Howl's Moving Castle (novel)

Howl's Moving Castle is a novel written by Dianne Wynn Jones, released in 1986. It was the first book in the Castle Series.

At the beginning
The novel is about a young lady named Sophie Hatter who is the oldest of three daughters living in the town of Market Chipping in the kingdom of Ingary where many fairy-tales are accepted ways of life. As the eldest she is resigned to the fact that she will have no chance of finding her fortune, accepting that she will have a dull life running the family hat shop. That is, until she is turned into an old lady by the Witch of the Waste, a powerful witch. Sophie leaves the shop and finds work as a cleaning lady for Wizard Howl famous in her town for eating the hearts of young women. Sophie soon learns that Howl spreads these rumors about himself to keep his privacy. There are four doors to his castle, only one of which is real, and which is enchanted to open to four different places at one time.

Making a deal
Coming soon

Main Characters

 * Sophie Hatter - a young woman with a knack for talking to inanimate objects. The eldest of three, her life was supposed to be dull, and she would receive the least fortune of her siblings.
 * Howl Jenkins Pendragon - a powerful sorcerer with a nasty reputation for stealing and eating the hearts of beautiful young ladies, who has taken to stalking around the hillsides of the Chipping Valley in his moving castle.
 * Michael Fisher - a young orphan boy, taken in by Howl as an apprentice to magic. He is not yet very good at the trade, but tries hard.
 * Calcifer - a Fire Demon bound to his hearth by a contract with Howl. He longs to break it and be free, and enters a secret deal with Sophie
 * Witch of the Waste - an ancient, powerful witch who loves her own beauty. She spends the novel hunting down Howl after planting a curse on him.

Other Characters

 * Lettie Hatter
 * Martha Hatter
 * Lily Angorian
 * Annabel Fairfax
 * Fanny Hatter
 * Prince Justin
 * King of Ingary
 * Ben Sullivan