Why exactly has no one ever told me about this book before?!Proper review later. I really do not understand how I missed Diana Wynne Jones as a child. It's not like I was too old for her stuff when it was coming out. It's not like there weren't libraries in my town. There were even bookshops! ... but there it is. I didn't read my first Jones until a couple of years ago - a Chrestomanci - and I've been hearing about Archer's Goon for ages. And now I've finally read it.Yes, it is magnificent. Yes, I loved it. Yes, I will be foisting it onto every young person when I think they're not quite ready for it.If, like me, you haven't read it - well, just do so. It's about a family whose house gets gently invaded by a very large man with a very small head who insists that Dad has to write 2000 words, Or Else. And things go on from there with discovering that the town really does not run the way they thought it did. Which naturally leads to Adventures. And those adventures were genuinely absorbing and often unexpected and always wonderfully written.So what did I really like?Firstly, the family situation. The adventures centre on the son, Howard, but Mum and Dad are absolutely present and important and relevant. I love the family dynamics, actually; that Mum and Dad are so different, Dad is so magnificently obstinate and Mum is wonderfully competent; that they have a raging row which does not result in them considering divorce; that they complement one another and generally work together. And then there's Awful. Seriously a family who nickname their daughter Awful and still go out of their way to make sure she's ok - this family is so REAL. I love them.I love the Goon. When people were talking about the book I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the title meant. Clearly goon can mean henchman, but it didn't seem to fit here; then there's the Aussie slang term for cheap wine, and that really didn't seem to fit... so I was lost. Discovering that actually it did mean henchman was a surprise, but made sense once I realised that Archer was of course a person. Anyway, I liked the Goon a lot. Especially his dialogue.And I liked the plot. I loved that Jones did not explain absolutely everything about Archer's family and their place in the town; you just need to accept that this is what Howard and his family know, so of course it's what the reader knows. We regularly deal with events that we don't have complete context for, so why must it be different in a novel? Going around visiting the different members of the family to investigate what's going on is of course a familiar trope; it reminded me of Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series (which of course is a series, not a stand-alone, something else which is a bit different in Jones), amongst others. There's nothing wrong with using this trope, of course - it's used so often because it does let the author show you stuff about the world and reveal the plot in bits and pieces. And Jones does it so well. Finally, in looking around for a picture of the cover, I discovered that it was a TV show - which I vaguely remember someone talking about at some stage. Is it wrong that I immediately got the Round the Twist theme song in my head? (Roger Lloyd Pack as Dad is SHEER BRILLIANCE.)
I’ve said it before, but anything by Diana Wynne Jones is pretty much guaranteed to be amazing; if you haven’t read her books, you should totally start now. Having said that, Archer’s Goon probably isn’t the best book for someone unfamiliar with her writing to start out with, just because it’s a bit more gradual in its development. But it’s perfect that way. I absolutely loved the vague sense of unease, the way in which the strangeness just seemed to ooze out gradually, getting weirder and weirder. Yet somehow making sense, once you got to the root of it all. I swear, I have never read anyone with more imagination–or the courage to actually write the crazy stuff Jones has and pull it off. I think the slower pacing of the plot is supported–and still very interesting–because of the excellent cast. Howard seems fairly normal, sort of imaginative in a science-y sort of way, dreaming of rocketships and such. Awful lives up to her name with aplomb, which is actually kind of awesome; she’d be terrible to actually be around, but she’s got a stubborn streak and loads of ingenuity and cleverness in employing her loud and obnoxious little girl voice. It’s actually pretty useful, sometimes. I appreciated that their parents were present and involved in their lives . . . but human and distracted enough to be full and complete characters themselves. And let’s face it, no human, even a very responsible adult, would be completely pulled together in the circumstances they were facing. Truly, I think I have rarely, if ever, read a book as colorful and mesmerizing as Archer’s Goon; I would give it the highest recommendations without hesitation.
What do You think about Archer's Goon (2003)?
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into when I started this book. I am always amazed at how different each of Diana Wynne Jones's books turn out to be, and this one is no exception. It did not feel as dark as many of her others have been(view spoiler)[ and the parents were fairly passable this time (a surprise) (hide spoiler)]
—Rebecca
Another reviewer mentions dysfunctional families and I'm glad I saw that statement because I was initially annoyed by this book. Not enough to keep me from finishing it, but annoyed in a way that I couldn't put my finger on as the book took me on a tour of the members of a wizarding family that I just didn't like with each member I met. I kept asking, "why do we need to meet them all?" But it made sense in the end and the reviewer changed my opinion from "this book is about a bunch of irritating individuals" to understanding that it was about family dynamics all while the non-magical main character tries to solve two mysteries:* who in the wizarding family is trying to rule the world?* and who in the wizarding family is preventing the other family members from being able to physically leave the city?And I like mysteries. So, yay, Wynne Jones, for another book that is harder than it first appears and that I should read again to properly appreciate.
—Angie
Here is evidence that plot, probably the most undervalued element of fiction in literary circles, can be a thing of beauty in and of itself. Moreover, it takes serious skill and artistry to do well. Not just anybody can write a good one. I doubt many Booker Prize-winning authors could put together a plot half this clever with guns held to their heads.Archer’s Goon is kind of like a Rube Goldberg machine. It is Plot For Plot’s Sake. There isn’t a whole lot of reason for it to exist, except it is just so ingeniously constructed that you can’t help but admire the effort that went into its creation. Diana Wynne Jones is, on the basis of this novel alone (the first of hers I have read), one hell of a storyteller. I can certainly see why she’s achieved cult status among children’s book authors.The novel isn’t just plot, or it wouldn’t be nearly as endearing: there is also a large and entertaining cast of skillfully drawn characters. But psychological depth is not exactly the main draw here. (Likewise, to complain that the prose never rises above utilitarian efficiency would be churlish.) You keep reading to see what surprise is waiting around the next corner, and to see if Jones can possibly pull the story together in a way that makes sense. She does, and it’s a joy to watch her do so. Each twist is perfectly foreshadowed and yet caught me entirely off guard.This was a nice reminder that fast-paced, entertaining storytelling does not have to rush pointlessly from one cliffhanger to the next, but can be as inventive and unpredictable as any great work of art. Archer’s Goon is probably a little too insular to be a Great Work of Art, but it is a Work of Art nonetheless.
—Aaron Jansen
