Product Description

Magical mayhem is afoot in a new adventure set in the worlds of the nine-lived enchanter Chrestomanci. As many people know already, it's Chrestomanci's job to control the magic in the related worlds. Using magic is always dangerous, and it always has consequences, so even the best-intentioned witch or warlock needs help and guidance from time to time. Not only that, but there are plenty of ordinary people in the worlds without even a whiff of magical ability, and they need someone to make sure that the magic-users don't get their own way all of the time. Even so, in the village around Chrestomanci Castle, all sorts of magical misuse is going on which very few people seem to be aware of! When Cat Chant finds the egg in Gammer Pinhoe's attic, he knows he has to have it. Marianne Pinhoe isn't sure what Gammer will think about that, but she lets him take it anyway. Rumour has it it's an elephant egg, but Cat's convinced it's a dragon's egg. Within the safety of Chrestomanci Castle, the egg eventually hatches - and at the same time, chaos breaks out in the surrounding village. Can Cat and Marianne get to the root of the problem, and can Cat's new charge help?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #171014 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

Review
Praise for CONRAD'S FATE "CONRAD'S FATE is quintessential Chrestomanci -- funny, smart, twisty, exciting, tricky, delightful and always perfectly magical." Neil Gaiman "Diana Wynne Jones ought to be crowned with coloured garlands because she is the best writer of magical fantasy for children in this country ... you'll gleefully swallow Conrad's Fate as another unpredictable dose of animal spirits." Evening Standard "Diana Wynne Jones could teach Stephen King and JK Rowling a thing or two ... [she] has a skill for inserting just the right amount of detail in her written words, leaving you satiated but not stuffed." SFX "This witty, satisfying story can be read on its own, but is much richer when read as part of the series. It's a must for all Jones fans." School Library Journal "A wild romp with a fast-paced and satisfying conclusion, Conrad's humorous adventures will appeal to Christopher's existing fans and Jones neophytes alike." Kirkus "!Her hallmarks include laugh-aloud humour, plenty of magic and imaginative array of alternate worlds. Yet, at the same time, a great seriousness is present in all of her novels, a sense of urgency that links Jones's most outrageous plots to her readers' hopes and fears!" Publishers Weekly "Truly magical -- guaranteed to leave you gasping -- even hotter than Potter" The Bookseller For The Merlin Conspiracy: "The characterisation is first rate, the ideas are fabulous ! This is fantasy at its most inventive -- canny, funny and far-reaching." The Telegraph "A curiosity shop of a book ! a pleasure to lose yourself in." The Sunday Times "The Merlin Conspiracy is Wynne Jones on top form ! [her] powerful narrative and her ability to create extraordinary charachers with real emotions make her more than a worthy rival to J K Rowling." Financial Times "A must for all Wynne Jones fans, past, present and future." Limited Edition

About the Author
Diana Wynne Jones won the Guardian Award in 1977 with Charmed Life, was runner-up for the Children's Book Award in 1981, and was twice runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. She is married with three sons, and lives in Bristol with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Sweet and funny continuation of the Chrestomanci Series
This book continues on from the storyline in "Charmed Life" so it's probably best to have at least read that book before picking up this one (reading "Mixed Magics" would probably help too but it's not essential).

I can't really go into much detail about the plot here as it may spoil your enjoyment of the book, but the story basically follows Cat Chant from "Charmed Life" and a new character, Marianne Pinhoe, as various strange incidents occur in the villages surrounding Chrestomanci Castle. Of course, Chrestomanci and his family also feature in the story. Also, fans of Diana's "Wizard Derk" books will be pleased at the appearance of a certain magical creature in the story.

Like all of the other books in this series, this book is full of wit, original and unpredictable storylines and brilliantly imagined characters. I think that it has a slightly sweeter, cuter feel than the other books (don't worry though, it's not sickly or anything like that!).

There aren't really any negatives I can think of about this book, I loved it, maybe not quite as much as "Conrad's Fate" but definitely more than the rest of the series.

Basically, if you enjoyed the other Chrestomanci books I cannot think of any reason why you should not enjoy this one.

A charming read by the mistress of fantasy
A story by Diana Wynn Jones is always a treat, especially one that involves some of the characters that we've encountered before. The Pinhoe Egg is an excellent children's story set around Crestomanci Castle and follows a fairly predictable pattern of children causing havoc by fiddling with things they don't understand, but in doing so managing to set in to motion a chain of events that eventually makes everyone's life much better for it. My lips are sealed about the plot, though - one hint would ruin the pleasure of discovering it for yourself. I agree with the previous reviewer that this is not an example of Diana Wynn Jones' outstanding writing, but her merely excellent writing is perfectly good, and any child that enjoys fantasy will gobble this up! (And a good few adults too!)

enjoy the latest book
I have been looking forward to the latest Diana Wynne Jones since I finished her last book. I did not so much read it as devour it. I have to say its not her best, but then her best is so very good. It does have similarities to Merlin Consiracy and Magicians of Caprona, both excellent books. As with all Diana Wynne Jones books its no point telling you anything about the plot, that is marginally irrelavant, just enjoy the story and enjoy being in another world. Only Tolkein is better at creating another world. My only complaint about the book is it could have been longer...long enough to last me till the next is published!
since i first read this book in sept 2006, i have reread it more than once...every time i read it i enjoy it more Diana Wynne Jones is a brilliant author...read anything she writes!!!