Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories

Britisher Diana Wynne Jones is best known as an author of fantasy novels for tweens and teens, but in this anthology she proves that she can do just as well in short forms, and even betrays some skill at science fiction. Two of the 15 stories ("What the Cat Told Me" and "Little Dot") have feline protagonists; three ("The Plague of Peacocks," "Auntie Bea's Day Out," and "The Fat Wizard") are laugh-out-loud funny; one ("Carruthers") offers a touch of the horrific; and two ("No One" and "Dragon Reserve, Home Eight") are definitely sf. Almost half the book's bulk is taken up by "Everard's Ride," a Victorian-era fantasy about a brother and sister who discover an alternate world centered on a nearby island. Like all the best examples of its genres (all three of them), it contrives to be thoroughly plausible despite its fantastic elements, and is equally enjoyable by adults.

If you love her other books, this will certainly complete your collection and, if you've never read the author, please give her a try. While this book may not be the best place to start, it does give you an overview of her style, her wit and her sheer entertainment value. This is great bed-side reading!!

Prolific fantasy writer Diana Wynne-Jones is one of the few authors who can write short stories and novels equally well. And in "Unexpected Magic," Jones shows her flair for shorter works, with several previously published stories paired with a wonderful new novella. Jones presents us with plenty of stories, mostly fantasy but some that border on SF or horror. A kindly wizard falls for a sniping, obnoxious woman -- and his cats discover her horrible identity. Mum's obsession with her latest whims and fads leads to a plague of fuzzy pink mushrooms -- not to mention a minor family rebellion. A girl falls in love with the sun, and turns into a tree so that it will love her back. Elizabeth develops a friendship with her father's living walking stick, Carruthers. A robot called No One has difficulties following orders, especially with a house full of finicky appliances. Siglin is pursued by a witch-hunt for telepaths, on an alternative world where women rule. And a Boy and an undying cat set out to destroy an evil wizard. And finishing it up is the solid novella "Everard's Ride." Cecilia and Alex are a pair of Victorian kids, who have an unexpected visitor when a richly-dressed outlaw arrives on their doorstep in the rain. But as they venture into another world that borders on ours, they find that not everyone is as benevolent as Lord Robert. Those who have collected Jones' short story collections will probably already have several stories from this book. but "Unexpected Magic" is made worth the while by "Everard's Ride," a sprawling 200-page novella that could easily have been published on its own. It's not Jones' best work, but it is an entrancing and original fantasy tale. Jones' style is all over the map in this collection, since they come from different parts of her career. But it's always detailed and deftly written. She retains a sense of humor in many of the stories like "The Fluffy Pink Toadstool," with its skewering of the all-natural-all-the-time lifestyle. At other times, she dips into an almost melancholy mood, such as "The Girl Who Loved the Sun." One of the few duds is "The Fat Wizard," which is just hard to decipher. Even if you already have the stories elsewhere, "Unexpected Magic" is worth getting just for the wonderful "Everard's Ride." Full of humor, sweetness and plenty of cats, this is a good collection of Jones's writing.

This collection brings together fifteen stories and a novella, "Everard's Ride". Spanning genres from science fiction to fantasy and even a touch of horror (in "The Master"), all of the stories show off Jones' wit and wild imagination, qualities which make her one of the best young adult fantasy writers of today (perhaps one of the best fantasy writers of today, period). I was disappointed, though, that so many of the stories had been in previous collections - surely there were more to choose from?Among the stories, the standouts are: "Enna Hittims", in which a girl who has the mumps draws stories about a fictional hero, who becomes frighteningly real; "Dragon Reserve, Home Eight", set on a world in which dragons are real and telepathy is illegal; "The Girl Who Loved the Sun", the myth-like tale of a girl who longs to become a tree; "Nad and Dan adn Quaffy", a witty story of a typo-prone science fiction writer whose computer suddenly starts talking to her; and "What the Cat Told Me" and "Little Dot", both tales of magic narrated by cats.Since I already own and had read most of the stories, I was most looking forward to reading "Everard's Ride" and wasn't disappointed. Alex and Cecilia live in Victorian England, the children of a wealthy farmer; there is a mysterious island near their home, said to be the site of a ghostly kingdom called Falleyfell. When an enigmatic stranger comes to the farmhouse one night, Alex and Cecilia begin an adventure which leads them into Falleyfell and the dangerous intrigues of its court. Not as inventive as Jones' best novels, (...)