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[[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_8325.jpeg]]

A novel by Creator/DianaWynneJones. A team of mages finds it necessary to invade an alternate universe.

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!! Tropes include:

* AerithAndBob: On all the worlds. On Earth, we meet Gladys, Maureen, Amanda, Judy, Helen and Roz with Zillah and Flan as the outliers; men from the Pentarchy have surprisingly "English" names like Lawrence, Roderick or Edward while the Ladies of Leathe in the Pentarchy are called things like Marceny, Aliky, Ladry and Sigry.
* TheAllegedCar:
** Tony's Deux Chevaux, which Tod mentally labels a "subcar".
--->It was small. It had a domed top, like the head of an amiable but stupid dog, and a curious posture, down at the front and up at the back, as if the stupid dog were engaged in sniffing the gutter; and to make it more remarkable, it was not one colour but several random ones. The domed top was orange. One flimsy-looking door was green. The down-bending bonnet was sky-blue. The rest was a rusty sort of cream. It was like a jester--or someone's idea of a joke.
** And the Celestial Omnibus is pretty much The Alleged Interdimensional Spaceship - cobbled together from an actual old bus.
* BabyTalk: Marcus, Zillah's son. Rather observant and smart for two, even though his words hardly make sense to anyone but Zillah.
%%* BlitheSpirit: All of the women who go to Arth.
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: any kind of sexual activity is punishable by exile on Arth, [[spoiler: even kissing]].
%%* ChivalrousPervert: Tod.
%%* CrazyCatLady: Gladys, apparently.
%%* DisguisedInDrag: Philo, magically.
%%* EccentricMentor: Gladys. And she plays to the gallery.
* {{Elseworld}}: Earth, Arth, and the Pentarchy. They even have alternate selves called Analogues.
%%* GuileHero: Tod, when required.
* HenpeckedHusband: Mark tends to question from time to time ''why'' he married Paulie.
* IChooseToStay: [[spoiler: After the congo dancing scene, the women decided to stay in Arth.]]
* TheInfiltration: What drives the plot; realizing that another world has been forcing Earth into war after war to force them to build new technology and copy it, Gladys sends a team of highly trained female mages ([[SpannerInTheWorks as well as Zillah, by accident]]) to the other world and stop them.
%%* TheLoad: [[{{Jerkass}} Roz]] tends to see Zillah as this.
%%* MyBelovedSmother: Lady Marceny.
* TheMole:
** Brother Tony is assigned to spy on Paulie and return information to Arth. [[spoiler: Later, because Tod kissed Zillah, he has to fill in, much to his displeasure.]]
** For a different faction, Aliky is a plant [[spoiler: among Lady Marceny's women]] and secretly working against her.
* NeverTheSelvesShallMeet: When they enter the alternate universe, all the ones with counterparts there instantly die.
* OffingTheOffspring: The BigBad [[spoiler: Lady Marceny]] has absolutely no problem with the idea of sacrificing a grandchild.
* OurElvesAreDifferent: it's hard to define what makes someone a "gualdian" (even Philo is vague, and he ''is'' one) but the men are tall and "rather furry", and the women look entirely human but are ethereally beautiful. Gualdian blood is associated with high magical talent, and prized. It's implied we have them on Earth and don't know it; Zillah is identified as one.
* PimpedOutDress: The Ladies of Leathe wear rather elaborate outfits.
* PocketDimension: Arth. Though its inhabitants are from the Pentarchy it's a separate miniature universe, and travel between the two can only happen at specific times.
* ReallyGetsAround: Roz. How much of this is true and how much is rumour and propaganda? Unclear.
* SexIsEvil: In-universe. It's not allowed in Arth because it will upset the balance.
* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: Not uncommon, though acting on it risks punishment by exile to Earth.
* SharpDressedMan: Tod, by Pentarchy standards, though his hairstyle looks pretty odd by Earth standards.
%%* ShrinkingViolet: Zillah again.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Two examples - Judy for Edward and (surprisingly even to herself) [[spoiler: Zillah for Mark]]. Nobody else has a look-in.
%%* SympatheticAdulterer: [[spoiler: Mark with Zillah, in the backstory.]]
* ThreeFacesOfEve: The chief witches of Britain are Maureen (young, a dancer), Amanda (mother and university lecturer) and Gladys (grandmotherly-looking, eccentric CrazyCatLady). [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] slightly: Maureen's no maiden or innocent, Amanda has many facets to her other than motherhood, and Gladys may act the crone but is neither as old nor as [[ObfuscatingInsanity dotty]] she seems.
%%* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler: Mark.]]
%%* WildMagic: [[spoiler: Zillah's true potential.]]