Title: Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
(C) 1977, 1980
Publisher: Beech Tree Books (an imprint of William Morrow & Co.)
ISBN: 0-688-15546-4, 0-688-16613-X
218 pp., 223 pp.
I fully intended to work my way through The Emigrants by Vilhem Moberg, but I tend to get stuck reading the same author until I've finished whichever books of theirs that I own. So, I'm in the middle of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci. Don't worry, I only have 3 more and then we'll get away from fantasy for a little while.
I started these books years ago and for some reason I wasn't impressed. I think this author's style really has to grow on you. The magic in her books doesn't always follow the pattern you think it should and that can be maddening...it can also be why her books are so popular.
While you don't have to read them in a specific order, I would suggest reading Charmed Life first. This gives you the best introduction to the man known as Chresomanci. It isn't his real name (I'm not sure I know his real name yet), but the title of the wizard who helps control the use of magic in the parallel worlds.
Yup...different worlds. I like how she set them up too. Whenever there was some huge event in history that could have had two very different outcomes, the world divides and moves both ways. It also means that you could have copies of yourself in some of those worlds. Chrestomanci is unusual (as is our main character Cat Chant) in that he has no other copies, but nine lives all to himself.
Charmed Life follows the story a Eric, called Cat, and how his sister Gwendolyn uses his lives and his magic for her own. Most of the time he doesn't realize she's even doing it.
The Magicians of Caprona changes to a completely different setting and the only character that is the same is Chrestomanci. (and even he doesn't make much of an appearance). I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of the family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.
The Montanas and the Petrocchis are the best spell houses in all of Caprona and most of the world. They are also bitter rivals. But Caprona is beginning to crumble. Magic is loosing its effect on things and war is close at hand. (In this world Italy is still divided into independent states ruled by dukes and archbishops.) What they need more than ever are the words to the song that the Angel sang during the reign of the first duke.
Then, Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchi are kidnapped. Both houses fight against each other. When that does no good they stop making spells, hoping to see their children safely back. With the war raging all around them, Tonino (who is very slow at spells) and Angelica (who's spells always work, but always turn out wrong) must fight against the enchantress, who is trying to destroy the city, on their own. They find that it takes the friendship of Montanas and Petrocchis to bring the Angel's song back to life and defeat the enchantress.
All in all, I am enjoying the series. It's strange how sometimes books you didn't care for right away can turn out to be great books after while. Sometimes it just takes getting into the book for a few chapters. Other times you just need to be in the right frame of mind. Fantasy and Historical Fiction are my favorite genres, but that doesn't mean that those are the only ones I read. So for those of you who don't like fantasy, give it time. Keep looking at different authors and trying different things. You'll be surprised by what's out there.
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