Thursday 19 April 2012

Before there was Hogwarts... (J is for Diana Wynne Jones)

... there was Chrestomanci Castle. Welcome to the world of Christopher (Cat) Chant. A boy who discovers at the age of 11 that he is a powerful enchanter, after spending his whole life in the shadow of his domineering witch sister, Gwen, and is whisked away to be trained by the most powerful enchanter of all time, Chrestomanci. Sound familiar, Harry Potter fans? The Chrestomanci series was around years and years before the world of Harry Potter was even a figment of J.K. Rowling's imagination. As much as I'm a fan of the HP series, I read the Chrestomanci books when I was a kid, so HP just can't add up to the original magical boy. Plus Cat doesn't have a scar, there are other awesome worlds that he can travel to, and his friends are much more than mere sidekicks (sorry Hermione and Ron), since he's not the feature of every book.

image from Amazon
For more on Diana Wynne Jones, check out her website, or the official fansite! Trust me, all her books are amazing. 

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