Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Greenwillow Books (2006), Paperback, 608 pages
Description
A collection of sixteen stories including "The Plague of Peacocks," "Aunt Bea's Day Out," "The Fat Wizard," "No One," and "Everard's Ride."
User reviews
LibraryThing member ed.pendragon
The title is so apt in both senses, in that in DWJ's worlds anything can happen (and usually does) plus that for the reader the stories can (and do) provide the magic that may be missing in their own more prosaic world.
The stories are a little uneven, as they are aimed at different audiences (those
That all said, my favourites were the novella and the autobiographical story which opened the collection.
The stories are a little uneven, as they are aimed at different audiences (those
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who like whimsy, or cats, or were once in a bygone age bemused by word processors). The novella, Everard's Ride, for me was misplaced in this collection: first, its additional length made the paperback physically awkward to handle and, second, its setting and plot convolutions were a mismatch with the unidirectional flow of the other tales; it should really (and here is a plea to her publishers) be published separately as standing on its own merits. That all said, my favourites were the novella and the autobiographical story which opened the collection.
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LibraryThing member Eruantien
Some of these stories have been collected elsewhere. Fortunately, only one was not new to me. However, I think the book would be worth buying, even if the stories had all been read before, if only for the novella, Everard's Ride, at the end of the volume.
Diana Wynne Jones is endlessly inventive
Diana Wynne Jones is endlessly inventive
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and witty; these stories are no exception. They range from science fiction to fantasy, most with a heaping dose of humor sprinkled liberally over the top. I couldn't help but wish that some ideas had been developed further into full-scale novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member WinterFox
Short story collections are usually mixed bags of material in any case, but they tend to be even more so when the stories were written over a long period of time. Such is the case here with Unexpected Magic, since this collects 15 stories and a novella written over the length of Jones's career.
It's interesting to see her play around with some sci-fi stuff, and some memoir writing, but the strength is generally still in the fantasy stuff. I did enjoy Dragon Reserve, Home Eight, though, which is more sci-fi than anything else. Otherwise, the best stories are the cat ones, which isn't a huge surprise, either. I loved Little Dot, the story of a magical cat trying to protect her person from harm, the first time I read it, and I still liked it now. Probably about 2/3 of the stories were at least pretty decent, which isn't a bad batting average.
The novella, on the other hand, feels like one of the first things she'd ever written at that length, and had pacing problems, along with stylistic problems. The plot was interesting enough, and the way it works feels a lot like her later books (things aren't laid out about the world, you just need to figure it out as you go along, and people are stronger and better than you think), but it just didn't feel put together enough. It really dragged for a while.
Anyway, it's worth reading if you're really interested, but I'd ask for a list of stories to skip if you really want to try.
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It's definitely got some good stuff, but there's some stuff that I could have done without reading.It's interesting to see her play around with some sci-fi stuff, and some memoir writing, but the strength is generally still in the fantasy stuff. I did enjoy Dragon Reserve, Home Eight, though, which is more sci-fi than anything else. Otherwise, the best stories are the cat ones, which isn't a huge surprise, either. I loved Little Dot, the story of a magical cat trying to protect her person from harm, the first time I read it, and I still liked it now. Probably about 2/3 of the stories were at least pretty decent, which isn't a bad batting average.
The novella, on the other hand, feels like one of the first things she'd ever written at that length, and had pacing problems, along with stylistic problems. The plot was interesting enough, and the way it works feels a lot like her later books (things aren't laid out about the world, you just need to figure it out as you go along, and people are stronger and better than you think), but it just didn't feel put together enough. It really dragged for a while.
Anyway, it's worth reading if you're really interested, but I'd ask for a list of stories to skip if you really want to try.
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LibraryThing member AnnaOok
fiction, SFF, short stories, shorter fiction, %borrowed
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Jones has an extremely vivid imagination, which in many stories she applies to mundane starting points that skate off into sheer fantasy. Other stories occur in a more usual fantasy universe. "Everard's Ride" has overtones of "The Faerie Queen" and other classic medieval-heroic fantasies; I found
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it quite engaging and enjoyed the characters and their relationships. Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
This collection is made of mainly of previously published material, but this makes a good way to get reacquainted all in one spot. Jones' unique blend of tongue in cheek humor and punishments that fit the crime are well represented here. Although not all the stories are equally strong, this is an
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excellent representative collection of her non-Chrestomanci-related material. I was pleased to rediscover "Little Dot," and "Aunt Bea's Day Out," and "No One" are new favorites. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
Diana Wynn Jones has a knack for writing well crafted stories that appeal to children and adults alike. These stories while aimed at older children since many of them include romance in fairy tale style. A few them, such as "The Girl Who Loved the Sun" actually seem aimed at a teenage crowd (and is
I thought the Novella at the end of the book Everard's Ride, was a bit slow going, a bit predictable, and I wasn't very captivated by it.
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one of my favorites in this collection).I thought the Novella at the end of the book Everard's Ride, was a bit slow going, a bit predictable, and I wasn't very captivated by it.
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LibraryThing member LoftyIslanders
I like Diana Wynne Jones, but I found this a bit hit or miss. A story collection, with a novella at the end. But, like any story collection, some will appeal and some won't. Worth reading.
LibraryThing member rivkat
Mostly cozy short stories, generally about young people encountering magic (though there’s one pretty disturbing one that features dragons and mind control-based slavery and is pretty horrifying to think about, even though most of the implications were unexplored), and one early novella in which
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outsiders find a secret kingdom that seemed rather pointless. Show Less
LibraryThing member LindaLiu
A collection of short stories written by Diana Wynne Jones, including one short novella. four or five of the short stories are duplicated in the "Minor Arcana" collection. Contents:
- The girl Jones - girl who takes young charges on a hilarious adventure down water lane to the muddy river and
- Nad and Dan adn Quaffy - Typing mistakes as inspiration for parallel universe adventure for a writer who is contacted through her wordprocessor by a rebellious slave in a matriarchal universe.
- The plague of peacocks - Well-to-do people who upset people in their new village, but are unable to deal with little Daniel Emanuel.
- The master - dream about an experiment with wolves gone wrong
- Enna Hittims - imagined 1 inch heores that came to life causing havoc
- The girl who loved the sun - an origin myth about the beech tree
- the fluffy pink toadstool - Woman involves her family on her latest "natural" craze gets pink toadstools growing in her house.
- Auntie Bea's day out - large annoying aunt drags children for a day out to the seaside only to trespass on a magic island which shifts whenever irritated by Auntie Bea's voice.
- Carruthers - a seemingly magical walking stick brings entertainment and empowerment into Elizabeth and her sister's lives.
- What the cat told me - amusing tale of an enchanted & enchanting cat trapped into the service of an old magician along with a young red-headed boy. The cat and boy become good friends as they grow up together and help each other escape the magician's power.
- The green stone - an amusing pre-quest scenario from the point of view of a cleric who is supposed to officially record the exploits of the heroes of the quest.
- The fat wizard - a village where magic is normal is lorded over by an arrogant and nasty, fat wizard, but he gets his come-uppance when a young girl has uses her power with pigs to deal with him.
- No one -
- Dragon reserve, home eight -
- Little Dot -
- Everard's ride - Novella
- The girl Jones - girl who takes young charges on a hilarious adventure down water lane to the muddy river and
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ensures she never has to babysit for anybody again.- Nad and Dan adn Quaffy - Typing mistakes as inspiration for parallel universe adventure for a writer who is contacted through her wordprocessor by a rebellious slave in a matriarchal universe.
- The plague of peacocks - Well-to-do people who upset people in their new village, but are unable to deal with little Daniel Emanuel.
- The master - dream about an experiment with wolves gone wrong
- Enna Hittims - imagined 1 inch heores that came to life causing havoc
- The girl who loved the sun - an origin myth about the beech tree
- the fluffy pink toadstool - Woman involves her family on her latest "natural" craze gets pink toadstools growing in her house.
- Auntie Bea's day out - large annoying aunt drags children for a day out to the seaside only to trespass on a magic island which shifts whenever irritated by Auntie Bea's voice.
- Carruthers - a seemingly magical walking stick brings entertainment and empowerment into Elizabeth and her sister's lives.
- What the cat told me - amusing tale of an enchanted & enchanting cat trapped into the service of an old magician along with a young red-headed boy. The cat and boy become good friends as they grow up together and help each other escape the magician's power.
- The green stone - an amusing pre-quest scenario from the point of view of a cleric who is supposed to officially record the exploits of the heroes of the quest.
- The fat wizard - a village where magic is normal is lorded over by an arrogant and nasty, fat wizard, but he gets his come-uppance when a young girl has uses her power with pigs to deal with him.
- No one -
- Dragon reserve, home eight -
- Little Dot -
- Everard's ride - Novella
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
A good collection of Diana Wynne Jones’ short fiction. They’re not all her best work, but there’s some excellent stories here. Recommended for her fans.
The Girl Jones
A most excellent way to get out of babysitting, forever. Hilarious. Not fantasy, though.
Nad and Dan and Quaffy
Eh, I didn’t
The Plague of Peacocks
A peaceful village is invaded by new neighbors. Their passive aggressive, do-gooder ways get worse and worse… until their just desserts are delivered, in the village’s own special way.
The Master
A vet takes a late-night call, and is led into a mysterious wood to tend to wolves. It’s framed as a dream… but in a far less-annoying way than most “it was a dream” stories.
Enna Hittims
A child is sick with mumps. To amuse herself, she pretends that her bed is a dramatic landscape… but when the tiny adventurers of her imagination come to life, things get out of hand… (Doesn’t most everyone get vaccinated for mumps there days? I’ll look at it as being a period piece…)
The Girl Who Loved the Sun
A story with a mythological feel, about a girl who becomes a tree, believing the sun will love her.
The Fluffy Pink Toadstool
Ha! Hippies might get a bit grumpy about this one, but it’s pretty funny. The mom of a family goes on a DIY craze, and foraging for food goes just a bit wrong.
Auntie Bea's Day Out
An annoying aunt doesn’t pay attention to warning signs at the seashore – and gets far more than she bargained for, on a whirlwind ‘tour’ of all different sorts of ‘islands.’
Carruthers
Due to an aural misunderstanding, a young girl thinks that a walking stick will magically beat her annoying father. The stick talks to her, and moves, but seems unwilling to do any beating. People think she’s pretty weird for bringing a cane everywhere, and talking to it. But in the end, she’s vindicated… in a rather unexpected way.
What the Cat Told Me
An evil wizard uses boys for nefarious purposes, but, with the help of a cat, one may finally escape… told from the point of view of the cat, which one may either find cute, or mildly annoying.
The Green Stone
A funny take-off on the quest story. All the heroes, sidekicks, and what have you are assembled at the inn yard, and a bard is there to report on their deeds. But the quest unexpectedly get aborted… in, of course, an unexpected way.
The Fat Wizard
A small-town story of magic gone wrong… or possibly, unexpectedly right. (“losing weight” doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be “in shape…”)
No One
An amusing sci-fi story about a very poorly programmed household robot.
Dragon Reserve, Home Eight
A familiar-feeling but very enjoyable story… on a colony world, those with psychic powers are kept in swift and brutal check. So it’s not surprising that some families would try to hide their children’s abilities. The end of the story makes too much effort to backpedal from the nastiness the story has brought up, but I still liked it.
Little Dot
Another story from a cat’s point of view. But I liked this one. I’m not sure why Bast would be a Caribbean lady, not an Egyptian woman, but it’s fine. A bunch of cats must drive off their rescuer’s new girlfriend before she takes them to the pound… but she is more nefarious than even they could have guessed.
Everard's Ride
This is not a short story; it’s a whole novel. Not even a novella. It’s around 230 pages long. Why it wasn’t published as its own book, I do not know. It’s an early work by Wynne-Jones, originally written in 1966. It’s a very nice romantic fantasy… If one travels to a small island in the proper way, a medieval-ish ‘pocket’ world is discovered … Although rumors abound of ghosts, it’s very real, and there may be more there for some of the characters than there is ‘here.’
The Girl Jones
A most excellent way to get out of babysitting, forever. Hilarious. Not fantasy, though.
Nad and Dan and Quaffy
Eh, I didn’t
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care for this one. Too self-referential, and kind of annoying. A female writer, at her word processor, makes contact with an alternate universe.The Plague of Peacocks
A peaceful village is invaded by new neighbors. Their passive aggressive, do-gooder ways get worse and worse… until their just desserts are delivered, in the village’s own special way.
The Master
A vet takes a late-night call, and is led into a mysterious wood to tend to wolves. It’s framed as a dream… but in a far less-annoying way than most “it was a dream” stories.
Enna Hittims
A child is sick with mumps. To amuse herself, she pretends that her bed is a dramatic landscape… but when the tiny adventurers of her imagination come to life, things get out of hand… (Doesn’t most everyone get vaccinated for mumps there days? I’ll look at it as being a period piece…)
The Girl Who Loved the Sun
A story with a mythological feel, about a girl who becomes a tree, believing the sun will love her.
The Fluffy Pink Toadstool
Ha! Hippies might get a bit grumpy about this one, but it’s pretty funny. The mom of a family goes on a DIY craze, and foraging for food goes just a bit wrong.
Auntie Bea's Day Out
An annoying aunt doesn’t pay attention to warning signs at the seashore – and gets far more than she bargained for, on a whirlwind ‘tour’ of all different sorts of ‘islands.’
Carruthers
Due to an aural misunderstanding, a young girl thinks that a walking stick will magically beat her annoying father. The stick talks to her, and moves, but seems unwilling to do any beating. People think she’s pretty weird for bringing a cane everywhere, and talking to it. But in the end, she’s vindicated… in a rather unexpected way.
What the Cat Told Me
An evil wizard uses boys for nefarious purposes, but, with the help of a cat, one may finally escape… told from the point of view of the cat, which one may either find cute, or mildly annoying.
The Green Stone
A funny take-off on the quest story. All the heroes, sidekicks, and what have you are assembled at the inn yard, and a bard is there to report on their deeds. But the quest unexpectedly get aborted… in, of course, an unexpected way.
The Fat Wizard
A small-town story of magic gone wrong… or possibly, unexpectedly right. (“losing weight” doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be “in shape…”)
No One
An amusing sci-fi story about a very poorly programmed household robot.
Dragon Reserve, Home Eight
A familiar-feeling but very enjoyable story… on a colony world, those with psychic powers are kept in swift and brutal check. So it’s not surprising that some families would try to hide their children’s abilities. The end of the story makes too much effort to backpedal from the nastiness the story has brought up, but I still liked it.
Little Dot
Another story from a cat’s point of view. But I liked this one. I’m not sure why Bast would be a Caribbean lady, not an Egyptian woman, but it’s fine. A bunch of cats must drive off their rescuer’s new girlfriend before she takes them to the pound… but she is more nefarious than even they could have guessed.
Everard's Ride
This is not a short story; it’s a whole novel. Not even a novella. It’s around 230 pages long. Why it wasn’t published as its own book, I do not know. It’s an early work by Wynne-Jones, originally written in 1966. It’s a very nice romantic fantasy… If one travels to a small island in the proper way, a medieval-ish ‘pocket’ world is discovered … Although rumors abound of ghosts, it’s very real, and there may be more there for some of the characters than there is ‘here.’
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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn
I thought I was the world's biggest Diana Wynne Jones fan, but apparently even I have my limits. I'm not sure the short form shows her off to best advantage, and after a while (a short while) some of the stories seem awfully repetitive. Yes, I enjoy her style and savour that consistent tone, but so
So read it--but buy it (mine was from the library), and let some time pass between stories. Read one a month, say, and after a year and a half you'll have had such a treat. But back-to-back, it's too much of a muchness.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, I'm a bit more ruthless.
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many stories feature difficult characters and exasperated protagonists. It's there in her novels too, but I read those spaced apart. This felt like a cake, where the first slice tasted great, but you shortly realise there are still 12 more slices and no one to help you eat them--by the end, that great cake didn't feel so great.So read it--but buy it (mine was from the library), and let some time pass between stories. Read one a month, say, and after a year and a half you'll have had such a treat. But back-to-back, it's too much of a muchness.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, I'm a bit more ruthless.
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Original publication date
2004
Physical description
608 p.; 6.76 inches
ISBN
0060555351 / 9780060555351