Power of Three [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

The leader of the mound of Garholt has three children. Eldest Ayna has the Sight, and youngest Ceri has the Gift of Finding AND the Gift of Thought. The middle child, Gair, considers himself extremely ordinary, and tries to become wise and skilled to make up for his lack of extraordinary gifts. Gair isn't as ordinary as he had thought, but his secret talents lie hidden until a disaster falls.

Long ago, their uncle Orban killed a Dorig (a water-dwelling reptilian creature) for its golden collar, and the Dorig's brother laid a curse on everyone. Now the Dorig invade the mound when the chief is out on a hunt and the three kids manage to escape, taking refuge with the Giants (who are apparently ordinary human beings). They learn that they're running out of time -- the Moor will soon be turned into a lake, driving out the Giants and killing the Moung People and Dorig, unless they find a way to stop it.

"Power of Three" is in some ways a much darker book than many of Jones' others. There are more complex issues about morality and ethics. Not to mention the enviroment, and the question of what makes a person special. (Even before Gair's gift surfaces, he's considered special for his hunger for knowledge) There's murder, trickery, there are battles (not magical ones either), hostage situations and curses that affect entire populations.

Jones gives the Mound People a semi-Celtic flair; the story about how the kids' dad had to win their mom is reminiscent of old Irish legends. The shapeshifting, water-dwelling Dorig are suitably mysterious and alien. Jones fills her story with atmospheric wildlands, cozy British houses and plenty of vivid descriptions.

Gair is clearly the center of this book. He's a likable kid, quiet when his rotten cousin isn't taunting him, and more thoughtful than his siblings. Ayna and Ceri are also well-done. The biggest problem is probably Gerald and Brenda. While Jones does a passable job with these two, it takes awhile to warm up to them because we don't get a lot of insight into their thoughts.

"Power of Three" is a fast-paced, well-written fantasy adventure, full of strange and mysterious creatures (and a few who are all too familiar). Like just about all of Jones' works, a treat.

In many of Diana's books, she works by creating a difficult situation and then piling unexpected situations, images and twists on top. Usually, you wonder "what more could possibly go wrong" and then something else does--to humorous effect. By the end, you find you've come out the other side and chaos has somehow turned into order--much like a Shakespearean comedy such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Comedy of Errors."

If most of Diana's books are comedies, Power of Three is more like a tragedy. From the moment at the first of the book when an innocent Dorig (sort of a water sprite) is killed, a curse is laid, and revenge is sworn, you know that "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Diana uses intricate plotting to move the story towards the expected climax. Even with happy events, the reader knows that something else lurks behind. The plot works in a unified way to forward the story towards its climax. Each event is exactly right for propelling the story towards its end.

The book deals nicely with issues of trust between people, understanding between parent and child, and the effect a small minority can have for good or evil.

This is a darker book than many by this author (though it works out nicely in the end), so you may want to try something else if you're looking mostly for free-spirited fun. It's moodier, more "realistic," has less whimsey, and more suspense than you'd expect.

Overall, a very well-crafted book that is something different for the author. I recommend it highly, but you may want to adjust your expectations of Diana Wynne Jones before reading it.