Customer Reviews

The Wizard's Dilemma

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After the slight disappointment of A WIZARD ABROAD, Duane is back up to the level of SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD and DEEP WIZARDRY which are the best of this series IMHO. DILEMMA is very nearly up to that mark.

At its best, the Young Wizards series is true sci-fi/fantasy and adolescent fiction at is best, perfectly readable by teenagers and adults alike (for what it's worth, I'm 47!) Duane's characters confront moral dilemmas and learn to make the right choices, living in a world created with a wonderfully whimsical sense of humor and fascinating characters. (Like most series of this kind, these should be read in chronological order - SO YOU WANT ..., DEEP WIZARDRY, HIGH WIZARDRY, A WIZARD ABROAD and then DILEMMA).

Nita and Kit are growing older, losing some of the wizardly power they had at first but gaining insight into the nature and limits of their powers. I've always found Dairine (Nita's sister) a bit hard to take, but here we get an insight into her prickly character that makes her a lot more human.

If you insist on happy endings with all the loose ends tied up, you may not be pleased with the end of this book. I also suspect that Christian fundamentalists may have some problems with the world view, but this line of fiction isn't likely to appeal to that crowd anyway.

Most of fantasy literature is about the things magicians can do; Duane's genius is to write fascinating stories about the things they *can't* do.

It's a little while after we left off with Nita and Kit in A Wizard Abroad and they're a little older, a little wiser, and a little more in control. But after a fight they fear that they're divided forever. But after this fight they find themselves immeaditally pulled apart even more as they both embark on seperate journies.

Nita has a lot to deal with when her mother gets sick with a cancer that could kill her. She tries to use her wizardry to help her but soon finds out that the only way to solve it might be to give up eveything she's worked for. Kit's busy too. One day when he's out walking his dog, Ponch, he finds himself in a whole new world, literaly. Can the two pull together in time to solve the problem? Or are they divided for good.

I was nearly jumping out of my seat when I heard that their was going to be a 5th book in this series and now I pray Diane Duane will write a new one soon. She once again brings the charecters we all know and love alive once again. This book is one of the best ones in the series to date (next to Deep Wizardry). I reccomend this book to anyone whose a fan of the Young Wizards Series and I reccomend this series to fans of magic. I'll be sure to read this one again and again.

The Young Wizard's series is not just for Young Adults... I was in my 30's when I discovered it. I'm hooked. That said...
This book lives up to the tradition that Ms Duane has created for scenes that are either slyly or blatantly funny, thoughtful, poignant, terrifying, awe-inspiring, shiver-giving, and above all, believable in the context of the story.
Her characters all have their strengths and weaknesses...and they are not static either... one of the subplots deals with Dairine no longer having the incredible power levels she started out with and having to deal with this, not to mention possible loss of her mother and adolescence just around the corner... heavy stuff for an 11 year old who can put 'Created a sentient silicone race' on her resume.
Ms Duane does not fall into the 'Wizardry can solve everything' rut either, she even has Nita muse that while it may be the simple answer sometimes it isn't always the right one.
Her characters may have super powers, and get into some pretty fantastical situations, but they themselves are always believable, real, multidimensional. They make mistakes. They lose their tempers. They misinterpret what someone says, then second-guess themselves about what he/she really meant, and agonize about what they should have said. There is a scene between Nita and her mom that is sweet, touching, and makes you stop and think...how important is it REALLY to be 'right'?
They don't stop being real people with real problems and concerns just because they have extra powers and abilities.
It is not just the Young Adults who can thoroughly enjoy and benefit from reading this series... and it's nice to know that even wizards are just people, (although not necessarily human-type) too.

As the title suggests, this book involves a dilemma for a wizard. This portion of the book is handled very well (although I am not sure I agree with the way it was resolved).

Nita is faced with a terrible dilemma. Her mother is terribly sick and wizardry does not seem like it can provide the answer. But there may be a way if she gives up her ability to work magic. That means she will also give up her oath to protect life. She has already saved thousands, how many more would she save if she stayed with wizardry? A dilemma indeed.

This story is primarily about Nita and not Kit. To manage this, the two are estranged for a number of reasons. First there is a minor argument. This is resolved fairly early but the questions it raised were not dealt with. There are references to the young wizards' work in the manual that are never resolved and seem to only hang around long enough to keep the two apart. Even Nita's message to Kit, sent via manual, never reaches him even though it was set to keep trying to resend.

When Nita is deep in the worries about her mom, Kit still seems very distant even though he is supposedly committed to help her.

There are things going on in the book which could be of major importance to all of wizardry across the universes, but it is pursued only half-heartedly.

But still, Nita's dilemma is handled quite well and the reader gets a real sense of moral and personal dilemma that is seemingly insurmountable. But too much of the other stuff detracted from the book for me to give it more than 3 stars.

This is one of my favorites of the Young Wizards series. Up until this book, Nita and Kit's families hadn't been involved too much. In this book, Nita's mother gets sick and goes to the hospital, and Nita and Kit have to save her. They do something that most wizards don't think is possible with the help of Nita's mother, who turns into something of a wizard(not a real one, but she acts like one, and produces results like one). This is also the first book where some real conflict between Kit and Nita is brought into the story line. Nita gets mad a Kit because he won't agree with her about her solution to the problem they have. Kit get mad at Nita for the same reason. This is unusual because in the past they have both known what the other person's opinion would be, and they just about always got along. Kit's dog is brought into the storyline, also, with some magic of his own. Overall this is a very good book. If you haven't read the rest of the books, read those first, because it could get very confusing. If you have read the rest of the books, GET THIS [ONE!!!]

The fifth book in Duane's "So You Want to Be a Wizard" series continues the journey of Nita and Kit as Nita struggles to save her mother's life while Kit finds himself able to create new universes. The two partner's disagreements are thrown aside as the two learn that Nita's mother is slowly being destroyed by cancer cells that only the most complex magic can stop. Not only that, but a new friend is found to be inhabited by the Lone One. Nita finds that she must choose between her magic and her mother's life in a "dilema" harder than any challenge she has faced before.

I don't know how she manages it, but Diane Duane consistently comes up with completely new and involving concepts. We've gotten a look at an undersea Passion Play, an enormous "worldgating" airport the size of New Jersey managed by centipedes, and a vast, underground New York run by dinosaurs. Now Ms. Duane treats us to entirely new universes created by a dog (he's fond of squirrels), "practice" arenas where wizards can adjust the laws of physics, and a brief excursion through the core of a planet. What is truly amazing in all of this invention is the way the author keeps her characters completely true and real. Teenagers Kit and Nita are never overshadowed by the wild places the plot takes them--the core of the book still revolves around their thoughts and emotions as they make their way through adolescence and face the challenges of the "real" world. It's a wonderful book, and I'm already pining for the next one.

Wizard's Dilemma continues the story of Nita and Kit, young wizards at work. If you haven't read the others, you should. Though one could get through this and the others without prior knowledge, lack of background knowledge robs the reader of the full impact of the story. Dilemma is a darker, more personal book than the previous ones, which is made quickly clear when Nita's mother is diagnosed with cancer. As one might expect, Nita turns to wizardry for a solution (as does Dairine). And as one might expect from Duane's nuanced and depth-ridden series, the solution is nowhere so easy. While Nita learns more about the necessary skills and knowledge via test runs in various "practice universes", Kit is off in his own universe, literally. Or, to be more precise at the start, his dog's universe (filled with thousands of squirrels to chase). While Kit's storyline is interesting in its own right, and lightens the darkness periodically, it is Nita's plotline that drives the story and it does so in compelling fashion. These characters have deepened over the series and that depth comes into full play in this book. Along with the illness plot (which is never played for melodrama), Nita and Kit are going through a period of awkward estrangement as each tries to feel their way through their partnership while they and their personal worlds are changing. Despite the magical background, the characters' reactions, their emotional interplay, their dialogue, all ring strongly true to reality. The ending is movingly effective, as is the book as a whole. As mentioned above, this whole series is quite strong and this is one of the better books in the series. Strongly recommended.

I read the first four books in this series in 6th (7th?) grade, and they were some of my favorite books at the time. I didn't reread them for several years, afraid they wouldn't be as good as I remembered them being. ...P> This is one of the best books--not children's or young adult books, but books, period--I've read in a long time. Few books make me enthusiastic enough to read them in one day, but that's what I did with this one. Duane's magic is very technical, but it also manages to be very magical, if you know what I mean, and no one else writes other universes quite the same way. I stayed involved throughout the book, and the climactic scene was spectacular. Perhaps I have not been very informative yet, but I honestly can't think of much else to say. I would recommend that you buy the book, but you know that already. One caveat--avoid reading the back cover. It gives away some things that don't happen until more than halfway through.

The Wizard's Dilemna (2001) is the fifth fantasy novel in the Young Wizards series, following A Wizard Abroad. The story of Nita and Kit has finally reached adolescence...with a bang. They quarrel and then both are busy when the other calls. Nita's mother is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. And Kit's dog Ponch seems to be creating universes!

This story reminds me of Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars, but with 21st century troubles. Also, Duane's characters are more fully developed -- more human -- than even Podkayne. Even the cats are human in a feline way. But that dog, Ponch, is thoroughly canine!

All the main characters have to be modeled on real persons, probably as composites. Their behavior is just right for the circumstances. You have to like both sets of parents and the younger siblings are okay even if a little snotty. In fact, Dairine is becoming quite likeable whenever she forgets to be obnoxious.

While this story deals with adult themes of responsibilities, limitations, and tolerance, it does have some action and gives us a further glimpse of the training and function of wizards.

I would assume that the next volume in this series continues the developing maturity of the main protaganists. I am looking forward to it.

-Arthur W. Jordin