
I haven't read Power of Three in so long that, happily, it was like getting to read a new book. I must have read it back in the 70s, because there was a sense of familiarity to some of the elements, but mainly, it was like reading it fresh from the start. And what a delightful reread it was.
The book is layers wrapped in layers, and there is periodically an unwrapping of one of the layers that comes with a revelation, and each revelation takes the book to a new level. We start with the story of the curse that sets the entire chain of events in motion. Then the story moves to the present, and we see how that curse has affected the characters introduced in the initial story, with a particular focus on the children of Adara, who is featured in the first section. She has three children, two of whom have special abilities or Gifts, and one, Gair, who thinks he's ordinary (but of course the reader knows better!). Gair and his siblings are one of three races that exist in their world. The other two are Giants, who have amazing magical machines, and the Dorig, who can change shapes effortlessly. These races fear and distrust each other intensely, particularly Gair's people and the Dorig, and there are often violent incidents among them.
The effects of the curse involve an upheaval in the lives of Gair and his brother and sister, which sends them out into the world, where they confront Giants as well as Dorig, with results that are surprising and astonishing. The story took a little while to get going because the setup is crucial, but once it gained momentum I could not put it down. I hesitate to say much more, because as with all of Diana Wynne Jones's books, they are best read with few preconceptions, and this one in particular is especially twisty and turny and surprising. I prefer the above cover to the one below, which was on my library copy, because I think it coveys the atmosphere of the novel much more effectively. This is a standalone book, so it's a great one to start with if you haven't read her books before. Highly recommended!
Reviews of other books by DWJ:
Charmed Life
Dark Lord of Derkholm
Deep Secret
Enchanted Glass
House of Many Ways
The Game
The Merlin Conspiracy
The Pinhoe Egg
Witch Week
Year of the Griffin
Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones (HarperCollins, 1976)
Also reviewed at:
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog: "It’s lovely and it’s got funny bits in it (and some drama/tragedy) and adventure and action and broody heroes and strong females and it’s WONDERFUL."
Jenny's Books: "...one of the very few books by Diana Wynne Jones that I truly loved the first time I read it."