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fandomhigh_ooc2007-07-01 11:53 pm
not_in_the_book) wrote in fandomhigh_ooc2007-07-01 11:53 pm
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Spotlight on Fandoms: Young Wizards
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hotceltogoth and grenfelzer, we give you: Spotlight on Fandoms - Young Wizards.
The Basics: A Brief Introduction to the History of the Universe
It all begins with the creation of the Universe. No, seriously. There was the Big Bang, the Powers That Be made the Universe, and everything was great. Except there was one Power who wasn't a part of this creation. Known as the Lone Power, the Lone One, the Fairest and Fallen... a million other names, this one's gift to the Universe was... entropy. Death. Kind of a crappy gift. Unfortunately, the other Powers That Be couldn't *undo* this gift, so instead they came up with a way to fight it: wizardry. A certain percentage of most sentient species are offered the chance to become wizards, on the condition that they use their newfound power to fight the Lone Power, slowing down entropy and the eventual death of the Universe. The Young Wizards books follow the journeys of three human wizards in particular, along with the many friends they make along the way.
The Books: What's Happened So Far
So, there are a bunch of books. And you should read them all, because they are awesomecakes.
So You Want to Be a Wizard: Nita Callahan finds a crazy-sounding book in her local library, but when she takes the Wizard's Oath, she finds herself on the adventure of a life-time. With new friends Kit Rodriguez, another neophyte wizard, and Fred, a white hole who gets pulled in when a spell goes wrong, Nita travels into a dark version of Manhattan where they search for the Book of Night with Moon -- the book that describes the state of everything in existence.
Deep Wizardry: Nita and Kit are enjoying a their vacation to the beach with Nita's family, when they're drawn into a millenia-old ritual in a place they never expected to go: deep within the ocean. Alongside S'reee, a humpback whale who is a senior wizard for the oceans of Earth, they once again face down the Lone Power -- although Nita may have to give up her life to stop him.
High Wizardry: Dairine Callahan is not the least bit jealous of her sister's wizardry and associated adventures -- at least, not now that she's discovered the new family computer has come complete with the latest adaptation of the Wizard's Manual. Travelling across the universe supplies her with a great adventure, but when the Lone Power gets involved in her creation of a brand-new species, she is faced with her own choices to make -- although help comes from an unexpected quarter just when she needs it most.
A Wizard Abroad: Nita's parents' worries over her wizardry -- and especially over how much time she's spending with Kit -- prompt them to send her to Ireland, to stay with her aunt, for the last weeks of summer vacation. Of course, wizardry isn't something that respects international borders, and Nita finds herself right in the middle of a building tension that leads to the recreation of ancient battle, and the rediscovery of a friend thought lost.
The Wizard's Dilemma: With Kit finding himself dealing with his dog's new and developing talent to travel to -- and possibly create -- other universes, Nita finds herself on her own when dealing with news at home that sends her on a search for a way to save her mother's life. While she learns of a method that seems like it could help, things are not always as they seem and some choices could have greater repercussions than we might think.
A Wizard Alone: Nita struggles with living in the aftermath of great personal loss and trying to keep a family together, while Kit finds himself on assignment without her, sent to help a new wizard who's been on his Ordeal for months.
Wizard's Holiday: "Sometimes a change is as good as a vacation." When Dairine forgets to ask permission to apply for a wizardly exchange program -- to another planet -- Nita and Kit get to go in her stead. While they find themselves on a paradise planet, where everything seems to be perfect, Dairine, with the assistance of Kit's older sister Carmela, deals with three new arrivals at home: Sker'ret, Filif, and Roshaun, the wizards who came to Earth as the other part of the exchange.
Wizards at War: Moving right on from the events of the last book, Nita, Kit, Dairine, and their new friends -- and an old one -- find themselves heading across the universe to find a solution to a new threat: the complete loss of wizardry followed by the destruction of the universe. With the older wizards already losing their powers, and then their knowledge of ever having had them, the young wizards have to face down their toughest threat yet.
The Characters: WAY TOO MANY
There's no way that we could describe every single character who has an impact on the story, so here are a collection of the most important (and most awesome).
Nita Callahan: Nita is a young girl, thirteen years of age at the beginning of the series. She has a tendency to act twice her age. Well, most of the time anyway. Just ask Ronan about the "soggy beermat" incident. Go on. We dare you. Also she likes books. A lot. ... Seriously, you have no concept of liking books this much. She starts out with an affinity for living things.
Kit Rodriguez: Youngest of three, and the only boy. He's also small for his age and smart enough to skip a grade, making him twelve at the beginning of the series. He likes books almost as much as Nita -- it appears to be required for wizards -- and has an affinity for objects and inanimate life. He is frequently seen with his dog, Ponch.
Dairine Callahan: Nita's younger sister, she was given the opportunity to beta-test the new, software-based version of the Wizard's Manual. She promptly took off across the universe and created a new form of life. As wizards are generally at their strongest when they're younger, the fact that Dairine is only eleven when she takes the Wizard's Oath means she's got a ridiculously high power-level. And she doesn't let anyone forget it.
Tom Swale and Carl Romeo: Considered by most to be nothing more than somewhat strange neighbours, Tom and Carl are actually the local Advisory and later Senior wizards for their area. Due to their responsibilities, they're not allowed to leave Earth the way the younger wizards do- "Would you step out of the car you were driving?". Tom is known for writing custom spells, and Carl sells time. No, seriously. Want a piece of next Tuesday? Sorry, Saturdays go fast.
S'reee: A humpback whale, who Nita and Kit meet while on vacation at the beach with Nita's family. She's the newly promoted senior for the local waters, and is in charge of organising the Song of the Twelve. For a brief while, she becomes the Wetside senior for all of Earth.
Ronan Nolan: A young, angry, Irish man, Ronan met Nita while she was staying with her aunt in Ireland. He is described several times, over the course of the books that he is in, with various adjectives meaning 'attractive'. While to describe some of his book-based acts and actions would be ridiculously spoilery (... not that it's stopped me talking about them at Fandom...), it is worth saying that his major act as a wizard was to describe an area of the ocean so completely and accurately that, for a brief, while, he became that section of water, with complete control of it. He's a bit snarky, and has a bit of a hot head -- and you really don't want to ask about the soggy beermat incident.
Carmela Rodriguez: Carmela is, as Dairine once described her, an exception to most of the rules. Despite not being a wizard, she's fluent in the language that wizards use, the Speech (anyone can learn it, it's just that people from cultures where wizardry is kept secret usually don't have a chance to). Far from being weirded out by her little brother and his friends, she actually thinks that wizardry is pretty cool. In many respects, she's also your average teenager: boy crazy, fashion-focused, and with a love of shopping. It's just that the boys aren't always human, the clothes have a tendency to be eye-blinding shades of neon, and the shopping usually involves alien artifacts and weaponry.
Roshaun, Filif, and Sker'ret: When Dairine signs up for a wizardly exchange program, Nita and Kit get sent instead, leaving Dairine to welcome the participants for the other part of the exchange. These three do their best to learn about Earth culture: Filif, a Demisiv, is a plant-based life form who looks like nothing so much as an ambulatory Christmas tree; Roshaun is an alien prince as well as a wizard, with a king-sized ego to match; Sker'ret is a Rirhait, a race of highly evolved insects who'll eat anything you put in front of him -- plate, cutlery, and all.
The Draw: Why You Want to Read Them
The biggest reason to read these books is that they're fun. Diane Duane has a talent with language that has you laughing with -- and at -- the characters, and there are lots of little things that you can't help but laugh at. Like the Transcendant Pig, which no one can really explain -- not even the Powers who created the universe. Even they don't know where the Pig came from.
There's also the fact that the author is just as geeky as her fans. Some of those "little things" mentioned above include references to scifi and fantasy pop culture - there's even a cameo appearance from a man resembling one incarnation of a certain Doctor.
And of course, there's the whales. Whales are freakin' awesome, and whales who are also wizards? Doubly so. Ditto on the cats (who have their own spin-off series, actually). And space! The young wizards frequently travel to planets both inside our local solar system and out of it.
The Location: Where You Can Get Them
The books should all be available at your local bookstore, or at least your local big-box bookstore (Chapters, B&N, etc.) Alternatively, check your library. They're popular enough, even if not quite the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, that you shouldn't have much difficulty with finding the books. You may also be interested in the Cat Wizard books: The Book of Night with Moon and To Visit the Queen are available in print, if a bit harder to find, and the newest, The Big Meow, is being released in serialised form through http://www.youngwizards.com.
Need to find out more? Diane Duane's ErrantryWiki is a work-in-progress, but an excellent resource when it comes to giving you a general "feel" for how this particular universe operates.
hotceltogoth and grenfelzer, we give you: Spotlight on Fandoms - Young Wizards.The Basics: A Brief Introduction to the History of the Universe
It all begins with the creation of the Universe. No, seriously. There was the Big Bang, the Powers That Be made the Universe, and everything was great. Except there was one Power who wasn't a part of this creation. Known as the Lone Power, the Lone One, the Fairest and Fallen... a million other names, this one's gift to the Universe was... entropy. Death. Kind of a crappy gift. Unfortunately, the other Powers That Be couldn't *undo* this gift, so instead they came up with a way to fight it: wizardry. A certain percentage of most sentient species are offered the chance to become wizards, on the condition that they use their newfound power to fight the Lone Power, slowing down entropy and the eventual death of the Universe. The Young Wizards books follow the journeys of three human wizards in particular, along with the many friends they make along the way.
The Books: What's Happened So Far
So, there are a bunch of books. And you should read them all, because they are awesomecakes.
So You Want to Be a Wizard: Nita Callahan finds a crazy-sounding book in her local library, but when she takes the Wizard's Oath, she finds herself on the adventure of a life-time. With new friends Kit Rodriguez, another neophyte wizard, and Fred, a white hole who gets pulled in when a spell goes wrong, Nita travels into a dark version of Manhattan where they search for the Book of Night with Moon -- the book that describes the state of everything in existence.
Deep Wizardry: Nita and Kit are enjoying a their vacation to the beach with Nita's family, when they're drawn into a millenia-old ritual in a place they never expected to go: deep within the ocean. Alongside S'reee, a humpback whale who is a senior wizard for the oceans of Earth, they once again face down the Lone Power -- although Nita may have to give up her life to stop him.
High Wizardry: Dairine Callahan is not the least bit jealous of her sister's wizardry and associated adventures -- at least, not now that she's discovered the new family computer has come complete with the latest adaptation of the Wizard's Manual. Travelling across the universe supplies her with a great adventure, but when the Lone Power gets involved in her creation of a brand-new species, she is faced with her own choices to make -- although help comes from an unexpected quarter just when she needs it most.
A Wizard Abroad: Nita's parents' worries over her wizardry -- and especially over how much time she's spending with Kit -- prompt them to send her to Ireland, to stay with her aunt, for the last weeks of summer vacation. Of course, wizardry isn't something that respects international borders, and Nita finds herself right in the middle of a building tension that leads to the recreation of ancient battle, and the rediscovery of a friend thought lost.
The Wizard's Dilemma: With Kit finding himself dealing with his dog's new and developing talent to travel to -- and possibly create -- other universes, Nita finds herself on her own when dealing with news at home that sends her on a search for a way to save her mother's life. While she learns of a method that seems like it could help, things are not always as they seem and some choices could have greater repercussions than we might think.
A Wizard Alone: Nita struggles with living in the aftermath of great personal loss and trying to keep a family together, while Kit finds himself on assignment without her, sent to help a new wizard who's been on his Ordeal for months.
Wizard's Holiday: "Sometimes a change is as good as a vacation." When Dairine forgets to ask permission to apply for a wizardly exchange program -- to another planet -- Nita and Kit get to go in her stead. While they find themselves on a paradise planet, where everything seems to be perfect, Dairine, with the assistance of Kit's older sister Carmela, deals with three new arrivals at home: Sker'ret, Filif, and Roshaun, the wizards who came to Earth as the other part of the exchange.
Wizards at War: Moving right on from the events of the last book, Nita, Kit, Dairine, and their new friends -- and an old one -- find themselves heading across the universe to find a solution to a new threat: the complete loss of wizardry followed by the destruction of the universe. With the older wizards already losing their powers, and then their knowledge of ever having had them, the young wizards have to face down their toughest threat yet.
The Characters: WAY TOO MANY
There's no way that we could describe every single character who has an impact on the story, so here are a collection of the most important (and most awesome).
Nita Callahan: Nita is a young girl, thirteen years of age at the beginning of the series. She has a tendency to act twice her age. Well, most of the time anyway. Just ask Ronan about the "soggy beermat" incident. Go on. We dare you. Also she likes books. A lot. ... Seriously, you have no concept of liking books this much. She starts out with an affinity for living things.
Kit Rodriguez: Youngest of three, and the only boy. He's also small for his age and smart enough to skip a grade, making him twelve at the beginning of the series. He likes books almost as much as Nita -- it appears to be required for wizards -- and has an affinity for objects and inanimate life. He is frequently seen with his dog, Ponch.
Dairine Callahan: Nita's younger sister, she was given the opportunity to beta-test the new, software-based version of the Wizard's Manual. She promptly took off across the universe and created a new form of life. As wizards are generally at their strongest when they're younger, the fact that Dairine is only eleven when she takes the Wizard's Oath means she's got a ridiculously high power-level. And she doesn't let anyone forget it.
Tom Swale and Carl Romeo: Considered by most to be nothing more than somewhat strange neighbours, Tom and Carl are actually the local Advisory and later Senior wizards for their area. Due to their responsibilities, they're not allowed to leave Earth the way the younger wizards do- "Would you step out of the car you were driving?". Tom is known for writing custom spells, and Carl sells time. No, seriously. Want a piece of next Tuesday? Sorry, Saturdays go fast.
S'reee: A humpback whale, who Nita and Kit meet while on vacation at the beach with Nita's family. She's the newly promoted senior for the local waters, and is in charge of organising the Song of the Twelve. For a brief while, she becomes the Wetside senior for all of Earth.
Ronan Nolan: A young, angry, Irish man, Ronan met Nita while she was staying with her aunt in Ireland. He is described several times, over the course of the books that he is in, with various adjectives meaning 'attractive'. While to describe some of his book-based acts and actions would be ridiculously spoilery (... not that it's stopped me talking about them at Fandom...), it is worth saying that his major act as a wizard was to describe an area of the ocean so completely and accurately that, for a brief, while, he became that section of water, with complete control of it. He's a bit snarky, and has a bit of a hot head -- and you really don't want to ask about the soggy beermat incident.
Carmela Rodriguez: Carmela is, as Dairine once described her, an exception to most of the rules. Despite not being a wizard, she's fluent in the language that wizards use, the Speech (anyone can learn it, it's just that people from cultures where wizardry is kept secret usually don't have a chance to). Far from being weirded out by her little brother and his friends, she actually thinks that wizardry is pretty cool. In many respects, she's also your average teenager: boy crazy, fashion-focused, and with a love of shopping. It's just that the boys aren't always human, the clothes have a tendency to be eye-blinding shades of neon, and the shopping usually involves alien artifacts and weaponry.
Roshaun, Filif, and Sker'ret: When Dairine signs up for a wizardly exchange program, Nita and Kit get sent instead, leaving Dairine to welcome the participants for the other part of the exchange. These three do their best to learn about Earth culture: Filif, a Demisiv, is a plant-based life form who looks like nothing so much as an ambulatory Christmas tree; Roshaun is an alien prince as well as a wizard, with a king-sized ego to match; Sker'ret is a Rirhait, a race of highly evolved insects who'll eat anything you put in front of him -- plate, cutlery, and all.
The Draw: Why You Want to Read Them
The biggest reason to read these books is that they're fun. Diane Duane has a talent with language that has you laughing with -- and at -- the characters, and there are lots of little things that you can't help but laugh at. Like the Transcendant Pig, which no one can really explain -- not even the Powers who created the universe. Even they don't know where the Pig came from.
There's also the fact that the author is just as geeky as her fans. Some of those "little things" mentioned above include references to scifi and fantasy pop culture - there's even a cameo appearance from a man resembling one incarnation of a certain Doctor.
And of course, there's the whales. Whales are freakin' awesome, and whales who are also wizards? Doubly so. Ditto on the cats (who have their own spin-off series, actually). And space! The young wizards frequently travel to planets both inside our local solar system and out of it.
The Location: Where You Can Get Them
The books should all be available at your local bookstore, or at least your local big-box bookstore (Chapters, B&N, etc.) Alternatively, check your library. They're popular enough, even if not quite the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, that you shouldn't have much difficulty with finding the books. You may also be interested in the Cat Wizard books: The Book of Night with Moon and To Visit the Queen are available in print, if a bit harder to find, and the newest, The Big Meow, is being released in serialised form through http://www.youngwizards.com.
Need to find out more? Diane Duane's ErrantryWiki is a work-in-progress, but an excellent resource when it comes to giving you a general "feel" for how this particular universe operates.
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... S'reee is totally the most awesomest of awesome things. And she's a WHALE.
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One of the things I fell in love with right away when I read the books (at
insistencesuggestion) was the concept of wizardry and its place in the world. Diane Duane is a total geek, and it shows, and it's awesome.I know my HTML tags, really I do.no subject
Sure you do.All of the characters in the books are awesome. Like Fred! I mean, who ELSE would write about two pre-teens befriending a white hole?
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Ouch.
(I love that book like whoa.)
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I read the first three books to my students all the time. The fourth doesn't read as well out loud, sadly - just so many characters and stuff going on.
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Ahem.
We now return you to the regularly scheduled canon luv.