Product Description

Dapper, debonair, and wise, the great enchanter Chrestomanci has nine lives and a strong personality as well as strong magic. That personality reverberates in each of these four dazzling stories.

A warlock tries to escape Chrestomanci's justice by fleeing to another world-with hilarious results. Cat Chant and Tonino Montana reluctantly join forces when Chrestomanci sends them on a visit that turns suddenly dangerous. The youngest best-selling dreamer needs Chrestomanci's help when she finds she can't dream anymore. And as the gods of an ever-so-orderly world try to destroy the young Sage of Dissolution, Chrestomanci lends a hand.

Like Chrestomanci himself, acclaimed author Diana Wynne Jones has a graceful flair, which sparkles in the remarkable wit, imagination, and intelligence of these fast-paced tales.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #886739 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: School & Library Binding
• 193 pages

From Amazon.com
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 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.

An enchanting new Chrestomanci short story collection.
MIXED MAGICS is a delightful new short story collection continuing the Chrestomanci saga that Dianna Wynne Jones had woven years ago. Now readers will see the return of the famed Chrestomanci and the magic that emanates from some old characters in CHARMED LIFE and THE MAGICIANS OF CAPRONA. These are four Chrestomanci tales, and though I did not like the first and last story, one story is an extremely suspenseful, magical story that I could not put down. This brand new collection, MIXED MAGICS, includes the stories WARLOCK AT THE WHEEL, STEALER OF THE SOULS, CAROL O'NEIR'S HUNDREDTH DREAM, and SAGE AT THEARE. I particulary enjoyed STEALER OF THE SOULS, for it featured the return of Cat Chant and Tonino from previous novels. Master Spiderman, a shroudy, dark man, wants to be the most powerful nine-lived enchanter in the world -- and that's because he's going to have ten lives. And he's going to kidnap Cat and Tonino to do so ! Can the two join forces to stop the Master? The magic of this story is wonderful, and the book is extremely well written. All Chrestomanci fans, or fans old and new of Dianna Wynne Jones's heartwarming magical books should read MIXED MAGICS, the brand new, magical, and spine tingling short story collection, which will delight many a reader, flashing with spells, laughs, and magic galore, though it has lost the spark of the original four Chrestomanci novels.

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.