Summary: It is a country divided by war. For centuries, the earldoms of the North and South have battled. Now, four young people from different times -- with the help of their mysterious gods, the Undying -- must unite to save their beloved land.
Traveling musician Moril has inherited a cwidder said to have belonged to one of the Undying. Can he learn to harness its strange powers in time to prevent an invasion?
To avenge his father's death, Mitt has joined a plot to assassinate the tyrannical Earl Hadd. But when everything goes wrong, he finds himself on a storm-tossed sea in a boat with his enemies.
Thoughts: Ever since reading the Howl's Moving Castle series I've been meaning to get my hands on another Diana Wynne Jones novel and was very happy when this huge volume turned up at our used bookstore. And I definitely wasn't disappointed with this one! Full of near real and yet just barely fantastical adventures and wonderful characters...well, to quote Veggie tales "I cried, I laughed, it moved me Bob." Or something to that effect. The first story, The Cart and the Cwidder, was my favorite. Sleepy little Moril was a very endearing character and I loved my journey with him. Drowned Ammet had a coarser feel to it's tale that put me off a little. I understood this was the desired effect, rough and hardened characters in a tough and cruel world, but it made them a little hard to like. It was an interesting story nonetheless and I look forward to the next volume!
Content: D*** is used on occasion but I believe that the worst for the language. People are killed and there is violence, (one of the main characters tries to blow someone up with a bomb!) but it's handled well so that it's not offensive just making a point. One man is implied to have several wives at one point and there is a bit of flirtatious activity and talk of arranged marriages of young girls to older men, none of which is dwelt upon in an inappropriate way.
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