Howl’s Moving Castle

This post is not totally precipitated by the release of Howl’s Moving Castle on DVD March 7th. It is actually because I just read the book, which was amazing.

While perusing the local paper, I came across a review of HMC, where the writer lauded the film by celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki as amazing. While muttering out loud about how I needed to see the movie, a very knowledgeable co-worker says to me, “Did you know that it was a book written some time ago and was made into a movie. The book is amazing. I have it if you want to read it.”

I quickly and eagerly agreed since I am in sort of a book funk. The usual suspects (books I reread often) hold no appeal, and nothing was jumping out at me, so this book suggestion came at a great time.

A brief synopsis of the book written by Melissa Hyland (from Nausicca.net):

Howl's Moving Castle is based in a slightly fantasy setting, in that magic
fantastical creatures and many fairy-tale conventions exist. The heroine is
Sophie, who lives with her step-mother and two step-sisters after her father
dies, leaving them his hat-shop. Since they are very poor, the step-mother
decides it would be best to send to of the daughters away where they can be
assured of a good start in life. In fairytale convention, the youngest child
will always suceed best when seeking their fortune, so the youngest daughter
Martha is sent to learn magic with a friendly white witch, while the middle
daughter Lettie begins an apprenticeship with the local baker. Sophie, the
eldest, doesn't have much chance, so she stays on with her mother to help run
the hat-shop, which she will inherit someday.

However, things don't work out as planned. Martha and Lettie use a spell to
switch places, since Lettie wants to learn magic and have adventures while
Martha wants to get married and raise a family. After Sophie discovers this,
she crosses paths with an evil sorceress who for some reason that is not
revealed at first, casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into an old woman and
prevents her from telling anyone about it. Forced to leave the hat shop, Sophie
goes to find some way of breaking the curse and ends up taking refuge at the
moving castle (yes, it is a castle that can move about, and also has a door
that can lead to four different locations). This place belongs to Howl, a
charming yet seemingly irresponsible wizard with a reputation for chasing
pretty girls. The castle is powered by Calcifer, a fire demon who lives in the
hearth and is bound by a contract with Howl. He makes a secret bargain with
Sophie; he will break the curse she is under, if she can find a way to break
the contract as it could destroy him and Howl. Sophie takes a position as
housekeeper and tries to find out what the contract is (Calcifer is also bound
not to tell her what it is), whilst putting up with Howl's annoying behaviour,
and there are further complications when he clashes with the evil sorceress.

Written in 1986 (I believe that is the year) by Diana Wynne Jones, I am amazed at how cool this book is, and definitely recommend it to any fantasy fan. Great characters and story. You burn through every page to see what sort of calamity happens next.

I hope the film is half as good as the book.