Magical world of Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones passed away recently. She will be sorely missed because no more will we get to read her enchanted stories.

March 26 2011 was a sad day for millions of people around the world. It was the day British writer Diana Wynne Jones passed away. Born in 1934, Jones was a prolific writer, whose innumerable takes on fantasy inspired and enthused readers.

Each of Jones's books is unique and each of them bears the distinct stamp of a truly imaginative writer. If Howl's Moving Castle (made into an animation film by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki) impresses you with the innovative castle with doors that open in different places, Hexwood (one of the finest examples of science fiction) challenges you, and Power of Three awes you with the force of the author's imagination.

Jones is best known for her Chrestomanci series.

Charmed Life , the first in the series, was awarded the Guardian Award in 1978, and introduced readers to the enigmatic enchanter Chrestomanci.

Witch Week , in the same series, is set in a boarding school that does not permit magic and is a fast paced book with unexpected twists. While books like

The Ogre Downstairs and

Archer's Goon are set in a recognisable domestic background and evoke laughter because of the mis(use) of magic,

The Homeward Bounders is a darker book, where Jamie, along with several others, is a pawn in a game played by unknown creatures, known merely as Them.

The protagonists of Jones's books are normal children, unaware of their own abilities, but forced by circumstances to discover their hidden talents and caches of courage. Despite some sombre events — like the grandfather who is kept locked up in

The Pinhoe Egg and the parents who neglect their four daughters in The Time of the Ghost , Jones' fiction is filled with eccentric, fiercely individual characters who enliven the books and stay on in our minds long after the book is done.

With the death of Diana Wynne Jones a wonderful chapter in fantasy fiction has ended and for her fans, the world will never be the same again.

Some of her books

Chrestomanci series

Derkholm series

Dalemark Quartet

Castle series

Magids series

Wilkins' Tooth (1973)

The Ogre

Downstairs (1974)

Dogsbody (1975) Carnegie Medal, Commended

The Time of the Ghost (1981)

Archer's Goon (1984) Boston Globe - Horn Book Honor Book; World Fantasy Award for Best Novel nominee

Fire and Hemlock (1985) Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, nominated

Yes, Dear (1992) (picture book for the very young)

Puss in Boots (1999) (for the very young)

Enna Hittims (2006)

Earwig and the Witch (2011)