Synopses & Reviews
The islands of Blest keep the balance of magic in half the multiverse. If something goes wrong with the magic on Blest, it will have a ripple effect on many other worlds. Something is about to go wrong and#133; It all begins when the Merlin of Blest dies of a heart attack. Or was he murdered by sorcery?
Two friends, Roddy and Grundo, suspect a conspiracy, but no adult will believe them. When a boy from another world, Nick, blunders into the trouble on Blest, Roddy tries to enlist his help. But what can three children who are just discovering their magical talents do against the new Merlin, the Earthmistress, and the dark powers theyand#146;re calling up? The dangers are great, and if Roddy, Grundo, and Nick fail to stop the conspirators before they disrupt the balance of magic, the results will be far more far-reaching and destructive than they can imagine.
Diana Wynne Jones masterfully weaves mystery, intrigue, and, most of all, magic into a complex plot that's full of twists and surprises. In this astonishing novel, the characters' actions have unexpected consequences, and nothing in the multiverse is as it first seems ...
Review
"Jones takes the kitchen-sink approach to plotting a gloriously twisty adventure....Overstuffed and over the top, but a delicious romp." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Diana Wynne Jones is, quite simply, the best writer of magic there is, for readers of any age. Her stories are funny, brilliant, twisty and all utterly different. Her characters are delightful. Pick up this book and she will take you somewhere wonderful." Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
Synopsis
I have been with the Court all my life, traveling with the King's Progress...
So begins this epic, tumultuous, often irreverent, always breathtaking fantasy in which three young people from different worlds meet in one and travel to a myriad of others in an attempt to unseat the false Merlin of Blest. Roddy, Nick, and Grundo are just discovering their own powers when they band together to search for clues both from their own families and from antiquity to help them unravel a fanatical conspiracy that threatens to engulf all of the magic in the multiverse.
About the Author
Diana Wynne Jones has been writing outstanding fantasy novels for more than twenty-five years and is one of the most distinguished writers in this field. With unlimited imagination, she combines dazzling plots, an effervescent sense of humor, and emotional truths in stories that delight readers of all ages.
Ms. Jones says, "Each time I write a book, I try to say something new, with the result that each book turns out differently from the ones before—which surprises, puzzles, and pleases me in about equal proportions." Her work spans from the epic novels of "The Dalemark Quartet" to the hilarious Chrestomanci books to the inventive Howl's Moving Castle (recently a major motion picture directed by Hayao Miyazaki) to individual gems such as The Merlin Conspiracy. Diana Wynne Jones lives in Bristol, England.