Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
May. 10th, 2009 11:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
”All I did was ask you for a role-playing game. You never warned me I’d be pitched into it for real! And I asked you for hobbits on a grail quest, and not one hobbit have I seen!”
When Controller Borasus receives a strange letter from Earth he is both curious and alarmed. Someone has activated an ancient machine – and is using it for most trivial purposes! Surely no one would dare to tamper with Reigner seals in this way? Yet the effects of such interference could resonate throughout the universe, so he decides to go to Hexwood Farm to investigate ...
On Hexwood Estate, Ann watches the mysterious comings and goings with interest. Hexwood is like human memory; it doesn’t reveal its secrets in chronological order. Consequently, whenever Ann enters Hexwood, she cannot guarantee on ending up in the same place or even the same time. She knows something deadly is going on – or is Hexwood simply altering her too?
This is a really difficult story to summarise without giving away spoilers and that would be a shame because the complicated structure that Jones uses to craft this tale is a real gem. In a nutshell, the plot incorporates dragons, magic, knights, politics and cruel beings from another world, forgotten identities, mysterious voices, usurpers and heroes, true love, a Grail quest and a robot. It is not a linear story – the time frames jump about for the first 100 pages and half-way through, the identities of some of the characters change. However, Jones does it so assuredly that you never doubt her control over her material and the story itself is a delight.
Particularly well drawn is Mordien – one of that breed of troubled characters with a dark past that Jones does so well. However he is equally supported by Hume, a young boy who grows up as the story progresses but never loses his taste for adventure and desire to fight a dragon. Yam the robot provides comic relief and Ann’s role is to offer pragmatic advice and draw Mordien away from his darker thoughts. The villains are suitably dastardly, particularly the twinkly eyed Reigner One, with his sinister agendas and manipulation of fellow Reigners Two, Three, Four and Five.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story and one with a scope that is rarely seen in novels for 9 to 12 year olds, which is a shame. Jones assumes that readers have the ability to keep pace with her, so this may not be a suitable book for nervous readers, but confident ones will love the adventure and thrills that Jones spills out along the way.
The Verdict:
Complex, ambitious and utterly enthralling, this novel may be too sophisticated for nervous child readers, but will utterly bewitch older and more confident ones. It’s a bravura read of a type that is all too rare nowadays.
When Controller Borasus receives a strange letter from Earth he is both curious and alarmed. Someone has activated an ancient machine – and is using it for most trivial purposes! Surely no one would dare to tamper with Reigner seals in this way? Yet the effects of such interference could resonate throughout the universe, so he decides to go to Hexwood Farm to investigate ...
On Hexwood Estate, Ann watches the mysterious comings and goings with interest. Hexwood is like human memory; it doesn’t reveal its secrets in chronological order. Consequently, whenever Ann enters Hexwood, she cannot guarantee on ending up in the same place or even the same time. She knows something deadly is going on – or is Hexwood simply altering her too?
This is a really difficult story to summarise without giving away spoilers and that would be a shame because the complicated structure that Jones uses to craft this tale is a real gem. In a nutshell, the plot incorporates dragons, magic, knights, politics and cruel beings from another world, forgotten identities, mysterious voices, usurpers and heroes, true love, a Grail quest and a robot. It is not a linear story – the time frames jump about for the first 100 pages and half-way through, the identities of some of the characters change. However, Jones does it so assuredly that you never doubt her control over her material and the story itself is a delight.
Particularly well drawn is Mordien – one of that breed of troubled characters with a dark past that Jones does so well. However he is equally supported by Hume, a young boy who grows up as the story progresses but never loses his taste for adventure and desire to fight a dragon. Yam the robot provides comic relief and Ann’s role is to offer pragmatic advice and draw Mordien away from his darker thoughts. The villains are suitably dastardly, particularly the twinkly eyed Reigner One, with his sinister agendas and manipulation of fellow Reigners Two, Three, Four and Five.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable story and one with a scope that is rarely seen in novels for 9 to 12 year olds, which is a shame. Jones assumes that readers have the ability to keep pace with her, so this may not be a suitable book for nervous readers, but confident ones will love the adventure and thrills that Jones spills out along the way.
The Verdict:
Complex, ambitious and utterly enthralling, this novel may be too sophisticated for nervous child readers, but will utterly bewitch older and more confident ones. It’s a bravura read of a type that is all too rare nowadays.
