A Wizard of Mars.
Jul. 20th, 2010 21:00![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starladyDuane, Diane. A Wizard of Mars. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2010.
There aren't really enough words for how much I love Diane Duane's Young Wizards books, and this ninth entry in the series is pretty great. It is probably not a great place to start the series, if only because so many of the supporting characters get expanded roles (yay!), but it definitely marks a transition in the series. And it's awesome.
I have so little unspoilery to say about the plot, I'll just say this: There is/was/might have been (English's tenses are so imprecise compared to the Speech) life on Mars, and wizards Kit and Nita, and a lot of their friends both wizardly and not, get caught up in the effort to understand what happened on the Red Planet, and what didn't. Um, yes. Also, Carmela is seriously my new favorite character, she is unbelievably awesome.
This book marks a definite transition in the series, as I said; after the first four and then the second four books, A Wizard of Mars is more "adult" in that its villains aren't the Lone Power but other people convinced they are acting in Life's name and for Life's sake; wizardry and the universe are much more ambiguous than the young wizards' initial confrontations with the Lone Power have led us to believe. And to fight these battles, Nita and Kit have to do things that involve, as the peridexis says, "closely considered ethical dilemmas." All this feels like a natural progression, and it also feels natural that Kit and Nita finally acknowledge their feelings for each other, and the depth of their relationship. I can't wait for the next book, particularly because Dairine took a back seat in this one, and I love Dairine. I also love Carmela and I want more of her now. Also, Roshaun is still lost. Alive, but lost. Also because I love Bobo the peridexis. Also because this book felt a bit like a breather after Wizards at War, and I'm ready for more action. Also because I asked Duane on Twitter last year how many more books there are in the sequence and she replied that the tenth book is already written and that she has 11 and 12 plotted, with more to come. Though I hope we do see the Lone Power again eventually; the Lone Power is actually one of my favorite characters, too.
Also, WTF Dairine is 11, hell no is that true. She was 11 when Nita took the Oath, and two and a half years have passed in-book since then.
There aren't really enough words for how much I love Diane Duane's Young Wizards books, and this ninth entry in the series is pretty great. It is probably not a great place to start the series, if only because so many of the supporting characters get expanded roles (yay!), but it definitely marks a transition in the series. And it's awesome.
I have so little unspoilery to say about the plot, I'll just say this: There is/was/might have been (English's tenses are so imprecise compared to the Speech) life on Mars, and wizards Kit and Nita, and a lot of their friends both wizardly and not, get caught up in the effort to understand what happened on the Red Planet, and what didn't. Um, yes. Also, Carmela is seriously my new favorite character, she is unbelievably awesome.
This book marks a definite transition in the series, as I said; after the first four and then the second four books, A Wizard of Mars is more "adult" in that its villains aren't the Lone Power but other people convinced they are acting in Life's name and for Life's sake; wizardry and the universe are much more ambiguous than the young wizards' initial confrontations with the Lone Power have led us to believe. And to fight these battles, Nita and Kit have to do things that involve, as the peridexis says, "closely considered ethical dilemmas." All this feels like a natural progression, and it also feels natural that Kit and Nita finally acknowledge their feelings for each other, and the depth of their relationship. I can't wait for the next book, particularly because Dairine took a back seat in this one, and I love Dairine. I also love Carmela and I want more of her now. Also, Roshaun is still lost. Alive, but lost. Also because I love Bobo the peridexis. Also because this book felt a bit like a breather after Wizards at War, and I'm ready for more action. Also because I asked Duane on Twitter last year how many more books there are in the sequence and she replied that the tenth book is already written and that she has 11 and 12 plotted, with more to come. Though I hope we do see the Lone Power again eventually; the Lone Power is actually one of my favorite characters, too.
Also, WTF Dairine is 11, hell no is that true. She was 11 when Nita took the Oath, and two and a half years have passed in-book since then.
- Darryl: "You sure physics lets you do that?" Kit: "The manual says so, and I think so does Stephen Hawking. That's good enough for me--"
- Nita: "Bobo, I hate this." Bobo: That closely reflects the sounds of all wizards everywhere when making difficult but closely considered ethical choices.
- Ronon: "Seriously, we are not worthy to hang out with you! You are the wizard's wizard, man! You have turned Mars into New Jersey!"