Customer Reviews

Deep Wizardry

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received a copy of So You Want To Be a Wizard that was intended for my sister from my cousin, who had mailed it from the UK. I didn't pick it up for a while, but as soon as I read it I was totally hooked on this series, and I spent weeks used bookstore hopping to find Deep Wizardry. Deep Wizardry is not only the best book in the Young Wizards series -- it's one of the best books I've ever read.

Nita is a girl that any bookworm can relate to. She's got so many characteristics that reminded me of myself that I almost felt as if I was in her place; all of her problems were my problems, her joys my joys.

Kit is the perfect companion character to Nita -- innocent as she is, but strong and supportive through all her decisions.

The whales and dolphins each have their own unique personalities and conflicts. Their society is complex and ancient and portrayed beautifully.

And of course we can't forget Ed -- the Pale Slayer. As Nita said, "[his] name has teeth in it." The Pale Slayer is an ancient menace, shrouded in clouds of blood, with power over all the sharks in the sea. Some of his lines made such impressions on me that I don't think I'll ever forget them -- "You, young and never loving; I, old and never loved."

The book takes risks with the characters and the plot that lead into an intense psychological conflict -- the question of self-sacrifice for the greater good outlines the entire book. Not only does Duane manage to fit the story of the binding of the Lone Power into history and modern society, but she also draws the reader into the story with real life conflicts that make it completely believable for anyone who's willing to take a chance with magic.

I read this book for the first time when I was twelve years old, and it completely changed my outlook on life. I laughed, I cried, I stayed up *way* past my bedtime -- I was in emotional turmoil along with Nita, I felt all the emotions that the characters felt. My heart raced all through the climax of the book. For weeks after reading it, I wondered how I would have reacted if I had been in such a situation, and if I would have the strength to make the sacrifices needed to complete the binding. Suffice to say, it made me THINK, and think hard.

Now, years later, I still read this book often, and I rave about it to all my friends. Each time I read it, the story is still just as great. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and I'd recommend it to readers of all ages.

Diane Duane takes you on an unbelievable adventure with Nita and Kit. This book put a vivid picture of what was happening into my head. While I read it, it made me feel like my soul was singing to the melody of the waves Nita and Kit traveled through. Each bit of this book I gobbled up and when I was done, I was thirsty for more. This has to be the best piece of literature I have EVER read. But for people who don't believe in magic a bit, you probably wouldn't like it. For everyone else, you have to read this book!

This is the best of the three initial books in Duane's Wizardry series. There is plenty of thrilling action, the ethics and philosophy of wizarding is intelligently extended beyond its presentation in the first book, and Nita's evolving relationship with her family is well woven into the story of cetacean wizards and their battle with the Lone Power. The author also brings vividly to life the sights, sounds and sensations of the deep sea.

Still, the characters stand out over and above the merits of the other aspects of the book. The parents and adult characters are sympathetic and believable, Nita's little sister Dairine shows up in a new light, and even the dog has a personality!

Each undersea character - whale-wizards, mostly - has a distinctive personality and tone well matching his/her species and history. The crowning achievement of the book is Ed'Rashtekaresket (Ed for short) the Master-Shark, whose very name has teeth in it. His dark, complex and fascinating character is gradually revealed through his developing relationship with Nita - as she realizes, and comes to terms with, the implications of the parts the two of them will sing at the TwelveSong Ceremony.

The book should appeal to adults as well as to the ten-to-teens age group to whom the book is marketed.

The sequel to So You Want To Be A Wizard, Deep Wizardry takes up the story as Nita and Kit become sadder and wiser. Having survived the alternative Manhattan, they are now faced with the results of their actions: The Song of the Twelve, a ritual which has to be performed to bind the Lone Power. When Nita volunteers to play a key role, she doesn't realise the terrible price before it's too late. With a wrenching moral dilemma as well as Duane's trademark descriptiveness and humour, this is well worth reading.

In "Deep Wizardry," Diane Duane's two adolescent wizards, Nita and Kit (for Christopher) are caught up in a reenactment of an undersea ritual in order to help defeat death (entropy). To this end they must not only transform themselves into whales, but must also manage to avoid Nita's parents without lying, because a wizard dares not lie. In this second volume of the wizardry series, the wizards' need for freedom in their struggle mirrors most adolescents' need for freedom, but with this difference: Nita and Kit know why they need their freedom and what they're going to do with it, a knowledge that justifies their and, by extension, all adolescents' struggle for freedom. On the simple wizardry front, this book is a great deal easier to follow than "So You Want to Be a Wizard," and it fills out many details that were only adumbrated in that book. From my adult perspective, that ease, combined with the adolescent issues, made it a bit less enthralling than the first book, but I suspect that the flaw is in me and not in the book. I certainly never considered not finishing the book. Wizardry as Duane construes it requires good character, discipline, perseverance, and also not a little scientific ability (as when all the ocean-going participants need to figure out how much air they will need for their trip). The wizards set good examples while doing really cool things, a fantastic combination. My favorite character was the shark. Like Milton's Satan, he really steals the show.

I've only read the first and second books in the series so far, but the second one is the best in my opinion. I got it when I was eleven and have read it so many times that I've worn the corners away. It's been years since I first got it, but I still take it out for an occasional read. The imagery is wonderful and you can really feel the danger. It's much brighter than the first one, which is why I didn't like that one as much. But they're still fantastic books and I'd recommend them to anyone. (---second one's better!---) *lol*

I've always been into the "magic" kind of theme in reading, and so when I picked up this book a few years ago, it was just another book to me, but when I finally got into it, I was shocked. This really is one of the best fantasies out there. You don't need to have read "So You Want to Be a Wizard" to understand it, but I would highly recomend all the books in the series. In "Deep Wizardry", the book starts out on a Long Island Beach in New York with a girl named Juanita, or Nita as she prefers, just going out for a walk on the beach with her dog. Just a few pages into it, you discover that she and Kit (Christopher) are wizards, and have the ability to do some great stuff. They're only 12-13, but you find out that the two have made some pretty impressive accomplishments already, and now, it's up to them to save the world (sorry for the cliche). With some help from a few friendly and a few not-so friendly sea creatures, you're led deep under the sea, where magic that's older than time itself sings it's ancient song. In the end, there's a great final climax with a twist, and Nita and Kit almost don't make it out alive.

I have read the first 3 books of the 5. So far this one is the best of them all. Just for people to know, there is a fifth book in the series called The Wizard's Dilemma. Deep Wizardry is about Nita and Kit going on a vacation and turning out facing the Lone Power again. In order to save the entire East Coast, Nita has to do something the bravest person on Earth probably couldn't do. Unfortunatley I can't tell what it is or it would give the whole story away. She and Kit have to transform into whales to do the Song of the Twelve. The story is about bravery, trust and truth as Nita and Kit are faced with having to give their secret of Wizardry to Nita's parents.

DEEP WIZARDRY is the second book in a magical series by Diane Duane. It all starts when Nita and her family arrive at their beach house for a vacation. Before they left, she begged her pareents to invite her best friennd, Kit, to come along too. Unknown to their parents, Nita and Kit are wisards.

One day they were trying out a new spell where they can walk on water, and they met a dolphin. The dolphin wanted them to help his friend S'ree, a whale, who was attacked by whale hunters earlier. Nita helped S'ree and found that she had a very hard decision to make. "Will you play the Silent One?" S'ree asked. Nita said, "Yes," knowing only that it was part of a song that was made to reenact the origional singing of the twelve and the restraint of the Lone Power, Death. She does not know what the silent one does, but she will find out.

I would definately recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about magic and suspense. I loved it cover to cover because it has a lot of details, but lets you make some of it up on your own. The characters are my age, so I can easily relate with them. It is not quite as classy as books like the Narnia series, but it has a more intricate plot, and I liked it a little more.

As the second book in Diane Duane's wizardry series, Deep Wizardry emphasizes the pwer of friendship. Duane does an excellent job of demonstrating a theme of the need for friends and family while keeping the suspense throughout the climax. Nita and KIt are at the beach with Nita's family when they are called into action as wizards. Befirending a whale, a dolphin, and a big shark named Ed would never seem like a possibility. What is more unbelievable to the reader, is how human-like the animales are. Nita will undergo a struggle trying to keep their wizardry away from those who love her. Nita and Kit prepared for the "Song of Twelve," without first knowing the consequences. Many important things in life are needed for success.

Through their wizardry, Nita and Kit have become close friends. They decide that they are in it together, but they don't realize how deep that goes. On a supposed vacation they find themselves `on active status.' Probably the first time they realize that they are always on duty. Going out into the ocean to help the whale wizards is a danger they deicide to risk. Kit and Nita realize the real bond between them when each begins to worry about the other.

Along the way, Kit and Nita meet a few interesting people, or should I say animals?! Duane exercises anthropomorphism, and attributes human characteristics to animals. A whale named S'reee becomes a motherly figure, she is a strong and fearless leader despite her young age. Hotshot, a dolphin, is just that! He is like many humans who like to show off. The big threat is a great white shark named Ed, or that's what they call the `Pale Slayer.' Nita learns to respect Ed as the young respect the elder, but the real surprise is when Ed begins to respect Nita. They even become friends.

In wizardry you need the support of your family and those who love you, just as in life. Nita and Kit, however, try to keep their wizardry a secret from Nita's family. The big problem with this, it not their curiosity of Nita and Kit's absence but the need for their support. Eventually, Nita and Kit explain their situation and are filled with the love and compassion they need to endure it.

During the "Song of Twelve," comes the true test of sacrifice. Who is willing to give up their life for others? Who will rescue those in danger? Sometimes it's hard to have faith and trust that everything will work out. True friends are separated from the phony in the face of danger, and Nita figures that out. If becoming a whale isn't bad enough, taking the responsibilities of one is worse. The denouement or conclusion of the story was well written by Duane. Something we didn't expect came out of the friendships that Nita formed.

In conclusion, the themes that Duane wanted to make evident are seen not only in the book, but in everyday life. Nita needs the support of her family and close friends to have faith that her sacrifice will bring good. It is important for Nita to stick to her word even though she didn't know what she was agreeing to. Without love and companionship, it is hard to have trust. Without doubt and fear, it is hard to call something a sacrifice. Mostly, without teamwork, you can't have success.