Diana Wynne Jones. HarperCollins, hb, 200pp + extras

This is quite a baffling book, at least without the assistance of the extras section at the end (or an excellent knowledge of the Greek myths and the related constellations). It’s an odd length for the author, which makes me wonder if this is a truncated book, or the first in a series, or just an idea for a longer book that didn’t pan out. Unless I missed something (I often do), the significance of the titular game is never made clear, other than as a kind of quiet revolt. All in all, it feels like the first third of one of DWJ’s novels for older teenagers. Intriguing though the story nevertheless is, it is almost trumped in that regard by the final pages of the book, which announce a forthcoming second sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle! – SWT

Originally published in Theaker's Quarterly Fiction #22.