The magic fairy tale continues – review of the book “House of many ways”

Some history

Diana Wynne Jones is a British writer who started her career back in the 1960s. She primarily wrote fantasy novels for children and adults. Throughout her life, she has written over 100 different books, many of which have won prestigious awards such as the Mythopeic Award, World Fantasy Award, and the British Fantasy Award. Despite world fame, the author was not that popular in Poland, although she did not remain anonymous. A lot of publicity was brought by her series entitled The Worlds of Chrestomanci, released in our country . However, her most famous work, both in our country and in the world, was the novel from 1987, The Howl’s Moving Castle. This is due to the fact that the anime of the same title was created by Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki studio on the basis of this title. The film, which premiered in 2004, won, among others Saturn and the Golden Lion and was also nominated for an Oscar. Thus, many people immediately reached for the prototype. Its continuation, Castle In The Air (released in 1990) was already available then . However, fans had to wait a while for the trilogy to end. House of many ways sit was released on the market only in 2008, but like its predecessors, it turned out to be just as good and highly appreciated by critics. In Poland, we had to wait even longer for the third installment of the series, until now. However, thanks to the Nowa Baśń publishing house, the novel was finally translated into our language and hit the shelves of the bookstore, which we can certainly be happy about!

My great-uncle’s secrets

Charmain is a young girl for whom books are the whole world. She is an only child and her parents make sure that she does not have to do anything and that she can devote herself to her favorite activity. From this idyll, which may not be good for the heroine, her aunt Sempronia pulls her out. It is she who decides that the young lady will take care of her great-uncle’s house, while the owner himself will go to the elven kingdom to undergo treatment there. This relative is, by the way, a great and famous sorcerer, and his household is magical. You have to be able to move around in it, because passing through one door you can get to many different places. This is not the only concern for Charmain, however. She has a lot of cleaning to do, she doesn’t know how to go about, a small and afraid of everything dog, a clumsy wizard’s apprentice, malicious kobolds and scary lubok. As if that were not enough, her mother and her aunt pays a visit, and the king himself wants to meet her! And when is there time to read?

New and old friends

If you’ve read the previous parts of the cycle, you already know what to expect. And you certainly won’t be disappointed. Jones again gives us an extraordinary fairy tale, full of magic, friendship, twists and morals. And while the style might suggest that this is a novel for a younger audience, it is not. Yes, you can read it to your kids in the form of a bedtime story, but you will also get involved in the adventure yourself. It is also worth noting that there are a few threads that are a bit less appropriate for kids. Especially the description of what he can do to a man or the side can be scary and here you have to decide for yourself whether he can, however, skip these few lines of text. However, it is difficult to have any other reservations, but it should be added that this item should also appeal to fans of the Howl’s Moving Castleand that regardless of whether they choose anime or a book. Sophie, Calcifer and Hauru himself return to the action and they not only have a guest appearance, but also play a quite important role. So the fans have the opportunity to learn about their fate, and quite a lot has happened with them since the last meeting! Nevertheless, the new heroes keep pace with them. It is impossible not to cheer for Charmain herself, who from a spoiled only child, who has no idea how to start washing up, becomes an independent and brave girl. You will also surely like Peter, a student of her great-uncle with whom she will become a true friendship. Even malicious kobolds will make you smile with time, and the female Tramp will surely steal your hearts. In turn, the very development of the plot and subsequent, highly unpredictable events will make that you will not be able to distract yourself from reading until you know its ending. One more important thing is that though House of many ways is part of a trilogy, it can actually also be a completely separate novel. So if someone has not read the previous parts, and wants to reach for the adventures of Charmain right away, there is no problem to do it. Still, everything will be understandable to such a reader and will not get lost in the plot. Real magic, isn’t it?

We invite you!

House of many ways I had the opportunity to read it a few months before its release. I can even boast that my short review even made it to the cover. After reading the reading again, I will certainly not change my opinion and with all confidence I can say that this is an excellent novel that will appeal to every fairy-tale lover. Diana Wynne Jones must have really understood magic as she managed to create a story for both younger and older audiences. The title will satisfy existing fans of her work and attract completely new ones. Charmain, Sophie and the other heroes will win your sympathy and take you to an extraordinary world. All the time I saw the characters and the house itself with my eyes of imagination, I felt as if I was standing right next to it and in a moment I could stroke the Tramp, or argue with one of the kobolds. I also think