Diana Wynne Jones is an extremely prolific writer whose books still manage not to come out sounding like clones of each other. Partly that's because of her mad writing skillz, and partly it's because of totally unique concepts like the one behind Dark Lord of Derkholm.
What if people from a magicless world were able to take package tours to a world with magic? Well, for one thing, they wouldn't want to see ordinary people making dinner and milking the cows. They'd want to see a nine-foot tall Dark Lord in a moldering castle surrounded by balefire, and then destroy him in a climactic battle. After their run-ins with enchantresses, gladiators, elves, and thieves, of course.
That's what the thoroughly nasty Mr. Chesney arranges in Wizard Derk's world. And he makes so much money at it that he doesn't care that having to put on all the shows results in real deaths and destruction as parties of tourists eat, drink, and fight their way across ordinary people's land. When Derk is tapped to play the Dark Lord, he and wife and kids don't just want to get through tour season - they want to find a way to stop Mr. Chesney for good.
There's so much good stuff in this story that it's practically impossible to describe it all. I'll just point out that Jones is a genius at giving her characters deep, believable feelings and motivation. Derk's kids love, hate, fight, and bond over video games with each other, sometimes all at once. They're some of the most believable siblings in literature (even though some of them are griffins). Jones' world is complex, and it can be confusing at first to figure out who everybody is and what exactly is going on. But everything does sort out in the end, and in the meantime, the ride is definitely worth it.
Year of the Gryffin is the awesome sequel to this awesome book.
Reviewed by Anne Bonney
Capn Anne Bonney, editor of HMS Libris, lives with her husband, Calico Jack, and their crew of stalwart cats in the great state of Texas. Unlike the real Anne Bonney and Calico Jack, they are not wanted by the authorities. Capn Anne works in a library and goes to graduate school.