《霍爾的移動城堡》三部曲套書 The Howl’s Moving Castle Trilogy Box Set

 
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　　「黛安娜靠自己成為了無比出色的魔法系作家，或許也是世上最棒的兒童文學作者。」──尼爾．蓋曼
　　
　　「我寫奇幻小說通常都寫很久。但我從來不會因為嘗試的風險而產生自我懷疑；因為，當我手上的奇幻小說成功之時，我會為過程中的它們曾默默陪伴著我而感到喜悅。戴安娜·韋恩·瓊斯以及她所創造的那些魔法，就是於此最好的證明。」──凱瑟琳．郎德爾
 
1. Howl’s Moving Castle 霍爾的移動城堡（巫師霍爾系列卷一）
　　巫師霍爾──因格利王國最惡名昭彰的邪惡巫師，帶著移動城堡在王國內各處遊蕩，傳聞他會帶走所有被他誘惑的女孩，並吃下她們的心臟。身為海特帽子店的繼承人，也身為家中三姊妹中的老大──蘇菲，一直自認沒有出息，人生就此完蛋，還得被荒野女巫下咒變成老人的姿態。而她並沒有了解自己在「魔法」上的天賦與才能，直到他與「邪惡巫師（真的嗎？）」霍爾相遇──
 
　　為了替妹妹擺脫霍爾的糾纏，在移動城堡內一直擔任清潔婦的蘇菲，與「火魔」卡西法、學徒麥可邂逅，答應幫助其解除與霍爾的契約而慢慢深入了霍爾、因格利王國、巫師沙利曼等人之間的鬥爭與拉扯，並與其一同對抗荒野女巫其覬覦因格利王國的荒謬野心。不知不覺中，蘇菲在他們之間扮演極為重要的角色，與荒野女巫及第二隻與巫師訂下契約的「火魔」的戰爭，最終的結果將由蘇菲的天賦決定──
 
【與動畫版不同，更加豐富立體的原作角色們】
　　雖然還是帥氣，霍爾與動畫版相比，顯得更加讓人生氣，但又有對於解決問題的獨到見解與深謀遠慮。蘇菲則是溫柔裡多添了一些嘮叨。相較之下，卡西法的活靈活現為這部作品灌入了有趣、輕鬆的閱讀感。
 
得獎紀錄
★ 1986年波士頓環球報號角書獎
★ 2006年鳳凰獎
 
2. Castle in the Air 沙塵之賊（巫師霍爾系列卷二）
　　南方國家「拉休普特」有個叫做參吉的地方。年輕的阿布都拉，是位愛作白日夢的普通商人之子。在參吉這座文化與歷史都不同於因格利王國的地方，常常有不少寶物及商品從這裡轉運。阿布都拉因為地毯交易而得到了一張「會飛的魔毯」，而這魔毯的來歷似乎也是道謎。在這背後，他不知道的是一場鎮尼與巫師之間的鬥爭陰謀即將將他捲入其中
 
　　他在夢中，認識了名叫「夜花」的女孩，即便自己並非王子，他也想辦法讓自己能夠配得上她。為了救回被抓走的夜花，阿布都拉在救回她的旅途中陸續結識了「躲藏在瓶中的紫色魔精」、「來自斯坦蘭吉亞的資深士兵」及一對「流浪貓母子」，他們似乎都不平凡，又或者各懷鬼胎。與「沙塵盜賊之王阿克巴」之間的孽緣，使得他逐漸揭曉身邊這些夥伴的真面目，以及找到救回夜花的可能性──
 
3. House of Many Ways 歧路之屋（巫師霍爾系列最終卷）
　　故事的舞台來到了高諾蘭親王國。因為宮廷巫師威廉．諾蘭生病，身為姻親的書痴夏縵．貝克被指派照顧巫師諾蘭的那棟「特別的房子」，還遇見了來訪的陌生男孩「彼得．雷吉斯」。除此之外，類蟲種族「魯伯克」及小藍人種族「寇伯」的出現，讓夏縵本來安穩的照顧生活產生了波瀾──
 
　　因緣際會之下，她竟然能夠透過這棟房子到達各種不同的地方，房內就猶如一個縮小的宇宙，甚至還能通到她國家的會客廳。還有用了令人火大的偽裝來到此國的「潘卓根」一家人，那位知名的巫師夫人也到了這裡──
 
　　——中文書介摘錄自《巫師霍爾系列》，好人出版

Quite simply the best writer of magic there is’ Neil Gaiman

‘Truly magical … Guaranteed to leave you gasping’ The Bookseller

‘She is the best writer of magical fantasy for children’ Evening Standard

Howl's Moving Castle

　　In this beloved modern classic, young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell…

　　Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls…

Castle in the Air

　　Far to the south in the Land of Ingary, lives a young carpet merchant called Abdullah. In his dreams, he is the long-lost son of a great prince. This dream is a complete castle in the air… or is it?

　　Abdullah’s day-dreams suddenly start to come true when he meets the exquisite Flower-in-the-Night, daughter of the ferocious Sultan of Zanzib. Fate has destined them for each other, but a bad-tempered genie, a hideous djinn, and various villanous bandits have their own ideas. When Flower-in-the-Night is carried off, Abdullah is determined to rescue her – if he can find her.

House of Many Ways

　　Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Greancle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy, but Great Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places – the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, to name but a few.

　　By opening that door, Charmain is now also looking after an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard and a box of the king's most treasured documents, as well as irritating a clan of small blue creatures.

　　Caught up in an intense royal search, she encounters an intimidating sorceress named Sophie. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?

Review
Praise for Diana Wynne Jones

　　“…Her hallmarks include laugh-aloud humour, plenty of magic and imaginative array of alternate worlds. Yet, at the same time, a great seriousness is present in all of her novels, a sense of urgency that links Jones’s most outrageous plots to her readers’ hopes and fears…”

　　Publishers Weekly

　　“Diana Wynne Jones ought to be crowned with coloured garlands because she is the best writer of magical fantasy for children in this country ” Evening Standard

　　“Diana Wynne Jones could teach Stephen King and JK Rowling a thing or two … [she] has a skill for inserting just the right amount of detail in her written words, leaving you satiated but not stuffed.” SFX