Year of the Griffin

Rating:
Summary: Diana Wynne Jones is always magical.
Review: I'm a big fan of Diana Wynne Jones, and I was surprised by the style of this book. Year of the Griffin is the sequel to Dark Lord of Derkholm, and takes place eight years after that book ends. In the book, Derk's youngest griffin daughter Elda goes of to the University to become a wizard; she makes friends with five other students quickly. The book contains some of DWJ's trademarks; funny but not perfect characters, hidden depths to those characters, and a world where nothing is only what it seems to be. But perhaps because of the number of the characters, the end of the story seems more concerned with wrapping up their lives than the plot; the plot, unlike in most of Jones' novels, is secondary to the characters. The book is thoroughly enjoyable, but I would not reccomend it to people who haven't read her work before. If you're a first time reader, try Charmed Life or Howl's Moving Castle or Hexwood or Deep Secret--all wonderful--and come back to this one later. Chances are you will.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining read, although not her best
Review: i'm an avid fan of DWJ's earlier works ... although i like the world of -dark lord- and -griffin- better than the chrestomanci or cart and cwidder novels, the characterization and plot here seems more forced than her previous books, such as -hexwood-, -archer's goon-, -fire and hemlock-, and -howl's moving castle-. the book lacks DWJ's more typical clever plot twists and page-turning action (the bulk of the story takes place at the wizard university and consists of more reaction than action) ... still, DWJ juggles her large cast easily and the book contains her characteristically readable text and her great sense of humour, along with creative situations and characters, such as seven miniaturized assassins teaming up with pirates who have been turned into mice and two characters who have jinxes. not her best book, but worth reading ... better than -dark lord-, in my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Convincing, amusing, not quite compelling
Review: In this sequel to "The Dark Lord of Derkholm", we follow Derk's daughter Elda's first year at the Wizard's University. Elda is an enthusiastic, excitable girl who happens to be a griffin. The story focuses on the shortcomings of the faculty of the Wizard's University (all of whom learned magic purely to service the tours which until recently devasted the country), and the various problems of Elda's circle of friends (whose family/people at home would be less than happy to know where they are).

Year of the Griffin is a fun little romp, but doesn't reach the heights of intensity and resonance found in so many other of Jones' novels. Perhaps because the primary cast is so big, the resolutions of their problems aren't felt so intensely. It also seems like a novel is missing from in between "Griffin" and "Dark Lord", as most of Elda's family are off cleaning up a war on another continent and a number of characters involved in the close of "Griffin" seem to have originated in this "missing period" between "Dark Lord" and "Griffin".

Definitely buy "Griffin" - it's a thoroughly enjoyable romp. But at times it feels like the surface of several novels whose depths we never quite reach.

Rating:
Summary: Convincing, amusing, not quite compelling
Review: In this sequel to "The Dark Lord of Derkholm", we follow Derk's daughter Elda's first year at the Wizard's University. Elda is an enthusiastic, excitable girl who happens to be a griffin. The story focuses on the shortcomings of the faculty of the Wizard's University (all of whom learned magic purely to service the tours which until recently devasted the country), and the various problems of Elda's circle of friends (whose family/people at home would be less than happy to know where they are).

Year of the Griffin is a fun little romp, but doesn't reach the heights of intensity and resonance found in so many other of Jones' novels. Perhaps because the primary cast is so big, the resolutions of their problems aren't felt so intensely. It also seems like a novel is missing from in between "Griffin" and "Dark Lord", as most of Elda's family are off cleaning up a war on another continent and a number of characters involved in the close of "Griffin" seem to have originated in this "missing period" between "Dark Lord" and "Griffin".

Definitely buy "Griffin" - it's a thoroughly enjoyable romp. But at times it feels like the surface of several novels whose depths we never quite reach.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, for a sequel
Review: In this sequel to the terrific The Dark Lord of Derkholm, Derk's youngest griffin daughter Elda sets of for wizarding university. Her father, now a hero after helping rid the world of Mr. Chesney's tours, disapproves of the university and only agrees to let Elda go after she pushes a mountain slightly out of shape. Needless to say, the school has never had a griffin student before and some adjustments are necessary. Elda soon makes a group of friends among the other first year students; none of them are exactly average, either. Multiple adventures ensue...

This is a good book: well plotted, occasionally touching, and certainly funny. My only complaint is that it does not live up to Dark Lord and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Few sequels do, I think, especially when the first book(s) are so very original. But don't let this put you off the series. Start with one of the first two -- it doesn't matter which order -- and then try Year of the Griffin.

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite
Review: In Year of the Griffin, Diana Wynne Jones returns to a world she's written about twice before - in the children's novel The Dark Lord of Derkholm, and in the adult(?) book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. It's a pity, too, because the books have been declining in quality as she goes. The Tough Guide was a reasonably funny book for readers of fantasy and RPGers, Dark Lord was a rather standard, empty romp, and now - Year of the Griffin. Which, unfortunately, has the characteristic Jones tone, but lacks the wit, the intelligence, and especially the cohesive plot of her best books.

The eponymous griffin is Elda, the daughter of the human magician Derk, and the year portion of the title refers to her freshman year at the magical university. (Please, no comparisons to Hogwarts or to the Unseen University - it isn't in the same league as either.) The university is seriously strapped for cash, and the members of Elda's class all have secrets - and most of them are being hunted for one reason or another.

The freshmen become a group, and together repel assassins, parents, and problems in ways that should be thoroughly hilarious, but somehow aren't. The feel of Jones' former works is present but the joy is not. Much of the problem appears to be that the author is too fond of her characters; the gigantic but gentle Elda and her cohort occupy a lot of the space that should be plot. The book feels stretched and very light, like a two-page essay made to look like an 8 page one.

It isn't necessary to begin this series at the beginning; if for some reason you want to, you can begin with Year of the Griffin. But if you've never read Jones before, start with her children's classics - Archer's Goon, The Ogre Downstairs - or her best adult novel, Deep Secret. It pains me to say this, because I love Jones' writing, but - unless you're a diehard fan, give Year of the Griffin a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Same faults as "Dark Lord of Derkholm"
Review: Like its predecessor, this book should have been better than it actually is. Like its predecessor, it is full of things the reader should apparently already know, too many characters, too many plot elements that are used to no good effect, too many deus ex machina solutions, and some disturbingly dark elements that I don't find appropriate in a book aimed at children. And in "Year of the Griffin" you can add to that some utterly silly plot holes.
I don't know, some may find this unfocused tale of students at wizard school seeking to redefine what magic is and can be engrossing . . . But I didn't, because the characters aren't very interesting, there is no sense of time passing, the issue of magic's potential goes nowhere, and the novel ends as an excuse to reintroduce characters from "Dark Lord of Derkholm", tie up a few loose ends, and marry everyone off.
Disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Hysterical again and great for us sappy romantics...
Review: Okay, if you are a romantic and you always want the characters in your novels to fall in love... you will definately love this book. If you like outright hilarity and antics that make you giggle as you read, you'll love it, too. But, if you especially love subtle humor, i.e. an anime-esque moment where a character is staring at someone in shock and in disbelief, and in the background something else is blowing up, emphasizing their shock... you'll love it. Diana Wynne Jones has been writing for an awfully long time and she has reached a point in her novels where she hits the subtle notes so well that I end up rolling aroung laughing. I was in fits for the whole last chapter (which is pretty long as things just keep happening!).
This is a great book for both kids and adults. The book is about 6 young people who are attending the Wizarding University in the world Jones created for The Dark Lord of Derkholm. In the process of meeting each other, learning the true meaning of magic and the process of learning itself, and in trying to deal with their insane professors, they learn about themselves and about each other. There are some very poignant moments at the end of the book when some of the kids have to dig into the pain of their pasts to try to fix themselves and their magic before it is too late.
It is a great book about growing up and learning about yourself. Make sure you read The Dark Lord of Derkholm first, or you'll spoil all of the surprises and wonderful things that happen in that fantastic book!

Rating:
Summary: Unusal, but good
Review: This book differs from Diana Wynne Jones' usual style of writing, but that does not make it bad. I loved reading every page of this book, and still turn randomly to any spot and read.

Basic Plot: It's Elda's first year at the university, and her friends and her have adventures.

Rating:
Summary: I want a sequal to this sequal!
Review: This book is as great as the origanel book, Dark Lord of Derkholm. It is about Elda as she goes to the Wizard's Universety. It also is about her friends and the problems they have. Although it is a great book, it is not like Dark Lord of Derkholm, and Derk is barely in the book.