The Merlin Conspiracy

Rating:
Summary: "We Now Tip the Balance of Magic into Our Hands..."
Review: "The Merlin Conspiracy" is Diana Wynne Jones's latest and long-awaited move back into the fantasy arena, as a sequel of sorts to "Deep Secret". In saying this, it only includes one character from its predecessing novel - Nick - and if you haven't read it, it doesn't mean you won't be able to understand "The Merlin Conspiracy". However, I suggest reading "Deep Secret", not just because it's a good read for its own sake, but because it will give you a basic understanding of the concepts of the Multiverse and Magids that Jones once again instigates in this latest story.

Arianrhod "Roddy" Hyde is the daughter of two court wizards who travel with the King's Progress, the on-going court progression of the King, the Merlin and his entire court that ensures the wellbeing of the Isles of Blest (a parallel-world version of the Isles of Britain). Her life revolves around rituals, ceremonies, court life and looking after her young friend Grundo, who has a rather nasty mother and sister. This mother Sybil seems to have a secret plan - after the death of the old Merlin and the appointment of the new, and an enchantment that renders everybody except Roddy and Grundo under her spell, Roddy seeks the help of her two grandfathers who might shed some light on the situation.

Meanwhile, Nick Mallory (the only returning character from the afore-mentioned "Deep Secret") lives a rather ordinary life (not surprising since he lives on our Earth) but has big dreams of becoming a Magid and travelling into other worlds. His wish is abruptly granted when he finds himself in another world, mistaken for somebody else, and soon dodging police officers and assassins in order to reach the dark paths - the place that allows for travel between the worlds. After meeting the intensely powerful Romanov, and Roddy who summons his help in Blest, Nick is soon a player in the unfolding tangle of secrets and plots.

Their two stories are told in alternating chapters as the Merlin Conspiracy unravels, and has everything one has come to expect from Diana Wynne Jones: magical islands, time manipulation, races through the universe, contemporary myths, quirky characters, imposters, and an elephant! As usual the author comes up with some fascinating ideas such as personified cities and magical, intelligent dinnerware, and a twisting, intricate plot in which every little detail can end up having great importance and ramifications. This indeed seems to be the main theme of the book - that one tiny word or gesture can have life-altering consequences, for either good or bad.

Roddy and Nick are both great characters that speak to the reader directly in first-person narrative, and in doing so the reader is able to learn the characters' impressions of each other, making them more three-dimensional figures. After all, a person talking in first-person narrative is hardly qualitified to point out their *own* faults, but Nick and Roddy are more than able to analyse and critise each other! Unfortunately, most of the likeable characters from "Deep Secret" are not back, but Jones has always been original, and it is to be commended that she can create an entirely different story within the same regulations of her created universe without resorting to repeating herself.

There are more nasty villains, in the form of Sybil, Sir James, Alicia and the severely annoying Izzies, and Jones again shows her skill in forming realistic human behaviour and relationships - take for example the prickly meeting that Grandmother Heppy and Roddy share. Furthermore, Jones's trademark use of time-travelling and parallel universes are used in such a way that they make you think, not go cross-eyed with confusion.

"The Merlin Conspiracy" is perhaps geared toward older readers than most of her other books (there is a *huge* cast of characters), but anyone who knows Jones and her books well will concede that although this is not her greatest story, but it still a very entertaining read.

Rating:
Summary: Yay! Another new DWJ!
Review: As always, I highly recommend all of Diana Wynne Jones books. She's been around for some time. I wish all the Harry Potter fans would discover her books. She well deserves the fame/acclaim.

I especially enjoy her creative imagination. Each book is set in a different world or group of world and each setting is complex, and each plot is satisfying and leaves you wanting more.

That was my main complaint about this book. It wasn't LONG ENOUGH! A complicated plot, lots of interesting worlds, many fascinating characters, etc., etc. I wanted more.

It was great to see Nick from 'Deep Secret' again and I enjoyed Roddy. The budding romance was fun "to watch". I enjoyed seeing what was going on from both character's points of view.

I would have loved to get an update of the other characters from Deep Secret - Maree especially. That book has been one of my favorites so far. I wish DWJ would write MORE adult novels. In some ways, she's wasted on children :-)

My only caveat: the ending was rushed and simplistic --unsatisfying. Let's hope there are more books to come with Nick, Roddy and etc.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging characters, interesting magic
Review: Diana Wynne Jones has been publishing wonderful fantasy novels for over 30 years. Most of her work has been aimed nominally at "young adults", but it most definitely appeals to adults of any age. Her new novel, The Merlin Conspiracy, is set in the same Multiverse as her 1997 novel Deep Secret, and it features Nick Mallory, a character from the earlier book, but it is an independent story.

The Merlin Conspiracy follows two characters. Arianhrod ("Roddy") Hyde is the daughter of a weather magician at the Court of the King of Blest, the England-analog in her universe. She and her young friend Grundo discover a plot involving Grundo's unpleasant mother and her new boyfriend as well as the new Merlin of Blest. The rest of her family becomes enchanted in various ways and unable to move against this plot. Roddy and Grundo become separated from the Progress of the Court (the King cannot stay in any one place for long) and they gad across Blest, looking for help from Roddy's two powerful Grandfathers, and her eccentric Grandmother. Along the way she inherits the magical knowledge of a long-dead Welshwoman, and she summons a wizard to help her.

This wizard turns out to be Nick Mallory, who is the adopted son of an Earth writer, but who really comes from another part of the Multiverse, and who aspires to wizardry but hasn't actually learned much. Somewhat by accident, he has ended up lost in another universe, from which he wanders to some additional ones, after a threat from a powerful wizard named Romanov. Nick follows Romanov to his strange island, in several universes at once, and there he meets an elephant named Mini. He is also contacted by Roddy, and it becomes clear that he is supposed to help her, and also that he is very attracted to her.

Eventually all the principals end up in Blest, where things are getting worse and worse. The plot seems on the verge of succeeding, and the two young people, with help from a few others they've gathered along the way, must risk the balance of Magic in the entire Multiverse by Raising the Land, in hopes of foiling the conspirators.

This is a fine novel, but not quite Jones at her very best. Jones's magical imagination is delightful as ever, but at times things do seem a bit arbitrary. And the plot, though in the end worked out pretty nicely, also seems arbitrary for long stretches. Still, even if not her best work, it's very good -- Nick and Roddy are interesting characters, and well-portrayed, with real and believable problems and shortcomings. Many of the minor characters are delights as well -- particularly the elephant Mini. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Read Deep Secret first, then this immediately.
Review: Diana Wynne Jones is a marvel. This is a children's book, a sequel to her adult scifi/fantasy "Deep Secret," but everyone should read both, one right after the other. This book is *very* sophisticated for a kid's book, mostly because in part the narrative has the weird, disjointed atmosphere of dreams. Still, it's a terrific story, and some parts of it are laugh-out-loud hilarious (particularly if you're a fan of Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, etc.). Once again Wynne Jones has created two utterly great protagonists (Nick Mallory from Deep Secret, and a new character named Roddy who is another of Wynne Jones' standard feisty, mercurial, unsentimental heroines), plus a bunch of completely great supporting characters, including a girlishly nervous elephant and twin witches who are more maddening than a roomful of Eloises. The story careens around in time and space, every action is not without a reaction in the future, and in the process Wynne Jones actually makes a convincing case for *not* having to like horrible relatives just because they're your blood. Amazing! I hope to God she never stops writing, as her imagination and vision are mind-boggling, as well as being wildly entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: The Merlin Conspiracy
Review: Do you believe in coincedences? Roddy, Grundo, and Nick (who is from a different world and is accidentally summoned by Roddy) don't. So when the Merlin dies of a heartattack at the worst possible moment they refuse to believe his death is "natural". But who's going to believe a couple of kids? Absolutely no one, until they meet Maxwell Hyde and Romanov, two extremely powerful wizards who finally believe them. But will even their help be enough to take on the new Merlin and everyone helping him?

This is a wonderful book, when I finished reading it I went back to the beginning and read it another two times.

Rating:
Summary: Another great book
Review: I love Diana Wynne Jones' books. They are fun to read, she makes wonderful personalities, and they always makes you feel good, in one way or another. Forget about Harry Potter, she made great magical books long before the Potter-hysteria.

This book is one of her best, along "The tale of time city", "Dogsbody" and a couple of more (but no book can compete with Charmed life, and The dark lord of Derkholm, her best!).

This book has great and interesting characters, a nice story and lots of imagination. You just have to love the wizards house when he's sick, and the city she describes. She has a way of telling a story with both some tragic, dark and bad things, and things that make you happy and feel good. I always have a smile on my face after reading one of her books.

Most of her books are made for a pree-teen or teen reader, but I think more adults should read her. Why read a boring novel about a life like your own, when you can disappear into another world? She has written some books for adult readers, I really recommend them too. They are a little bit more serious, but otherewise just the same, with a fantastic imagination and characters with real depth.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best...
Review: I waited a long time for this book to come out. When I finally got it, I was disappointed. The first few chapters of the book felt promising...I was glued to the pages. As the book went on though, the plot went downhill. Unlike her similar book, Deep Secret, The Merlin Conspiracy didn't seem to flow right with the multiverse that DS created. Merlin Conspiracy seemed more to be a cross between the multiverse of infinity, and the worlds of Chrestomanci.

I would still recommend this book to readers. It was a fun read, even if it was disappointing. I would prefer Deep Secret to the Merlin Conspiracy anyday.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best...
Review: I waited a long time for this book to come out. When I finally got it, I was disappointed. The first few chapters of the book felt promising...I was glued to the pages. As the book went on though, the plot went downhill. Unlike her similar book, Deep Secret, The Merlin Conspiracy didn't seem to flow right with the multiverse that DS created. Merlin Conspiracy seemed more to be a cross between the multiverse of infinity, and the worlds of Chrestomanci.

I would still recommend this book to readers. It was a fun read, even if it was disappointing. I would prefer Deep Secret to the Merlin Conspiracy anyday.

Rating:
Summary: The Merlin Conspiracy
Review: I've read the majority of Diana Wynne Jones' books, and this would have to be one of my favourites. In my opinion it is in the middle range of what I see as her two writing styles, she has a lighter style (eg. Howl's moving castle, Castle in the Air, The Chrestomanci series)and a darker style (eg. The Crown of Dalemark Series, The Time of the Ghost) also in the middle I would put her similarly themed book Deep Secrets.

I thought the book was well thought out and although it was detailed the descriptive part didn't get in the way of the storyline. The characters were fairly interesting and you could enter into their feelings most of the time. The worlds were very well developed and interesting, I think if you lose interest in any part of the story it detracts from the experience.

The plot revolves around the threat to the position of Merlin in one world and the help that can be offered from another world in the form of a normal teenage boy. I'm not very good at revealing plots so I'll leave that up to the better reviewers. :)

Rating:
Summary: Yet another English boy magician book!
Review: It seems that a lot of authors have sprung on the "English boy who doesn't know he's got magic powers" bandwagon after the success of you-know-who (er, I don't mean Voldemort!). However, Diana Wynne Jones has been writing this sort of thing for a long time and "The Merlin Conspiracy" is one of the better books she's written. Dealing as her books usually do with the many-worlds theory, it begins with one young girl who travels with the King's court in the England of her world (called Blest rather than England), and continues later with Nick, a boy in a different version of England who knows about magic powers but doesn't believe he has any. The story is written in alternating chapters, first one by Roddy (the girl), then one by Nick, and so on.

Where this book differs from some of the more "heavy magic" books is in its humor. A circus elephant gets lost in the paths between worlds and ends up playing a supporting role - the fact that her name is "Mini" seems like forced humor, but it's the only example of forced humor I can remember in the book. (An interesting question: when Mini speaks her name, why does Nick understand it to be "Mini" and not "Minnie"? I'd argue that anyone hearing that word pronounced as a name would visualize the name "Minnie" and not the other word. But this is a minor point [pun intended].)

Anyway, this is an enjoyable a read as I've had in some time. Fans of HP, Artemis Fowl, and the Bartimaeus Trilogy will probably enjoy this, as well as most of Ms. Jones' other works.