β Scribed by Diana Wynne Jones
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
A glorious new fantasy from an award-winning author. The story is narrated by two very different teenagers, who each inhabit two extraordinarily different worlds. Arianrhod Hyde's world (or Roddy, as she prefers to be called) is very much the world of magic, pageantry and ritual. Not unlike Britain in King Arthur's Day, Roddy is daughter of two Court Wizards and therefore part of the King's Progress, travelling round the Islands of Blest and ready to take part in whatever ritual or ceremony is required, as it occurs. Presiding over all, the most important person is the Merlin, who is entrusted with the magical health of the Isles of Blest. Nick Mallory's world is much more familiar - at least, it starts off being our own. But it soon transpires that Nick's not quite the ordinary 15 year old he seems, as he slips sideways into something he thinks is a dream - but in fact is another world entirely. Now, Nick's been on other worlds before (although never alone) but he's a confident type. Maybe a bit too confident... In Roddy's world, the current Merlin expires and a new one takes his place. Yet something is wrong - the rituals have been upset and nothing is going the way it should. Roddy needs help, and certain powers indicate that Nick is to be the one to help her. And Nick is cool about helping her - in theory... but it's a bit worrying that she seems to mistake him for a magic-user. Their stories unfold, side-by-side, each part leading into the next, and the Merlin Conspiracy thickens as the tales swirl around each other - twining, meeting and affecting each other, yet never completely combining until the very end chapters when all is finally revealed. Compelling, howlingly funny in places, mind-boggling - this is going to WOW DWJ fans all around the world (and probably in other universes too).
When the Merlin of Blest dies, everyone thinks it's a natural death. But Roddy and Grundo, two children traveling with the Royal Court, soon discover the truth. The Merlin's replacement and other courtiers are scheming to steal the magic of Blest for their own purposes.
Roddy enlists the help of Nick, a boy from another world, and the three turn to their own impressive powers. The dangers are great, and if Roddy, Grundo, and Nick cannot stop the conspirators, the results will be more dreadful than they could possibly imagine.
Master fantasist Diana Wynne Jones--author of the Chrestomanci books, Dark Lord of Derkholm, Year of the Griffin, and many others--scores another winner in this absorbing tale of magic and courtly intrigue told in two voices. In the world called Islands of the Blest, Roddy is a young page who has grown up traveling with her family in the Kings Progress, a constant journey around the kingdom. Just after she and her younger friend Grundo spot a growing conspiracy to overthrow the King and change the balance of magic, they are whisked away to visit Roddys grim and silent grandfather; when they return the Progress has moved on without them. Meanwhile in another world, Nick Mallory, 14, blunders into a dreamlike adventure that leads him to the powerful wizard Romanov and involves him in Roddys mission to save the worlds from the upset planned by the conspiracy. The story moves through several precariously linked worlds in vividly imagined episodes told alternately by Roddy and Nick, as their journeys begin to mesh. Part of the fun for the reader is sorting out Roddys many wizardly relatives from the double perspective and clicking them into place in the plot. Wynne Jones's many fans will pounce on this complex but fast-moving fantasy that features not only 34 characters, but a panther, a goat, a dragon, and an extremely charming elephant. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell
Grade 7 Up-This title from one of the masters of fantasy shows the author's signature style and imagination. The story begins in an alternate England called Blest, where Arianrhod Hyde travels with the King's Progress, as both of her parents are modern-day court mages. Roddy and her friend Grundo become aware of a conspiracy to upset the balance of magic in Blest and the rest of the "multiverse," a plot that involves both the new Merlin, the court official in charge of magic, and Grundo's mother. At the same time, Nick Mallory, who lives in what appears to be our Earth, is sent on a dangerous journey between worlds, which ultimately brings him to Blest. Roddy, Grundo, and Nick are called on to use knowledge and clues found in a variety of worlds to expand their budding magical powers and save Roddy's parents, the king of Blest, and the magic of the multiverse. In alternating chapters, Roddy and Nick narrate the action, which successfully allows the author to present background, draw in readers, and integrate her many subplots and dramatic elements. As always, Jones's characters are complex and her villains despicably bad, adding depth to this expansive and entertaining tale. A fine, challenging read for seasoned fantasy readers.
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A bestselling fantasy adventure about two teens from two very different worlds, who must work together to save the universe. The companion novel to the bestselling Deep Secret. Arianrhod Hyde's world (or Roddy, as she prefers to be called) is very much the world of magic, pageantry and ritual. Presi
A bestselling fantasy adventure about two teens from two very different worlds, who must work together to save the universe. The companion novel to the bestselling Deep Secret. Arianrhod Hyde's world (or Roddy, as she prefers to be called) is very much the world of magic, pageantry and ritual. Presi
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