The Crown of Dalemark

I thought The Crown of Dalemark was easily the best book in the Dalemark quartet. But dont get me wrong, they are all very good. This book has lots of adventure, and lots of wit. Mitt might be one of my favorite characters ever! If you are thinking about reading this book (which you should) you should definitely read the first three books in the quartet (Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Amment, The Spellcoats) to understand what is going on, but I think you can still understand it without reading the third. Try Diana's other books to, but this one, in my opinion, is the best!

In my mind, a good book is one that's hard to forget, one that you think about long after you finish it. If you agree and enjoy fantasy, then this book is definitely one you will want to look into. I read the first three Dalemark books before this one, so by the time I got to it, I was almost in a frenzy to finish it. When I did, I had to sit around for a long time afterward, just thinking about what I'd read. I always say that any book that can be described as "heartbreaking" is not for me, but I really, really liked this book, though that description is still apt. (I cried when I read it, but hey, that's me.)Another thing I really enjoy about Diana Wynne Jones' books is that they are like giant puzzles, and they don't quite fit until the very end, and everything just locks into place. In this respect you can liken them to the Harry Potter novels, so if you have read them but are unfamiliar with Diana Wynne Jones you may want to try this.Though the size of the book is formidable, it is one that makes you want to read it more than once, and one that is just as impressive, just as heartbreaking, and just as wonderful every time. Read this quartet. And then read all her other books. You'll be doing yourself a favor.

I read this book two months ago, and I am still rereading it over and over. It is the saddest, sweetest, funniest, adventurest book I have ever read. This was the first book that made me cry. I think that it has changed my life and that it will be one of my favorite books of all time and on my list, it's tied with Harry Potter. Please read these books, they will change the way you look at life- Claire Tuley age 12

Well, I must say, the first three were okay. I don't know, I don't think I needed to have read them at all. In fact, I first read Drowned Ammet, then the Spellcoats, then this book, then Cart and the Cwidder...and I understood the Crown of Dalemark fine without reading the Cart and Cwidder. This though, was THE most awesome book! Looking at this I now remember what the cover of the book looks like; mine has long since been ripped off because of being shoved in and out of my locker and carrying it to classes. I will never get sick of this book, it is, without a sliver of a doubt, among the best books I have ever read. I think I say that for a lot of the books I read, but this one I mean it. The ending though...I'm not saying it was bad, it was excellent! But I hate endings like that...it's a matter of personal opinion, I think. So PLEASE let there, in the future, be a sequel to this book! I know it's a quartet, but I want to know what happens! Oh well, if you havn't read any of the series yet, I would suggest you read this book first. If you really enjoy it, go on to read the other three to get more detail on the characters. This book was THE BEST!

Diana Wynne Jones has the ability to draw you completely into her world, engage you absolutely with her characters, and carry you along on her story, so that, reaching the end, you return unwillingly to real life, realising that it is 4am, you have work, college or school tomorrow, and you want to read it all over again. Her books have always had this effect on me, since I first stumbled over "the ogre downstairs" at the age of 11. 23 years later and she's still doing it, and this is her best(yet). A tremendous story, that stands alone, but is the superb culmination to a quartet of real enchantment. I dare you try to put it down once open!