Customer Reviews
a must-read for Chrestomanci and fantasy fans - By: Tomasz Stasinski, 07 Jun 2008 
'The Pinhoe Egg' is the latest must-read bookin the Chrestomanci series that blends the well-known & loved characters from 'Charmed Life' with a new colourful gallery of witches, enchanters & magical creatures.
Diana Wynne Jones gives all her usual best to make the book a good read - there is of course magic, humour, lots of cats, some cheerful, & some wicked characters topped up with the inimitable big man - Chrestomanci himself. As usual, too, the story focuses rather on the children, with maturing Cat Chant & a new character Marianne Pinhoe among others, growing up to their gifts & building self-confidence to use their skills.
But there is also some new quality to it that was either not present or no so clearin the previous books. Here the magic is more connected at the grass roots, & morein the balance with the rest of the world, takingin the good with the bad, learning to tolerate & respect the other, invisible universe. This shiftin the worldview reminds me strongly of Ursula Le Guin's 'The Other Wind', & as such may appeal also to an older audience.
Without spoiling the story, Wynne Jones is also quite critical of blind, unquestioning faith & might spark a controversy or a lively debate among some readers, making the series even more interesting.
Highly recommended.
Good, but not her best - By: BookWorm, 13 May 2007 
A new Diana Wynne Jones novel is always a treat, especially when it continues the stories of some of her existing characters. This is no exception.
Setin the summer after 'Charmed Life', it combines the ongoing stories of Cat Chant, Chrestomanci, & the others at the Castle, with some new characters; Marianne & Joe Pinhoe. All of the characters are three dimensional, believeable & likeable, & those who have read Charmed Life will be glad to find out what happened next to Cat.
As usual, the writing is accessible & engaging, with the reader quickly drawnin & then gripped for the rest of the novel. There's a decent little plot, not terribly complex, but not overly predictable & with plenty to keep even adult readers interested. It's not one of her strongest, to be fair, but it's not bad either.
Although the story stands alone quite well, readers might enjoy it more if they have first read 'Charmed Life', which introduces some of the characters & concepts, & is generally a very good book. There are also some spoilers for 'Charmed Life'in 'The Pinhoe Egg'.
While this isn't Wynne Jones' best work, it is still an enjoyable piece of escapist writing - & is worth it for the very cute baby griffin alone. Cat & Marianne are both worthy principal characters, & are supported by a strong cast of secondary roles. The book would be suitable for children as young as 8, right through to adults.
Almost a return to form - By: Pilgrim, 11 May 2007 A return to form after some wobbles from DWJ, this almost hits the mark. DWJ's trademark complex plot is missing & an author of her experience should really have handled all the explanation at the end a lot better than she did.
For all that it is an interesting addition to the Chrestmanci series. And compared with the rambling saga of another trainee wizard, this is high literature.
Sweet and funny continuation of the Chrestomanci Series - By: Castlelioness, 26 Mar 2007 This book continues on from the storylinein "Charmed Life" so it's probably best to have at least read that book before picking up this one (reading "Mixed Magics" would probably help too but it's not essential).
I can't really go into much detail about the plot here as it may spoil your enjoyment of the book, but the story basically follows Cat Chant from "Charmed Life" & a new character, Marianne Pinhoe, as various strange incidents occurin the villages surrounding Chrestomanci Castle. Of course, Chrestomanci & his family also featurein the story. Also, fans of Diana's "Wizard Derk" books will be pleased at the appearance of a certain magical creaturein the story.
Like all of the other booksin this series, this book is full of wit, original & unpredictable storylines & brilliantly imagined characters. I think that it has a slightly sweeter, cuter feel than the other books (don't worry though, it's not sickly or anything like that!).
There aren't really any negatives I can think of about this book, I loved it, maybe not quite as much as "Conrad's Fate" but definitely more than the rest of the series.
Basically, if you enjoyed the other Chrestomanci books I cannot think of any reason why you should not enjoy this one.
Really sweet and funny continuation of the Chrestomanci series - By: Castlelioness, 21 Jan 2007 This book continues on from the storylinein "Charmed Life" so it's probably best to have at least read that book before picking up this one (reading "Mixed Magics" would probably help too but it's not essential).
I can't really go into much detail about the plot here as it may spoil your enjoyment of the book, but the story basically follows Cat Chant from "Charmed Life" & a new character, Marianne Pinhoe, as various strange incidents occurin the villages surrounding Chrestomanci Castle. Of course, Chrestomanci & his family also featurein the story.
Like all of the other booksin this series, this book is full of wit, original & unpredictable storylines & brilliantly imagined characters. I think that it has a slightly sweeter, cuter feel than the other books (don't worry though, it's not sickly or anything like that!).
There aren't really any negatives I can think of about this book, I loved it, maybe not quite as much as "Conrad's Fate" but definitely more than the rest of the series.
Basically, if you enjoyed the other Chrestomanci books I cannot think of any reason why you should not enjoy this one.
