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The Merlin Conspiracy: Summary and book reviews of The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones, plus links to an excerpt from The Merlin Conspiracy and a biography of Diana Wynne Jones.
The Merlin Conspiracy
by
Diana Wynne Jones
Hardcover: Apr 2003,
480 pages.
Paperback: May 2004,
480 pages.
The islands of Blest keep the balance of magic in half the multiverse. If something goes wrong with the magic on Blest, it will have a ripple effect on many other worlds. Something is about to go wrong …
It all begins when the Merlin of Blest dies of a heart attack. Or was he murdered by sorcery?
Two friends, Roddy and Grundo, suspect a conspiracy, but no adult will believe them. When a boy from another world, Nick, blunders into the trouble on Blest, Roddy tries to enlist his help. But what can three children who are just discovering their magical talents do against the new Merlin, the Earthmistress, and the dark powers they’re calling up? The dangers are great, and if Roddy, Grundo, and Nick fail to stop the conspirators before they disrupt the balance of magic, the results will be far more far-reaching and destructive than they can imagine.
Diana Wynne Jones masterfully weaves mystery, intrigue, and, most of all, magic into a complex plot that's full of twists and surprises. In this astonishing novel, the characters' actions have unexpected consequences, and nothing in the multiverse is as it first seems ...
Book Reviews
School Library Journal - Beth L. Meister
Gr 7 Up-This title from one of the masters of fantasy shows the author's signature style and imagination.....A fine, challenging read for seasoned fantasy readers.
Kirkus Reviews
Overstuffed and over the top, but a delicious romp.
Booklist - Sally Estes
Gr. 6-10. Jones' convoluted, alternate-world fantasy is put together like a four-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, including time, a dimension in which the puzzle pieces don't quite fit together.....Nevertheless, the story, infused with humor as well as exciting adventure, makes compelling reading.
Publishers Weekly
Whimsy, invention and the chilling sense of a world gone topsy-turvy characterize this grandly outsize fantasy.....Cities personified, hordes of smuggled salamanders and a pair of astonishingly bratty twin sisters are just a few of the delights to be found here. Ages 10 up.
The Washington Post - Alice K. Turner
Diana Wynne Jones has delivered a thumping-good adventure yarn with dozens of twists and turns. It's a mystery as well as a fantasy, with plenty of comedy for fun and a touch of horror for scares. A novel as dense and complex as this one gives especially good value, as nearly all readers will want to go back to see what they missed the first time around.
Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
Diana Wynne Jones is, quite simply, the best writer of magic there is, for readers of any age.
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The Merlin Conspiracy
Publishers Weekly
Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline
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