this prequel to [b:Charmed Life|244572|Charmed Life (Chrestomanci, #1)|Diana Wynne Jones|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173077634s/244572.jpg|6594671] gives the mysterious and urbane Chrestomanci (multi-dimensional policeman of all things magical) his own backstory. this was a wonderful kid's novel, swiftly-paced and enjoyable from beginning to end.i loved the connectivity between this book and its predecessor, seeing the basic similarities and differences between Cat and Christopher, their similar reactions to their current Chrestomanci and Chrestomanci Castle, their different ways of not being magical, their similar abandonments and the different ways their families let them down, their different sorts of victimhood and their similar ways of finally taking command. the girls that they sorta fall for. the relatives who betray them. their mutual destiny.
Cat and Christopher are both very special people who are trapped by that destiny. i liked how Jones did not sugarcoat the trap. being Chrestomanci is neither boy's dream, and the job is never turned into anything approaching wish fulfillment - despite its power, and despite its potential for wonder and adventure. she made this grand position - master of all magic, traveler throughout all dimensions - somehow prosaic. even rather dreary. a smart and surprising choice by the author.
i think that Jones also captures Christopher's age perfectly. his young voice and thought process are what guide the reader, and so we get to see things with both objective distance and a subjectiveness that allows us to be fooled along with Christopher himself - fooled by the people around him and fooled by himself into acting in certain ways, refusing to believe obvious truths and eager to believe obvious deception. he is not always a nice boy - at times sulky, arrogant, or unkind. but he is also often quite kind, and brave, and good. a well-rounded boy! Jones' writing style conveys all of this in an appealingly straightforward and rather tidy style. even better, she shows how a boy can change, sometimes slowly over time, sometimes in a great big rush, eyes suddenly opened and aware of his own biases and his own strengths.
plus it has Throgmorten, best magical cat from another dimension ever!
