Honestly, most people who dive into the Chrestomanci series start with Charmed Life. It makes sense. It was written first. But if you really want to understand the man in the peacock-blue dressing gown—the one with the "maddening vagueness" and enough magical power to level a mountain—you have to look at The Lives of Christopher Chant.
This isn't just some dusty backstory. It’s a messy, funny, and occasionally dark look at how a lonely kid becomes a living legend.
Diana Wynne Jones published this one in 1988. It’s technically the fourth book released, but chronologically? It’s the beginning. And man, Christopher is kind of an arrogant jerk when we first meet him. You’ve got to love how Jones doesn't sugarcoat childhood. She knew kids aren't always "precious." They can be snobs. They can be selfish. And Christopher Chant, with his nine lives and his obsession with cricket, is exactly that.
What Most People Get Wrong About Christopher’s "Dreams"
When Christopher is a boy, he thinks he’s just a vivid dreamer. He goes to these places he calls the "Almost Anywheres."
Here is the thing: they aren't dreams. He’s actually "walking" between worlds in the multiverse. While he’s sleeping in his bed in World 12A (a version of Victorian England where magic is basically a utility like electricity), his spirit is wandering through jungles, markets, and bizarre landscapes.
The Uncle Ralph Problem
We have to talk about Uncle Ralph. Every kid wants a "cool" uncle who gives them gifts and treats them like an adult. Ralph is that guy. He’s also a total snake.
He realizes Christopher can bring physical objects back from his dreams. So, what does he do? He starts a smuggling ring. He uses his nephew to fetch "experimental" materials:
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- Dragon’s blood
- Mermaid scales
- Rare herbs from "Anywheres"
Christopher thinks he’s being helpful. He thinks he’s part of a grand adventure. In reality, he’s a pawn in a black-market magic trade. It’s a classic Jones trope—the adults who should be protecting the kid are the ones exploiting him the most.
The Nine Lives Reality Check
Why is he called the Chrestomanci? It’s not a name. It’s a job title. Basically, the Chrestomanci is the magical policeman for the entire multiverse.
The rule in this universe is simple: if you have an exact double in another world, you only have one life. If you die, that’s it. But if you are a "nine-lived enchanter," it means you have no doubles in any of the other parallel worlds. You are a one-off. A freak of nature.
Christopher has nine lives. And boy, does he burn through them.
In The Lives of Christopher Chant, we see him lose lives in ways that are almost slapstick but also kind of horrifying. He breaks his neck twice. He gets impaled. He even gets lit on fire. Because he thinks he’s "dreaming," he doesn't realize the stakes until he’s down to his last few lives.
"It’s a bit flippant," some critics have said about the death scenes. Maybe. But it perfectly captures the feeling of being eleven years old and feeling invincible.
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That Time He Met a Goddess
One of the best parts of the book is when Christopher travels to a world where they worship a "Living Asheth." This goddess turns out to be a girl named Millie.
She’s bored out of her mind. She’s stuck in a temple being worshipped while all she wants to do is go to a boarding school, eat "stodge," and play hockey. Their friendship is the emotional core of the book. It’s also the origin story of the adult Millie we meet in Charmed Life.
When Christopher eventually rescues her—or rather, when they sort of rescue each other—it’s the first time he stops thinking only about himself. It's the moment he starts becoming the man who can actually handle the weight of being the Chrestomanci.
Why This Book Hits Differently in 2026
Looking back, Jones was way ahead of her time with the multiverse stuff. Before every Marvel movie was talking about "variants" and "branching timelines," she had it all mapped out.
But she did it with more heart.
The book deals with some heavy themes:
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- Neglect: Christopher’s parents are so busy arguing (they literally only communicate via written notes passed by servants) that they don't even know what their son is capable of.
- Identity: Christopher is horrified when a teacher tells him he's a snob. He had no idea. He thought he was just... him.
- Responsibility: Is it fair to force an eleven-year-old to train for a job that controls the fate of worlds? Probably not. But life isn't fair.
The Technical Magic of Diana Wynne Jones
Jones doesn't use "soft magic" where things happen just because. There are rules. There are costs. When Christopher finally moves to Chrestomanci Castle to train under Gabriel de Witt (the current Chrestomanci), he hates it.
He hates the lessons. He hates the rules. He misses cricket.
It's a very human reaction to greatness. Most fantasy books have the hero "longing" for their destiny. Christopher just wants to be a mediocre athlete in London.
Actionable Insights for Readers
If you’re planning to read (or re-read) the series, here is how you should actually approach it to get the most out of the lore:
- Start with The Lives of Christopher Chant: Even though it was published later, the emotional payoff of the later books is ten times stronger if you know where Christopher and Millie came from.
- Pay attention to the cats: In this universe, cats (like the terrifying Throgmorten) are more than just pets. They are indicators of magical stability.
- Look for the "Place Between": Jones describes the space between worlds as a formless, gray void. It’s a recurring setting in her books and explains a lot about how magic travels.
- Don't expect a perfect hero: Christopher is flawed. He stays flawed even as an adult. That’s what makes him one of the best characters in 20th-century fantasy.
If you’ve already read the series and want something similar, you should check out Conrad’s Fate. It takes place when Christopher is fifteen, and it’s basically a magical "downstairs" drama at a large manor. It bridges the gap perfectly between the bratty kid we see here and the legendary enchanter he eventually becomes.
The magic of The Lives of Christopher Chant isn't in the spells; it's in the realization that even a kid with nine lives has to grow up eventually. It's about finding a "family of choice" when your "family of blood" fails you. And honestly? That's a story that never gets old.
Keep an eye out for the subtle references to "World 12B" in the text—that's actually our world. It's Jones's way of winking at the reader, reminding us that while we don't have nine lives, we're still part of the same messy multiverse.
The next step is to pick up Charmed Life and see how Christopher handles being the mentor instead of the student. You'll see him in a completely different light once you know what he went through at the Castle.