Drowned Ammet
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| Drowned Ammet | |
| Author | Diana Wynne Jones |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Dan Craig |
| Country | Britain |
| Language | English |
| Series | Dalemark Quartet |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, High Fantasy, Children's Literature |
| Publisher | Various |
| Publication date | First published in 1975 (Macmillian London Ltd.), May 1, 2005 (Eos reprint) |
| Media type | Print (trade paperback) |
| Pages | 560 (Trade Paperback edition) ~ |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-076369-8 (Trade Paperback edition in same volume as Cart and Cwidder)~ |
| Preceded by | Cart and Cwidder |
| Followed by | The Spellcoats |
Drowned Ammet is a fantasy novel for young adults by British author Diana Wynne Jones.
[edit] Plot
The book begins with the birth of a boy in South Dalemark, near a seaport called Holand. He is named Alhammitt, after his father, but because this is such a common name he is called Mitt by his mother and friends.
His father joins a resistance against Earl Hadd, and, to the best of Mitt's knowledge, he is betrayed by a man named Siriol. Mitt spends the rest of his life up until his thirteenth year plotting revenge with his mother against Siriol. His mother, meanwhile, marries a gunsmith named Hobin and gives up her rebellious ways.
During an attempt to assassinate the earl of Holand (which fails horribly) Mitt is forced to take refuge on a ship belonging to the two grandchildren of the earl: Hildy and Ynen. The two nobles were in fact in the process of running away from home, and take the ship out of Holand, with Mitt stowing away beneath deck. When Mitt eventually discovered, he forces Hildy and Ynen to continue sailing away from Holand, where Mitt is wanted by the government.
[edit] Characters
- Mitt Alhamittson
- Hildrida Navisdaughter
- Ynen Navisson
- Navis Haddson: The youngest son of Earl Hadd of Holand, and the father of Ynen and Hildrida.
- Old Ammet:One of the Undying. He is also known as the Earthshaker. One of his hidden names is 'Ynynen', and he is a particular friend of Mitt. His original name is Alhammitt, and he is often described as a man with long grey hair and a young-old face. There is a strange custom in Holand where, every year, a straw figure of him is thrown into the sea.
- Libby Beer: Another one of the Undying and the wife of Ammet. She is sometimes called She Who raised the Islands, and she is described as a woman in a green dress. She and Ammet are both well known throughout the Holy Isles and Holand.
[edit] Explanation of the novel's title
"Drowned Ammet" refers to the custom in Holand of throwing a straw figure of Old Ammet (see above) into the ocean.
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