The tough guide

Kelly Link—the top 1 over 40?–on Diana Wynne Jones.

I love how magic works in Diana Wynne Jones's fiction. There's always an underlying feeling of soundness to it. I always believe that, in her alternate worlds, this is exactly how it would work, whether it's a chemistry set bringing to life chocolate bars, which then drape themselves over heaters and melt, or a witch binding up extra lives in a matchbook. I like her wizards and witches better than anybody's -- better even than Gandalf who, in 1st grade, was one of my first crushes. Her nonfiction book, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, is essential reading for anyone who wants to try tackling traditional fantasy. Let me say that again. Want to write traditional fantasy? You must read The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.