The Homeward Bounders

The Homeward Bounders is a novel by Diana Wynne Jones. A boy is exiled from 19th-century England and forced to wander through multiple alternate universes.


 * The Multiverse
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Blessed with Suck: Helen.
 * Demon Slaying: Konstam and Joris.
 * Flying Dutchman: All the main characters; additionally, the actual Flying Dutchman and Wandering Jew are minor characters.
 * Game Tropes: This book contains many examples, most notably War Gaming and chance games.
 * Genre Savvy: Adam, and to a lesser extent Helen: "I am a cleric and magic user."
 * Happiness in Slavery: Joris is Type I of this - although he hated the concept of being a slave, Konstam treated him very well, and Joris liked working for him. Turns out
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Helen again.
 * Made a Slave: Joris was at a rather young age.
 * Mayfly-December Romance:
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Jamie.
 * Stranger in a Familiar Land: Jamie, at the end.
 * The Trope Without a Title: The antagonists are just called They.
 * Tsundere: Helen, all the way.
 * You Can't Go Home Again: Though they're promised that finding their way Home breaks the curse to wander.
 * Walking the Earth: Walking the multiverse.