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Diadem Worlds of Magic #8
Book of Oceans
When Oracle suggests a comforting vacation through a portal to a world of water, he fails to mention that it is also a world inhabited by pirates.
202 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
1 person is currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
John Peel
421 books167 followersJohn Peel is the author of Doctor Who books and comic strips. Notably, he wrote the first original Doctor Who novel, Timewyrm: Genesys, to launch the Virgin New Adventures line. In the early 1990s he was commissioned by Target Books to write novelisations of several key Terry Nation Dalek stories of the 1960s after the rights were finally worked out. He later wrote several more original Daleks novels.
He has the distinction of being one of only three authors credited on a Target novelisation who had not either written a story for the TV series or been a part of the production team (the others were Nigel Robinson and Alison Bingeman).
Outside of Doctor Who, Peel has also written novels for the Star Trek franchise. Under the pseudonym "John Vincent", he wrote novelisations based upon episodes of the 1990s TV series James Bond Jr..
He has the distinction of being one of only three authors credited on a Target novelisation who had not either written a story for the TV series or been a part of the production team (the others were Nigel Robinson and Alison Bingeman).
Outside of Doctor Who, Peel has also written novels for the Star Trek franchise. Under the pseudonym "John Vincent", he wrote novelisations based upon episodes of the 1990s TV series James Bond Jr..
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 22, 2024
Unfortunately the weakest Diadem title yet. This next sequel finds Pixel's new girlfriend Jenna still squabbling with Helaine, despite six months having passed since they left their homeworld's rigid class system behind them at the end of the previous volume. Oracle recommends a vacation to Brine, a world largely covered with water, but neglects to tell the teen wizards about the rash of recent pirate attacks its residents have been experiencing. Later he admits to their other adult friend Shanara that he's terrified the kids are going to grow up to be as cruel as the Triad whose powers they inherited, and so has set them a challenge that will confront them with true wickedness: "Their discovery of further evil in the Diadem will cement their determination to fight it, not to succumb to it. If they fight evil in others, they will not allow it in themselves."
It's a bit too abstract of a concept to land well, although we learn in the same scene that Shanara has an intriguing secret history with the Three Who Rule(d) that she doesn't want the heroes to discover. Mostly, though, the premise is just an excuse for some swashbuckling adventure that ultimately does bring the girls closer together. Helaine and Score's own budding relationship is a relatively strong factor, as it has been for the past few stories, but it's disappointing how author John Peel twice has them blithely torture a captive prisoner for information. (These books are on the younger side of YA in tone, so the pirates each give up and start talking after the first cut to their neck/face. But still! I feel rather firmly that good guys shouldn't be doing / threatening that at all, or at least not without considerably more nuance than this. If their actions somehow tied back to Oracle's fears that the protagonists have the capacity for darkness in them, that could be an interesting plot point and character note, I suppose. But as written, it doesn't seem like Peel thinks the torturing is over the line -- or is aware that it could result in false confessions, as it's known to do in real life. This novel was published in 2005 during the height of the George W. Bush administration and the popularity of the show 24, and it's hard not to wonder how much of that atmosphere was subconsciously sinking into his writing.)
There's an unfortunate vein of misogyny running through the text too, in the form of Score regularly wishing that the girls would wear bikinis for him and Pixel. The topic of different modesty norms between Earth and Ordin was handled pretty well in books 5 and 7, but here, he just comes off as skeevy. The worst part is that the ending basically validates his lechery, with Helaine agreeing to do it because, "Score has behaved exceptionally, and I think I owe him some enjoyment." It feels gross and wildly out-of-character for her, even given her steady softening towards the boy.
The fantasy worldbuilding for the new setting is fine, but nothing special. I don't know that the villains ever appear as monstrous as their reputation -- though there's an as-yet-unrevealed magic-user behind their scheme -- but they do take slaves, beat them with lashes, and work them to death, so their eventual downfall registers as a proper victory. Overall, however, this is definitely a bit of a filler installment for the series, mainly notable simply for the frustrating elements I described above.
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It's a bit too abstract of a concept to land well, although we learn in the same scene that Shanara has an intriguing secret history with the Three Who Rule(d) that she doesn't want the heroes to discover. Mostly, though, the premise is just an excuse for some swashbuckling adventure that ultimately does bring the girls closer together. Helaine and Score's own budding relationship is a relatively strong factor, as it has been for the past few stories, but it's disappointing how author John Peel twice has them blithely torture a captive prisoner for information. (These books are on the younger side of YA in tone, so the pirates each give up and start talking after the first cut to their neck/face. But still! I feel rather firmly that good guys shouldn't be doing / threatening that at all, or at least not without considerably more nuance than this. If their actions somehow tied back to Oracle's fears that the protagonists have the capacity for darkness in them, that could be an interesting plot point and character note, I suppose. But as written, it doesn't seem like Peel thinks the torturing is over the line -- or is aware that it could result in false confessions, as it's known to do in real life. This novel was published in 2005 during the height of the George W. Bush administration and the popularity of the show 24, and it's hard not to wonder how much of that atmosphere was subconsciously sinking into his writing.)
There's an unfortunate vein of misogyny running through the text too, in the form of Score regularly wishing that the girls would wear bikinis for him and Pixel. The topic of different modesty norms between Earth and Ordin was handled pretty well in books 5 and 7, but here, he just comes off as skeevy. The worst part is that the ending basically validates his lechery, with Helaine agreeing to do it because, "Score has behaved exceptionally, and I think I owe him some enjoyment." It feels gross and wildly out-of-character for her, even given her steady softening towards the boy.
The fantasy worldbuilding for the new setting is fine, but nothing special. I don't know that the villains ever appear as monstrous as their reputation -- though there's an as-yet-unrevealed magic-user behind their scheme -- but they do take slaves, beat them with lashes, and work them to death, so their eventual downfall registers as a proper victory. Overall, however, this is definitely a bit of a filler installment for the series, mainly notable simply for the frustrating elements I described above.
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
August 4, 2020
Les mondes de la magie du diadème est une série que j'ai adoré lire étant plus jeune; en la redécouvrant à l'âge adulte, je m'aperçois avec stupeur à quel point l'auteur et l'éditeur anglophone étaient sexistes dans leurs commentaires. C'est très décourageant et ça n'inculque pas du tout de bonnes valeurs aux jeunes. Par exemple, une femme de la noblesse et une paysanne ne s'entendent pas (notamment à cause de l'abus du premier groupe vis à vis du second), et on qualifie ça de "querelles féminines"? What?!
De plus, le livre est truffé de fautes et de coquilles. Je n'arrive pas à croire que ces erreurs n'aient pas été relevées en correction d'épreuves.
De plus, le livre est truffé de fautes et de coquilles. Je n'arrive pas à croire que ces erreurs n'aient pas été relevées en correction d'épreuves.
September 6, 2020
On the one hand, I'm getting attached to these kids, but on the other hand I'm hankering to get reading some other fiction titles here.
February 23, 2010
Diadem #8: Book of Oceans, by John Peel
Score and Pixel are two boys trapped between feuding females, and they definitely need a break. With Oracle's help, they convince Helaine and Jenna that it's time to take a vacation, and the four set off for Brine. A planet made up of mostly oceans, Brine seems like the perfect world for a peaceful getaway...until their vacation is interrupted by pirates!
When Pixel and Jenna taken captive, Score must work with Helaine to rescue the other magic users. But Helaine isn't a fan of Jenna, since Helaine was a noble and Jenna a peasant on their old homeworld. Peel uses the the girls to get young readers to think about social class prejudices. With an interesting mix of species, including living flames and human-shaped dolphins, "Book of Oceans" is another fun installment in the Diadem series, and one I rather enjoyed.
Finally, readers are clued into the method behind Oracle's madness. Always popping up to send the friends into trouble, Oracle is actually trying to prevent the three from becoming the evil forms of themselves they defeated in previous Diadem books. The author adds to Oracle's mystery, and I'm eager to learn more. I also liked Jenna more in this book, and didn't begrudge Peel adding in another main character so far into the series.
4/5.
Score and Pixel are two boys trapped between feuding females, and they definitely need a break. With Oracle's help, they convince Helaine and Jenna that it's time to take a vacation, and the four set off for Brine. A planet made up of mostly oceans, Brine seems like the perfect world for a peaceful getaway...until their vacation is interrupted by pirates!
When Pixel and Jenna taken captive, Score must work with Helaine to rescue the other magic users. But Helaine isn't a fan of Jenna, since Helaine was a noble and Jenna a peasant on their old homeworld. Peel uses the the girls to get young readers to think about social class prejudices. With an interesting mix of species, including living flames and human-shaped dolphins, "Book of Oceans" is another fun installment in the Diadem series, and one I rather enjoyed.
Finally, readers are clued into the method behind Oracle's madness. Always popping up to send the friends into trouble, Oracle is actually trying to prevent the three from becoming the evil forms of themselves they defeated in previous Diadem books. The author adds to Oracle's mystery, and I'm eager to learn more. I also liked Jenna more in this book, and didn't begrudge Peel adding in another main character so far into the series.
4/5.
September 2, 2010
When I read this, I couldn't help but be reminded of the term 'filler episode.' While I really did like the chance to see some of the characters develop as people and with their relationships it didn't really contribute much to the overall story of the series.
Though I thought the bikini part was absolutely hilarious. Ahh, the boys and girls are turning into young men and ladies!
Though I thought the bikini part was absolutely hilarious. Ahh, the boys and girls are turning into young men and ladies!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 7, 2014Love the series!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews