The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol1

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 The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol1


Genre- Bildungsroman, Adventure, Magic, Fantasy
Author- Diana Wynne Jones
Tagline- "The castle had a stifling atmosphere for anyone who wanted to practice magic as Gwendolen realised"


The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol1 is a part of a series. It comprises of 2 books - Charmed Life and The lives of Christopher Chant. Both are set in the fictional universe of Chrestomanci. This universe consists of a series of interconnected worlds, each of which again comprises of a series of mini-worlds. Some worlds have magic while others do not. To prevent witches and wizards dominating over non magical people, a government official known as Chrestomanci is tasked with maintaining law and order. Due to the nature of the post, only a nine lived enchanter can become a Chrestomanci. 

Charmed Life tells the story of siblings Gwendolen and Eric (Cat) Chant who come from a powerful family of witches and wizards. Gwendolen is an extremely powerful witch while Cat has no magical abilities at all or so it seems... Soon they are adopted by the Chrestomanci and the adventure begins. The climax reveals answers to some of the main plot questions such as from where Gwendolen gets her power and why Cat is utterly powerless.
The Lives of Christopher Chant is set 25 years prior. It details the early life of Christopher Chant, a boy with the power of travelling to various worlds. When he is adopted by the Chrestomanci, to be trained as his heir, he rebels and does something forbidden, which leads to a series of disasters and startling revelations. The ending reveals the extent of Christopher's power and whether or not he decides to be the next Chrestomanci.

Both the stories are about young children who are grappling with the extent of their power, and must learn to control it before it wreaks havoc. Cat and Christopher have troubled family lives, which adds a layer of conflict. Both protagonists grapple with not belonging where they are. Throughout the course of the story, they learn to adapt, adjust, explore and finally belong to the atmosphere of the Chrestomanci castle. It showcases the importance of friendship in any stage of life. The book has an accurate representation of what people can and will do in the quest for power and money.

I liked the book as it has fleshed out characters and uses small, seemingly irrelevant, details to add a sense of realism to the plot. I loved the characters too, especially the cat Throgmorten. Overall, I think it is a very nice fantasy book about magic and how it affects the world around.

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