Diana Wynne Jones, 1934-2011

[starlady]

Ave atque vale. She brought light to a great many people.

Diana Wynne Jones was never my favorite author, which makes me think I've not read the right ones out of her books--of the few (five?) I have read, I liked The Spellcoats and The Crown of Dalemark best, for very different reasons. I've seen appreciations for Dogsbody and Fire and Hemlock today; what's your favorite DWJ novel? 

Comments

[nijibug]

I was introduced to her works in middle school via the Chrestomanci series, which I think is her most popular? but I didn't like them especially much. I moved on to her more stand-alone novels and fell in love with the the witty humor and heartwarming characterization of Howl's Moving Castle. I really loved the characters and went on to read the sequel as well as the threequel when it came out more recently (by then I was graduating high school).

I also came to appreciate her on a whole different level when she let Miyazaki create his interpretation of her novel.

[louderandlouder]

I haven't read her in about fifteen years, but I was a huge fan then and suspect it holds up. Dogsbody is indeed singular; I always liked A Tale of Time City, which if nothing else has an incredibly detailed and intriguing time-travel premise which I'd love to see turned into an RPG or some other kind of shared universe. I think the Chrestomanci series is somewhat uneven, but was always my favorite (it says something that I managed to spell "Chrestomanci" right the first time, even after all these years). It might read better in chronological rather than series order.

How's Moving Castle, too, absolutely. I never read the sequels (my school library didn't have them...) but I read the book over and over.

[starlady]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I read HMC after I saw the movie and found that for me the book fell far short in comparison.

[anatsuno]

This is interesting! I read the book first and I felt that the movie was so much more obscure as to the chatacter's motivations... It felt to me like the movie was trying to be several things at once, and though it might have been good in movie terms, for me as an adaptation of the book I had loved it fell short.

But then I often thing that from the mbook or the movie, whichever one gets to know first keeps a sort of forever upper hand, so maybe it's just that.

[starlady]

The book and the movie are really strikingly different in a way that I think most adaptations don't aim for, but Miyazaki didn't mind. What I loved about the movie is how it blended elements of the book with elements of Miyazaki/Ghibli themes, and I think in some ways it's the best of the Ghibli movies--so I really was hoping that the book would be like that, but it was way more its own DWJ thing.

[recessional]

I always felt like she was one of those authors who, if you found her right when you needed her, got hold of your soul and if you didn't meet her until long after the point that she would have done that, like I did and a few other people I know did, you nod politely while other people wax rapturous.

[thistleingrey]

I don't like HMC much (and haven't seen the film), but Fire and Hemlock and Deep Secret are awesome.

[starlady]

Belatedly: Howl's is perhaps my favorite Miyazaki movie. It's quite different from the book, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.

[thistleingrey]

Good to know--thanks. I've seen only Spirited Away and bits of Totoro, the latter while keeping an eye on a friend's toddler.... At least the Spirited Away disc was subbed, not dubbed!

[melannen]

Dogsbody, no question. I like all of her books that I've read, at least a little, but Dogsbody is one of those books that got into my soul and helped shape my concept of what is true.

I haven't read Fire and Hemlock, though.

[lnhammer]

My favorite is probably Archer's Goon, even though I recognize that Homeward Bounders, Hexwood, and Howl's Moving Castle are all better books. After that just might be The Magicians of Camprona, which I reread the most of all the Crestomancy books, even though I liked Charmed Life and Witch Week better when I first read them all. After that, there are too many to pick easily.

I need to reread Fire and Hemlock in one swoop -- count me among those who doesn't understand what actually happens at the end.

---L.

[the_rck]

For me, it's a toss up between Homeward Bounders and Archer's Goon. I read Homeward Bounders at exactly the right point in my adolescence, and it stuck firmly in my imagination, putting down deep roots. Archer's Goon always has the power to make me laugh.

[aria]

I adore Dogsbody and Howl's Moving Castle (the sequels to HMC are also charming, but I don't have the same starry-eyed adoration for them). Hexwood and Deep Secret are also wonderful, and I have a soft spot for Tale of Time City because it contains a passage that actually made me laugh until I was sobbing.

I think I need to reread these now.

[starlady]

I think I'm going to be checking out Dogsbody pretty soon.

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

Just saw this this morning, too, on twitter by other authors before any news media had it up. She is definitely one of my favs. Dogsbody is a must-read book; Ioryogi & Kobato kinda reminds me of the characters in the book. Enjoy Howl's stuff and the Chrestomanci ones. I read that she was still writing when while sick, so maybe she has one more left to share. :)

Dogsbody was hard to find for me since it seemed to be out-of-print in the US. Got it shipped from a UK store. I think you'd like it if you haven't read it yet.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

That one and F&H seem to be consistently recommended. I'm putting it on my "to look out for" list. :)

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

Neil Gaiman wrote on his blog that he has to write an intro to Dogsbody...so it must be reprinting sometime in the future. <3

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw that. I'll definitely try to pick up that edition, given that they were apparently quite close.

[contrariety.livejournal.com]

So sad. :( For me, leaving aside Howl, I would say Hexwood pretty strongly. An adult book masquerading as YA.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

Oo, I'll have to check that one out too.