What do you think?
Rate this book
Dirty Magic
Carol Hughes learned all about great fantasy growing up in England. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters. The author lives in Los Angeles, CA. "From the Hardcover edition."
ebook
First published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Carol Hughes
33 books13 followersCarol Hughes grew up in England, in a seaside town where her parents kept a small hotel. When she got older, she went to art school to study painting. Not long afterward, she moved to the United States and began writing. She now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
I really liked Carol Hughes' book DIRTY MAGIC. It is about an unlikely hero by the name of Joe.
Joe has a major fight with his little sister, Hannah, and wishes she were dead. The next thing he knows, he is dreaming that his sister is being taken away in an ambulance. He wakes up and finds a gray girl named Katherine, who says she needs to take him to Asphodel, so that he can find his sister. Asphodel is the place where children go when they are in comas to wait for either life or death.
In Asphodel, he finds a very dreary, industrialized place.
It is constantly raining. He is taken to a guide and luck finds him with a blind guide named Spider. At first we believe that Spider is not very reliable, but soon we learn that Spider is the one person that Joe needs to believe in and follow if he wants to find his sister. This land is at war. There are killing machines, secret police, and a bureaucracy that makes moving across this land almost impossible. They have to go to Long City, which is in the middle of the country, and the adventure they have dodging the machines, the secret police, and surviving the weather is amazing. On this journey Joe learns about the politics of the land and starts to use his brains to help the three of them survive.
The end of this story has a great twist and I enjoyed the last one hundred pages immensely. I have rated this for older teens, but a mature younger reader would probably also like it. The moral of this story is that we all do things that are horrible but we can all be forgiven. That we are not be so ashamed of our secrets that we hide from the world and let others rule over us. This is a great lesson to learn at any age.
So if you like books about war, fantasy, science fiction, and great relationships, go pick up a copy of DIRTY MAGIC.
I really liked Carol Hughes' book DIRTY MAGIC. It is about an unlikely hero by the name of Joe.
Joe has a major fight with his little sister, Hannah, and wishes she were dead. The next thing he knows, he is dreaming that his sister is being taken away in an ambulance. He wakes up and finds a gray girl named Katherine, who says she needs to take him to Asphodel, so that he can find his sister. Asphodel is the place where children go when they are in comas to wait for either life or death.
In Asphodel, he finds a very dreary, industrialized place.
It is constantly raining. He is taken to a guide and luck finds him with a blind guide named Spider. At first we believe that Spider is not very reliable, but soon we learn that Spider is the one person that Joe needs to believe in and follow if he wants to find his sister. This land is at war. There are killing machines, secret police, and a bureaucracy that makes moving across this land almost impossible. They have to go to Long City, which is in the middle of the country, and the adventure they have dodging the machines, the secret police, and surviving the weather is amazing. On this journey Joe learns about the politics of the land and starts to use his brains to help the three of them survive.
The end of this story has a great twist and I enjoyed the last one hundred pages immensely. I have rated this for older teens, but a mature younger reader would probably also like it. The moral of this story is that we all do things that are horrible but we can all be forgiven. That we are not be so ashamed of our secrets that we hide from the world and let others rule over us. This is a great lesson to learn at any age.
So if you like books about war, fantasy, science fiction, and great relationships, go pick up a copy of DIRTY MAGIC.
November 9, 2016
This is one book that I really hope becomes a motion picture one day. I had very strong visuals while reading which also has me falling in love with this author. This beautifully written fantasy book had me on my toes as I followed through the characters vivid dream and gray story line. I am excited to have this as a possibility in book bins in my future classroom. Students within intermediate grades will love this plot and adventure.
September 6, 2023
Good thought-provoking middle-grade fantasy. There are excellent characters, incredible ingenuity, and plenty of twists.
Despite the miserable setting - a rain-soaked muddy world with trench warfare and infernal machines - this book is hopeful and not depressing. I wish the author had not had a character state out loud one obvious lesson which can be drawn from the book, but at least he does so only once and in a short sentence.
It's not quite clear whether the hero (who comes from our world) is dreaming or not in the other world and I appreciate that it's not spelled out.
Kids who like machines and models might especially like this book, but it's not necessary.
I will probably keep my copy, despite my crowded shelves.
Despite the miserable setting - a rain-soaked muddy world with trench warfare and infernal machines - this book is hopeful and not depressing. I wish the author had not had a character state out loud one obvious lesson which can be drawn from the book, but at least he does so only once and in a short sentence.
It's not quite clear whether the hero (who comes from our world) is dreaming or not in the other world and I appreciate that it's not spelled out.
Kids who like machines and models might especially like this book, but it's not necessary.
I will probably keep my copy, despite my crowded shelves.
August 5, 2019
I have read mixed reviews about Dirty Magic , but I liked it. There was lots of action. It had over 400 pages and kept me hooked. There were also great messages throughout the book. Definitely give it a shot.
March 20, 2010
This was a strangely written book. I found it in the children’s section, the book looks childish, the writing is big, the protagonist is ten. Yet the vocabulary used is that of an adult, the children reason like adults, the setting is very mature. A war-streaked land, two ethnicities fighting ruthlessly, manipulative ambassadors, slavery, death penalties are all part of this book.
First of all, Joe, the protagonist, was bland. He was a flat nobody who had absolutely nothing else in mind than his guilt (since he thinks he is responsible for his little sister’s sickness). In fact, he obsesses over it and after a hundred times, the whole deal gets annoying. Also, he has way too much luck for my liking. Katherine was okay, but she thought too much like an adult. A ten year old, no matter what it went through, will always be a ten year old. Her decisions were the wise, rational ones of a battle veteran. Because yes, she lives and has lived all her life in the midst of a twenty year old conflict and runs around in sodden trenches. It’s a wonder she didn’t die of hypothermia. The thing is, she isn’t the only child in this condition. They all are. Lastly, Spider was way too good at orientation even though he was a blind man. And his “I felt the ground, It was dryer” and other lame excuses for his super-skills don’t fool me, he has the same comportment as a seeing man. Spider hears and smells and feels too well for it to be anywhere near realistic. He can also read and write.
The plot itself took too long to unravel. Travel to place A, then place B, and then place C, and then you might understand a little better what’s going on. I kept wondering why Joe had had to come to this warring world from our own, what a charge was, and the lack of answers made me frustrated and mad. Everything was explained in the very last chapter, and it ended very abruptly after that, almost as if the ending had been rushed. But to be fair, I have to say the plot was okay. The problem is, it was more or less drowned by strange and rather useless events, and the lack of explanations made this a tough read.
The writing style was downright strange. At times, it felt as if she were talking to a six year old. At other times, words like derelict or simian come up, and even I need a quick check in the dictionary to make sure I understand correctly. Also, the fact that a clicking sound was compared to the noise made by a Geiger counter was too much. Most people don’t know what a Geiger counter is, let alone know what it sounds like. The attempts at humor were pitiful fails.
There was one thing that made me desperately annoyed. Joe got a bullet through his hand in the first few pages of the book, and 215 pages, there is no mention of this event. He walks for three days straight, his bloody bandage is wet and muddy, yet he isn’t in pain? Not even a little? When I remembered about this wound, I smacked my head against the book a couple of times.
One truly great point in this book was the machines. They were extraordinary. They were frightening to read about, and I wouldn’t want to encounter any of them any day. Each machine had a different role, different weapons, a different appearance. Their descriptions were epic, and I have to admit the parts in which they were included fascinated me.
Perhaps if the characters had been more realistic, the writing more unified and the story and plot more explained, this book would’ve been better. The good elements were hidden behind the incoherence, and a little more realism could’ve gone a long way. It is a book only to be read if absolutely nothing else is available.
First of all, Joe, the protagonist, was bland. He was a flat nobody who had absolutely nothing else in mind than his guilt (since he thinks he is responsible for his little sister’s sickness). In fact, he obsesses over it and after a hundred times, the whole deal gets annoying. Also, he has way too much luck for my liking. Katherine was okay, but she thought too much like an adult. A ten year old, no matter what it went through, will always be a ten year old. Her decisions were the wise, rational ones of a battle veteran. Because yes, she lives and has lived all her life in the midst of a twenty year old conflict and runs around in sodden trenches. It’s a wonder she didn’t die of hypothermia. The thing is, she isn’t the only child in this condition. They all are. Lastly, Spider was way too good at orientation even though he was a blind man. And his “I felt the ground, It was dryer” and other lame excuses for his super-skills don’t fool me, he has the same comportment as a seeing man. Spider hears and smells and feels too well for it to be anywhere near realistic. He can also read and write.
The plot itself took too long to unravel. Travel to place A, then place B, and then place C, and then you might understand a little better what’s going on. I kept wondering why Joe had had to come to this warring world from our own, what a charge was, and the lack of answers made me frustrated and mad. Everything was explained in the very last chapter, and it ended very abruptly after that, almost as if the ending had been rushed. But to be fair, I have to say the plot was okay. The problem is, it was more or less drowned by strange and rather useless events, and the lack of explanations made this a tough read.
The writing style was downright strange. At times, it felt as if she were talking to a six year old. At other times, words like derelict or simian come up, and even I need a quick check in the dictionary to make sure I understand correctly. Also, the fact that a clicking sound was compared to the noise made by a Geiger counter was too much. Most people don’t know what a Geiger counter is, let alone know what it sounds like. The attempts at humor were pitiful fails.
There was one thing that made me desperately annoyed. Joe got a bullet through his hand in the first few pages of the book, and 215 pages, there is no mention of this event. He walks for three days straight, his bloody bandage is wet and muddy, yet he isn’t in pain? Not even a little? When I remembered about this wound, I smacked my head against the book a couple of times.
One truly great point in this book was the machines. They were extraordinary. They were frightening to read about, and I wouldn’t want to encounter any of them any day. Each machine had a different role, different weapons, a different appearance. Their descriptions were epic, and I have to admit the parts in which they were included fascinated me.
Perhaps if the characters had been more realistic, the writing more unified and the story and plot more explained, this book would’ve been better. The good elements were hidden behind the incoherence, and a little more realism could’ve gone a long way. It is a book only to be read if absolutely nothing else is available.
July 13, 2013
Joe Brooks, a boy who likes models and Monster Machine magazine, gets up in the middle of the night and finds that his bathroom door opens into a muddy plain stretching to the horizon all around. Suddenly Joe is in a strange, island world where the sun never shines, the war never ends, and the lost children who regularly appear out of nowhere never seem to get home again. A world torn apart between two sister queens who both blame each other for the death of a third sister. A world where trenches, barbed wire, and automated war-engines surround a walled city crumbling into ruins, where bureaucratic paralysis and water damage are together eroding the foundations of society, and where the secret police uses cruel interrogation techniques to wring the guilty secrets out of children, using them as leverage to keep the kids in line.
Before he can get home to his models and his magazines, Joe must find his sister Hannah. Why? Because he's dreamt that he did her wrong, and she got sick, and someone carried her away to this awful place, and it's all his fault. In search of his sister, Joe must crawl across acres of mud, wriggle through fetid sewers, hunker in the belly of rusty old trucks, rub shoulders with some frankly sickening people (like the thief who stows pork chops in his socks), and elude machines designed to destroy people in a gruesome variety of ways. He couldn't survive it without the help of a young fetcher named Katherine, who wants to prove that her brother Tom hasn't turned traitor; and of a guide named Spider, who doesn't let blindness get in the way of his keen navigational skills.
The dirt is obvious, but it's not clear exactly why the word "magic" is in the title. What magic exists in this land of mud and machine is vague and notional only. There's something magical about the way Joe arrives there, and in the route he must eventually take to get home—if he makes it that far. There's something otherworldly about the Heathermen's ingenious designs, the Skulkers' shrewd resistance tactics, Spider's super-keen senses, and the hint of a dragon beyond the mountains to the north. There are even unexplainable feats of engineering, such as an invisible bridge. It seems possible that this might be a magical world, and its rightful rulers women of supernatural power, if only the veneer of soot, rust, grime, and technology could be scraped off.
Joe commits himself so completely to finding his sister that he willingly gives himself up to the bad guys, particularly the villainous Ambassador Orlemann. He learns a lot about the history and politics of the world he has joined, and we learn it with him. He grows quickly from a bewildered, lost child to an effective spy and a courageous hero: enduring danger and torture as well as flattery and temptation; delivering thousands of children from an awful fate; and unraveling a fiendish plot to seize absolute power. But to find his way back to Hannah, he will have to face a harsh truth. And, unfortunately, the journey home will make him forget all his adventures.
Other than a handful of stylistic goofs (such as saying twice in a row that Joe looked up, or using the phrase "gloomy effect" where "gloom" would do), this last twist (Joe's forgetfulness)is the only blemish in an otherwise terrific piece of fantasy world-building. It's an exciting story, clothed in unusually drab yet vividly interesting atmospherics. Without doubt, Carol Hughes is a talent to watch. Other books by this British-American author include Toots and the Upside-Down House and Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves.
Before he can get home to his models and his magazines, Joe must find his sister Hannah. Why? Because he's dreamt that he did her wrong, and she got sick, and someone carried her away to this awful place, and it's all his fault. In search of his sister, Joe must crawl across acres of mud, wriggle through fetid sewers, hunker in the belly of rusty old trucks, rub shoulders with some frankly sickening people (like the thief who stows pork chops in his socks), and elude machines designed to destroy people in a gruesome variety of ways. He couldn't survive it without the help of a young fetcher named Katherine, who wants to prove that her brother Tom hasn't turned traitor; and of a guide named Spider, who doesn't let blindness get in the way of his keen navigational skills.
The dirt is obvious, but it's not clear exactly why the word "magic" is in the title. What magic exists in this land of mud and machine is vague and notional only. There's something magical about the way Joe arrives there, and in the route he must eventually take to get home—if he makes it that far. There's something otherworldly about the Heathermen's ingenious designs, the Skulkers' shrewd resistance tactics, Spider's super-keen senses, and the hint of a dragon beyond the mountains to the north. There are even unexplainable feats of engineering, such as an invisible bridge. It seems possible that this might be a magical world, and its rightful rulers women of supernatural power, if only the veneer of soot, rust, grime, and technology could be scraped off.
Joe commits himself so completely to finding his sister that he willingly gives himself up to the bad guys, particularly the villainous Ambassador Orlemann. He learns a lot about the history and politics of the world he has joined, and we learn it with him. He grows quickly from a bewildered, lost child to an effective spy and a courageous hero: enduring danger and torture as well as flattery and temptation; delivering thousands of children from an awful fate; and unraveling a fiendish plot to seize absolute power. But to find his way back to Hannah, he will have to face a harsh truth. And, unfortunately, the journey home will make him forget all his adventures.
Other than a handful of stylistic goofs (such as saying twice in a row that Joe looked up, or using the phrase "gloomy effect" where "gloom" would do), this last twist (Joe's forgetfulness)is the only blemish in an otherwise terrific piece of fantasy world-building. It's an exciting story, clothed in unusually drab yet vividly interesting atmospherics. Without doubt, Carol Hughes is a talent to watch. Other books by this British-American author include Toots and the Upside-Down House and Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves.
March 8, 2014
Oh. My. Goodness fudgealishnes. That was fantastic. It was amazing, this book is about a kid named Joe who is forced into this other world by a girl named Kathrine. For some reason, they need him to do something that involves him traveling about with a war, and a never ending rainstorm. They meet this blind guy, Spider, who is so much more than he seems. Joe thinks that he is there to save his sister from illness, because his sister is always sick. He also thinks that he made her sick because he wanted her dead over a ruined comic book. Oh. Then ending. This book was perfectly patient in revealing secrets, and giving an amazing view of how even the most evil person isn't evil, the nice weird person is a genius, and that everything is not how it seems. If I could delete my memory and read this again. I would do that I a heartbeat. I suddenly have the urge to invent something. I love books that make me want to try things. This book is full of conspiracys, metal monsters that are just brilliant, and a heart warming story of a brothers guilt for hating his sister. This was a great, fantastic, amazing, read-this-a-billion-times type of book. If you want to read it, just know that it is amazing. Once you get past the boring parts. Some of it is a little slow. But the end is great, and a little sad.
December 30, 2015
How is this not some renowned children's classic? I'm so glad I rediscovered this, just one little copy in a hidden second-bookstore in the depths of the belly of the city. It's cliche to say it, but it was like finding a long, lost treasure. And now, my little sisters will be conscripted into reading this book, as will my future kids and grand-kids.
It's just so good. Dirty Magic just takes you into this perfectly whimsical world; okay, it starts as perfectly dreary and grim, but you can see that fantastical side hiding just beneath, waiting to be restored. Joe. Joe is such an easy kid to relate to with the sibling drama, but to explore it in this way was something ingenious in itself. And then there's the charm of characters like Spider and Katherine, and the whole cast. It's just beautiful, and complete.
It's just so good. Dirty Magic just takes you into this perfectly whimsical world; okay, it starts as perfectly dreary and grim, but you can see that fantastical side hiding just beneath, waiting to be restored. Joe. Joe is such an easy kid to relate to with the sibling drama, but to explore it in this way was something ingenious in itself. And then there's the charm of characters like Spider and Katherine, and the whole cast. It's just beautiful, and complete.
August 9, 2012
A should-be-classic in children's literature, 'Dirty Magic' by Carol Hughes captures the essence of what we all love in children literature, while capturing our attention with lessons well learned of the consequences of making rash wishes. It's just a little more substantial than Alice in Wonderland, and less dark than the Harry Potter series, I'd recommend this to any parent who liked Aesop's fables and the morals it taught in easy to understand stories. Though Dirty Magic is just one story, by itself, it still offers up lessons on trust, friendship, and enough excitement and twists to keep the younger readers guessing until the very end. An ideal bedtime story.
August 1, 2010
Again, I was more interested in the side-characters/supporting cast than the actual main character. Spider was probably my favorite but that might be because I like badass-blind people.
Kat was pretty cool too but every time she started spouting some biased war-propaganda nonsense I wanted to slug her.
The pace of the book wasn't that great and didn't really hold my attention until the middle/end. Overall it was an ok book but I'm not sure I'll ever pick it up again.
Kat was pretty cool too but every time she started spouting some biased war-propaganda nonsense I wanted to slug her.
The pace of the book wasn't that great and didn't really hold my attention until the middle/end. Overall it was an ok book but I'm not sure I'll ever pick it up again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2009
This book was fantastic! I don't even know what to say. The characters were wonderfully drawn and the world was beautifully built. I find myself wanting much, much more of this universe and its characters, and I would definitely recommend this book to ANYONE looking for a good read. Check it out for sure!
August 15, 2012
I admit, some points of this book were confusing. But this book is a great and fun ride. And don't be fooled by the title, it's clean if you are worried about swearing or anything else. This book makes you wonder about how our world would turn out if we really did have magic among us, and how we would use it. But you gotta read it to know what I am talking about.
June 29, 2014
amazing guys!
just really an amazing read. Full of plot twists and discoveries. their adventure(katherine,spider,joe) through different lands was so cool!but the ending was kind of sad for me when it was time for Joe to leave.
But still loved it! THUMBs UP!
just really an amazing read. Full of plot twists and discoveries. their adventure(katherine,spider,joe) through different lands was so cool!but the ending was kind of sad for me when it was time for Joe to leave.
But still loved it! THUMBs UP!
February 7, 2010
I couldnt remember the name of this book! I tried so hard, and I finally remembered it today!
Wonderful story, I loved it. Great plotline, one of the most original things I've ever read.
Wonderful story, I loved it. Great plotline, one of the most original things I've ever read.
October 11, 2011
This was a present to my book loving daughter. I read it on our holiday and did enjoy it. The writing was fairly mature, as were the characters. A YA book I don't regret reading.
January 26, 2015
An absolutely splendid tale of steampunk and the lengths we will go to for our loved ones.
July 26, 2013
Good story, good plot. Extremely predictable but I still think it was good. I also like the thinking about clues/hints.
November 12, 2014
Started slow, but picked up nicely, especially near the end. Motivation for the children seemed shaky, but children perhaps think differently than adults.
June 13, 2017
A good look into morality, life, death, motivation, and heroism. An entertaining read from start to finish. Great for middle school
February 8, 2016
A good book. Surprising how quickly it got me in and then couldn't put it down. Interesting idea.
July 22, 2008
Reviewed for VOYA.
June 9, 2009
great story loved it but the ending was hurried and a bit weak
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews