It’s worked well since well before living memory, but now the witches have a problem. They’ve worked hard for generations to avoid the notice of the current Chrestomanci and his predecessors, so that the “Big Man” won’t interfere in their traditional practices and their traditional obligation of containing the abominations confined long ago by their ancestors.

Near Chrestomanci Castle, there are several villages inhabited by clans of witches. This is a new Chrestomanci story, and it’s a good one. In this new Chrestomanci book, Diana Wynne Jones is at her most magical. But first Marianne must accept her own powerful magic, and Cat must uncover the secrets behind the mystical Pinhoe Egg. Marianne and Cat may be the only two who can set things right. Chrestomanci himself, the strongest enchanter in the world, is sure to be interested in the egg-and interference from the Big Man is the last thing Marianne's family of secret rogue witches wants.īut how much longer can the Pinhoes keep their secrets? Gammer, the leaderof the clan, has gone mad, a powerfulbad luck spell is wreaking havoc, and there's an unexplained plague of frogs.Not to mention the mysterious barrierCat finds in the forest. An egg that Marianne gives to Cat, even though he lives at nearby Chrestomanci Castle. An egg protected by some strong “Don't Notice” spells. An egg.Īn egg that has been hidden away in an attic for who-knows-how-many years.

Cat Chant and Marianne Pinhoe have discovered something exciting-something truly precious, very strange, and valuable.

The pinhoe egg