The Spellcoats (#3 in the Dalemark Quartet) acts as a prequel of sorts to the previous entries in the quartet although it is the third book in the series. This takes place in prehistoric Dalemark, whose later history Jones dealt with in Cart and Cwidder (1977) and Drowned Ammet (1978); but there is no evident connection except that the characters of The Spellcoats have become legendary figures in the other novels. The story, all 280 pages, is purportedly being woven, as it happens, into the coats created by young narrator Tanaqui--at first, it seems, she weaves only to record her family's adventures, but later for the inherent magic power of the woven symbols. Orphaned by a war against blond, invading Heathens, Tanaqui and her siblings (who look like the Heathens) are expelled from their village and embark on a long journey down river to an encounter with an evil enchanter out to capture their souls. The children carry with them three ancestral figures called the Undying. (For a while they also carry an ailing older brother, magically transformed into a clay figure.) They learn en route that The One, the most revered of the three figures, is the supreme river god and their own grandfather, and that their dead mother is also the river--and like Grandfather, a god and one of the figures (the Lady).

As usual with DWJ, siblings are at the center. They're not a perfect family--this would not be a book by DWJ if they were. Tanaqui gets impatient with her siblings, especially her sister Robin; Hern is a rationalist who doesn't believe in magic (unfortunate, because it seems to surround them) and Duck gets all vague whenever trouble threatens. But this is exactly what makes the story work, because it's the conflicts between them that create the conflict that drives the story. Their encounter with the evil Kankredin (a stealer of souls and weaver) is perfect because the children have to learn to overcome their conflicts if they are to survive. Tanaqui fights with her brothers and wants to shake her sister, but they all still love each other and support one another.

The main conceit of this book, as mentioned above, is that Tanaqui, a master weaver, is telling the story through weaving it into a giant "rugcoat"; those who know how can read it. DWJ's skill makes this conceit hold together, as Tanaqui tells the story as if it's all already happened (which it has) and the "coats" end and begin in places where Tanaqui would have the ability to weave. This acts as interesting yet initially confusing storytelling device but about half through the novel things start to fall in place.

It’s also easy to not realize that The Spellcoats is part of a quartet. Of the four books, it’s by far the most independent. It’s set centuries (maybe millennia) prior to the first two books in the series, and connects only in an epilogue (until the fourth book ties things together more).


I believe this book deserves multiple rereads to be fully appreciated. I plan to revisit it one day soon. ( )

I didn't recall a great deal about this book as this was a re-read after a long interval. It concerns a family of children, who have always been a bit "different" from the others in their village. Their mother died some years before (or at least that is what they believe) and their father plays only a minor role in the story since he and the eldest son, Gull, are drafted into the King's army to fight a war against invaders called the Heathern. Unfortunately, only Gull returns, suffering from what we would call PTSD. Meanwhile, the resemblance of the fair-haired children to the invaders has now become known, and the villagers are whipped up against them by the unpleasant headman. This necessitates a hasty departure downriver in their boat, at a time when the river is undergoing a flood, and as the story develops it becomes clear that the flood is an attack by a malevolent wizard who is part of the Heathern forces, but has his own agenda.

The story is a first person narrative told by the younger daughter, Tanaqui, who is actually weaving it into a coat. The part played by weaving as a form of magic and the mythical beings known as the Undying, who have taken the form of three household gods or idols that the children carry into exile with them, is quite fascinating. The main characters are all delineated, although the elder daughter Robin is rather a feeble person, and Tanaqui is quite often annoyed with her especially when Robin is ill. Gull has a quite minor part to play, other than his role in drawing them further towards the sea where the wizard awaits, but Hern and Mallard (known as Duck) are quite interesting characters and the family dynamic between them and their sisters is well developed.

The relationship between the Undying isn't always clear and the ending of the main story is quite abrupt, leaving the subsequent fate of the characters open to interpretation, but at least a couple must have survived to become the legendary figures they are identified with in the post script material. For that reason, I rate this as a 4 star read but very enjoyable despite the slight niggles. ( )

The third book in the Dalemark Quartet seems to go back in time, to tell the tale of a legendary family connected to the Old Ones. Their story tells the tale of the Heathen invasion of the land, and how they have to turn back the real invador, a powerful mage. But the mage is the main enemy in the last book in the series, so either he's really old or the book isn't meant to be historical... While I enjoyed some aspects of the story I found much of it kind of tedious since it didn't seem to connect to the other two novels. I'm going to assume that the fourth book ties everything neatly together, since Jones is not one for sloppy series. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2018/05/201824-spellcoats-diana-wynne-jones.html ( )

The Spellcoats happens in pre-historic Dalemark before there's a North and South. it wasn't obvious at first that it was set in the same world as the first 2 books. In 'going with the flow' this is quintessential DWJ. The children in the story are enjyable characterizations and their tale is compelling. ( )