If Dairine's computer's incessant chanting of 'Uh-oh' are any indication, there's about to be trouble.When Tom and Carl ask to come over, Nita, Kit, Dairine and their guests hope it's just a normal house call. Maybe a little debrief of why there were suddenly no higher-ranking wizards around last week (during the events of Wizard's Holiday)? But surely nothing earth-shattering after all the work they just went through, right?Wrong.A malevolent blackness is pushing the universe apart, warping older wizards' perceptions, and tearing the very fabric of wizardry. Soon no adult wizard will remember their wizardry and shortly after that, wizardry itself will fail to function. It's up to the young wizards of Earth and other planets to both protect their homes and battle the incoming threat.But Nita, Kit and company have news of a secret weapon that not only will drive back this darkness, but may set the Lone Power back a few notches, permanently. Only problem is they have no idea what it is or where it is.It'll be a war for the history books, alright. That is, if there's any society left afterward...If you were waiting for something to happen this series, wait no longer. This book seems to be what all the others were leading up to. It draws on and references every single other book in the series, and it does so masterfully.I continued to love the characters. Not only do our alien friends return for more fleshing out, but a few older acquaintances show up for an encore. Histories, families, specialties and personalities are all built upon to delight even the most obscure fandom. Yes, even the one for the Lone Power.This book is looooong. As such, its pacing is set at a chapterly stride. Each chapter provides an easy stopping point for you to breathe and re-group. Not saying that you won't want to continue reading at all, but I did find it a little difficult to read it all in one go. Simply put, there is a lot of information to pack in here and occasional (or frequent) breaks are helpful to aid digestion.Once again, the narration is split between Nita, Kit and Dairine, though this time it seems more equally distributed. However, the narration isn't always obvious as there are a lot of other characters, environments and action to focus on. The 3rd-person limited tinges on 3rd-person omniscient at times, but not obviously or irritatingly so.With so many narrators, so many locations, and the added effect that the narrators split up a lot in the middle, the plot can seem a little non-linear. It reminds me a little of The Two Towers in that respect, when it switches between the two hobbits and Aragorn's group (and Frodo's, if you're thinking about the movie). If you aren't reading it all at once, or if you start to get confused, perhaps taking notes on each narrator's journey might be best, instead of cataloging the entire plot linearly.I assure you, if you've hung through the series this far, you are in for quite a treat.Approximate Reading Time: 7.5 hours
Latest in the Young Wizards series is Wizards at War by Diane Duane.Diane Duane was writing about boys and girls becoming wizards long before Harry Potter was ever envisioned. The premise is nothing less than every wizard is trying to stop the heat death of the universe. Yeah, pretty big stuff. I really love that the wizardry is all scientifically based (You want to go to the moon? Remember to bring air, heat and take into account the orbital velocities of the Earth and Moon, as well as the velocity of the sun around the Milky Way, and the movement of the galaxy through the universe! Yeah, cool shit!)Wow, these books just keep getting more and more painful! I thought Wizard's Dilemma was hard, this one was almost as awful. I suppose it says great things about an author if the book hits me with such emotional impact. I really didn't need the bittersweet fist the the stomach today, though.Basic plot? Dark matter is suddenly appearing through the universe, stretching it apart faster, which is disrupting the rules on which matter works (gravity, magnetism, etc), which also disrupts Wizardry. Since you lose power as you age, only the youngest wizards, the babies at 8 or 9 through about 16 still even remember that Wizardry is real. Meaning the children have to save the universe, and they can't even turn to anyone for guidance.Yeah, people think fantasy is always light? Everyone knows a kid. Imagine that kid using only his or her wits, bouncing all over the universe, quite literally facing down Death itself with only, perhaps, a few other kids for backup. I wouldn't want to think about Mad Annie doing that (though damn, that child could!)It's a heavy ride, full of moments where you've got no idea how they'll get out of this, though even in the worst, our main characters are kids going through puberty, here. The dialogue is great. Well written dialogue is my favorite thing ever!Definitely pick up the whole series for a read (I like them even more than Harry Potter), but be ready for an emotional hit harder than you're used to from books for young people. Duane pulls no punches.
What do You think about Wizards At War (2005)?
WHERE'S THE NEXT ONE??*Continues to be a great series, and each installment just gets better. Remarkably mature, sophisticated fantasy. And while I love all the characters tremendously (and this installment particularly for bringing so many of them together!), want to say that Nita belongs in the pantheon with Katniss and Hermione of fantastic modern female protagonists, for young readers of any persuasion to identify with. And I may like her as a role-model even more than the wartime-/combat-based hero(in)es, even though she sees her share of action, because so much of her accomplishments are rooted in kindness, compassion, and conscientiousness.*Can't wait to get to the library for the next one, just purchased the ebook. I've now obtained installments of this series from… five? different sources (bookstores, libraries, and now online).
—Molly G
Wizards at War follows very directly on from Wizard's Holiday and brings in characters and threads from all of the books back to So You Want to Be a Wizard. When Nita and Kit return from their holiday, they find Nita's house still full of alien wizards, and they also find out wizardry is failing and the universe itself is threatened. The cameos from previous books could be on the self-indulgent side, but Duane handles them deftly enough to avoid that, and the story wraps up plot threads satisfyingly (save for one, which I hope she'll investigate further in the next book). ETA 4/8/10: Oddly, on my second reading, though I thought it dragged a little, I ended up liking it more. The depth of characterization and the weight of the backstory in affecting the characters and plot are really well done.
—Margaret
When I found this book at my library, I was ecstatic. The Young Wizards series has a fine tradition of excellence which was well carried on in this book. Functional magic is a beautiful thing. For specifics, I found the plot perfectly paced, the characters wonderfully written as usual, the emotion elegantly and subtly handled, and...I'll stop. It's impossible for me to write an unbiased review of the Young Wizards series. But I would like to point out that Roshaun and Dairine's relationship could have been written horribly, but instead it came across as incredibly realistic. Hopefully I'll be able to check out book 9 next week.
—Evelyn
