Howl's Moving Castle: 1 (World of Howl) Paperback – 22 April 2008

I loved this book. It’s just so cozy and fun. And the Studio Ghibli adaptation sticks surprisingly close to it—at least, in the earlier parts of the book. It does diverge significantly towards the end. The plot is twisty-turny with plenty of mystery about things like Howl’s identity, the nature of his contract with Calcifer, what happened to the prince and the former royal wizard etc… And Sophie Hatter is caught up in the middle of it all ultimately just trying to find a way to break the curse put upon her by the Witch of the Waste. I do feel like the Ghibli movie cranked up the coziness to maximum compared to the book, though. In the book, Calcifer isn’t as cute (but he’s just as snarky), Howl is much more melodramatic (and a bit of a dick), and the scarecrow is made out to be a lot more terrifying to the characters.The characters themselves are all wonderful, and there’s a much wider cast than in the movie. We get to see Sophie’s sisters and their stories as they go off to find their fortune, as well as the magical shenanigans they get up to. Calcifer and Michael are a brilliant pair and we spend a lot more time with them. Michael is older here, too, and a lot more capable. Howl absolutely steals the spotlight whenever he’s on-scene, with a huge personality that everybody else just has to work around. It’s all great fun. One of the more unsettling aspects of the story is not just that Sophie has been cursed to look like an old woman, but that she actually is, with all the ailments and frailties that go along with it. There’s the sense that it could actually kill her before she finds out how to change back.Diana Wynne Jones’ prose is elegant but fun. It reminded me somewhat of Ursula K. Le Guin’s prose, but much more geared towards the younger reader. The pacing, however, is a little uneven. It starts off really great, and it ends marvellously. But in the middle, there’s a large section where, honestly, not a lot happens. We just have Sophie watching from the sidelines sewing up one of Howl’s suits as Michael and Howl go about their business. She gets involved in the odd caper, but it did sag a bit.I don’t want to talk too much about the worldbuilding because a lot of it is left a mystery. There’s enough to get the implication that it’s a portal fantasy of sorts, and there’s a little explanation about some of the magic system when it relates to the fire demons like Calcifer, but mostly it remains very soft. Being the first book in a trilogy, I’m willing to bet that a lot of the worldbuilding gets fleshed out in the next two books. The nature of the world is one of the mysteries the book leaves open, likely deliberately.Overall, as I said, I really enjoyed this book and I’m absolutely going to be reading the rest of the trilogy. Highly recommended!

I love Howl's Moving Castle! To be honest I own 3 different versions of this book and bought this latest one because of it's stunning front cover, and it did not disappoint!Arrived quickly and in perfect condition.If you haven't read Howl's Moving Castle yet then please do. It's a brilliant book - lots of characters and places to explore, funny moments and a wonderful storyline mixing magic, curses and a little bit of love. First in it's series and all beautiful in their own way.

I'll admit I was attracted to this book because I grew up enthralled by the animated adaption by Studio Ghibli and having read the original book now, I can safely say I have found a new appreciation for it!Although it is a children's book, I would never let something like that stop me, and indeed, the story is very much for anyone who remembers the likes of original fairytales, especially that of the famed brothers Grimm. Each chapter felt like a short tale of it's own, and a mere glimpse of the daily goings on of a household with a vain wizard, a cursed woman, a young apprentice, and a fire demon. The style was also very reminiscent of a compilation of fairytale stories I used to have, which I have an extremely soft spot for! Same as always however, there were at times I found some of the more detailed moments a little overwhelming to comprehend, but it fits entirely well with that fantastical almost nonsensical feel- I did not expect the gang to appear in Wales to meet Howl's family, nor for Micheal to be in a rugby jacket!I would recommend this book to anyone who has a great love of fairytale fantasy or even those who would love to introduce their kids to it. I always believe it necessary to expose them to unimaginable things to get their creativity rolling!Again, a lovely read and looking forward to reading the rest of the series...

Howl's Moving Castle has become extremely popular as the Studio Ghibli anime, but not many of the people I've spoken to about it are aware that it was first a book, much less know that the author is british!Whilst the anime is very different from the book, Miyazaki has simply taken artistic license with it. Adding in a few of the things he wanted to see, such as flying machines and war scenes. That is what Diana Wynne Jones is about, she wrote the book to make real all of the fantasy things which people want like Seven League Boots for instance.Being a big Studio Ghibli fan, I tore open the wrapper of my Howls Moving Castle steelbook and set to watching it. I watched it, ordered the book by Diana Wynne Jones and then watched the movie twice more whilst waiting for it to come in the post! I enjoyed the movie but felt that some things didn't quite make sense. Since reading the book, all of those little bits have come much clearer to me and I adore the book.Diana Wynne Jones has a method of writing which could hook most adults and children, the book is packed with fantastical events and amazing imagery. There are a great many references to fairy tales and one thing that the story made me think of is Beauty and The Beast. Anyone who knows Studio Ghibli will probably know the outline of Howl's Moving Castle but I don't really want to spoil the story for anybody who hasn't heard of it before – and yes there are people who haven't! Suffice to say, you will read through love, adventure, danger and a great many fantastically developed characters who you will grow to love.Diana Wynne Jones has also written Castle In The Air and The House of Many Ways which are sequels and star Howl, but perhaps in disguise!

One of my all time favourite books, so whimsical!