Duane, Diane - High Wizardry
Mon, Apr. 16th, 2007 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterHuh. I actually liked this better than Deep Wizardry, which seems to be the not-as-common reaction. I did sort of anticipate this though -- I like computers and computer magic much more than I like the deep seas, probably because there is something about computers that is so wonderfully mundane and yet completely mystifying and amazing and mindblowing at the same time. Not that the deep sea is not mystifying. But I feel there is much more fantasy already about the coolness of assorted animals than there is about computers.
Anyway. Nita's little sister Dairine has found out about the entire wizard thing, and worse come to worse, Dari has gone and taken the Oath. She's ended up with the beta software of the wizard's manual, handily stored in an Apple IIIc (OMG! Apple IIIc! Hee!). This book was written nearly twenty years ago, which shows with regard to all the computer stuff -- OS prompts! Actual floppy discs! Computers that don't just miraculously work the second you take them out of the box and plug them in! But honestly, I don't particularly care, as I am somewhat fascinated by it all.
Many people have noted in comments to the previous two books that Dari is quite a Mary Sue. I completely agree; she is smarter and faster than Nita or Kit, and she has even more raw wizard power than they do. But a large part of me just doesn't care. Dari believes that the way to get through the world is to accumulate as much knowledge as possible, and really, the second Duane mentioned that in the book, I was a goner. Also, Dari is an obsessive reader!
Go reader identification! This worked so much for me that I avoided being bugged by things like the prose and the "Eek! Cannot think about that!" bits of Kit and Nita growing into adolescents, complete with all those unpleasant adolescent things.
And finally, they go off into space! And visit different galaxies! There is a black hole!
Also, I was much more drawn into this battle with the One Power, largely because it hit many more of my Cool Bits buttons. Namely: entire planet made of silicon that is a motherboard! New species achieving sentience! Sibling protectiveness! And I was very touched by Gigo and the other turtle-things rejecting the One Power and didn't see the bit with Picchu as one of the PTB coming at all.
It's so interesting comparing my reaction to this with my reaction to Deep Wizardry. Nothing has really changed about the books; I can still see the awkwardness of the prose and the occasional anvils of the themes, but because Duane is hitting so many of my Cool Bits with this one, I am completely enraptured by it.
ETA: spoilers for this book and minor spoilers for the next book in the comments.
Anyway. Nita's little sister Dairine has found out about the entire wizard thing, and worse come to worse, Dari has gone and taken the Oath. She's ended up with the beta software of the wizard's manual, handily stored in an Apple IIIc (OMG! Apple IIIc! Hee!). This book was written nearly twenty years ago, which shows with regard to all the computer stuff -- OS prompts! Actual floppy discs! Computers that don't just miraculously work the second you take them out of the box and plug them in! But honestly, I don't particularly care, as I am somewhat fascinated by it all.
Many people have noted in comments to the previous two books that Dari is quite a Mary Sue. I completely agree; she is smarter and faster than Nita or Kit, and she has even more raw wizard power than they do. But a large part of me just doesn't care. Dari believes that the way to get through the world is to accumulate as much knowledge as possible, and really, the second Duane mentioned that in the book, I was a goner. Also, Dari is an obsessive reader!
Go reader identification! This worked so much for me that I avoided being bugged by things like the prose and the "Eek! Cannot think about that!" bits of Kit and Nita growing into adolescents, complete with all those unpleasant adolescent things.
And finally, they go off into space! And visit different galaxies! There is a black hole!
Also, I was much more drawn into this battle with the One Power, largely because it hit many more of my Cool Bits buttons. Namely: entire planet made of silicon that is a motherboard! New species achieving sentience! Sibling protectiveness! And I was very touched by Gigo and the other turtle-things rejecting the One Power and didn't see the bit with Picchu as one of the PTB coming at all.
It's so interesting comparing my reaction to this with my reaction to Deep Wizardry. Nothing has really changed about the books; I can still see the awkwardness of the prose and the occasional anvils of the themes, but because Duane is hitting so many of my Cool Bits with this one, I am completely enraptured by it.
ETA: spoilers for this book and minor spoilers for the next book in the comments.
(no subject)
Tue, Apr. 17th, 2007 12:38 am (UTC)Or possibly I am revealing my embarrassing lack of knowledge of basic physics.
(no subject)
Tue, Apr. 17th, 2007 12:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Tue, Apr. 17th, 2007 12:47 am (UTC)