A wonderful read; technically a series of short stories, but many of them revolve around the same family (the Armitages) and especially the two children (Harriet and Mark); there's enough connection here to make it feel like a light novel, with interludes.

Every story is either magical or very funny - many of them, both. There are lots of direct references to classical mythology, and several stories follow the familiar logic of fairy tales, which Aiken plays for real; she takes her fantasy seriously. Yet the stories are never cold or distant. Aiken's humor is dry and matter-of-fact, cutting through the mysticism as if to say, "Well, this is just how it is, I suppose." A little boy reads stories to inanimate objects, who are grateful for the company; a dragon curls up near a space heater like a cat; a princess rides to the ends of the earth to bring back a piece of the dark. The stories are full of odd, strange, even terrifying things that are treated as totally run-of-the-mill, and as a result, become extremely funny. If ever a book recreated the humor of a slow double-take in print, this is the one.

This is a real treasure of a book and it's a shame Aiken isn't as well known in the United States as her contemporary Roald Dahl, whose work hers sometimes resembles (especially the incongruities of James and the Giant Peach or The Witches); hers is a quieter and gentler set of tales, though, without any of the misanthropy or malice. ( )