Chrestomanci, a powerful enchanter and possessor of nine lives, prevails throughout the four short stories included in Mixed Magics. The stories take place in an alternate universe, previously encountered in Witch Week (Greenwillow, 1982) and The Lives of Christopher Chant (Greenwillow, 1988). The universe of this book is similar to the one we know, but it’s vastly different when it comes to the subject of magic. In “Warlock at the Wheel,” the funniest of the tales, a fugitive warlock attempts to escape from Chrestomanci’s world, only to be waylaid by a precocious bully of a child, who makes him yearn for the prison sentence he faced back home. Cat Chant must overcome his resentment of a potential rival, when together the two confront the malevolent “Stealer of Souls.” Along with “Carol Oneir’s Hundredth Dream” and “The Sage of Theare,” these stories offer a welcome foray into Diana Wynne Jones’s intricately realized magical world. (Ages 9–12)

Dapper, debonair, and wise, the great enchanter Chrestomanci has nine lives and a strong personality as well as strong magic. That personality reverberates in each of these four dazzling stories.

A warlock tries to escape Chrestomanci's justice by fleeing to another world-with hilarious results. Cat Chant and Tonino Montana reluctantly join forces when Chrestomanci sends them on a visit that turns suddenly dangerous. The youngest best-selling dreamer needs Chrestomanci's help when she finds she can't dream anymore. And as the gods of an ever-so-orderly world try to destroy the young Sage of Dissolution, Chrestomanci lends a hand.

Like Chrestomanci himself, acclaimed author Diana Wynne Jones has a graceful flair, which sparkles in the remarkable wit, imagination, and intelligence of these fast-paced tales.