Rating: 
Summary: Leaves you thinking
Review: Being a avid reader of Diana Wynne Jones, I would say that this is one of her best works. Jamie, a typical, normal british boy, finds himself literally thrust into a new world (many new worlds, in fact). While following his journey through the "Bounds" we begin to see the inner workings of which Diana uses in many of her stories (especially the Chrestomanci series..) that there are many universes, seperated by events in history. The whole story is a wonder weaving of myth and description.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling read!
Review: Definitely one of the best from Diana! It's chilled me to the bone in some parts and others made me laugh outright and gasp in suspense! I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who roleplays because they could strongly relate to it and even to those who don't you'll still love it. Helen, Jamie and Joris the three main characters in the book will quickly become your best friends. The one thing I love about Diana's writing is her character development and descriptions of worlds she has created. Very vivid, that you can see it in your mind's eye.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of her best.
Review: Having read quite a bit of Diana Wynne Jones, I stopped at a bookstore while on vacation to pick up another of her books for a plane ride home. Unfortunately, they didn't have Dogsbody (which is what I was actually looking for), so I grabbed this instead. It took me over a hundred pages to get into the book, and even then I wasn't particularly drawn. The beginning is quite redundant, and I myself have never been a huge fan of Jones's voice when written in first person (though, of course, this is just a personal conflict).The story begins with Jamie, a boy who finds a few mysterious They playing a game. Now, I know this is just, again, my own personal opinion, but the mentioning of They and Them and Theirs over and over again in italics is partly what bothered me. It may seem small, but it eventually became very irritating. Jamie gets treated as a "discard" -- a piece thrown to walk the Boundaries between the worlds. If he finds his way Home, he may stay there. From here, the narrative largely repeats itself; Jamie mentions that he has been to hundreds of worlds, but says nothing much of the specific worlds in themselves, aside from an initial few. Jamie laters meets Helen, who is also a Homeward Bounder, and Joris. Joris is a slave, who thinks quite highly of his master, Konstam. The other characters tire of hearing about Konstam, but the reader also suffers along hearing about him over and over. My biggest peeve about this book was the Christ imagery presented in one of the characters. Frankly, I cannot be sure that this was intentional, but I find it difficult to think that it wasn't. Books like the Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Secret Garden, while I love them, have bothered me in their religious themes; Jones has always seemed to avoid them, so I was left uncomfortable with it here. If you're new to Diana Wynne Jones, I would recommend starting with the Chronicles of Chrestomanci or the Dalemark Quartet instead of this.
Rating:
Summary: Not one of her best.
Review: Having read quite a bit of Diana Wynne Jones, I stopped at a bookstore while on vacation to pick up another of her books for a plane ride home. Unfortunately, they didn't have Dogsbody (which is what I was actually looking for), so I grabbed this instead. It took me over a hundred pages to get into the book, and even then I wasn't particularly drawn. The beginning is quite redundant, and I myself have never been a huge fan of Jones's voice when written in first person (though, of course, this is just a personal conflict). The story begins with Jamie, a boy who finds a few mysterious They playing a game. Now, I know this is just, again, my own personal opinion, but the mentioning of They and Them and Theirs over and over again in italics is partly what bothered me. It may seem small, but it eventually became very irritating. Jamie gets treated as a "discard" -- a piece thrown to walk the Boundaries between the worlds. If he finds his way Home, he may stay there. From here, the narrative largely repeats itself; Jamie mentions that he has been to hundreds of worlds, but says nothing much of the specific worlds in themselves, aside from an initial few. Jamie laters meets Helen, who is also a Homeward Bounder, and Joris. Joris is a slave, who thinks quite highly of his master, Konstam. The other characters tire of hearing about Konstam, but the reader also suffers along hearing about him over and over. My biggest peeve about this book was the Christ imagery presented in one of the characters. Frankly, I cannot be sure that this was intentional, but I find it difficult to think that it wasn't. Books like the Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Secret Garden, while I love them, have bothered me in their religious themes; Jones has always seemed to avoid them, so I was left uncomfortable with it here. If you're new to Diana Wynne Jones, I would recommend starting with the Chronicles of Chrestomanci or the Dalemark Quartet instead of this.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING,UNIQUE,DELIGHTFUL.
Review: It is true. I had to resort to paying an outrageous price to get my hands on a copy.As far as I'm concerned, Diana Wynne Jones is worth her weight in many precious substances, and so I was quite happy to do so. I read this at one sitting (ignoring everything around me,including work,phone,and other humans.) Strange behaviour for a responsible adult you may think.Not when it comes to this author.I am spellbound by this womans creativity, imagination, and skill. This was different once again from her other works. She creates worlds within worlds, layers within layers, as always but in this story she does so literally. What wonderful worlds, what great characters, what strange twists and turns.It all begins at The Old Fort, where are found Masters of the Real and Ancient Game. In other words,"THEM".From that point on,it is US or THEM,and it would seem that THEY have the power. The power to transport others far from home,to play with time and space,to control and punish, to decide the destiny of all other worlds and all other beings,and to silence the voice of truth.And THEY cheat. Does this plot sound familiar? Not in the capable hands of Diana Wynne Jones. She can always be counted on to surprise and delight and captivate her readers, no matter what age. Detail is so rich, there is always humour, and you can depend on unpredictability and surprise.I love the characters she creates. They live for me. I want to know them, to adventure with them, to talk with them. Do yourself a favour. If you can, get a copy of this and sit down to enjoy one of the greatest writers of fantasy of all time. If you can't find this one,read another. Her work is too good to miss, no matter what your age.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and inventive fantasy novel
Review: Jamie is a twelve year old boy in a 19th century British city, until he takes an interest in a building called the Old Fort. He learns that beings within, known as Them, are gaming with the people in the world as pawns. For his trouble, he is thrown out to the Bounds, different worlds, which are also being used as gameboards. He is told that if he can find his way home, he can stay there, yet as he ages incredibly slowly, he cannot find his way. He does meet up with others in the same situation--the Wandering Jew, the Flying Dutchman and his crew, and others, and lastly, two other children, Helen and Joris. Finally, they form a plan to fight back . . . A great and inventive book. It really isn't like any other book I've ever read. The plot is unique. It leaves you thinking. The single puzzle, the identity of the chained one, should not form any difficulty for anyone on the high school level or higher. Apparently Jamie never had mythology in school . . . Read it. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Wander Lust
Review: Story flowed quickly with a zen like grace. The hero of the story became curious and came upon the gods as they were conducting their games with human lives. Instead of being chained to a rock with vultures picking at his liver for the rest of time, the hero was cast into a punishment of constantly changing enviroment. Enough of the story! As i read this book, i identified with the hero's sense of curiosity about the world. Unlike the hero, i am (was) too much of a coward to accept the universal calling to adventure and glory. (Luke Skywalker?) From reading this book, I was seduced with the sense for wander. I needed to go! I felt there was more to this world than what was in front of me. I felt the world was a wonderfull place that was alive with lessons to help me grow. (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) This book taught me the world -WILL- change regardless of what we want in the mundane world. I lwas taught to expect change, to grow with and be encourage by those changes. I felt my life was enriched by reading this metaphor
Rating:
Summary: Wander Lust
Review: Story flowed quickly with a zen like grace. The hero of the story became curious and came upon the gods as they were conducting their games with human lives. Instead of being chained to a rock with vultures picking at his liver for the rest of time, the hero was cast into a punishment of constantly changing enviroment. Enough of the story! As i read this book, i identified with the hero's sense of curiosity about the world. Unlike the hero, i am (was) too much of a coward to accept the universal calling to adventure and glory. (Luke Skywalker?) From reading this book, I was seduced with the sense for wander. I needed to go! I felt there was more to this world than what was in front of me. I felt the world was a wonderfull place that was alive with lessons to help me grow. (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) This book taught me the world -WILL- change regardless of what we want in the mundane world. I lwas taught to expect change, to grow with and be encourage by those changes. I felt my life was enriched by reading this metaphor
Rating:
Summary: Roleplaying in real life
Review: The first Jones book I read, and one of the best. Written with her trademark wit and humour, but with more of an eye to the serious, "The Homeward Bounders" tells of a boy trapped inside something like a vast collection of role-playing games. The ending was particularly satisfying - Ms. Jones successfully resisted the urge to lighten the tone too far.
Rating:
Summary: A book to make you homesick!
Review: The Homeward Bounders gives you shivers down your spine! The plot centres around a boy from our world who sees something he shouldn't and is sent off on a tour of the worlds. He's been promised that if he finds "home" he can stay there. His hope is the only thing that keeps him going on his dangerous and lonely journey. But will his hopes ever be fulfilled? This is a book which is really funny in parts, but awfully sad in others. It's a book that makes you think.
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