Power of Three

Diana Wynne Jones

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, and where the curse has come from, it is not clear how things can be set right, or even if they can be.

There are a variety of characters which is nice, with the majority of focalisation through Gair. Children will find them likeable, and not too confronting. The ending is a bit of a chair edged one, but it’s certainly not too scary!

I guess this book was a little disappointing for me. I thought I had never read it before, but after getting into it, I realised that it had. It meant that even with all of Gair’s bad feelings, I knew what was going to happen, and I couldn’t dread it properly.

This was a fast read for me, but no doubt will be a little more challenging for its target audience. It did read aloud well though, probably a mark of its author’s craftmanship. It’s a good book, just not for me any more. I somewhat regret buying this one, except that I am sure I will share it with my children eventually!

This book is for children. The storyline is simple, and emphasises the need to look after your friends, and also the importance of words. For a writer, words are all you have to get the message accross, so of course they are important!