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| House of Many Ways | 
 enlarge | Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: Greenwillow
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
Buy New: $10.12
You Save: $7.87 (44%)
New (44) Used (12) from $9.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 6318
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 0061477958
EAN: 9780061477959
ASIN: 0061477958
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW AND IN PERFECT CONDITION!!! crisp, clean text / tight spine / clean cover / ENJOY!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Pretty Good Sequel to Howl's Moving Castle June 29, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is a fine sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, which I had adored for its cleverness in tapping into and expanding the fairy tale genre. I had longed for some continuation of Sophie and Howl's quirky adventures and was pleased to find it here. Although House of Many Ways does not hold the delightful surprises for me that I had found in its prequel, it is an engaging read in itself.
House of Many ways features a new central character, Charmain Baker, who is penned with charming accuracy (pun deliberate, and capitalized upon a great deal in the book). This accurately depicted teenager loves to read --indeed prefers reading all other activities--and thus ironically has select extensive knowledge of unusual topics but also extreme ignorance of more practical activities. The book reveals and capitalizes upon, in a mocking but loving way, the odd selectivity of knowledge young bookworms carry. The ways in which Charmain is shown to alternate between smugness at the usefulness of her book-knowledge and frustration at her life-ignorance strike me as particularly insightful.
If you are familiar with and enjoy reading other works of Diana Wynne Jones, you will find House of Many Ways an absorbing, delightful read. If you enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle, you will find it doubly rewarding.
 Doors through time and space July 20, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
A few years ago, Hayao Miyazaki made a gorgeous anime movie based on the classic fantasy novel "Howl's Moving Castle," about a wizard and the artificially-aged girl who falls for him.
It must have made Diana Wynne Jones nostalgic for her flamboyantly-dressed, quirky wizard hero and his little family, because he plays a pivotal role in "The House of Many Ways." And the rest of the book is the kind of work Jones has been producing for many years -- a complex, tight little plot full of magical mysteries and bizarre problems, and at least one gutsy adolescent hero.
When the Wizard of High Norland falls ill and has to be hospitalized by elves, his great-great-niece-by-marriage Charmain is roped into taking care of his cottage.
But Charmain has a rather difficult time with the magical cottage and all the odd spells it contains. She also struggles with the cooking, cleaning, vast seas of soapsuds, a timid dog, a tribe of angry kobolds, and the arrival of Uncle William's new apprentice Peter -- who never gets magic quite right. In the middle of all this, she finds that she has a new job working with the King in his library.
But there are no fewer problems in the King's mansion, where Charmain is ordered to find information on something called the Elfgift. And the sorceress Sophie Pendragon -- along with her toddler, fire demon and cutesy, too-smart "nephew" -- have arrived to do some investigating as well. But even with powerful wizards nearby, this conspiracy's key may lie with Charmain -- and the vile magical creature lurking near the House of Many Ways...
It's been almost twenty years since Diana Wynne Jones last visited Howl, Sophie, Calcifer and the magical moving castle -- although they're presented so freshly in this book that you wouldn't know they'd ever been gone. And though Charmain is indisputably the heroine of this piece, she still gets the spotlight stolen by Howl -- or "Twinkle" -- whenever he appears.
And around this, Jones crafts a complex plot full of magical Elfgifts, missing gold, elves and a very suspicious heir to the throne. There are various minor plot threads, puzzles and developments that don't seem very important at the time, only to have Jones suddenly weave them all together. And I'll say this -- she knows how to spin up a brilliant fictional conspiracy.
And it's written in Jones' signature style, with plenty of English villages, castles, and wizards, and plenty of mildly eccentric characters -- not to mention the forays through the various space'n'time-bending doorways. Plus a wacky sense of humor, of course ("How DARE you do that! I'm not used to it!"). Charmain produces most of this, with her disastrous (and bubbly!) attempts at keeping house.
Charmain is a pretty good heroine for the book -- she loves books and dogs, and has been living with a mother who thinks magic and housework aren't nice or respectable. You can guess how long that lasts. And she works well alongside the understandably irritable Peter, a likable kid who has more real-world experience than Charmain has ever had.
And then there's the Howl Brigade -- our favorite wizard spends most of the book disguised as a truly nauseating, golden-curled, lisping child, which understandably drives Sophie crazy. His cleverness, power and vanity are undiminished, but it's a relief when "Twinkle" stops lisping. And the fire demon Calcifer gets to play a pivotal role in the story.
If there's a flaw, it's that the villains aren't terribly menacing, except for the grotesque insectile lubbock -- most of whose menace is biological. But hey, at least they aren't meant to be menacing -- just creepy and subversive.
"The House of Many Ways" could as easily be called "The Story of Many Ways" -- a brilliant, sparkling book full of fantastical humor and mystery. Definitely a must-read.
Good but light on content July 16, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
It is always nice to meet characters from much-loved books (Howl & gang); however, this book was lacking in depth.
Very Diana Wynne Jones-ish, but not exactly a sequel August 18, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I always look forward to any new Diana Wynne Jones books, but I have to admit they are a hit or miss. Most of her stories are fun to read, but some are so off the wall and unbelievable, they become too awkward to read. "House of Many Ways" fell completely between hit and miss, leaning more closely toward miss. It definitely was not one of Jones' better reads. For one thing, calling this a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle is a stretch. When I saw this book on the shelf, I liked the description enough to want to read it. But I hadn't read Howl's yet, so I bought that one too. Howl's Moving Castle was very cool. It was so enjoyable, I expected the "sequel" to surpass it. It didn't, not by a long shot. Sophie and Howl showed up about 3/4 of the way through the book, but they were both out of character and seemed forced into the storyline.
The scant roles of Howl and Sophie were a minor annoyance for me and not really enough to drop my five stars to four. The reasons for the lower rating had to do with the extremely weak plot (or lack of one), awkwardness of the story flow, and my dislike for the two main characters. Neither Charmain nor Peter were very likeable. She was irritating beyond belief, and he had very few distinguishable features (not very promising for an apprentice). Charmain's dialect was almost freakish (i.e. "Oh bother!" Was this an English teenager or Winnie the Pooh?). I know she was supposed to represent someone who was raised obsessively respectable, but I winced every time the girl had a thought. Peter, too, was hard to swallow. His character wasn't solidly developed. He showed up as a small boy, but Charmain sees that he has whiskers, so we are left to wonder...is he a teenager? A young man? A 12-year-old with a jump start on puberty? The plot itself was sporadic, confusing, and just as underdeveloped as the characters. When you open a book, the first questions you ask yourself (subconsciously) are, "Why am I here? What's the goal of this book?" House of Many Ways had no apparent goal. First you think the plot is about Great-Uncle William's labyrinth of a house (like Howl's house with all the door destinations). Then you think it might have to do with the Lubbock that chases Charmain. Or it could be that the main plot was about Peter or the dog or the kobold. But then you leave the house and all the action occurs in the castle, where Sophie and Howl appear, acting very strangely through a side-plot that the reader is not immediately let in on. The whole thing was entirely too confusing and more cartoonish than Bugs Bunny.
The reason my rating is a 4 and not lower is because of the author. Diana Wynne Jones has a prime imagination. Normally, she can tell a pretty entertaining story. So she's not an amateur. She knows what she's doing. House of Many Ways, however, seemed like a rushed job, like she had a great idea but didn't take the time to sort out the bugs.
If you are a fan, I would recommend adding House of Many Way to your collection. If you are new at Jones' books, I'd suggest starting with the Merlin Conspiracy or one of the Chrestomanci books.
 I want more Howl! October 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have been a HUGE fan of "Howl's Moving Castle" for a very long time, and when I heard that Diana Wynne Jones wrote a "Sequel" to it; I freaked out! Finally I might get my Howl fix that I've been dying for and was so horribly deprived of in "Castle in the Air" a "continuation" I think it was called of "Howl's Moving Castle".
Sadly, I was once again, deprived, disappointed, and ultimately feeling depressed and wanting more at the end of the book! While this book is no way near as good as "Howl's Moving Castle" I must say it was definitely much better than "Castle in the Air"
The main story which was about a girl called Charmain (When it SHOULD have been about Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer; this is a sequel for crying out loud!) was much more interesting and entertaining than the story about Abdullah from "Castle in the Air"
But, like I said, I found myself desperately wanting more of Howl! Everytime the characters from "Howl's Moving Castle" entered the story it was hillarious, enjoyable, and brought be back to the book I loved so much! They delivered in every appearance they made (which was very few) reminding me why I loved it so much. But just as you were getting into their characters you were torn away from them just as quickly and abruptly as in "Castle in the Air"
So, all in all, it was a relatively good book, Charmain, Waif, and Peter's stories were relatively interesting, and the plots were pretty good as well. I would reccommend this book if you are also starving for more Howl & Sophie; you will get your appetite fed SLIGHTLY, but in the end feel completely empty and wanting more!
Nonetheless, It was very nice to see Sophie and Howl again, and I'm falling in love with their mischievous son Morgan! (he's definitely taking after Howl) Calcifer also made a wonderful appearance in the book as well, and Sophie is still headstrong, beautiful, and as irritated with Howl as ever! and I'm going to take all that I can get!
In the end, I just have ONE thing to request of Diana Wynne Jones; Please, PLEASE, I beg! Write a REAL sequel to "Howl's Moving Castle" that is ALL about Howl, Sophie, Calcifer, (and gosh, don't forget!) Michael!, and of course their son Morgan!!
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