Tomes of Spellcasting--The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II: The Magicians of Caprona

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II: The Magicians of Caprona
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 2001

Enchanters with more than one life are rare, and those with nine lives are rarer still. And since such enchanters are so powerful, they have taken on the onus of the Chrestomanci, the government agent responsible for preventing the use of magic in all its forms from getting out of hand in this world and others.

Something is wrong in Caprona, home of the two most powerful spellhouses in all Italy and, possibly, the entire world. Somehow, the greatest works of the two houses are losing their strength, leaving the entire city-state vulnerable to the predations of rivals...and the White Devil of legend. Before, the two houses worked together to safeguard Caprona; now a bitter feud occupies the greater part of their attention as they struggle to repair the waning spells. Then even that stops when Angelica Petrocchi and Antonio Montana, younger members of the two families, disappear, kidnapped by an enemy enchanter. But with the spellhouses prevented from preparing war spells and the rival city-states gathering their forces, is there any hope for beleaguered Caprona? Maybe Chrestomanci can help...but will even his nine-lived powers be sufficient to save them all?

The Magicians of Caprona, the first of two complete novels in The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II, doesn't exactly revolve around an up-and-coming Chrestomanci as Volume I did. Instead, it details one of the many cases Chrestomanci has been involved in, however periphally. In actuality, we rarely see Chrestomanci at all in the course of the novel. How's that for premiere billing?

I know what you're thinking. "Italy? Feuding families? Romeo and Juliet!" Do you really think this is going to be so simple as that? After all, the Capulets and the Montagues weren't characterized by powerful musically-directed magic spells. And given that our main characters are youngsters--between 8 and 10 at the time of the novel--you can be sure that they're not going to be falling in love with each other any time soon. As a matter of fact, they're more likely to start slinging names and insults and spells than working together. Aren't most children like that after all?

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume II: The Magicians of Caprona is a great novel worthy of the name "Chrestomanci" even if the enchanter only puts in a few token appearances. As usual, he's in on the big ending, but of course you knew that already. Anyway, it's the path taken to get to the ending that's always the most interesting, right?

Rating: Thumbs up! If all the Duke's horses and all the Duke's men can't put Caprona back together again, can Chrestomanci?

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This page posted February 16, 2002.

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