Conrad's Fate by Diana Wynne Jones, a Chrestomanci novel

When Anthea Tesdinic turns her back on her family and leaves for university, her brother Conrad is left at the mercy of his magician uncle Alfred and his distracted mother. Conrad helps out at the bookstore his father and uncle founded in the English alps and hopes to attend high school until Uncle Alfred says he has bad karma, likely due to something he did in a previous life. 

Forget school! He says Conrad will be dead within a year unless he goes undercover to Stallery Mansion where the new Count Robert lives, identifies and destroys a hidden enemy there. All twelve year old Conrad craves is a normal life with his friends but, believing he has no choice, he sets doggedly off, meeting a mysterious boy, Christopher, on his way. They are both hired as servants by the intimidating butler Mr. Amos. Their new life as Improvers, which is training them to eventually become proper valets, is hard but allows Conrad time to wonder how he will find his unknown enemy while Christopher finally reveals to Conrad that he is from another world and also took the job under false pretenses, trying to locate a runaway friend. There is out of control magic (verging on slapstick comedy) going on at Stallery Mansion, and Conrad and Christopher will have to join forces to save the day before it’s too late.

My Impression: How did I not realize there were more than four Chrestomanci books? I reread Charmed Life a few years ago and should have done a full reread then. A few days ago, I picked up this, the fifth book, but that was enough to make me recognize Christopher Chant the minute he appeared, albeit under a pseudonym and with significantly more self-confidence than in book one. Conrad’s Fate was a very entertaining although quite manic story after a slow start. On the surface, there is an Upstairs Downstairs setup at Stallery Mansion. Young Count Robert has recently inherited the title; his sister, Lady Felice, came of age just as her father died; their mother, the Countess, is a micro-manager who infuriates both children. Below stairs, Mr. Amos rules a vast array of servants, all of whom take turns whipping Conrad and Christopher into shape, teaching them how to iron, cook, serve meals, and make themselves unobtrusive:

“And like furniture, you stand against the walls and seem to be made of wood. When Family asks you for anything, you give it to them or you do it, as gracefully and correctly as possible, but you do not speak unless Family makes a personal remark to you. What would you say if the Countess gives you a personal order?

“Yes, your lady?” I suggested.

“No, no!” Mr. Amos said, billowing smoke at me.

I greatly enjoyed all the descriptions of domestic service in a stately home (and the way the boys kept destroying their silk stockings) but there is also a lot of magical activity going on at Stallery Mansion, although no clues regarding Conrad’s nemesis – which both worries and relieves Conrad. He doesn’t want to murder anyone (despite his uncle’s insistence) but he is concerned for his own fate. Even back at the bookstore, Conrad could see someone was orchestrating magical changes that were unpredictable and unnerving: it is even more acute at the castle or perhaps the “possibilities” are increasing exponentially as the magician behind it all builds to a grand finale. There are some very funny scenes although toward the end I found the plot as confusing as a John Verney novel.

Publication: Greenwillow, hardcover, 2005
Genre: Juvenile fantasy
Source: Personal copy