Category Archives: Diana Wynne Jones

A Door from the World of Men

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Nathan

While I’ve heard the term “portal fantasy” used to refer to stories where someone is transported into a strange world, not all of them necessarily use literal portals, in the sense of gates or doors. I think the first time I … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Captain N: The Game Master, Cartoons, Chronicles of Narnia, Chrono Trigger, Diana Wynne Jones, Dragon Quest, Dreams, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, seanan mcguire, Sims, Television, Tom Holt, Ultima, Video Games, Wayward Children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

I See Noom and Noom Sees Me

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Nathan

Lost in the Moment and Found, by Seanan McGuire – The books in this series change between being about the magical lands in which various children find themselves and about how they deal with their experiences afterwards. As with some … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Art, Arthurian Legend, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Christianity, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, Food, Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Ray Powell, Relationships, Religion, seanan mcguire, Toys, Wayward Children | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tammy and Tommy in Fairyland

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Nathan

Picture by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law I’ve come across multiple mentions of the Ballad of Tam Lin, so I thought that might be something worth addressing in a post. The Scottish song is thought to have existed as far back as … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, British, Celtic, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Halloween, History, Holidays, Magic, Music, Mythology, october daye, Poetry, Relationships, Scottish, seanan mcguire, United Kingdom, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tell Me About the Dragons, George

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Nathan

I had a few other things I wanted to write about, but since I found out Saturday was St. George’s Day, I thought he might be worth looking into. As someone who didn’t attend a church where saints were really … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglicanism, Authors, Catholicism, Christianity, Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Crusades, Diana Wynne Jones, Eastern Orthodox, England, Greek Mythology, History, Holidays, Humor, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Roman, Roman Empire, Stan Freberg, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Koschei Deal

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Nathan

Her Majesty’s Wizard, by Christopher Stasheff – I saw this book on a list of recommendations somewhere, and I didn’t realize at the time that the author had just died in June. This is the first book of the Wizard … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Catholicism, Christianity, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, History, Magic, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, october daye, Religion, Russian, seanan mcguire, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mice, Ducks, and Aliens

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Nathan

The Song of Wirrun, by Patricia Wrightson – Paul Dana recommended this trilogy of books based on Australian mythology: The Ice Is Coming, The Dark Bright Water, and Behind the Wind. I have a passion for mythology, but I haven’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian, Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Diana Wynne Jones, Humor, Mythology, Prejudice, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crones and Clones

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Nathan

It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review post (well, not counting my look back on The Patchwork Girl of Oz, which I’d read a long time ago), and I have to say that I just haven’t been … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Diana Wynne Jones, Humor, Magic, Monsters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growing Up Magical

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Nathan

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman – A twist on the concept of the feral child raised by animals instead tells about a kid raised by the spirits of the dead, with some help from a few other supernatural beings … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Don’t Morlocks Live in the Future?

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Nathan

The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells – Published in 1895, this was not the first time travel story, but definitely a pioneering work in the genre. The protagonist known simply as the Time Traveller uses a vehicle to travel to … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Celebrities, Diana Wynne Jones, Humor, Magic, Monsters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chaldean Time in Motion

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Nathan

The Islands of Chaldea, by Diana Wynne and Ursula Jones – Diana was working on this book when she died, and left no notes as to how the plot would wrap up. Her sister Ursula finished it, and readers have … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Diana Wynne Jones, Discworld, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , | 3 Comments