of course, but seperated by the bonds of physical reality.
Helpful Score: 4
This enormous book is actually 2 novels making one nearly continuous story. The magical premise - enchanter with 9 lives saving magical universes - is very well plotted and played out. As in REAL life, not all the characters are likable; but it is still very interesting to try to figure out how they're going to think or act out.
Helpful Score: 3
This two-books-in-one volume advertizes itself as a book for those readers who are "wild about Harry." The implication is, they're better. They are every bit as good and have a whole different view of a young wizard growing into his powers.
Helpful Score: 2
This was a decent book that any magic lover should read. I wouldn't categorize it with, for example, the Harry Potter series but it was an okay book filled with a decent plot line and a nice set of characters that can keep you going throughout the entire book. The reason I rated it 3 out of 5...it just wasn't my kind of book. So I'm passing it on to someone else who may enjoy it instead :)
Helpful Score: 2
Diana Wynne Jones was a fluke author for me to pick up, and I fell instantly in love with her characters and writing style. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci was the second of her books i was to read, and i was not disappointed in the least.
Who couldn't love the dark-haired, prim-and-proper enchanter, blessed with nine-lives, and burdened with keeping magical order across 12 relative universes? Sound confusing? Its seems so at first, but once you get properly sucked into the world Jones has created you comprehend and enjoy all the more what our heroes and heroines go through. Volume 1 collects The Lives of Christopher Chant and Charmed Life.
If you liked harry potter, even remotely, give her a try. I personally find more depth in her writing than in any of Rowling's novels.
Who couldn't love the dark-haired, prim-and-proper enchanter, blessed with nine-lives, and burdened with keeping magical order across 12 relative universes? Sound confusing? Its seems so at first, but once you get properly sucked into the world Jones has created you comprehend and enjoy all the more what our heroes and heroines go through. Volume 1 collects The Lives of Christopher Chant and Charmed Life.
If you liked harry potter, even remotely, give her a try. I personally find more depth in her writing than in any of Rowling's novels.
