Book 2: Drowned Ammet

I went to a conference right after the New Year, and I took a couple of easy reads to finish on the plane. The first book, which I both started and finished on the 5.5 hour trip out, was the second in the Dalemark Quartet by the incomparable Diana Wynne Jones.

Drowned Ammet by Diana Wynne Jones


This book follows the story of the young boy Alhammit (called Mitt) in a fictional land called Dalemark. He lives with his family in South Holand, and they are happy until the evil Earl Hadd and his tax collectors force them into poverty. Mitt vows revenge for his family's sake, and plans to assassinate the earl, but his escape plan goes wrong and he is left stranded on a boat with the earl's young neice and nephew.

For those unfamiliar with Diana Wynne Jones, she's like JK Rowling, but before JK Rowling was JK Rowling. She's been writing young adult fantasy for a long time, and her books are always entertaining with creative plotlines. This is the second in a quartet (which I plan to finish this year). From what I understand, the first three books are only slightly overlapping, and they mostly have just the setting in common, with completely independent characters. The first book, Cart and Cwidder, follows a family of traveling musicians around Dalemark. The fourth book in the series will have characters from the first three come together to do something about the political unrest in their home country.

I should probably preface this by saying that I love pretty much everything I've ever read by DWJ. It's good for a day when I just want to escape into something. Her books are absorbing, but since they're children's books, they're also pretty quick reads. This book, however, wasn't the best of hers that I've read. The twist at the end was something I predicted pretty early on; in fact, it seemed so obvious that I was sure there was another twist coming. But no - the one I predicted was the only twist, so that was a bit of a disappointment. However, having said that, I will say that I love how dynamic her characters are. So often, the characters in books aren't really changed by their experiences, but her characters always have to confront their own faults and change in believable ways.

In short, not the best of her books that I've read, but better than some by others. I'll definitely finish the series.