hi. my name is erin.

tacroy:

Who is Diana Wynne Jones?

Wikipedia: “Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British writer, principally of fantasy novels for children and adults, as well as a small amount of non-fiction. Some of her better-known works include the Chrestomanci series and the novels Howl’s Moving Castle and Dark Lord of Derkholm.”

So she’s a children’s writer?

Sure, you could say that. Her books were marketed to children. According to Jones, she wrote for ages seven to fifteen. But Jones has a ton of adult fans, whether they’re children who have grown up or adults who came to her work late. She’s a writer’s writer, a favorite of the likes of Neil Gaiman, and the focus of some academic work.

And she’s a fantasy writer?

That’s trickier. She definitely likes fantasy—her words: ‘In my opinion, fantasy is the most important single way of making experience and understanding available to children (with comedy a close second).’ But Jones isn’t constrained by something like genre. Her books are sometimes combination pieces: they can be science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, and other genres all at the same time. She liked to call what she wrote ‘speculative fiction.’

So what makes Diana Wynne Jones so great, then?

Here’s one post about that. In a few words: if you like intricate, brilliant plotting, realistic and gorgeously rendered characters, breathtaking worldbuilding, simple yet compelling writing, bold morals, and children being taken seriously, then you will probably like Diana Wynne Jones.

What do I read first?

(This is all my personal opinion.) It depends what you like. In to high fantasy? Dark Lord of Derkholm. Want to get straight into the mind-blowing, complex stuff? Hexwood, definitely. Ready to both sob your heart out and get all confused about genre? Go for Dogsbody or The Homeward Bounders. Interested in fairy tales (and stupidly attractive men)? Howl’s Moving Castle. What if I told you that Archer’s Goon had the best plot you will ever read? And that Charmed Life has the best characters?

There are five series: the six Chrestomanci novels (and four short stories), which stand alone but make a little more sense when read together or in order; the Dalemark quartet, which have different main characters but arguably follow a linear plot; the Magids books, which can be read separately (and often are, as the first book, Deep Secret, was written for adults—but, interestingly, marketed to children in the US but not the UK after being slightly censored—and the second book, The Merlin Conspiracy, was written for children); the three-book Howl series, which should definitely be read in order; and the two Derkholm books, which should be read in order as well.

Jones has published around forty novels and plenty of short stories—here’s a good list, and another on her Wikipedia page. Her books are distinct individuals. They’re as varied as rice pudding and (arguably) even tastier.

Are her books easy to find?

That depends. If you live in the UK or an English-speaking Commonwealth state, they probably are. If you live in the US, you may have to look. Even though I got most of my Jones books from Barnes & Noble, they only stock Howl’s Moving Castle these days. Check out other book stores or second-hand shops like Half Price. Independent book stores like BookPeople and Powell’s will definitely have big collections of Jones books, and libraries will as well. They’re for sure available—and generally for cheap—on sites like Amazon or BetterWorldBooks.

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Why I love Jones so much: Well, currently I’m writing a thesis about her. I’ve always loved her books, and what I love the most is how she takes children and family dysfunction seriously. You can ask me anything about Jones. I think I know a lot, considering I’ve recently visited her archive and have been/will be writing about her for over a year. If you’re a DWJ fan, I’d love to talk to you. And if you’ve gotten this far in reading this then I’m sure I’d love to talk to you anyway!