Minor arcana

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look into DWJ's mind...
Review: I have read almost everything Diana Wynne Jones has written, and while I think she is a master novelist, I have always been disappointed by her short stories. This collection is the only exception. I enjoyed almost every story in it, and I was especially fascinated by the stories based on ideas which later evolved into some of her best books. "The True State of Affairs" seems to be the beta version of the Dalemark series, and "Dragon Reserve, Home 8", as she says in her introduction, came from the melting pot of ideas from which the Chrestomanci stories emerged.

My favorite story is "What The Cat Told Me", a charming and funny tale from the point of view of a very cat-like cat. "The Master" is dreamlike and haunting -- I had to read it several times before I started to understand it, and I found it creepier every time. Ironically, my least favorite story was "The Sage of Theare", a Chrestomanci story written after the series was already popular. "The Girl Who Loved The Sun" was an interesting take on Greek myth, and "Dan adn Nad and Quaffy" starts out with a premise that would amuse anyone who's ever been stuck for many hours at a keyboard.

I found this a much better short story collection than "Stopping for a Spell" or "Believing is Seeing" or "Warlock at the Wheel", all of which disappointed me (and most of which have a few stories from this, "Minor Arcana," which I believe was published first). It is a good choice for anyone who is already a Diana Wynne Jones fan who wants a better idea how she works as an author, or is interested in her early work; but for a reader new to DWJ, read "Dogsbody" or "Archer's Goon" (or the Chrestomanci books, or the Dalemark Quartet first).

Rating:
Summary: Humor, Horror, and Everything in Between
Review: Thasper is born to spread disorder in a world that thrives on Rules and Systems and Order. He finds himself asking disastrous questions that no one has discovered answers for. And a young veterinarian has a frightening and surreal dream about three wolves and a man who are not what they seem. But a dream is only a dream, isn't it? Then there is Phega, so smitten by the sun that she tries to turn herself into a tree to please him. And a writer creates aliens and civil wars and battleships on her computer, only to find one morning that a typing error has put her in contact with one of her own creations.

These are far-fetched tales and sometimes one cannot quite suspend one's disbelief, even for the short span of the story, but the humor keeps them entertaining anyway. For Jones fans, there are one or two familiar characters, but most of the cast will be new. I particularly enjoyed "What the Cat Told Me" because it so perfectly captures what a cat would tell you if it could only be bothered to. I also liked "Dragon Reserve, Home Eight," in which one catches a glimpse of a fascinating world worth a return visit.

Jones explains in her introduction that most of these stories were written while she was working on other things. I think it shows. Nothing is as fully explored as it could be and there is so much worth exploring. I kept waiting for an announcement to say that these stories would be continued in their own novels of the type that Jones writes so masterfully. "The True State of Affairs" especially leaves one with so many questions that the story feels unfinished.

Still, I would recommend the book to readers who enjoy Jones' work and to anyone eager for a few tantalizing glimpses into the fantastic, tragic, and fascintating other worlds she imagines.