Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones · first published 1986
4mentions
3recommended by
4HN commenters
2016–2026first – last mentioned
75% recommend25% neutral
As the oldest daughter, willful, outspoken Sophie knew that her life could lead to nothing but mistakes. When her father dies, her stepmother sends her two sisters out to make their fortunes while Sophie continues to work in the family hattery. As she whispers her thoughts to the hats she trims, the shop begins to grow in popularity, until she offends the Wicked Witch of the Waste. The witch casts a spell turning Sophie into an old woman. Sophie leaves the shop and happens upon the castle of the Wizard Howl. He has a reputation for finding young women and eating their hearts but that doesn't s
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…same genre (fantasy novels, written for children, that hold up for adults): Nearly anything by Dianna Wynne Jones, but I particularly enjoyed The Lives of Christopher Chant, Archer's Goon, and of course Howl's Moving Castle. Susan Cooper's famous Dark is Rising series. Half the series is more normal-kid (starting with Greenwitch), half is more special-magic-kid (starting with The Dark is Rising). Garth Nix's Old Kingdom,…
on “Writing books is not really a good idea” ↗…Wrede feature a princess who runs away from home to work for a dragon. Solid writing, strong female characters, Pratchett-esque subversion of fantasy tropes. Fun and appropriate for grade school kids. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones That's off the top of my head. Of these books I consider Pullman, Le Guin, and Tolkien to be literature (worth an adult's time), while the others are just fun and well written.
on “Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard Actor, Dies Aged 69” ↗…are looking for silly and satire (kind of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), you should read Discworld (41 books, can be read as standalones) - Mort is good starting point Another recommendation is Howl's Moving Castle (has two follow ups, which are okayish) you've read Mistborn, are you aware of Cosmere - https://www.reddit.com/r/cosmere/wiki/order See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists
on “Frivolous, Empty, and Perfectly Delightful” ↗Nothing currently, but most recently, the various audiobooks of The Wind in the Willows to fall asleep, and Diana Wynne Jones' (of Howl's Moving Castle fame) Chrestomanci series while awake.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗