Deep Secret

November 1, 2002
Told from the perspective of Rupert Venables, a Magid from planet Earth who keeps the "Multiverse" in balance, Diana Wynne Jones's Deep Secret (1997) follows Rupert's efforts to find his own replacement after his mentor dies and Rupert moves up to take his place. "What might first be perceived simply as mere embellishment and rich detailing prove to be adroitly handled story elements of an intricate plot," wrote PW.

April 15, 1999
As the junior member of the society of magids (or mages) who oversee the affairs of the Multiverse, Rupert Venables assumes the task of finding a replacement for his dead mentor while simultaneously trying to locate the unknown heir of the decadent Empire of Korfyros. Both tasks come together during an sf convention in Britain, with wildly unexpected complications for Rupert and his fellow magids. The author of A Sudden Wild Magic (Morrow, 1992; Avon, 1994. reprint) displays a marked talent for lighthearted, engagingly written fantasy filled with tongue-in-cheek dialog and intriguing characters. A good selection for fantasy and YA collections.

October 1, 1999
YA-A romp through "the Multiverse," where reality, symbolized by the infinity symbol, contains numerous worlds ranging from "ayewards" to "naywards" and back again. The Multiversal balance between positive and negative forces is maintained by a small and unchanging number of Magids, powerful magicians able to cross the boundaries of worlds at will; still, though possessed of extraordinary talents, Magids are "only human." At the nexus of the Multiverse sits a politically backward Empire, and it is the misfortune of the most junior of all Magids, one Rupert Venables, to be assigned to oversee the Empire and all its worlds. As a new crisis is erupting, Rupert's mentor on Earth dies and, under a strict deadline, he must replace him. Attempting a sub-rosa interview of the people on his short list, he inadvertently brings them all together at a science-fiction convention that soon reels out of control. The best candidate for new Magid proves to be a young woman who irritates and upstages Rupert at every turn. Maree and her sidekick cousin, Nick, are eccentric, gifted, and plucky adolescents who should be familiar to teenaged graduates of YA fantasy novels; the two first complement and then prove instrumental in solving Rupert's problem with the Empire in a splendidly entertaining adventure. This should be a popular choice among readers of humorous fantasy and science fiction, and it will be a special treat for those who have already dipped their toes into the world of SF-fantasy fandom.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 1999
Jones' first-class fantasy thriller about intrigues in a multiverse is very British in tone and treatment, and probably the better for that--for one thing, the humor is more adult. Rupert Venables is the magid in charge of Earth, charged with maintaining the magical balance and with finding the missing heir to the Koyrfonic Empire and his own replacement, as well. He expects to find all the possible candidates at an sf/fantasy convention in England. He might, except that the plot thickens, and some people sicken, when assorted evildoers from the multiverse try hiding out at the convention, hoping to be lost in the general weirdness. (Jones' satirization of sf conventions ranks with the best.) The story begins lightheartedly, though not frivolously, and rapidly acquires a certain grimness, as much comes to be at stake and, in a sort of variation on the Chinese boxes, nothing is what it seems. ((Reviewed March 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)