Reading: Mixed Magics
Aug. 29th, 2017 07:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
white_hartMixed Magics contains four short stories set in the universe of Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci novels. The first, 'Warlock at the Wheel' catalogues the misadventures of the Willing Warlock (one of the minor antagonists from Charmed Life) when he tries to escape to a parallel universe and steal a car, which unfortunately turns out to be occupied by a small girl and a large dog. There wasn't a lot to this one; I know that the Chrestomanci novels are generally written for younger readers than some of DWJ's other books, but this felt as though it was aimed at very young children.
I liked 'Stealer of Souls'a lot more. This story recounts an episode in the lives of Cat Chant (Charmed Life) and Tonino Montana (The Magicians of Caprona), and also gives readers another sight of several of the supporting characters from The Lives of Christopher Chant, many years later. I liked this much more than the first story; it was nice to revisit the characters and it provided some interesting character development for Cat in particular.
The third story, 'Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream' is about what happens when Carol (the world's youngest best-selling dreamer) is taken to consult Chrestomanci about the difficulties she is experiencing in recording her hundredth dream. It's a slyly witty look at the creative process, writer's block and the differences between producing genuine art and simply churning out the same things again and again.
The final story, 'The Sage of Theare' is set in the world of Theare, where the gods are highly organised and are thrown into a panic at the prophecy that a Sage of Dissolution has been born. Unfortunately, their attempts to thwart the prophecy cause further problems, which require Chrestomanci's intervention to resolve. I think this was my favourite of the stories, mostly because I enjoyed the philosophical aspects.
It's quite a slight book, both literally (only 160-odd pages in the edition I have) and in terms of the stories themselves; not DWJ's best, but enjoyable nonetheless and perfect when I wanted something undemanding.
I liked 'Stealer of Souls'a lot more. This story recounts an episode in the lives of Cat Chant (Charmed Life) and Tonino Montana (The Magicians of Caprona), and also gives readers another sight of several of the supporting characters from The Lives of Christopher Chant, many years later. I liked this much more than the first story; it was nice to revisit the characters and it provided some interesting character development for Cat in particular.
The third story, 'Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream' is about what happens when Carol (the world's youngest best-selling dreamer) is taken to consult Chrestomanci about the difficulties she is experiencing in recording her hundredth dream. It's a slyly witty look at the creative process, writer's block and the differences between producing genuine art and simply churning out the same things again and again.
The final story, 'The Sage of Theare' is set in the world of Theare, where the gods are highly organised and are thrown into a panic at the prophecy that a Sage of Dissolution has been born. Unfortunately, their attempts to thwart the prophecy cause further problems, which require Chrestomanci's intervention to resolve. I think this was my favourite of the stories, mostly because I enjoyed the philosophical aspects.
It's quite a slight book, both literally (only 160-odd pages in the edition I have) and in terms of the stories themselves; not DWJ's best, but enjoyable nonetheless and perfect when I wanted something undemanding.
