Next Diana Wynne Jones

[ejecoms]

So I'm going through a bit of a DWJ phase and have just finished the Howl trilogy and all the Chrestomanci books. Does anyone have any recommendations for which to read next? Thanks!

The Time of The Ghost is my favourite.

Fire and hemlock
Enchanted Glass

Deep Secret. One of her adult ones and excellent.

Thanks!

Is 'The Time of the Ghost' scary? I don't like scary books!

A tale of time city
Archers Goon

The Time of the Ghost is an amazing book.

I'd go for Homeward Bounders or The Power of Three (both standalone)

Oh yes, "Deep Secret". Its one of the best, links to the "Merlin Conspiracy".

"The Game" is short, but rather good.

I love Deep Secret, too.

I think in general her earlier books are better than the later ones, and the children's ones much better than the adult ones (which are all later).

Having said that I love DWJ and have all of her books, and have reread most of them many many times :)

The Time of the Ghost isn't scary, it's more of a who done it really, and really good. I love Power of Three, Archers Goon, The Ogre Downstairs, Homeward Bounders, Dogsbody and Fire and Hemlock best of the stand alone books. I think the series mostly start with a really good book and then the later ones aren't so good, except for the Dalemark series all of which are among my favourites.

Of the adult ones my favourite is a Sudden Wild Magic. Deep Secrets is quite good and but I was disappointed with the Merlin Conspiracy.

The Tough Guide is funny and all too accurate!

Deep Secret is very good but Archer's Goon is an old favourite. The Dalemark books are good too.

The ones I go back to time and again are the ones where she interweaves myths with her storylines. She's just so amazing at doing that. So the dalemark quartet and fire and hemlock are the ones that resonate on a really deep level and leave something behind after you've read the last page.

They're so bloody brilliant!!!

Yes, I think the ones with the slightly deeper messages are interesting, like Homeward Bounders which has interesting ideas about home and what it means to be a slave (and the ending always makes me cry), and she touches on what it really means to be a god (or have godlike powers anyway) a few times too. I think her later books have more adventure and less thinking in general. Fun, but less resonant. I still wish she was still writing though, so sad to hear that she died a few years ago.

No-one's mentioned Hexwood! You must read Hexwood!

And 8 Days of Luke, also an older one (Norse mythology) and Wilkins' Tooth if you can get it. And Black Maria.

The Homeward Bounders, Time of the Ghost and Fire and Hemlock huge favourites of mine too.