Mixed Magics

Chrestomanci (Recommended Reading Order)

by Diana Wynne Jones

Librarian's note: There are Alternate Cover Editions for this edition of this book here and here.

1 Warlock at the Wheel - Warlock drives away to flee Chrestomanci, gets bullied by toddler Jane and dog Towser.
2 Stealer of Souls - Evil Neville Spiderman kidnaps jealous Cat Chant and homesick Tonino from dying Gabriel de Witt.
3 Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream - Dream subjects drunkenly object to typecast roles.
4 The Sage of Theare - Great Zond and gods try to outwit prophecy of Dissolution and dump troublesome babe in Chrestomanci's world.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Magic, Middle Grade

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Diana Wynne Jones was a celebrated British writer best known for her inventive and influential works of fantasy for children and young adults. Her stories often combined magical worlds with science fiction elements, parallel universes, and a sharp sense of humor. Among her most beloved books are Howl's Moving Castle, the Chrestomanci series, The Dalemark Quartet, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and the satirical The Tough Guide to Fantasyland. Her work gained renewed attention and readership with the popularity of the Harry Potter series, to which her books have frequently been compared.

Admired by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and J.K. Rowling, Jones was a major influence on the landscape of modern fantasy. She received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, two Mythopoeic Awards, the Karl Edward Wagner Award, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. In 2004, Howl's Moving Castle was adapted into an acclaimed animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, further expanding her global audience.

Jones studied at Oxford, where she attended lectures by both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She began writing professionally in the 1960s and remained active until her death in 2011. Her final novel, The Islands of Chaldea, was completed posthumously by her sister Ursula Jones.

Reviews

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is a pleasant although unremarkable collection of 4 stories set in the Chrestomanci universe.

"Warlock at the Wheel" details the misadventures of a goofy low-life who escapes into another world and attempts to use his magic powers for ill. unfortunately for him, a slovenly little girl and her giant mastiff spoil his plans. one word review: EH

"Stealer of Souls" is the strongest story in the collection. this one has a grouchy, selfish Cat being given charge of sweet little Tonnino from The Magicians of Caprona. they find themselves spelled away by an evil magician from the past, right into a dirty basement within a time bubble. much sweeping of cobwebs and freeing of lost souls ensue. two word review: BEST ONE

"Carol Oneir's Hundreth Dream" is about a spoiled little brat who is also the most successful dream-weaver of her world. unfortunately, her landmark hundredth dream fails to appear... could her dream characters be rebelling against her? so off she goes to Chrestomanci to figure it all out. three word review: BRATS ANNOY ME

"The Sage of Theare" has some very organized gods up in arms about a prophecy that tells of a sage who will born. this sage will bring chaos and disarray into their tidy little world. Chrestomanci stumbles across the luckless lad. four word review: CUTE BUT SURPRISINGLY BORING



I wish I had read this one in the middle of reading the series instead of saving it for last. this was by no means a bad book; it wasn't particularly memorable either. but the Chrestomanci series itself is one of the finest children's series I've ever read. if you like children's fantasy, do yourself a favor and start reading the Chrestomanci books. they're awesome!

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ehhh, some flashes of genius but overall not so great, plus some very English dated racism. Better to stick with the Chrestomanci novels.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed by the stories in this collection! But I did like when Janet said to Cat, "You must admit, Chrestomanci is taller and darker and handsomer than any man has any right to be!" Haha trufax, Janet.

[Mandi Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

*reaches for another Chrestomanci book* *realizes there aren’t anymore* *spirals into despair*

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't much like 'Warlock at the Wheel', but the rest is worth reading. I really enjoyed those, especially 'Stealer of Souls' and 'Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream', which contain glimpses of Cat, Tonino, Janet and an old school-friend of Christopher's.

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I love Diana Wynne Jones. This is a collection of stories that take place within the Chrestomanci universe at various points throughout the series. I really liked saving this for last since it was a nice to re-visit various characters and was a fun finale.

It’s a quick read and all of the stories are great, though I especially enjoyed “Stealer of Souls” since Magicians of Caprona was my favorite of the series, and Tonino is in that story. However, there weren’t any un-enjoyable stories in this collection for me.

Definitely stay away from this if it’s your first time reading any Chrestomanci books–this is for people who’ve already read much of the series, since there’s very little setup; you’re already supposed to know the gist of the worldbuilding and who’s who. But, if you have read the series and are a fan, this is well worth the read and I highly recommend it!

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[J. Wootton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short! But a nice supplement to the Chrestomanci series. Would have been nice to read them properly threaded in-and-amongst the longer works.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For a moment I thought you were an enchanter. Now I don't know what I think."

Mixed Magics suffers from the fact that it's a collection of short stories. I can rarely get invested into those and I've never felt so sorry for it than I do for this one. It consists of four stories related to the Chrestomanci series. Most of them range from boring to an alright read. However, the second story, The Stealer of Souls, was such a lovely one that I wish it would have filled up the whole book in place of the other stories.

The Stealer of Souls is the perfect story for bringing the first and final volume of the series together. I should note that I read them in the order Diana Wynne Jones has suggested which goes as thus:
•Charmed life
•The Lives of Christopher Chant
•Conrad's Fate
•Witch Week
•The Magicians of Caprona
•Mixed Magics
•The Pinhoe Egg
I really appreciated this reading order and wouldn't want to read it in any other way. That being said, chronologically, Charmed Life comes second last followed by The Pinhoe Egg. The Stealer of Souls picks up just after the events of The Magicians of Caprona and brings us back to the time and setting of Charmed Life. It gave the whole reading experience a nice and rounded feeling and helps to get one back to the timeline which is then followed up by The Pinhoe Egg. In any case, it brings together two of my favourite characters: Cat and Tonino.

After the events of The Magicians of Caprona, Chrestomanci decides to take Tonino to England so he can learn more about his peculiar ability to use other people's magic spells. Cat, who is now in training to become the next Chrestomanci, isn't happy at all when he is told to watch out for the younger Tonino. Cat soon becomes jealous of all the attention Tonino is receiving until both of them find themselves in the hands of a dangerous enchanted and must work together to make their escape.

Cat and Tonino, despite their rough start, make a great team. The story was only about 100 pages long but I loved it. I sincerely wish I could trade the other three stories for a longer version of The Stealer of Souls!

The first story, Warlock At the Wheel, was easily my least favourite. Although it follows the fate of an unnamed Warlock who was defeated during the events of Charmed Life, I hardly feel any connection between this and the rest of the series. The writing feels very different - I suppose distant might be a way to put it. In any case, the Warlock finds himself fleeing to a world which is hinted to be ours. There he steals a car and finds too late that there were a child and dog on the back seat. And oh boy, this child was annoying as can be. I was glad when it was over and will most likely skip this story the next time I read this book.

Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream is nice in that it draws back to a minor character of The Lives of Christopher Chant; Carol is the daughter of Chrestomanci's former classmate and has a special talent for controlling her dreams. These dreams are also recorded and sold and have brought her fame. Just as she is about to have her hundredth dream, she finds that she no longer can. The story is quite fun and has some interesting things going for it. But ultimately, I think it is too short and simply leaves too many questions unanswered.

The Sage of Theare was intriguing and something I could have seen work better as its own novel. It had interesting ideas but there was a lot of lore brought into the story that was so far unheard of in the Chrestomanci series. This made it feel like a separate story altogether despite the appearance of Chrestomanci himself. It was also heavily religion based and I couldn't get my head around whether or not this was anti-religion. Although I am not religious, I always feel like authors are treading on dangerous grounds when it comes to denouncing religion.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the one about Cat and Tonino the most, it was nice to see a continuation of The Magicians of Caprona, as it finished quite abruptly.

[Rachel (Kalanadi) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "Warlock at the Wheel" and "Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream"!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick and easy read, especially if you're already familiar with the Chrestomanci world and characters. This was a collection of four short stories and some were better than others.

[deborah o'carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read 2013

Re-read March 2015

Re-read February 2017

[Kendra FairyKind · Rating 4 out of 5]

171 pages of amazing magic witches and the amazing Chrestomanci.

I thought that I’d like to give a Diana wynne jones book a try after finishing howls series and utterly loving the last one. The first was 3 stars the next was 4 and the last a great big 5 stars! I am unsure if I would have read or found out about this author without the howls film.
Anyway I really enjoyed this like a lot definitely more then howls moving castle(book not film, I loved the film.)
Okay now my individual thoughts on each story.

Warlock at the wheel: 5🌟

Amazing pure brilliance! I absolutely laughed at the warlock when he found out that he stole a car alongside stealing a kid and a dog! Well I say dog I think it was some sort of devil dog or something along those lines. I thought the little illustration that was in this one was just so funny! I mean the kid must have been a spoilt one. The ending of this one was hilarious like he wanted his magic back and went to a new world where he could use his magic. Poor warlock ends up having to take care of that dog and that spoilt child, like forever.
Anyway a really great story. Really highly recommend for lovers of a fantasy novel that includes magic other worlds and witches and warlocks.

Stealer of souls: 5🌟

Amazing! I really enjoyed this and I mean at first I wasn’t exactly like super oh I’m going to love this no it took a while like it took until they were in a way kidnapped. I loved the peculiarness of how the lives of enchanters became beans that grew to have leaves that were like wings. I found it hilarious that Tonino and Cat were just coming along unwillingly. Brilliant. Of course the great Chrestomanci fixed everything in a way at the end. Really great took a while for me to like feel immersed you know but in the end a fun read.

Carol O’Neir’s hundredth dream: 5🌟

Really amazing I like the story and the thought of
Someone being able to control their dreams like that and make characters that you just command. I completely understand the way the people were just livid and I liked how Melville still wanted to be in her dreams and stay a servant in a way. Great story overall definitely worth the read and I appreciate the work the must have gone into the illustration.

The Sage of Theare: 5🌟
Wow definitely my favourite one out of all of them and definetly think this one is worth the read over all of them. I mean the story the characters just amazing! I definetly feel like this one reallly was the one that you should go read because it is just brilliant! Like I really enjoyed the main character and the way he always asked questions an inquisitive mind is much better then one who can be controlled without a word.

Okay to put them all in order,

1 The Sage of Theare! 2 Warlock at the Wheel. 3 Carol O’Neir’s hundredth dream. 4 Stealer of Souls.

Now I realise that having that one last feel almost savage. I loved them all just some more then others. I really hope that this review has helped you decide if you would want to read this.

[Shayantani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaching out for the next Chrestomanci book has been a part of my daily routine the past couple of weeks. The fact that there are no more books in the series makes me unusually sentimental. I wish I could conjure the enchanter as easily as the characters could by saying his name, or meet any of the delightful cats that populate these "what if" worlds and their bizarre magic system. These collection of shorter stories are nothing extraordinary in comparison to other books in the series, but if you are invested in the characters and the world, the last book in the series will strike an emotional chord with you, as it did with me. I am so grateful to Ms Jones, for Chrestomanci, for Howl, for the magic she conjures with her writing.

[Kara Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time deciding on what rating to give. Overall, I enjoyed it, but the first and last stories were not that great. I enjoyed "Stealer of Souls" and "Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream" a lot, though.

Warlock at the Wheel- 2*
Stealer of Souls- 4*
Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream- 4*
The Sage of Theare- 3.5*

[fulano · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW/CW:
g-slur

Most of these are not heavy in plot, and rather silly, but I still liked it! This also includes a reference to Homeward Bounders, one of the author’s previous books.

[Maija · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of four short stories in the Chrestomanci universe. Weaker than the Chrestomanci novels, but hey, it's still Diana Wynne Jones.

Maybe 2.5 stars. The Sage of Theare was probably my favourite, and I would give that one about 3 stars...

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the official next book to read on my to read shelf (the physical one, not the Goodreads one). However, after my last book I needed something fun and relaxing and this filled the bill completely. Jones had a lot of fun with these four tales of Chrestomanci. I think at least one (stealer of souls) could have been expanded into a full length novel rather than a short story. I tend to not like the short stories format since it really limits character development among other problems. I'd say in many ways my favorite was the Sage of Theare. It exemplifies what I like about the Chrestomanci tales, that the author didn't seem to take these stores real seriously. The stories all obey the rules of the universe she set up, that is not what I meant by take these stories seriously. There is no real feeling that if the issue isn't resolved that the end of the world might come for example. These stories are light escapist fiction that can be a real need at times in people's lives. Which happens to be the case for me at the moment. However, being light and escapist also meant that they don't seem particularly memorable which is why I knocked off a star. Hand this to a kid who needs a break from homework or obnoxious teachers/playmates/parents and the kid may not only enjoy the stories a great deal, they may ask for the rest of the series! I'm rather sad to realize I have apparently read the entire series now. I suppose I should try another of her series but perhaps someday in the future.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Willing Warlock story is not much more than light comedy, but I adore Stealer of Souls and Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream (I would love to know when DWJ started planning this story, because Carol's father is Christopher's best friend in school...and "oneiric" means "having to do with dreams" so I'm always really impressed by that). And I'm kind of fond of Thasper too.

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of four short stories by the late great DWJ, all related to her Chrestomanci wizardry novels. The first, Warlock at the Wheel, is pretty standalone although it concerns a character who appeared in Charmed Life, and is the one I least enjoyed. An unsuccessful wizard who lost his powers in that novel turns to crime and learns that the old adage about not working with children and animals is true. I found it a bit 'cutesy' and predictable.

Stealer of Souls is firmly set in the Chrestomanci world and stars Cat, the boy who is understudy to be the next Chrestomanci (it is a role taken on by the most powerful wizard, who happens to have nine lives and who polices the other magical workers). Cat finds it difficult to cope with the arrival of an Italian boy, Tonino, whose magic takes the form of augmenting that of others, and who is patently homesick. (Tonino was introduced in another Jones' novel, The Magicians of Caprona.) Tonino has taken Cat's place in the hierarchy at Chrestomanci Castle and the experience brings out the worst in Cat who wonders if he is going to grow up to be an evil enchanter, but then he meets the real thing when the two boys are kidnapped, and he learns some life lessons in the process. This is an interesting story from beginning to end, with a lot of inventiveness, especially the sequence when the two boys are forced to clean up a filthy basement (having been bespelled into forgetting their own magical abilities which would help them escape). Very vivid and a satisfying conclusion. The best story in the collection in my opinion.

In Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream the eponymous Carol is sent to Chrestomanci as her last hope because she is unable to produce the hundredth in a series of lucid dreams which have been recorded and sold to great profit, giving her family a lifestyle her mother is desperate to cling onto. Carol initially comes over as a bit of a spoilt brat, having always been the centre of attention, but she learns there are others to consider and that sometimes it's necessary to develop along your own path even if this means disappointing the mercenary dreams of a parent. On another level, the story deals with the theme of creativity and whether a dreamer's (writer's) characters have an independent life of their own.

Finally, The Sage of Theare is a story I've read before (Hecate's Cauldron, an anthology of women writers), and it 'came back' as I read it. It is quite an odd story and begins in Theare, a world where everything is very controlled and rule-bound under the rulership of a pantheon of gods reminiscent of the Greek ones. The sun god, who also deals with prophecy, warns that a child has been born who will set everything upside down by questioning everything; this will trigger Dissolution, destroying the gods and granting humanity freewill. The gods set about trying to circumvent the prophecy, but in doing so set in train a series of events in which Chrestomanci eventually becomes embroiled. Anyone who enjoys time paradoxes will like this one; it's an OK read for me, but I wondered if DWJ ever meant to return to this world given a throw-away line - an invisible dragon tells the main character Thasper, "I'll see you again".

Anyway, an easy, short, page-turning read. Nothing too challenging, but Stealer of Souls is the best of the bunch and has the added bonus for anyone familiar with some of the other Chrestomanci books of giving us another tale of Cat and Tonino. That story was a 4-star for me, but with the other stories being not quite so enjoyable, I've awarded 3 stars overall.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

And yet, despite all this attention, Tonino went around with a lost, lonely look that made Cat avoid him. He could tell Tonino was acutely homesick. In fact, Cat was fairly sure Tonino was feeling just the way Cat had felt himself when he first came to Chrestomanci Castle, and Cat could not get over the annoyance of having someone have feelings that were his.

I’m slowly working my way through the Chrestomanci books that I hadn’t read yet; this one features appearances by Cat from Charmed Life and is set directly after The Magicians of Caprona, so definitely read those first if you haven’t yet!

As always, the problem with collected stories is that they are quite literally such a mixed bag. Overall it’s a middling collection, and I prefer the full Chrestomanci novels, but there’s a couple good ones in here (the middle two).

• “Warlock at the Wheel” - A quick little misadventure starring the Willing Warlock, one of the small villains from Charmed Life. 2 stars. Weirdly sparsely written and just not very interesting.

• “Stealer of Souls” - Cat and Tonino. 3 stars. Fun if you particularly like either of those two characters, and it was nice seeing their dynamic/friendship develop, although I wanted more from the plot.

• “Carol Oneir’s Hundredth Dream” - 4 or 5 stars. I loved loved loved this one. It’s set immediately after “Stealer of Souls”, and features a young dreamwalking witch who mass-markets and sells her lucid dreams for profit, but has run into trouble with her hundredth dream. I liked that Chrestomanci had more of a starring role in this one, and the strange mechanics of Carol’s dreams, and discovering what’s going on. (What can I say, I just adore Inception and anything of its ilk.)

• “The Sage of Theare” - 3 stars. Reminded me a little of the silly pantheons and gods in Discworld, like Small Gods, except it’s sort of underwhelming by the end.

[huhharry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird one, and I’m annoyed I left it to last! Short story anthologies are basically destined to be a mixed bag, after all.

There’s some fun ideas in this, and chances for Jones to explore some of the implications of her world - namely, that the gods exist (set up in Christopher Chant properly) and how people can move and live between different worlds (look at Janet, after all). But the stories themselves just kept … missing the mark, slightly? For me? I think it’s because they’re short. There’s not enough space to really get to understand a character before you’re shuttled off to the next one.

Quick notes, then:

Warlock at the Wheel: least favourite. Just didn’t click at all with this one
Stealer of Souls: really fun to see Cat and Tonino again (especially Cat, really). Interesting implication of reincarnation by the end
Carol Oneir: such a fun premise! Dreams going on strike? I wish it was longer, so we could’ve seen what happened next
The Sage of Theare: again, a fun idea that had some real solemnity to the premise, but just not.. enough? It felt like a much larger story cut down to the very bone: watch a single boy take down a rigid pantheon of gods? How possibly could that fit in 40-odd pages? (Not easily!)

Just wish each story was longer - perhaps, then, I’ll take this as a sign that I’m not the best with short stories! Lesson learnt

[Yipin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixed magics is a collection of four short stories all of which I wish could have lasted longer.

They are spin off, side stories of the main chrestomanci story, each revealing a little adventure of the characters found in the chrestomanci series.

You need to read charmed life to know the character in warlock at the wheel, although you will follow the story just fine without first reading charmed life.

Stealer of souls uses the characters from the lives of christopher chant and magicians of caprona. It will feel more exciting to read this story after reading the magicians of caprona

Carol Oneir's hundredth dream borrows a character from the lives of christopher chant, although you don't really need to know the background of the character to enjoy this story.

The last story in the book is The sage of Theare. This story is not really related to any of the others in the chrestomanci series but it did mention the main character of charmed life. Diana used a lot of clever word play in this story that I enjoyed very much and kept thinking what a genius Diana Wynne Jones is. If only she wrote books. 😂

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four somewhat fun, mainly offbeat, but ultimately meh short stories. I do not understand the point of them, really. I enjoyed the short story format, but missed DWJ’s trademark ability to plant seeds that later burst into teeming life within longer novels. These short stories feel like a breath of a beginning of an idea.

Warlock at the Wheel- I’m sorry? But what is this incompetent nincompoop? Also I think I’m a bit carsick, too. These 10 pages are good for a breeze stirring up your hair.

Stealer of Souls- This seems like a rather important plot in the grand scheme of Chrestomanci, but somehow it’s a short story instead in which the decrepit baddie is defeated by…well, not any magic, really. While I had a good chortle at the maternity ward bedlam, I feel my Cat is besmirched.

Carol Oneir’s Hundreth Dream- Dreams as a commodity is BFG reminiscent…but I’m thoroughly confused at what is & isn’t real.

The Sage of Theare- A banger of an opening & I can’t stop sniggering at the word “godlet” and want this in eschatological vernacular at once. Haha. It was a curious (heavily Greek?) religious examination.

DWJ is a queen of weird & wonderful magics, & I very much suggest this series to ease you through a reading slump or a desire for unwinding & tranquil reading.

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly read this book for the sake of completion of this series, and I give it this lower rating because I feel like the stories in this book don't really hold up compared to the longer stories in the rest of the series. When I look back at this book later, I have a feeling I will only remember one or two of the stories vaguely, as they didn't leave much of an impact.

Still, it's always fun to read more in this universe and see what new things Diana Wynne Jones comes up with to explore. In that aspect it doesn't really disappoint, but I just feel like none of the stories quite packed the punch I was looking for in my last read within these universes. Still a good book to read if you love this series, though!

[Jamie Dacyczyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading this short story collection that goes along with the Chrestomanci series. I'm not a a fan of short stories (says this broken record), so naturally I didn't really care for these. Of the four stories, only one really had much to do with the main Chrestomanci cast. The rest were just tangentially related and then Chrestomanci would show up at the end. Reminded me of "The Magicians of Caprona" and "Witch Week", which are my least favorite of the Chrestomanci books.

So, fine as minor additions to the world, and I'll hold onto the book just because it completes my set, but not really worth my while to read again.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found these short stories very well crafted, and I wonder if the short story is actually a literary form which brings out Jones’ facets most brilliantly. I particularly liked the Stealer of Souls. My 10 year old daughter read part of it aloud to me, laughing frequently, and I had to marvel at her writing. I also enjoyed the ending of that one so much, with the nuns, post partum women, and newborn babies overwhelming the villain.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love DWJ. Short stories that are super whimsical and fantastically intriguing to any age reader.

Traded for at J&J Books & Coffee, a used English-language bookstore located in the Malasaña neighborhood of Madrid.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Chrestomanci completists.

[gryzos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genialne