false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170347861m/47587.jpg 47587 9 If, next door to our ordinary world, there existed a world full of magic, wouldn't you want to visit it? That's the situation that Diana Wynne Jones explores in <I>Dark Lord of Derkholm</I>, and she makes an effective and comical tale of it. <p> Groups of tourists, called Pilgrim Parties and organized by the cold-hearted profiteer Mr. Chesney, take a portal to the magical realm, where they are shepherded about the countryside by a wizard guide. Mr. Chesney sets the rules, such as that all wizard guides must have long white beards--even 14-year-old Blade--and every Party gets to "slay" the Dark Lord. No wizard wants to be chosen as the year's Dark Lord, because Mr. Chesney demands large battles that cause great devastation in the local villages and farms, and he doesn't pay very well, but he does have a captive demon to enforce his will. This year, things are going especially badly for the chosen Dark Lord, Derk. He can't seem to keep his evil forces on the right track, despite help from his son Blade, his daughter Shona the bard, and his griffin sons and daughters. His chief aide, Barnabas, is drinking heavily and muddling his spells. And the dwarfs are taking their baskets of gold as tribute to the one they say is the real Dark Lord--Mr. Chesney. <p> Jones spoofs many of the trappings of fantasy epics, while at the same time portraying a family, with its surface squabbles and underlying love, through a rollicking and somewhat unwieldy story. Her messages about exploitation and responsibility come through clearly. Although not as tightly focused as some of her earlier novels, the galloping pace makes <I>Dark Lord of Derkholm</I> a quick, fun read for her numerous fans. <I>--Blaise Selby</I> (Gollancz SF) 869986 1998 The Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm, #1) total:987|5:394|4:330|3:193|2:52|1:18| 987 3991 1315 81 4 1 false false Sun Aug 31 04:44:20 -0700 2008 Tue Nov 04 08:31:53 -0800 2008
In The Dark Lord of Derkholm, the world of magic had ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 17:05:56 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 27 17:22:10 -0700 2007 Howl's Moving Castle, Jones manages to give fantasy a modern, quirky twist. In this case, the Dark Lord of Derkholm is actually an animal-loving, quirky veterinarian/botanist/family man, Derk, who has been selected to play the rol...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 13:04:30 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 15:19:46 -0700 2009 5 1 false false Mon Jun 09 14:56:08 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 22:36:30 -0700 2008 Diana Wynne Jones book I read, I believe, and I had no idea — NO idea — that it would be one of the lightest and easiest (not counting the Chrestomanci or Cart/Cwidder books). It seemed so involved at the time. Now, rereading it, I...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 07:22:27 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 07:22:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 18:44:17 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 14:11:21 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Dec 12 08:52:03 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 08:55:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Thu Apr 16 18:37:22 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 18:47:17 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Dec 04 18:26:09 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 18:28:44 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 19:32:52 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 19:51:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 17 14:50:57 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 16:34:06 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Dec 04 20:15:41 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 23:10:02 -0800 2008 4+

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A SERIOUS CRITISM BUT SHOULDNT KEEP YOU FROM READING THIS BOOK.
The main female character is gang-raped. This is not explicitly stated but alluded to and ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Nov 17 08:00:37 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 08:00:49 -0800 2008 2 0 false true Sat Jan 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 27 17:32:35 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 12:31:16 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Feb 16 10:24:19 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 16 10:24:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 16:59:33 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 17:05:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Oct 20 12:33:50 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 20 12:33:50 -0700 2008 There is a planet where all the fantasy tropes--magic, dragons, etc.--are real, but it isn't a big thing, really. Just the way things are.
But an unscrupulous man, using the power of a demon to control ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Fri Sep 18 22:48:54 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 22:56:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 15:07:40 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 23:33:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Aug 20 15:18:53 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 15:22:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=47587