Product Description

In a world of magic,
one man takes charge.

Dapper, debonair, and wise, the great enchanter Chrestomanci keeps his world's magic from getting out of control. In these dazzling Stories, no matter what the magical problem, Chrestomanci is in the thick of things.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #192396 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Released on: 2003-02-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Amazon.com Review
In Mixed Magics, celebrated British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones has gathered together three previously published short stories and one brand new tale about the inventive enchanter with nine lives, Chrestomanci. Fans of Wynne Jones know that Chrestomanci is the powerful sorcerer responsible for making sure that the magical users of the many worlds that run parallel to ours don't mismanage their spells. In "Stealer of Souls," he is pitted against Master Spiderman, an evil monkey-magician who intends to make himself the most potent enchanter of all worlds by stealing the essence of other sorcerers. In "Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream," Chrestomanci must discover the reason why Carol, a bestselling dreamer (she bottles her exciting dreams for others to sleep through and enjoy) is having dreamer's block. In "Warlock at the Wheel," Chrestomanci is so influential that he doesn't even have to show up--he sends his agent Kathusa to rescue a bewildered warlock from a little girl and her large dog, who, strangely enough, have taken him prisoner. And, in the most thought-provoking story, "The Sage of Theare," Chrestomanci must help a confused teen realize that questioning the will of the gods is not only healthy but necessary! Each story is, in turn, frightening, thoughtful, funny, and wise. Readers of Charmed Life and The Magicians of Caprona will be delighted to discover that Wynne Jones has brought back some well-loved characters from other Chrestomanci novels to engage in exciting new adventures. A mystical, humorous collection with wide appeal for young fantasy buffs. (Ages 10 to 13) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly
Not even the glamorous presence of the nine-lived enchanter Chrestomanci (star of the Chrestomanci Books, noted below) is enough to dispel the scraped-together air that pervades this grouping of four short stories, three of which were originally published in the 1980s. Things start off slowly with "Warlock at the Wheel," a shaggy-dog story detailing the misadventures of a would-be car thief whose magic has been removed--prior to the tale's beginning--by Chrestomanci. "Stealer of Souls," the only story original to the collection, is also its most ambitious and successful, offering Jones aficionados the pleasure of watching characters from different books (Charmed Life's Cat Chant and The Magicians of Caprona's Tonino Montana) meet for the first time. Overall, however, the collection feels cramped: Jones, hemmed in by the constraints of the short story form, fails to develop the exuberant momentum characteristic of her complex, enchantment-filled novels. Only die-hard fans are likely to derive satisfaction from these further glimpses of Chrestomanci and his multiple worlds. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Four previously published stories of varying length. The first and shortest is about a magicless warlock who suddenly finds himself in a new world, with his magic restored. He lands in the hands of a spoiled little girl and her dog. Given the choice of jail or caring for the youngster, he chooses the former. The longest of the stories involves Cat Chant and new boy Tonino Montana. They are sent on a disastrous visit that ends with them releasing the souls of eight enchanters from the power of an evil enchanter. Story three, which is perhaps the most fun, is about Carol Oneir, "the world's youngest best-selling dreamer." Her hovering mother and her own desires for the trappings of fame are too much pressure for her though, and her dreams dry up. With the direct help of Chrestomanci, Carol discovers that her main characters are unhappy; as they escape from her dreams, she is released to live a relatively normal life as well. The last story features Thasper, son of a god, who is destined to bring down the order of Heaven. His father's attempts to avert the disaster will leave readers scratching their heads and pondering the effects of even the simplest act on everything else in space and time. The plots are fully realized and engaging, but characterizations are uneven-Thasper and the Willing Warlock are rather flat, while Carol and her dream folk leap right off the page. "Chrestomanci" fans will best appreciate this book. For a truly delightful short-story collection, try Michael Stearns's A Wizard's Dozen (Harcourt, 1993).
Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

a Magical Journey
Ms. Jones takes the reader into the world of the Chrestomanchi in 4 wonderfully woven tales. Anyone who read the other books in the Chrestomanchi series will be enchanted to rediscover old characters and be interested in the new. I found that the works were masterfully created. It was wonderful how all the different worlds of kind of come together and explore new territories. Seeing characters like Cat, Antionio, Gabriel de Witt and Roberts Mordecai was great fun. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone.

Chrestomanci is back...
Chrestomanci the nine-lived mage is one of the most interesting and amusing magicians in fantasy, and his slightly off-kilter parallel world is revisited in these four stories. Three were previously published, but the enchanting "Stealer of Souls" is new.

"Warlock at the Wheel" is the weakest of the stories, in which an unfortunate young warlock loses his magic to Chrestomanci, and tries to steal cars. Things don't turn out quite as he expects.

"Stealer of Souls" brings back several favorites from the four novels. Cat Chant becomes jealous when the talented Tonino Montana is brought to the castle by Chresomanci, but neither boy has time to deal with their problems. A strange magician called Spiderman kidnaps both boys as a part of his attempt to make himself a ten-lived magician -- one more powerful than even Chrestomanci.

"Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream" features a little girl who controls her vivid and dramatic dreams, which are then bottled for others to use. Until the day Carol stops dreaming. She is taken to the magician Chrestomanci, who helps her discover that her dreams are being hit with a very unusual actors' strike...

In "The Sage of Theare," the future Sage of Dissolution is sent to Chrestomanci's orderly world, by the gods who are hoping to avoid having him destroy them. Chrestomanci takes the befuddled young Sage under his wing, and shows how asking questions is a very good thing.

I found these stories to be a refreshing return to the world of the dapper, hyper-brainy world of Chrestomanci. The only exception is "Warlock," in which he has no presence and is only mentioned. Jones' writing style is a little uneven, since these stories were written years apart, and as a result there is a slightly more cutesy feel to "Warlock" and "Dream" than to "Stealer." However, her flair for characterization is as present as ever; the characters feel real, whether we hear about things from their point of view, or whether they are a little more distant, such as Chrestmanci himself.

The main problem with this book is that once readers finish it, there are (at present) no more Chrestomanci-themed tales beyond these five books. Read and immerse yourself in Jones' enchanting universe.

A Great Follow-Up for Fans of Chrestomanci
If you have read and enjoyed the "Chrestomanci Quartet" by Jones ("The Lives of Christopher Chant," "Charmed Life," "Witch Week," & "The Magicians of Caprona"), you'll love this collection of short stories which brings back some of the best and most memorable characters from the series. My favorite of the four stories in the book is "Stealer of Souls," the only story that was unreleased prior to this collection. This story teams Cat Chant of "Charmed Life," and Tonino Montana of "The Magicians of Caprona" together in order to defeat an enchanter who was supposed to have died over a hundred years ago! However, I must say that to fully enjoy this book, you should first read the Chrestomanci Quartet or you will miss out on what makes this book most enjoyable.