Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes it's best to start with book two . . .
Review: My daughter got this book for her birthday, and I immediately borrowed it. Truly wonderful - a very funny and affectionate send-up of D&D. But my daughter had a hard time getting into the story. Probable cause: after a rousing start there's a fair amount of set-up time for the complicated plot, and lots of characters to keep track of. For Christmas, the same friends gave my daughter "Year of the Griffin." This time it was love at first sight. "Year of the Griffin" begins with a group of new students arriving at school, so the introduction of the characters is very simple and straightforward. After finishing "Griffin," my daughter returned to "Dark Lord" and read it straight through. While that's the wrong order chronologically, it might be the right order for some readers. (I know this book has nothing to do with ballet. But it's only natural for ballerinas to enjoy fantasy, right?)
Rating:
Summary: Sentenced to live in Disneyland
Review: Plot summary:
There is a portal between the world we know and a world of magic. A capitalist entrepreneur, Mr. Chesney, controls the portal and uses it annually to transport adventure-seeking tourists to experience Magical Pilgrimages, in which the usual figures of Dark Lord, Enchanted Temptress, Wizard Guide and so on are supplied by the denizens of the magical world--against their will and to the complete disruption of their usual lives.This is where the fun starts, for denizens of the magical world have feelings and motivations much like ours. That is to say, how would YOU like to live forever as a "cast member" in Disneyland? That is their fate--except that they are rebelling against it at long last. The central characters of the story are the Wizard Derk and his family. Derk is a master of biological wizardry--he's a gene splicer. His children are both human and griffin (one of the best parts of this story). We get to know each of the children in turn as they help their father fulfill the burden Mr. Chesney has placed upon him, sometimes with heartbreaking results. Diana Wynne Jones is marketed in the book world as a young adult novelist, but I (an adult) have thoroughly enjoyed every one of her books. Positive elements: Characterization is very good--the children (human and griffin) are well drawn and believable. The plot twists and turns in a satisfying way. Some of the magical creatures are very funny (flying pigs?). I particularly liked the way Jones meshes mundane reality and magical comeuppance. If you haven't read a great deal of fantasy, some of the humor will pass you by, as the book gently mocks the conventions of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Superb!!!!
Review: Thank-God. I have been waiting for so long for a new Diana Wynne Jones book to come out. She is by far the best young adult-fantasy author there is out there. I have read about half of her books and I know that the others will be great(If only I could find where to buy them!) This book was no exception. I felt as though I was right along side Derk and Blade in their adventure. I was absorbed right into the pages of the book. I felt Derk's sorrow at all the losses he encountered, and I could feel the magic coming right out of the book and onto my skin. I could not put it down at all. Have fun reading it!!!!
Rating:
Summary: read this
Review: This book was so interesting that I couldn't put it down
Rating:
Summary: The BEST fantasy book ever!
Review: This book was wonderrrrful!!! If you like the Harry Potter series, you'll love this! The story is different, but it has the same feel to at as J.K. Rowling's writings. A great book. If I could give this book above five stars I would. This book is G R E A T!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Darklord of Derkholm
Review: This book wasn't so bad for a mid-evil book. I would of expected the battles to be more intense. Also the characters do not have a lot of background and they do not develop throughout the story.Also the story becomes quite dull at some points such as points when they begin to discover what Mr.Chesney's plan is later in the book. The book is not totally bad though points in the story like the battles that involves dragons and the griffins it become a little interesting. In my opinion the part that pulls the reader in is the events when a main character is attacked or is taken away. The characters can be quite hard to keep track of because he are never together at once. Also the writer doesn't quite clearly explain the physcial characteristics of the characters. I would reccomend this book to people who have read the lord of the rings or people who love fantasy books period.
Rating:
Summary: Though a bit confusing, a wonderful book!
Review: This creative and original book approaches fantasy as it's never been approached before. Jones slyly inserts quite a few comments about fantasy stories and writers, while still portraying a wonderfully entertaining story. A problem I found with Jones' writing, is that she introduces all of her characters at once, sometimes making a reader have to flip back a couple pages to remember which character is who. Other than the slight confusion of introducing them, Jones' characters are wonderfully developed, each with his or her own distinct quirks. I suppose the ultimate reason I liked this book was because of the originality of the whole plot. A definite read for someone who is focused enough to stay with the plot as it twists and turns.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is funny and at the same time has a good plot and excellent character development which is unfortunatly no always the case in modern fantasy. I only wish I could give it more stars :)
Rating: 
Summary: gang raped by soldiers?
Review: This one was pretty typical of her recent work, interesting and kind of dark but not a downer. However, one of the main characters, a 16-year-old girl, gets gang raped by mercenaries (those words aren't used, but it's made clear) and it doesn't contribute to plot or character development. Given that this book seems to be slanted to younger readers, that scene came as a shock.
Rating:
Summary: A great fantasy
Review: This was by far one of the best books I have ever read. It's a little confusing at first, but once you get into it you can't set it down. It is well thought out, and like many of Jones's novels, it's much better the second time around. I would recomend this book to any fantasy lover!
| 
