Year of the Griffin

Infobox Book |
name = Year of the Griffin
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover from the American edition
author = Diana Wynne Jones
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Great Britain
language = English
series = The Derkholm Series
genre = Children's Fantasy novel
publisher = Greenwillow Books
release_date = 2000
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 272 pp (first edition, hardback)
isbn = ISBN 978-0060291587 (first edition, hardback)
preceded_by = Dark Lord of Derkholm
followed_by =

"Year of the Griffin" is a 2000 novel by British children's author Diana Wynne Jones. It is the sequel to "The Dark Lord of Derkholm" and is more centered around Wizard Derk's daughter, the griffin Elda, and her time at the University of Magic.

Plot summary

The book is set eight years after Mr. Chesney's offworld tours have stopped, and the University of Magic is having issues: the University has financial problems and is being mismanaged by Wizard Corkoran, whose aim is to be the first man on the moon. Corkoran and the rest of the current University staff think it important to churn out as many wizards with only a basic grasp of magic as they can to remedy the damage Mr. Chesney's tours have caused. In doing so, the University leaves out a lot of theory and believes that magic can only be done in one set way. The wizards running the University are all younger.

For the past forty years the University was only supposed to produce wizards that were able to lead a party of Pilgrims around the country, and therefore they needed as many wizards as they could. To make their learning go faster, they leave out the theory.

The current teachers had been taught by the older, retired wizards that had known all the theory but neglected to teach it because of Mr Chesney's Pilgrim Parties. Since the current staff of the University was not taught the theory to go with it and don't know any of the theory, and because of that can't teach it, and therefore aren't teaching anything properly.

Elda, Wizard Derk's youngest griffin daughter, arrives at the University to learn new magic after pushing a mountain out of shape. She immediately makes friends with some of her yearmates, Olga, a rich young lady who can call up monsters and talk to air elementals, Lukin, the Crown Prince of Luteria, Ruskin, a dwarf, Claudia, the Emperor of the South's half-sister, and Felim, the brother of the Emir.

When Wizard Derk, Elda's father, comes to visit her, he gives them a list of books with theory to read so the magic they are learning makes sense. Elda and her friends end up writing essays that baffle Wizard Corkoran as a result of reading all the books with theory in them.

Together the friends protect and help each other through the year, setting protections spells against assasins, getting followed by odd cloakracks, dealing with the awful Wizard Wermacht, and having coffee in the courtyard.

Themes

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

The students' constant fights with the teachers can relate to the US's response to college students protesting Vietnam and to similar protests occurring in Europe with college students during the late twentieth century. Also, during the 1980s the universities in Iran were closed down to root out unwanted students.

Ms. Jones also shows humorously how even the slightest actions have consequences. For example, when creating spells to protect Felim from assassins, Elda and her friends create a pentacle of bookcases 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" surrounds him.

Characters

*Wizard Derk: A wizard specializing in genetics, especially the creation of new animals. Kit, Blade, Callette, Lydda, Elda, Angelo, and Florence's father.
*Mara: Derk's wife and Kit, Blade, Callette, Lydda, Elda, Angelo, and Florence's mother.
*Querida: One of the most powerful wizards in the world, High Chancellor of the University.
*Kit: Derk and Mara's elder griffin son. He is distinctive for his large size and black fur, and one of the four most powerful wizards in the world. He was taught by Deucalion, the king of the dragons.
*Blade: Derk and Mara's human son and one of the four most powerful wizards in the world, also taught by Deucalion.
*Callette: Derk and Mara's eldest griffin daughter. She is very creative.
*Lydda: One of Derk and Mara's griffin daughters. Her hobby is cooking.
*Elda: Derk and Mara's youngest griffin, a female. She is currently a student at the University of Magic.
*Angelo: Derk and Mara's winged human son.
*Florence: Derk and Mara's winged human daughter, known as Flo.
*Claudia: Half-sister of Titus, Emperor of the South, Elda's friend at the University.
*Ruskin: Elda's dwarf friend at the University.
*Olga: Elda's human friend at the University, can call up monsters and talk to air elementals.
*Lukin: Elda's human friend at the University, the Crown Prince of Luteria.
*Felim: Elda's human friend at the University, from the Emirates.
*Wizard Corkoran: Elda's tutor at the University. He wears colorful ties and his aim is to be the first man on the moon. He spends most of his time working on his moon studies.
*Wizard Wermacht: The main teacher at the University and also the youngest. He is nasty, strict, and dislikes Elda and her friends.
*Flurian Atreck: A griffin known as Flury. He is one of the four most powerful wizards in the world, and takes over teaching most of Wermacht's classes when Wermacht gets turned into a bar stool.

External links

* [http://www.suberic.net/cgi-bin/dwj/wiki.cgi?Diana_Wynne_Jones_Wiki_Home Diana Wynne Jones wiki]