I have to admit, this has got to be one of my least favorite books in the series so far. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely some positives and I still enjoyed the ride. Let me begin with what I liked:

- the magic elements were super weird and cool. I liked the mysticism and the way in which those who could use magic were able to even convince the skeptics in the story.
- Talisman and the Forest People were by far my favorite characters in the story. They were so different and I think Aiken did a fantastic job in creating them and giving them the ropes.
- the plot against the King was typical Aiken and I loved it because it's everything I expected and love about this series!

So clearly, there were some positives. However, there were some flaws that made this book drop below my expectations:

-Dido lacked that charm I've become so accustomed to seeing. In this novel, she was quite flat and had no real purpose; this novel would have still moved fine without her presence.
-Lord Herodsfoot and King were really blah characters. I just didn't like their complete helplessness in every situation. I understand that Aiken created them specifically to be this way, but I just don't like useless characters.
- there were a lot of holes in the plot that didn't make sense (and that's saying something since most of the books in this series are wacky!) and the introduction into this adventure was very awkward and stilted. The transitions could definitely have been better!

Overall, the novel still maintained its wackiness and had an awesome fantasy element to it. However, it didn't tie things as well as it could have and Dido really didn't shine. I'm hoping that the next book in the series will be better; for now, this novel gets a 3.5/5 stars from me!

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On the back cover of my edition of Limbo Lodge is a quote from Philip Pullman:
What I relish in particular is the swiftness of the telling, the vigour with which brilliant moments of perception seem to be improvised in the sheer delight of the onward rush of the story. Joan Aiken is a marvel.

This adulatory comment (said to be from The Guardian) is cited everywhere online but I can’t discover if it’s actually part of his review for this particular book. It’s certainly true of Limbo Lodge, as for all of the Wolves Chronicles, but for me what stands out most is how much rich detail Aiken includes, and how many corridors leading off from the main narrative avenue just beg to be explored. For example, board games are everywhere, a metaphor for the moves that Dido Twite and her companions have to constantly make if they are not to lose their lives. Twists of fate, as illustrated by the Tarot, can also determine outcomes. There are stern critiques of misogyny, racism and colonialism, not unexpectedly, but also parallels with Shakespeare’s late play The Tempest, whether consciously introduced or not is hard to decide. And — given that Arthurian themes pervaded The Stolen Lake, the title that chronologically precedes Limbo Lodge — there are faint echoes here too of the Once and Future King in Aiken’s tale, of the medieval sin of accidie and of restoration.

But Pullman’s description of swift storytelling and the spontaneous vigour shown in brilliant moments of perception is spot on, strengths which lead one to first rush down that corridor, leaving the side passages to explore in a later rereading.

Dido, now nearly 11 years old at the turn of 1835, has been a reluctant voyager for over two years. We discover her in the Moluccas or Maluku Islands, which used to be known as the Spice Islands from the end of the European Middle Ages. Her ship has been diverted to these waters to as a matter of urgency to search for a certain Lord Herodsfoot, who has finally been located at the island of Aratu — the so-called Island of the Pearl Snakes. On landing here Dido and her companions are thrown into immediate jeopardy with the wounding of one sailor, the impounding of the ship, the imprisonment of the doctor, followed by the ‘scrobbling’ of Dido herself. Will Lord Herodsfoot ever be found, and will Dido uncover the secret of the recluse sovereign who is holed up on the other side of the island?

So far this is all as per usual for our feisty young heroine. We expect Dido to get into scrapes, investigate mysteries and face up to adversaries in her many adventures; what we are unsure of though is how exactly that is to happen. Limbo Lodge is, for an island paradise, surprisingly grim. The indigenous forest-dwellers are either exploited, abused or shunned by the colonists, the fauna (such as scorpion- or sting-monkeys, pearl snakes and crocodiles) are life threatening, and the island is in the middle of a zone of active earthquakes and volcanoes. In addition, the companions have drawn the ire of one Senhor Manoel Roy, who’s soon seen to be behind every setback Dido and her friends encounter and misfortunes which include the heartbreaking deaths of innocents.

Readers who express reservations about Limbo Lodge are correct, if what they were expecting (but don’t get) is the telltale light humour that characterised the chirpy Cockney sparrow they’d come to love. I think, however, that Aiken is expressing Dido’s steady maturation. She’s no longer the total innocent of Black Hearts in Battersea or the underestimated yet canny young adult of the next couple of novels; she’s now experienced in the ways of the world beyond her corner of London and thus more resourceful than ever. That doesn’t stop her commenting drolly about the 'nook-shotten' individuals she comes across or declaring that the 'havey-cavey coves' she stymies need to 'put that in their kettle and boil it'. When it comes to enlisting our sympathies for the apparent underdog Philip Pullman is absolutely right: Joan Aiken is indeed a marvel.

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A lively, fast-moving tale from the Wolves Of Willoughby Chase sequence that takes place just after The Stolen Lake. Dido is still trying to return to England on The Thrush, but the ship is diverted and sent chasing after the wandering Lord Herodsfoot, who travels the world collecting games to entertain the ailing King James. Dido and co finally track him down on the Pacific island of Aratu. All is not well on the island, however. The putative ruler, John King is unwell and his ruthless brother has some nefarious plans that mean trouble for the indomitable Dido.

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Fun. Dido seems relatively sensible here - not so many wild jumps (in the right direction). Talisman is a bit much to take - the initial story is good, but the magic abilities that suddenly show up as soon as she's on the island get ridiculous. And poor Frankie, though he's rather an idiot. Annoying combination of helpless male (oh no, I've broken my glasses again! Is there a female around to fix them for me?) and "of course what I know is right, everything else is a bit silly, don't you agree?" The games aspect is interesting, the venomous everything is a bit much (venomous mammals? Sheesh. Well, maybe they're some really odd monotremes...), the omniscient witches are rather too convenient. Overall, nice but I don't think it will become a favorite. ( )

This tenth title in Aiken's Wolves Chronicles, which offers a welcome return to the adventures of the marvelous Dido Twite, backtracks somewhat in the chronology, and occurs shortly after the events related in The Stolen Lake and before Dido's return to England in The Cuckoo Tree.

When the ship on which she is sailing for home is diverted to the spice island of Aratu in search of the missing Lord Herodsfoot, Dido once again finds herself caught up in political intrigue. With the conflict between the colonizing Angrians and the native Dilendi, an unscrupulous and power-hungry villain, and a cross-cultural love story, Dangerous Games offers the reader an engaging and entertaining story. I would not rank it as highly as some of the earlier titles, but I was still glad to have read it.

As a side note, readers should be aware that this book was originally published in Britain under the title Limbo Lodge. ( )