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Howl’s Moving Castle is a series of novels by British author Diana Wynne Jones featuring the character Wizard Howl. We are first introduced to the Howl character in the first novel of the series, Howl’s Moving Castle published in 1986. The set of novels may best be described as Young Adult Fantasy.
Order of Howl's Castle Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howl's Moving Castle | 1986 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Castle in the Air | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | House of Many Ways | 2008 | Description / Buy |
Wizard Howl has gained notoriety in the parallel universe of Ingary and the neighboring kingdoms, as a person that frequently ate the hearts of beautiful young women. The book series begins with the story of Sophie Hatter, the eldest of three children resigned to her fate of never finding her fortune, and spending her last days running the family shop.
The first novel in the series, Howl’s Moving Castle tells the narrative of Sophie Hatter after learning from a fairy tale trope that she would fail miserably should she ever leave home in search of her destiny. Unfortunately, before she can undo the spell she accidentally crosses the Witch of the Waste who wastes no time in turning her into a hag. Wizard Howl is the only person who can break the curse and turn her back into the girl she once was.
She now has to deal with Wizard Howl, who has a reputation of being one of the most heartless of persons. She also has to make a deal with a fire demon and confront the Witch of the Waste. She soon discovers that Howl is not so simple a character as she thought him to be, in fact he may be more complex than her. The narrative that follows is testament to the exceptional story telling skills of Wynne Jones, which have won her several awards over the years.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE AWARDS
The Howl’s Moving Castle series of novels has been the recipient of several awards over the years. The first novel in the series, Howl’s Moving Castle made the shortlist for the Boston Globe Horn Book Award. The novel also won the Children Literature Association Phoenix Award for best children’s book.
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE BOOKS INTO TV/MOVIES
The first novel in the Howl’s Moving Castle series was made into a Japanese language animated film named Howl’s Moving Castle. The movie went on to earn a nomination for Best Animated Picture at the Academy Awards. The English version of the movie was released in the US and the UK in 2005 starring Christian Bale as the voice of the Howl.
BEST HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE BOOKS
Howl’s Moving Castle: The first novel of the series has won several awards and has even been made into a movie, which just shows how popular it is. Diana Jones does an excellent job at the characterization of the lead protagonist and the antagonist. Readers love the tension packed nature of the novel, which is achieved by the author making the characters more complex than they would seem to be at the start. Sophie, the heartless Howl, and the Witch of the Waste all make for great characters that will keep you flipping the pages on these novels.
House of Many Ways: he second novel in the Howl’s Moving Castle series is another highly regarded novel. Using the classic romance story, a young humble carpet dealer buys a magic carpet that helps him win the girl of his dreams, only to have her taken away from him by a djinn. He now has to use all of his wits and the magic carpet, to try to find the beautiful lass and rescue her from the malevolent djinn.
House of Many Ways: Another great novel in the Howl’s Moving Castle Mysteries is the third title, House of Many Ways. In this sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle, Charmain has to watch her Great Uncle William’s house, after he leaves to go find answers to his illness from the elves. While it is soon clear that the house tends to overwhelm her with its bizarre happenings, outside it her reading is impeccable, making her the Wizard Howl’s most valuable assistant.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Many Howl’s Moving Castle series readers also like the “Flora Trilogy” by Ysabeau S. Wilce. The novels are fantasy novels that follow the adventures of Flora Fyrdraaca on her quest to find herself and learn how to use her magical powers. Howl’s Moving Castle fans also loved the “The Queen’s Thief” series by Megan Whalen Turner. The novel introduces us to Eugenides or Gen an army officer that believes he can steal anything only to find that his destiny ha confined him to life as a lowly soldier.
What Is The Next Book in The Howl's Castle Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Howl's Castle Series. The newest book is House of Many Ways and was released on June, 1st 2008.
Honestly, I had no idea this was a book. I always thought it was just an anime, but no it is an anime based on a book and the book is awesome! It works great to fill in some of the details that I craved when watching the movie.
There are tons of great fantasy elements in this one that are flipped on their head. The heroes are not what you expect and their heroism is outshone by just how relatable and down to earth they are. Love this movie, this book, this series and everything in between.