Enchanted Glass

`Compared to other books by Wynne-Jones, this is a pretty straightforward read, and something of a romp. A riff on Oberon and Titania's squabble over the beautiful boy, seen from the point of view of the boy and his family, the story buzzes along nicely, good triumphs and the wimpy fellow in spectacles (spectacles are Good) wins the heart of the fairest of maidens. Wynne-Jones is ahead of the game here, as the maiden womansplains the workings of the wimp's computer while leaning over his shoulder.

With a couple of exceptions, I quite liked this book. It isn't one of my favorite DWJ books, but it's definitely good enough. Except for a few things that I won't go into, because of potential spoilers. I'll just say that in one case, I believe that many people agree with me, as for the other, it's just a personal opinion of mine. One of the things I did like, is the fact that in books like these - fantasy for kids - the main characters almost always have people on their side, people who stand by them in times of trouble. In real life, that sort of thing is far too rare. In retrospect, the enchanted glass from the title doesn't get enough attention. Sure, it's important, that's clear, but I would have liked to have kown more about it and everything behind it. In fact, when I'd finished reading this book, I felt that apart from those two things I can't stand, there was too little of pretty much everything.