Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Power of Three
Ayna could predict the future.
Cari could find what was lost.
Gair thought he was ordinary.
The three children of Gest, the chief of Garholt, know the perils of the Moor on which they live. The Dorig, their people's enemies, are cold-blooded, fierce underwater creatures who terrify anyone unlucky enough to happen upon them. The Giants are dangerous and violent.
But it's not un...more
Cari could find what was lost.
Gair thought he was ordinary.
The three children of Gest, the chief of Garholt, know the perils of the Moor on which they live. The Dorig, their people's enemies, are cold-blooded, fierce underwater creatures who terrify anyone unlucky enough to happen upon them. The Giants are dangerous and violent.
But it's not un...more
ebook, 336 pages
Published
January 31st 2012
by Greenwillow Books
(first published 1976)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,252)
Complex magical setting which is slow to unravel? Winsome and “untalented” boy protagonist? Allegorical plot solved via several unveilings of reality? There are not really any elements that separate The Power of Three from some of my absolute favorite Diana Wynne Jones novels (the Chrestomanci novels, among many others come immediately to mind). And with that in mind, it is really amazing how consistently enjoyable I find her work when The Power of Three shows how easily such disparate parts can...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 6 comments
I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.
There is a powerful curse at work on the moor. The giants, the people and the Dorig are all suffering from one ill-advised deed. Although the reader may think they know what to expect - they really don't. It is up to Gair, the ordinary son of a hero, to save the day.
The plot of this book builds up slowly. Although the reader will know from the beginning that things are not right, an...more
There is a powerful curse at work on the moor. The giants, the people and the Dorig are all suffering from one ill-advised deed. Although the reader may think they know what to expect - they really don't. It is up to Gair, the ordinary son of a hero, to save the day.
The plot of this book builds up slowly. Although the reader will know from the beginning that things are not right, an...more
Though the Moor is enchantingly beautiful, it holds great perils for the people who inhabit it. Powerful Giants, with extraordinary magical machines, clumsily roam the land, while silent Dorig, who possess devious shape-shifting abilities, terrify anyone unlucky enough to happen upon them.Then there are, as they call themselves, "the People" and it is among them that this story takes place. A cursed gold collar, a broken promise, ignoring a warning vision, and the clash of cultures for survival...more
This book by DWJ was surprisingly more complicated in terms of the characters' maturity's evolution process and provides the young reader with much to think about. It deals with differences in 'race' in a different but effective way, without touching on any sensitivities relating to 'colour'. In here, three types of 'race' are portrayed as initially having many differences at the onset of the story, when the main characters are still ignorant and still held on to the belief that the other races...more
YA Fantasy. Three siblings must use their Gifts to rescue their family from the fishy Dorig and stop the Giants from flooding the Moor.
I like the way Jones plays with perspective here. There are three groups of people, each with a different set of names for their enemies, and they all come to learn that their ideas about each other are completely wrong. That's what happens when you rely on rumor to build an impression of someone. And then the day is saved by compromise and diplomacy!
Written with...more
I like the way Jones plays with perspective here. There are three groups of people, each with a different set of names for their enemies, and they all come to learn that their ideas about each other are completely wrong. That's what happens when you rely on rumor to build an impression of someone. And then the day is saved by compromise and diplomacy!
Written with...more
Some of Diana's earlier work, and you can tell. She caught up with her golden era some ten years later. The elements are there, but they're not harnessed with the brilliance especially found in her works published in the 80s'.
Cute. Very cute, but anticlimactic all the way through. Likeable, but distant characters. The ending was really rather flat and boring, albeit very reasonable. I don't know. I kind of feel the same I felt about Hexwood – it was okay, but nothing remarkable, and the last qua...more
Cute. Very cute, but anticlimactic all the way through. Likeable, but distant characters. The ending was really rather flat and boring, albeit very reasonable. I don't know. I kind of feel the same I felt about Hexwood – it was okay, but nothing remarkable, and the last qua...more
In the power of three, three children, Ayna, Ceri, and Gair, discover their gifts. Ayna, the gift of knowing, which allows her to answer anything. Ceri, the gift of finding, allowing him to find anything asked. But Gair seems to not have one. But the town views Gair as someone very wise. They view him as this because he sits in his windowsill and he is quiet thinking. Their biggest allies in the end are their worst of enemies, the dreaded shape-shifting Dorig. They have a grudge against the huma...more
What I love about (99% of) Jones books is that, regardless of my current reading mood or habit, I can pick one up, be drawn in, and enjoy it the whole way through. In that respect, Power of Three did not disappoint.
The plot moves at an ambling pace, most of the cast is quickly sketched with more detail filled in as the mostly main character comes to understandings and realizations, and the ending is a little abrupt and too neat, even compared to Jones' normally abrupt endings.
Still, I enjoyed th...more
The plot moves at an ambling pace, most of the cast is quickly sketched with more detail filled in as the mostly main character comes to understandings and realizations, and the ending is a little abrupt and too neat, even compared to Jones' normally abrupt endings.
Still, I enjoyed th...more
I really enjoyed this one. It was basically 361 pages of broken telephone. Everyone constantly misunderstood each other and everyone was struggling to see through each other's eyes and often failing to do so. And there was this great curse that had no effect as long as people were getting along, but when people started to get angry... it actually made me wonder if the curse was real, to be honest. There were a couple of times when Gair chalked things up to the curse and I was thinking "no, this...more
Feb 25, 2008
Sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Young Adult readers, especially fantasy buffs, but anyone really
Yet again, Diana Wynne Jones has come up with an entire new, innovative concept for a novel. Let's hear it for an allegorical novel that isn't so cheesy you want to puke!
This is a great children's book that I first read when I was about ten or eleven. I re-read it recently and still found it very enjoyable. I love the quality of Diana Wynne Jones' writing, her style is warm and friendly like a bedtime tale, even though the story has some shocking events. It has a strong message of racial tolerance and peace between peoples, told through simple situations of childhood bullying and adventure that mirror the adult world where tribes and people are at war. In a norm...more
I enjoyed this book...
...and enjoyed it...
...and enjoyed it.
I'd give it a higher rating except that it has to be one of the least memorable books I've ever read (along with The Merlin Conspiracy, also by Diana Wynne Jones.) It was only as I neared the end of the book I realised I knew exactly what was going to happen and that I'd read it before.
Over the years, I've done this twice: got two-thirds of the way through the story before I recognised it.
In each case it was a satisfying read. But not o...more
...and enjoyed it...
...and enjoyed it.
I'd give it a higher rating except that it has to be one of the least memorable books I've ever read (along with The Merlin Conspiracy, also by Diana Wynne Jones.) It was only as I neared the end of the book I realised I knew exactly what was going to happen and that I'd read it before.
Over the years, I've done this twice: got two-thirds of the way through the story before I recognised it.
In each case it was a satisfying read. But not o...more
I feel like this is a book that generally gets overlooked. A lot of people have read the Chrestomanci series or other books by Diana Wynne Jones, but I haven't met very many people who have read this one, and that saddens me because it's probably my favourite of all her work. The world is, like most of her works, familiar and yet unfamiliar; you understand that it's supposed to be taking place in the world that we live in yet it's so totally different to anything that we have. This is one of tho...more
Feb 12, 2013
Verity Brown
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Meh, I wouldn't really
Recommended to Verity by:
I just like Diana Wynne Jones, usually
Meh. This story started out with such promise, but then the time period/setting turned out to be completely different than I expected (and not in a good way), the differences of physical scale between the three peoples and their environment never did make much sense, and the ending sort of waffled. But at least I realized early on that I was probably going to be disappointed--it wasn't like Fire and Hemlock, where you get to the end before you go ARGH.
DWJ Book Toast, #14
Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enjoying them....more
Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enjoying them....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In Power Of Three, Diana Wynne Jones's seventh novel, she takes her skill with limited third person perspective and the naive narrator to a new level. Ayna, Gair and Ceri are siblings who live on the Moor, coexisting unpeacefully with the Dorig, water-dwelling fish-like humanoids, and the Giants, large and loud and strong. Ayna and Ceri have actual magical powers that they have to learn to use over the course of the story: Ayna can give a true answer to any question she's asked; Ceri can control...more
I wasn't sure why, but I picked up the book anyway. It was the first book of Diana Wynne Jones that I actually bought which then began my long love affair. A very long one which should say something as Jones' books were never what I would ever call an easy read. Actually, I would say it was pretty much a struggle to read. Unlike every other story that I came to love, I did not fall for this book over the first line. I mean, who would? "This is the story of the children of Adara -" That was hardl...more
Aug 12, 2007
Brownbetty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all ages
Shelves:
not-to-be-parted-from
Diana Wynne Jones' Power of Three is, if memory serves me correct, the first book I ever owned. It was given to me for Christmas, when I was quite young. I loaned it to a friend in seventh grade and it came back to me smelling of applesauce. It no longer smells of applesauce, but I remember pressing my face into the book for the smell. I've glued the spine back together once, and a section is currently trying to fall out again. I don't want to replace it.
Jones' particular genius is writing books...more
Jones' particular genius is writing books...more
1 like · like · see review
Nov 23, 2012
Vanessa
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
why-wasn-t-this-better
This one really disappointed me, as I had just read Diana Wynne Jone's Castle in the Air and ADORED it. She could have worked on credibility during the second half of her book, showing us more of the culture of the Dorig and the People, and perhaps having more direction in the plot, as it often meandered.
This was my most favourite book when I was younger. The characters, the storyline, all drew me in and I read it a fair number of times. Others on goodreads have said it's rather slow, but I found every part of it intriguing. It's what got me into Diana Wynne Jones' stories to start with, and although it's rather different to the Chrestomanci series it's just as enjoyable.
Always creative, always captivating, yet another enjoyable read from Diana Wynne Jones. I liked Howl's Moving Castle better, but this was still very entertaining.
Three different groups of people who each think the others are not people have conflict over land. Their children (of course) get together and find common ground, and they are to resolve the conflict.
Three different groups of people who each think the others are not people have conflict over land. Their children (of course) get together and find common ground, and they are to resolve the conflict.
This is the story of Ayna and Ceri, who both had Gifts, and of Gair, who thought he was ordinary.Gair spent his time gazing out onto the Moor and brooding. Ayna could answer questions about the future, Ceri could find things which were lost. Gair seems to have no Gift and knew he was a disappointment to his jovial, heroic father – who is Chief. Perhaps his feelings of not fitting in was what made him so curious about these other different sorts of beings who lived on the Moor – the Giants and th
...more
Jun 12, 2008
Bess
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
The young at heart!
Recommended to Bess by:
My sister
Loved this book as a kid. The detailing of these separate communities, with their separate rituals, traditions is lush. The children's characterisation was really well developed, from Gair's completely understandable fears of being the ordinary child out of his siblings and concerns regarding his place within the family, Ayna's concerns re the responsibility that came with her gifts, and Ceri blessed twice and as unfazed by the concerns his siblings faced as only the youngest child can be! I lov...more
Oct 09, 2011
Caroline
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-readers
The Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones takes places on the Moors, a place where full of by rival tribes, water dwelling Dorig and clueless giants stumbling about. In it, the chief’s three children learn their land is under a curse and hope to overthrow it. Their investigations take them on excursions into the court of the Dorig and the “land of the giants.” There, the nature of their world is revealed to the reader, though it takes the characters a bit to catch on.
Diana Wynne Jones has the gift...more
Diana Wynne Jones has the gift...more
This is an excellent YA novel, with a good twist. It's the story of Ayna, Ceri and Gair, who live in the Moors, and whose community is threatened by Giants and Dorig, water dwelling beings. The children and their powers are slowly revealed, as is the true nature of the three communities.
This is a great book for younger readers (10-12ish?) about how three groups of people who are different (but not really so different) learn how to get along. The moral is pretty obvious but the story is funny and sweet and interesting enough that it's not heavy-handed.
My most favorite of her stories. I've read it a hundred times. The story is intresting in its complexity but not so complext that you get lost in the telling. I also love that not all the adults are stupid and that they end up helping with the solution to save everyone.
The 'Power of Three' started with a murder, a curse of grave magnitude, and a promise (under threat of a curse) to keep the murder and curse secret. It's the children who search for a peaceful solution while the adults fight on. Number one priority is to remove the curse which is poisoning the entire Moor. Even the giants are being affected and they had no hand in said curse. Just remember that the spoken word has power and don't give your name to just anyone.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Pover of T...more
I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Pover of T...more
An interesting look at cultural differences and the definition of "magic", oh and rampaging curses and how "ordinary" heroes are made.
A solid Jones, and enjoyable story, it just lacked a certain depth and humor that her best books contain. Read it if you get the chance, but don't expect a House of Many Ways story.
Contains a murder and other violence, though not described in great detail.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Diana Wynne Jones was the author of more than thirty critically acclaimed fantasy stories, including the Chrestomanci series and the novels Howl's Moving Castle and Dark Lord of Derkholm.
For Diana Wynne Jones's official autobiography, please see http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/aut...
More about Diana Wynne Jones...
For Diana Wynne Jones's official autobiography, please see http://www.leemac.freeserve.co.uk/aut...
