Year of the Griffin

Year of the Griffin

Front cover of the U.S. first edition
Author Diana Wynne Jones
Cover artist John Sullivan (UK)[1]
Joseph A. Smith (depicted)
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Series Derkholm
Genre Fantasy novel, parody
Published 2000 (Gollancz/UK, William Morrow/US)
Media type Print (hardcover)
Pages 218 pp (UK)
267 pp (US)[1]
ISBN 978-0-575-07046-2
OCLC 42726020
LC Class PZ7.J684 Yc 2000
Preceded by Dark Lord of Derkholm

Year of the Griffin, later The Year of the Griffin in the U.K., is a fantasy novel by the British author Diana Wynne Jones, published 2000 simultaneously in the U.K. and the U.S.[1] It is the sequel to The Dark Lord of Derkholm, set primarily at the University several years after that novel's radical conclusion.

Year is centred on six first-year students of magic, in relation to the administration and teachers, their families and studies, and each other. A review in Publishers Weekly called it a "boisterous spoof of the campus novel"; another in Booklist said that it continues "Jones' spoof of traditional fantasy conventions".[2]

Plot background

The Year is set in a fantasy world several years after the end of its domination by commercial tourism from our world. The University formerly produced large numbers of competent wizards who served as tour guides; current staff aims to produce competent wizards who gradually repair the damage caused by tours. It suffers financially because tuition demand is down, which greatly concerns the faculty, and educationally from its long practical focus, which barely concerns the few who have noticed. The head, wizard Corkoran, is obsessed with becoming the first man to visit the moon and devotes much time to that, but there is little research or innovation generally. The senior wizards have all retired; the middle-age and young know of no other way.

Wizard Corkoran has selected children from wealthy families to fill his own first-year tutorial, hoping that a current appeal for donations will be fruitful. His class turns out to be unusual in other respects too. All six are talented, some in ways they do not yet understand, some encumbered by jinxes. Not one of the families is likely to donate because they have status rather than money, or their fortunes have recently slumped, or their children are here with grudging permission or none. Evidently, only one is personally wealthy, the beautiful Olga who does not divulge her name or even her region. Elda is the youngest daughter of Derk, the final Dark Lord before the revolution and head of a most important family now. But she is a griffin, frightening and inscrutable, and her father does not approve of university education.

The classmates quickly become fast friends, and two soon fall in love. They form common opinions of their teachers and courses, and undertake together some undirected extracurricular study. They all run afoul of Wizard Wermacht, a domineering man who teaches multiple subjects in a routine fashion. When Derk visits Elda, he has half a mind to take her home, but actually gives them a reading list strong in magical theory, especially the work of university founder Policant. Educationally that is a success although it does not help their grades.

Every other visit from home is a crisis for the classmates and often for the entire university. From the east a royal family sends seven assassins. Two Imperial Senators and a cluster of ruling class dwarves bring political and economic pressures. Olga's father proves to be the pirate of the Inland Sea. Two royalties arrive leading armies.

Eventually, the three more powerful and mature of Elda's six siblings get involved, human brother Blade and griffins Kit and Callette. Chancellor Querida also returns, the former University head who plotted successfully against the tourist industry. Jointly with a few others they secure the University and set it on the right track.

Themes

This story resonates greatly with many university students. Some universities and high schools do constantly ask donations from students' families without considering their financial or social situations.

Ms. Jones also shows humorously how even the slightest actions have consequences. For example, when creating ward spells to protect Felim from assassins, Elda and her friends create a pentacle of books around him and Ruskin keeps dropping orange peel around the runes. It results in an assassin falling into a pit of orange juice instead of a pit of water and whenever Felim is in danger "a cocoon of books" (described as a 'black beehive') surrounds him.

Characters

Classmates

Six new students take Corkoran's tutorial and other first-year courses together. No other students are important.

Staff at the University -

Outside the University -

Notes


[1] [3]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 The infobox provides data from ISFDB for UK and US editions in that order (both published October 2010). The first OCLC number is missing (UK).
      First UK edition at ISFDB.
      First US edition at ISFDB.
    2. Front endpapers of the first U.S. paperback edition (Harper Trophy, 2001).
    3. Derkholm series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB). Retrieved 2012-05-03.
      • Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.

    External links

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