Deep Secret

I have enjoyed Diana Wynne Jones for years, and until recently I thought that Howel's Moving Castle was the best I would ever read by her. Now it's having to fight for the title. This book is very good, extremely engaging, and well-written. The characters are unique and well characterized, and the different worlds that this is set on are varied and interesting as well. Our protagonists are quirky and fun, and the villans are well worth them. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Like most other books by Diana Wynne Jones you quickly find yourself understanding the complex world of the Magids. Every character in this book has their own little angle and it is fun to see how they all interact and it all comes together. Nothing is really wasted plotwise although you don't realize this fully until the end.Really this book is just plain lot's of fun to read!

The Magids keep the positive and negative magic in balance throughout the Multiverse. Junior Magid Rubert Venables, an Earthling, works the barbaric Koyrfonic Empires where trouble is a way of life. In the large scheme of the Multiverse, a backward series of planets usually means little. However, this group happens to be located at a critical point where the center of the Multiverse twists onto itself. When someone assassinates the Emperor, Rupert has to find the rightful heir even though the previous ruler seems to have killed all of them before a possible chaotic civil war even starts.. However, Rupert has a second problem to deal with at the same time. He has been assigned the task of finding the replacement to his own mentor, who just died. Rupert must go to Earth and select the most competent of the junior Magids (including himself) to become the new Magid of the planet. He meets with the five contenders at a SF convention, but other forces not quite as friendly as the hostile candidates are also there. DEEP SECRET is a great SF tale that fans will take much pleasure in reading. The story line is exciting, complex, and unique as only Diana Wynne Jones can do. The eccentric cast of characters seem real as they add humor and make magic appear to be part of the scientific realm. Anyone who wants something a bit different, should try this novel and hopefully any future Multiverse books.Harriet Klausner

I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard that Diana Wynne Jones had started writing books for adults. But Deep Secret seems no different from her children's books - not that that's a bad thing! Once again she's written a truly terrific book. I couldn't put it down and it had me laughing out loud. The characters are wonderful and there's a lovely love story running through it. I now have two ambitions in life - to be a Magid and to meet a centaur. Read Deep Secret and you will too!