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Young Wizards #9
A Wizard of Mars
In the hotly anticipated ninth installment of the Young Wizards series, Kit and Nita become part of an elite team investigating the mysterious “message in a bottle,” which holds the first clues to the secrets of the long-lost inhabitants of Mars. But not even wizardry can help them cope with the strange events that unfold when the “bottle” is uncorked and a life form from another era emerges.
Though the Martians seem friendly, they have a plan that could change the shape of more than one world. As the shadow of interplanetary war stretches over both worlds, Kit and Nita must fight to master the strange and ancient synergy binding them to Mars and its last inhabitants. If they don’t succeed, the history that left Mars lifeless will repeat itself on Earth.
Though the Martians seem friendly, they have a plan that could change the shape of more than one world. As the shadow of interplanetary war stretches over both worlds, Kit and Nita must fight to master the strange and ancient synergy binding them to Mars and its last inhabitants. If they don’t succeed, the history that left Mars lifeless will repeat itself on Earth.
550 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
87 people are currently reading
2522 people want to read
About the author
Diane Duane
164 books2,409 followersDiane Duane has been a writer of science fiction, fantasy, TV and film for more than forty years.
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
October 8, 2019
I think I might have screamed out loud when I discovered this book existed! The Young Wizards series have been favorites of mine since I read So You Want To Be A Wizard back in jr. high school! I can't count the number of times I've read Deep Wizardry, which is still my favorite! I love the Duane keeps finding fresh permutations and adventures for Nita and Kit and their cohorts, and I love the elaborate and very logical techno-wizardry.
That said, I did have a bit of a hard time getting into the swing of this one. First off, I didn't remember some of the key things that had happened in the most recent books, but she doesn't leave you entirely in the dark. Still, it took me a bit to remember Darryl and Carmela's situation. Also, I think this one, in addition to being one of the longest of the series, was a bit slow at the beginning. The last half really ripped along and the main plot was fantastic, but at first there was a lot of chit chat that didn't have as much bearing on the central plot. I'd give the last half an unreserved five stars, so please stick with it! And I'm really excited for book 10, which is already on the ol' bedside table!
That said, I did have a bit of a hard time getting into the swing of this one. First off, I didn't remember some of the key things that had happened in the most recent books, but she doesn't leave you entirely in the dark. Still, it took me a bit to remember Darryl and Carmela's situation. Also, I think this one, in addition to being one of the longest of the series, was a bit slow at the beginning. The last half really ripped along and the main plot was fantastic, but at first there was a lot of chit chat that didn't have as much bearing on the central plot. I'd give the last half an unreserved five stars, so please stick with it! And I'm really excited for book 10, which is already on the ol' bedside table!
July 16, 2012
A Wizard of Mars, Diane Duane:
I always forget how much I LOVE this series. It may be young adult fiction, but the themes and the scientific content put it way beyond other books of the genre. These aren’t just kids messing around, falling in love, and playing with magic. Or even Harry Potter who’s only fighting one evil. The characters in these books are fighting THE evil, the source of death and everything else horrible in the world. They work non-stop to slow down the effects of entropy on the world, all while being between the ages of 11-16. Intense.
There’s also a strong science framework their magic is built on. Unlike things like Harry Potter where magic just IS, there’s a real explanation of the physics behind magic in these books. As a super nerd, it’s something that I can always appreciate. I like knowing the hows and the whys behind everything, and besides Madeleine L’Engle I’ve never read another author like Duane who explains it all in YA books.
Being the latest in the series, there is the BRIEFEST mention of romance in this book, built on a foundation of 8 other books where there’s been nothing. Two kids, who start out as outsider friends, become partners in all their dangerous wizardy and work together constantly, yeah it’s time to realize you’re in love. But it’s so adorably awkward the way they figure it out, I love it. So much more true than all the sudden one of them proclaiming their love.
Ironically enough the story weaves elements from the books John Carter was based off of, a movie I attempted to watch like two weeks ago. The whole book is about what could have happened on Mars to make us so interested in it here on Earth. The concept is that something about Mars has drawn humans to it, and the wizards among us are trying to figure out what it is. With tons of twists and turns, and a seriously surprising ending, it takes every other “journey to Mars” story and throws it down the drain. It’s the prime example of why this woman is one of my favorite YA sci-fi writers.
I always forget how much I LOVE this series. It may be young adult fiction, but the themes and the scientific content put it way beyond other books of the genre. These aren’t just kids messing around, falling in love, and playing with magic. Or even Harry Potter who’s only fighting one evil. The characters in these books are fighting THE evil, the source of death and everything else horrible in the world. They work non-stop to slow down the effects of entropy on the world, all while being between the ages of 11-16. Intense.
There’s also a strong science framework their magic is built on. Unlike things like Harry Potter where magic just IS, there’s a real explanation of the physics behind magic in these books. As a super nerd, it’s something that I can always appreciate. I like knowing the hows and the whys behind everything, and besides Madeleine L’Engle I’ve never read another author like Duane who explains it all in YA books.
Being the latest in the series, there is the BRIEFEST mention of romance in this book, built on a foundation of 8 other books where there’s been nothing. Two kids, who start out as outsider friends, become partners in all their dangerous wizardy and work together constantly, yeah it’s time to realize you’re in love. But it’s so adorably awkward the way they figure it out, I love it. So much more true than all the sudden one of them proclaiming their love.
Ironically enough the story weaves elements from the books John Carter was based off of, a movie I attempted to watch like two weeks ago. The whole book is about what could have happened on Mars to make us so interested in it here on Earth. The concept is that something about Mars has drawn humans to it, and the wizards among us are trying to figure out what it is. With tons of twists and turns, and a seriously surprising ending, it takes every other “journey to Mars” story and throws it down the drain. It’s the prime example of why this woman is one of my favorite YA sci-fi writers.
February 28, 2011
I can't help it, I'm a sucker for Diane Duane's Wizard books. I love how she mixes enough scientific veneer into the plot to keep the wizardry both interesting and realistic (enough). It's not just magic -- there's some actual physics involved!
In this story, we're off to Mars with Kit and Nita, and the vistas and tidbits about Martian geology and current conditions are all well researched and enjoyable for an areophile like myself (with nitpick mode firmly OFF). There are fun references here to old Mars myths and stories from our own culture. I found myself in agreement with the book's starting thesis about how odd it is that we're so fixated on the concept of "invaders from Mars"... while "invaders from Jupiter" or "invaders from Venus" just sound ludicrous. What is it about the Red Planet, anyway, that is so captivating?
The story that unfolds here is engaging in typical Duane fashion. Kit and Nita are getting a bit older and having to deal with more nuanced challenges... and more complex interactions between themselves, and their families. They're still my favorite wizarding pair.
In this story, we're off to Mars with Kit and Nita, and the vistas and tidbits about Martian geology and current conditions are all well researched and enjoyable for an areophile like myself (with nitpick mode firmly OFF). There are fun references here to old Mars myths and stories from our own culture. I found myself in agreement with the book's starting thesis about how odd it is that we're so fixated on the concept of "invaders from Mars"... while "invaders from Jupiter" or "invaders from Venus" just sound ludicrous. What is it about the Red Planet, anyway, that is so captivating?
The story that unfolds here is engaging in typical Duane fashion. Kit and Nita are getting a bit older and having to deal with more nuanced challenges... and more complex interactions between themselves, and their families. They're still my favorite wizarding pair.
May 2, 2011
I can't believe Diane Duane started this series almost 30 years ago. It's been interesting to watch her incorporate modern technology into the series, even as Kit and Nita age only about one book-year for every 15 real-world years. I'm glad she started the series in 1982; part of what drew me to the series was the way Nita's manual snagged her fingers as she ran her hands along that library bookshelf back in book 1.
September 28, 2010
The wizards' battle against entropy and chaos continues in this, the ninth book of Diane Duane's "So You Want to Be a Wizard" series. Kit and Nita are part of the wizarding expedition that accidentally wakes up the long-sleeping Martians. Kit is entranced by them, but all is not well--they are a warlike people, and plan to colonize Earth!
My summary makes it sound a lot more interesting than it actually is. There are far too many characters and not much plot. The vast majority of this novel is just wizards standing around deciding what to do, explaining what's happening, or rehashing what just happened. For a story about the revival of the Martians, this is surprisingly boring.
My summary makes it sound a lot more interesting than it actually is. There are far too many characters and not much plot. The vast majority of this novel is just wizards standing around deciding what to do, explaining what's happening, or rehashing what just happened. For a story about the revival of the Martians, this is surprisingly boring.
September 8, 2018
It was never going to be easy to follow up Wizards at War, so I can cut Duane some slack for the unevenness of this book. It takes a long time for the central conflict to show up, and then the climax is a bit rushed. The expanding role of Carmela into this world felt forced and she nearly veers into Mary Sue territory. The whole thing with Nita and Kit maybe starting to have feelings for each other didn't exactly come out of nowhere but since they've been kept apart for most of the previous few books, it felt unearned. There was a great deal of telling versus showing when it comes to their friendship. Plus the fact of them not talking and comparing notes as a way to get all this stuff to happen on Mars in the first place just didn't feel authentic if they're supposed to be such tight friends.
Still, even if this wasn't up to her usual standards, it still has all the things that have made Duane's other books in this series such good reads: imaginative settings, lush descriptions, personal conflict and stakes, and more background into a newly discovered alien race packed into a couple of hundred pages than most tv shows can manage over their entire runtimes. She makes the Shamask-Eilit real, and the use of the LP here is certainly unlike any we've seen in the previous books too, which is something I've been asking for for awhile.
This is far from my favorite, but once things started picking up, it made up for the somewhat slow and uneven beginning.
Still, even if this wasn't up to her usual standards, it still has all the things that have made Duane's other books in this series such good reads: imaginative settings, lush descriptions, personal conflict and stakes, and more background into a newly discovered alien race packed into a couple of hundred pages than most tv shows can manage over their entire runtimes. She makes the Shamask-Eilit real, and the use of the LP here is certainly unlike any we've seen in the previous books too, which is something I've been asking for for awhile.
This is far from my favorite, but once things started picking up, it made up for the somewhat slow and uneven beginning.
December 12, 2011
So close to 5 stars! The allusions, references, and callbacks to the many versions of Mars were just lovely. Seeing Nita and Kit deal with mid-puberty was fun and sweet, and I especially liked the subtlety of the last bit of that. Watching both of them deal with the aftermath of lost loved ones was all-too-realistic and required a tissue or two.
And the wizards -- both new and from previous books -- were FUN and amusing.
Two things:
* Nitpick: It is Caltech. It is never, ever, ever CalTech. I don't know whether this is the fault of the writer and the editor or the editor alone, but as the offspring of a professor who has been at Caltech for over 30 years, I am contractually obligated to deduct a 1/4 star for the fact that this misspelling showed up three times in this book. (At least they were consistent, right?) Sorry, but that's how it goes.
* The other 3/4-star is for the book's overly preachy undertone, from the very first time the Shamaska and Eilitt were mentioned and with increasing intensity until the last.
So, 4 stars in all for a definitely-will-reread addition to a great series.
And the wizards -- both new and from previous books -- were FUN and amusing.
Two things:
* Nitpick: It is Caltech. It is never, ever, ever CalTech. I don't know whether this is the fault of the writer and the editor or the editor alone, but as the offspring of a professor who has been at Caltech for over 30 years, I am contractually obligated to deduct a 1/4 star for the fact that this misspelling showed up three times in this book. (At least they were consistent, right?) Sorry, but that's how it goes.
* The other 3/4-star is for the book's overly preachy undertone, from the very first time the Shamaska and Eilitt were mentioned and with increasing intensity until the last.
So, 4 stars in all for a definitely-will-reread addition to a great series.
July 4, 2011
I've been reading the Young Wizards since I was in middle school and I absolutely love these books. When I heard that A Wizard of Mars was coming out, I rushed to Amazon and pre-ordered the book so that I would have it delivered to my home on release day. And then let it sit in my TBR stack for over a year. I finally picked it up this week and started reading it and have been asking myself the same question all week: why did I wait so long to read this book?
In this ninth book, Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez find themselves having to deal with Kit's infatuation with Mars. Nita and Kit (but mostly Kit) are working to try and figure out the secrets of Mars and the truth to the question about was there ever life on Mars and what happened to Mars' planetary kernel. Kit accidentally triggers events that leads to the life emerging on Mars again. Unfortunately, the Martians' plans could destroy Earth.
As always, I loved this book. I enjoyed seeing Nita and Kit growing up and starting to examine their relationship with one another and finally starting to start thinking about romance (come on it's been thirty years!). I also enjoyed seeing the friendships between Nita and Carmela and Kit, Darryl and Ronan.
Now, how long until the next book comes out? I definitely won't be letting that one sit on my TBR stack for a year.
In this ninth book, Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez find themselves having to deal with Kit's infatuation with Mars. Nita and Kit (but mostly Kit) are working to try and figure out the secrets of Mars and the truth to the question about was there ever life on Mars and what happened to Mars' planetary kernel. Kit accidentally triggers events that leads to the life emerging on Mars again. Unfortunately, the Martians' plans could destroy Earth.
As always, I loved this book. I enjoyed seeing Nita and Kit growing up and starting to examine their relationship with one another and finally starting to start thinking about romance (come on it's been thirty years!). I also enjoyed seeing the friendships between Nita and Carmela and Kit, Darryl and Ronan.
Now, how long until the next book comes out? I definitely won't be letting that one sit on my TBR stack for a year.
June 1, 2012
Not Duane's best book ever, but its heart overcomes its flaws. Solidly enjoyable.
The not-so-good: Nita's side of the plot lagged noticeably in the middle third of the book, and the detail heavy narration on every "spell" grew tedious. Then again, I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, so I have less patience for such details in any case. Still, it felt more...cluttered, than it needed to be, with too many characters running around. (Particularly in the beginning.) However, I simply scanned when I got bored—and if I skipped a few descriptions of things, well, it didn't effect my enjoyment of the rest of it.
The good: Character growth. Nita and Kit are hitting the teenage years, and Duane handles aging them expertly. They're still the characters you love, but equipped with a very natural mixture of new wisdom and new confusion as they begin to approach the adult world. Both are handling some form of loss, and it is gently poignant. We also see some interesting family dynamics in both households, especially when Kit's oldest sister comes home. Finally, the last third of the book is exciting, and very reminiscent of earlier books in the series, with just Kit and Nita in on the action. (Something that I missed in the last installment.)
Worth reading, if you like the series. I have a feeling that I will enjoy it even more on the second read through.
The not-so-good: Nita's side of the plot lagged noticeably in the middle third of the book, and the detail heavy narration on every "spell" grew tedious. Then again, I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, so I have less patience for such details in any case. Still, it felt more...cluttered, than it needed to be, with too many characters running around. (Particularly in the beginning.) However, I simply scanned when I got bored—and if I skipped a few descriptions of things, well, it didn't effect my enjoyment of the rest of it.
The good: Character growth. Nita and Kit are hitting the teenage years, and Duane handles aging them expertly. They're still the characters you love, but equipped with a very natural mixture of new wisdom and new confusion as they begin to approach the adult world. Both are handling some form of loss, and it is gently poignant. We also see some interesting family dynamics in both households, especially when Kit's oldest sister comes home. Finally, the last third of the book is exciting, and very reminiscent of earlier books in the series, with just Kit and Nita in on the action. (Something that I missed in the last installment.)
Worth reading, if you like the series. I have a feeling that I will enjoy it even more on the second read through.
March 4, 2011
Despite the fact they're 'wizards', I have a really hard time calling this fantasy. So it's getting only a science fiction tag from me. Nyea.
As I was reading, I sort of half-remembered what had gone on before. By the time I reached the end of the book, I came to the conclusion that I had missed a book somehow. Possibly two! But now I need to forget enough of the spoilers to be able to go back and read it.
And you should probably start with So You Want to be a Wizard and read them in order. Even though A Wizard Abroad rather sucked. I read it twice, and it sucked both times.
In this one, Kit is fascinated with Mars. And he and Ronan and Darryl and Nita and his sister and some other less human wizards keep popping up to Mars and back down to Earth. And if you asked me how many times they went up there, I couldn't tell you. If you wanted a timeline of events.. I'd be hardpressed to tell you and get it correct.
So there was this old alien culture up there on Mars, and they're out to solve the mystery of it. Who are they? Where did they go? What happened to them? Etc, etc.
Unfortunately, Kit and Nita's relationship starts moving beyond the friend and partner stage. I was hoping they'd never do that. Grr.
As I was reading, I sort of half-remembered what had gone on before. By the time I reached the end of the book, I came to the conclusion that I had missed a book somehow. Possibly two! But now I need to forget enough of the spoilers to be able to go back and read it.
And you should probably start with So You Want to be a Wizard and read them in order. Even though A Wizard Abroad rather sucked. I read it twice, and it sucked both times.
In this one, Kit is fascinated with Mars. And he and Ronan and Darryl and Nita and his sister and some other less human wizards keep popping up to Mars and back down to Earth. And if you asked me how many times they went up there, I couldn't tell you. If you wanted a timeline of events.. I'd be hardpressed to tell you and get it correct.
So there was this old alien culture up there on Mars, and they're out to solve the mystery of it. Who are they? Where did they go? What happened to them? Etc, etc.
Unfortunately, Kit and Nita's relationship starts moving beyond the friend and partner stage. I was hoping they'd never do that. Grr.
January 31, 2012
I thought this was so much fun! I loved all the Mars bits. Duane must have had a ton of fun researching for this one - watching all sorts of old "Mars attacks" movies. She made me want to sit down and watch some! I especially loved the part with the War of the Worlds broadcast, since I read Meghan McCarthy's Aliens Are Coming!: The True Account Of The 1938 War Of The Worlds Radio Broadcast with my library classes last year.
My one complaint with this is that it is far too long! I would have enjoyed the story much more with about 100 fewer pages, and I really think the story would have been better for it. But the trend these days seems to be longer and longer books, especially as you go further into a series. So others must like it or authors wouldn't do it. But for me it is enough to bring what would have probably been a 5-star book down to a solid 4.
My one complaint with this is that it is far too long! I would have enjoyed the story much more with about 100 fewer pages, and I really think the story would have been better for it. But the trend these days seems to be longer and longer books, especially as you go further into a series. So others must like it or authors wouldn't do it. But for me it is enough to bring what would have probably been a 5-star book down to a solid 4.
January 29, 2016
Thoughts upon rereading: Some parts dragged. Dairine's storyline got barely any attention and had nothing to do with the focus of the story (I very much *want* to know her storyline, but not in this book).
All the Mars references were pretty darn cool. I actually understood them all this time!
And the plot: very good! Glad to see shades of gray introduced with the Lone Power's influence. All 8 previous books have been about direct conflicts, and this one finally breaks the pattern.
And the ending? Let me use spoiler tags:
All the Mars references were pretty darn cool. I actually understood them all this time!
And the plot: very good! Glad to see shades of gray introduced with the Lone Power's influence. All 8 previous books have been about direct conflicts, and this one finally breaks the pattern.
And the ending? Let me use spoiler tags:
April 18, 2010
The ninth book in a terrific fantasy/science fiction series. It's been five years since the eighth installment, but it's well worth the wait! In this one, Nita, Kit and fellow wizards go to Mars to investigate the possible revival of past life there. I love the way the author pays tribute to previous SF writers who have speculated about Martian civilization. Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom on Mars! Well, sort of. It's great fun. If you're a newcomer to the series, don't start with this one. Go back to book one, So You Want to Be a Wizard, and read all of the previous ones first!
July 20, 2011
Maybe it’s because I read it so quickly (and with such a deadline!) and because when compared to the amount of time I had to predict the book, the amount of time in which I have actually known the book is so miniscule as to be almost insignificant, but I don’t really know where I stand on this one yet. I think it’s safe to say this is no Rift in the Sky-esque disaster where an author I absolutely and completely love manages to let me down so hard, but it’s also no Riders of the Storm/The Wizard's Dilemma-style success. Although it does represent the canonization of the first pairing I ever shipped (9 books and 11 years later…), and that makes me ecstatically happy, I didn’t find myself absolutely in love with this book.
Part of the problem, I think, is that it’s not at all in the tone of the two books that preceded it. Wizard's Holiday and Wizards at War work together on a really unified register to create that tension-before-the-storm followed by the worlds’ largest hurricane (and yes that apostrophe is in the right place, I am intending for this metaphorical hurricane to be possessed by all of the worlds and not just one), and although I was initially circumspect even about Wizards at War, I now tend to read it as Part II of an intentionally two-part arc that begins with Holiday, and that reading makes both of those books really significant for me.
Something I love about WH and WAW that I only just realized was missing from AWOM is Dairine’s perspective on unfolding events. Okay, yes, part of this is because I like watching the dynamic of the Dairine/Roshaun relationship. So sue me. Even the shippers can’t deny that they’re just a fascinating pair to watch. And of course part of my feeling of letdown with this book was the failure to engage on a more than superficial level with the question of Roshaun’s disappearance. But even without him in the picture, I found myself missing the snarky Dairine-voice that I’d become accustomed to from WH and WAW. I feel like she would’ve been able to give Nita some killer advice at certain points during this book and the fact that she never did feels like a bit of an opportunity missed.
But overall, even ignoring the exclusion of Dairine’s POV, this story felt a lot different from others — and not just in the way that DD gestured at toward the end with the whole “how is it over if the Lone One hasn’t turned up yet?” quip and the talk about black and white. I think it’s cool that she’s going more subtle with the good-versus-evil thing (though I do hope we get some face-to-face confrontations still, because they are pretty badass), but that didn’t strike me quite so much. It was strange, because although the problem was very large — I’d judge it as being on par with the issues in A Wizard Abroad — it was dealt with by a very small cast of characters. Now that in itself isn’t bad, but it’s obvious that there are other wizards who are equally as involved with Mars as Kit is and why didn’t they come meandering on over once they read the Manual’s precis to check things out? It just seems a little strange to me that a phenomenon so big was being dealt with by so few people in such a way that it felt fixed.
As I was reading, I kept connecting this to A Wizard Alone, and the text didn’t exactly work too hard to keep me from making the connections — Kit gets too caught up in something, needs Nita/Ponch to pull him out before he wreaks havoc/dies in alternate-ish universe. It felt like it had been done before, and obviously, so it bothered me that no one else in the text made that connection. It also bothered me that Kit got off so easy in the end; I mean, I understand that from one end of time it was what had to be done, but I still feel like there’s a chance he could get a bit cocky about this sort of thing which might not be the best idea. What he and Ronan and Darryl were doing felt wrong while they were doing it, and I didn’t like managing that unease as one factor of reading the work.
Perhaps part of why I don’t like AWOM that much (yet) has to do with its plot structure. To me it felt really slow to start, with most of the interesting bits happening in the last 150 pages. Granted, there were great moments before there, but many of them (between Dairine and Nita) weren’t part of the main thrust of the narrative. Perhaps if I was more schooled in the literary past of Mars I would have enjoyed or appreciated the “tests” Darryl, Ronan, and Kit triggered, but I’d never encountered any of the materials DD referenced.
Also, I think this book just introduced waaaay too much new stuff. We’ve got the history of the Martians-who-aren’t-from-Mars. We’ve got all sorts of new little tidbits about the way wizardry works — things like Carmela’s linguistic skill, geomancy and hydromancy (and Angelina Pellegrino), “taking the wrong turn,” “streaming consciousness,” etc. We’ve got new locations. We’ve got a plethora of new characters who are obviously going to be important — Irina, Mamvish, and Helena — but none of them really get the development I would have hoped for. Perhaps because WAW ended so much stuff, AWOM feels like it’s taking too much time trying to begin new things.
But I will say there is at least one new thing it begins that I can’t complain about, and here it comes: in the first ship I ever shipped, I was right. Now, not too difficult in my opinion, at least under these circumstances, but it still feels rather lovely. Nita and Kit have always been my model of an ideal partnership of any kind — and when I think about what a perfect relationship looks like, it looks an awful lot like theirs.
However, I was thinking about why I’m not so much MORE excited than I already am about this and I realized that, whereas with Dairine and Roshaun I am very very VERY interested in the process that gets them into a relationship (because it will be nowhere near as simple as Kit and Nita’s — there will be fireballs, I am guessing, and shouting matches, and perhaps some actual physical fighting — I would not put it past them), with Kit and Nita I am way more interested in the “what happens next.” What does it mean that they are boyfriend/girlfriend? How will they negotiate this against being wizarding partners? How will their parents take it? How will the seniors take it? (Uh, I really want someone to write me a fic in which Tom and Carl offer Kit and Nita relationship advice.) How will Dairine take it? (I actually really want to write a fic in which Dairine gets very angry at her sister and Kit for being so happy when Roshaun is gone and NO ONE SHOULD BE HAPPY.)
Overall impression is positive. It’s not going to be my new favorite in the series anytime soon but I’d say that it certainly isn’t my least favorite either. All I can say now is that it definitely needs a second reading. Who knows? Maybe the next thing coming will flesh this out, be a Part II to its Part I, and make me see it in an entirely different (and more satisfied) light.
Part of the problem, I think, is that it’s not at all in the tone of the two books that preceded it. Wizard's Holiday and Wizards at War work together on a really unified register to create that tension-before-the-storm followed by the worlds’ largest hurricane (and yes that apostrophe is in the right place, I am intending for this metaphorical hurricane to be possessed by all of the worlds and not just one), and although I was initially circumspect even about Wizards at War, I now tend to read it as Part II of an intentionally two-part arc that begins with Holiday, and that reading makes both of those books really significant for me.
Something I love about WH and WAW that I only just realized was missing from AWOM is Dairine’s perspective on unfolding events. Okay, yes, part of this is because I like watching the dynamic of the Dairine/Roshaun relationship. So sue me. Even the shippers can’t deny that they’re just a fascinating pair to watch. And of course part of my feeling of letdown with this book was the failure to engage on a more than superficial level with the question of Roshaun’s disappearance. But even without him in the picture, I found myself missing the snarky Dairine-voice that I’d become accustomed to from WH and WAW. I feel like she would’ve been able to give Nita some killer advice at certain points during this book and the fact that she never did feels like a bit of an opportunity missed.
But overall, even ignoring the exclusion of Dairine’s POV, this story felt a lot different from others — and not just in the way that DD gestured at toward the end with the whole “how is it over if the Lone One hasn’t turned up yet?” quip and the talk about black and white. I think it’s cool that she’s going more subtle with the good-versus-evil thing (though I do hope we get some face-to-face confrontations still, because they are pretty badass), but that didn’t strike me quite so much. It was strange, because although the problem was very large — I’d judge it as being on par with the issues in A Wizard Abroad — it was dealt with by a very small cast of characters. Now that in itself isn’t bad, but it’s obvious that there are other wizards who are equally as involved with Mars as Kit is and why didn’t they come meandering on over once they read the Manual’s precis to check things out? It just seems a little strange to me that a phenomenon so big was being dealt with by so few people in such a way that it felt fixed.
As I was reading, I kept connecting this to A Wizard Alone, and the text didn’t exactly work too hard to keep me from making the connections — Kit gets too caught up in something, needs Nita/Ponch to pull him out before he wreaks havoc/dies in alternate-ish universe. It felt like it had been done before, and obviously, so it bothered me that no one else in the text made that connection. It also bothered me that Kit got off so easy in the end; I mean, I understand that from one end of time it was what had to be done, but I still feel like there’s a chance he could get a bit cocky about this sort of thing which might not be the best idea. What he and Ronan and Darryl were doing felt wrong while they were doing it, and I didn’t like managing that unease as one factor of reading the work.
Perhaps part of why I don’t like AWOM that much (yet) has to do with its plot structure. To me it felt really slow to start, with most of the interesting bits happening in the last 150 pages. Granted, there were great moments before there, but many of them (between Dairine and Nita) weren’t part of the main thrust of the narrative. Perhaps if I was more schooled in the literary past of Mars I would have enjoyed or appreciated the “tests” Darryl, Ronan, and Kit triggered, but I’d never encountered any of the materials DD referenced.
Also, I think this book just introduced waaaay too much new stuff. We’ve got the history of the Martians-who-aren’t-from-Mars. We’ve got all sorts of new little tidbits about the way wizardry works — things like Carmela’s linguistic skill, geomancy and hydromancy (and Angelina Pellegrino), “taking the wrong turn,” “streaming consciousness,” etc. We’ve got new locations. We’ve got a plethora of new characters who are obviously going to be important — Irina, Mamvish, and Helena — but none of them really get the development I would have hoped for. Perhaps because WAW ended so much stuff, AWOM feels like it’s taking too much time trying to begin new things.
But I will say there is at least one new thing it begins that I can’t complain about, and here it comes: in the first ship I ever shipped, I was right. Now, not too difficult in my opinion, at least under these circumstances, but it still feels rather lovely. Nita and Kit have always been my model of an ideal partnership of any kind — and when I think about what a perfect relationship looks like, it looks an awful lot like theirs.
However, I was thinking about why I’m not so much MORE excited than I already am about this and I realized that, whereas with Dairine and Roshaun I am very very VERY interested in the process that gets them into a relationship (because it will be nowhere near as simple as Kit and Nita’s — there will be fireballs, I am guessing, and shouting matches, and perhaps some actual physical fighting — I would not put it past them), with Kit and Nita I am way more interested in the “what happens next.” What does it mean that they are boyfriend/girlfriend? How will they negotiate this against being wizarding partners? How will their parents take it? How will the seniors take it? (Uh, I really want someone to write me a fic in which Tom and Carl offer Kit and Nita relationship advice.) How will Dairine take it? (I actually really want to write a fic in which Dairine gets very angry at her sister and Kit for being so happy when Roshaun is gone and NO ONE SHOULD BE HAPPY.)
Overall impression is positive. It’s not going to be my new favorite in the series anytime soon but I’d say that it certainly isn’t my least favorite either. All I can say now is that it definitely needs a second reading. Who knows? Maybe the next thing coming will flesh this out, be a Part II to its Part I, and make me see it in an entirely different (and more satisfied) light.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2022
Mars has always been weird. There's nothing there, but it feels like something used to be. Or should have been. Or something. The young wizards of Earth are curious, and have made it something of a project. Except Nita is feeling a bit left out, maybe because Kit has been so obsessed with it. Then they make independent discoveries on the Martian surface. Kit finds a big metal ellipsoid. And Nita is with Kit's sister Carmela and the humpback whale wizard when they find a record of the history of Mars and the people there. It's all interesting story and a fun read as Kit and Nita grow up a little bit. I liked it. Good read.
June 7, 2021
From my other edition notes: "I need to read the Burroughs series. And I love this book."
Well, I've read the Burroughs series and it's bonkers, but in the way Duane always does, she distills the best of the vibes to an elegant form that feels organic and original AND nostalgic simultaneously. I forgot how human the conflicts in here were; it seems like fighting a planet (basically) is very elemental, but this is all sociopolitics and teenage scrapping, which I love more than reasonable.
Well, I've read the Burroughs series and it's bonkers, but in the way Duane always does, she distills the best of the vibes to an elegant form that feels organic and original AND nostalgic simultaneously. I forgot how human the conflicts in here were; it seems like fighting a planet (basically) is very elemental, but this is all sociopolitics and teenage scrapping, which I love more than reasonable.
April 15, 2017
I was actually a little worried the first third of the book that I wasn't going to like this one as much as the rest of the series but I don't know why I doubted Diane Duane for even a second. She is so brilliant at weaving together such an intricate story with so many nuances. One of my favorites so far!
March 28, 2019
SO GOOD
September 10, 2022
When you look at a book in a contemporary fantasy series, and it name drops "Mars", and has a tripod on the cover, you have to wonder if someone's gone insane.
And the title, "of Mars" implies, well, people, on Mars, which with this being a very scientifically grounded series, seems... off.
But worry not, Diane Duane has it all covered here, successfully delivering on promises you'd think can't be kept.
Like some of the best setting-based stories, Mars itself is almost a character here, and certainly Duane and her characters have done far more homework than I have, and it the geography of Mars plays a part in the novel (and provides chapter titles).
An interesting conceit in the novel is that any time a nearby planet weighs as heavily in popular consciousness as Mars does in ours, it's a sign that something more is going on. And of course, much more goes on during the novel. Along the way, Duane pays tribute to the continuing popularity of Mars in popular culture (referencing two versions of War of the Worlds, B-movies, and of course Edgar Rice Burroughs). I'd point out the psychological reasons of being the second brightest 'star' in the night sky, and more easily visible than Venus, which never strays too far from the sun from our point of view, but it still makes for a sensible "there's a secret here, if we can find it" hook.
Meanwhile, personal threads with Kit and Nita continue. It's been long enough since reading the previous books that I don't remember some of it, but they're generally introduced well enough to pick up without much trouble. I certainly would recommend going back to the start of the series than picking up here (or anywhere else), but I do recommend the series as a whole, and this book in particular.
And the title, "of Mars" implies, well, people, on Mars, which with this being a very scientifically grounded series, seems... off.
But worry not, Diane Duane has it all covered here, successfully delivering on promises you'd think can't be kept.
Like some of the best setting-based stories, Mars itself is almost a character here, and certainly Duane and her characters have done far more homework than I have, and it the geography of Mars plays a part in the novel (and provides chapter titles).
An interesting conceit in the novel is that any time a nearby planet weighs as heavily in popular consciousness as Mars does in ours, it's a sign that something more is going on. And of course, much more goes on during the novel. Along the way, Duane pays tribute to the continuing popularity of Mars in popular culture (referencing two versions of War of the Worlds, B-movies, and of course Edgar Rice Burroughs). I'd point out the psychological reasons of being the second brightest 'star' in the night sky, and more easily visible than Venus, which never strays too far from the sun from our point of view, but it still makes for a sensible "there's a secret here, if we can find it" hook.
Meanwhile, personal threads with Kit and Nita continue. It's been long enough since reading the previous books that I don't remember some of it, but they're generally introduced well enough to pick up without much trouble. I certainly would recommend going back to the start of the series than picking up here (or anywhere else), but I do recommend the series as a whole, and this book in particular.
December 10, 2015
Kit has been obsessed with Mars lately, and has been spending a lot of time there. Often that time is with Ronan and Darryl, because Nita doesn't share his fascination with the red planet. Yet there's a real wizardly mystery on Mars: its kernal is missing. This could have real and unpredictable consequences, and there's also the question of why there aren't any Martians. So the boys aren't there alone; quite a few other wizards, including Earth's Planetary, Irina, and the regional Species Archivist, the saurian Mamvish, are also studying Mars.
Meanwhile, Nita is juggling her own set of issues. Younger sister Dairine is spending most of her time on Welkath, studying star management, and their father wants Dairine to at least check in more regularly. Since he can't follow her and bring her back for meals, chores, and the last few days of the school year, Nita has to.
She's also juggling her own changing feelings for Kit, and since she has no idea whether he will feel the same way, or whether it will just mess up their wizardly partnership, she's just as glad to not be spending too much time with him right now.
When Kit finds an apparently ancient, and wizardly, artifact on Mars, though, things start to change. Despite a formal decision by Irina and Mamvish to leave the artifact be while there's more study and analysis, Kit and his buddies go back to take another look on their own, and Kit stumbles onto the means of opening it--and things start to happen on Mars.
A whole lost civilization, and species, has been in stasis on Mars for over half a million years, waiting for a chance to come back and restore Mars to habitability for themselves. They need Mars' missing kernal, though, and to retrieve it, they need Kit's help.
It isn't at all clear that this is good for Kit, or for humans generally, or even for Mars.
Meanwhile, Kit's sister Carmela, who is not a wizard, is using her unintended introduction to wizardry and to galactic civilization to pursue a career as a galactic personal shopper, and their other sister, Helena, who thinks Kit has made a deal with the devil, is returning home unexpectedly quickly after the end of her college term.
Everything is spiraling toward about fifty different kinds of disaster
This is another great Young Wizards romp, well worth your time if you've enjoyed previous installments. Recommended.
I bought this book.
Meanwhile, Nita is juggling her own set of issues. Younger sister Dairine is spending most of her time on Welkath, studying star management, and their father wants Dairine to at least check in more regularly. Since he can't follow her and bring her back for meals, chores, and the last few days of the school year, Nita has to.
She's also juggling her own changing feelings for Kit, and since she has no idea whether he will feel the same way, or whether it will just mess up their wizardly partnership, she's just as glad to not be spending too much time with him right now.
When Kit finds an apparently ancient, and wizardly, artifact on Mars, though, things start to change. Despite a formal decision by Irina and Mamvish to leave the artifact be while there's more study and analysis, Kit and his buddies go back to take another look on their own, and Kit stumbles onto the means of opening it--and things start to happen on Mars.
A whole lost civilization, and species, has been in stasis on Mars for over half a million years, waiting for a chance to come back and restore Mars to habitability for themselves. They need Mars' missing kernal, though, and to retrieve it, they need Kit's help.
It isn't at all clear that this is good for Kit, or for humans generally, or even for Mars.
Meanwhile, Kit's sister Carmela, who is not a wizard, is using her unintended introduction to wizardry and to galactic civilization to pursue a career as a galactic personal shopper, and their other sister, Helena, who thinks Kit has made a deal with the devil, is returning home unexpectedly quickly after the end of her college term.
Everything is spiraling toward about fifty different kinds of disaster
This is another great Young Wizards romp, well worth your time if you've enjoyed previous installments. Recommended.
I bought this book.
December 15, 2011
Any series of books that has reached #9 is one (or both) of two things: successful enough to have a readership base to sustain itself / intricate enough to mean that new readers should absolutely not start here. Whilst I have no idea about the first condition (although I imagine it can't just be vanity publishing!), the second is most definitely true. Although the basic plot is sufficiently independent to be comprehensible to newcomers, the universe building is not explained at all, and several crucial parts of the dénouement do require background knowledge to understand.
Duane's Wizard series is very strange in one particular way - the first book was written nearly 30 years ago* but the timeline of the story is very compressed: only a couple of years have actually elapsed in "real" time. But she has been forced to make the technology upgrades that have transformed our life in the last few decades, which makes for a weird experience if you read the first one now.
*I think that it was only the mid90s reprint that reawakened interest in the series and led to the new books though.
Still all that hardly matters. This is another solid entry in a generally pretty solid series, with some proper character development and tantalising hints of what is to come. The core story is a fine romp, albeit a tad predictable, and the resolution is satisfying even if Kit and Nita come across as being far too nice given what has gone before.
And the major loose end still dangling is nicely set-up for the next volume. Can't wait.
Duane's Wizard series is very strange in one particular way - the first book was written nearly 30 years ago* but the timeline of the story is very compressed: only a couple of years have actually elapsed in "real" time. But she has been forced to make the technology upgrades that have transformed our life in the last few decades, which makes for a weird experience if you read the first one now.
*I think that it was only the mid90s reprint that reawakened interest in the series and led to the new books though.
Still all that hardly matters. This is another solid entry in a generally pretty solid series, with some proper character development and tantalising hints of what is to come. The core story is a fine romp, albeit a tad predictable, and the resolution is satisfying even if Kit and Nita come across as being far too nice given what has gone before.
And the major loose end still dangling is nicely set-up for the next volume. Can't wait.
February 23, 2015
This book is about Mars. More specifically, about life on Mars. Discovering it, enabling it and defending ourselves from it. Not my favorite book by any means.
A big discovery has been made on Mars. They've discovered an artifact. They don't know what it does, but Kit messes with it anyway and something happens. It sends signals all over the planet and things start waking up. Those wizards who look into it are tested in different ways and Kit becomes possessed. The old Martians want to be restored as a species -- and they don't care who they use or how they need to use them.
As Kit's partner, it's up to Nita to stop him and them. Why? Who knows. There's plenty of other wizards running around, but it seems like it's always her job to do something about things. No wonder she gets called an interfering busybody.
Of course, everything gets resolved and tied up with a neat little bow, but I can't help thinking in this case that the bow was too neat and that the resolution too pat. The fact that both Nita and Kit broke rules to do what they did and that Nita used power she didn't have is all handwaved. Almost like the writer's phoning it in.
Still a good story for those who won't question it too much.
A big discovery has been made on Mars. They've discovered an artifact. They don't know what it does, but Kit messes with it anyway and something happens. It sends signals all over the planet and things start waking up. Those wizards who look into it are tested in different ways and Kit becomes possessed. The old Martians want to be restored as a species -- and they don't care who they use or how they need to use them.
As Kit's partner, it's up to Nita to stop him and them. Why? Who knows. There's plenty of other wizards running around, but it seems like it's always her job to do something about things. No wonder she gets called an interfering busybody.
Of course, everything gets resolved and tied up with a neat little bow, but I can't help thinking in this case that the bow was too neat and that the resolution too pat. The fact that both Nita and Kit broke rules to do what they did and that Nita used power she didn't have is all handwaved. Almost like the writer's phoning it in.
Still a good story for those who won't question it too much.
November 14, 2017
I have read and liked all of the books in this fun series, which certainly rivals the "Harry Potter" series and begins prior to that series' first book's publication, so don't go carrying on about "copy-catting," here, unless it's J.K. Rowling's copying Diane Duane !
There are strong, interesting female characters of both human and non-human species as well as key males in both human and non-human form. The main characters of the "Young Wizards Series" started with Kit (male, human) and Nita (female, human), then expanded over the course of the volumes so that now each of these characters' families are included, especially one of each of their sisters.
If you haven't read the others, stop reading this one (the 9th) and start from the beginning; these are not "stand-alone" books. They really are series and it needs to be enjoyed in sequence because the plots and subplots as well as the characters develop over time.
I appreciate Duane's storytelling and science mixture, which almost never gets too dry or "download-y."
Highly recommended, except for the ending, which was a bit too neatly resolved.
There are strong, interesting female characters of both human and non-human species as well as key males in both human and non-human form. The main characters of the "Young Wizards Series" started with Kit (male, human) and Nita (female, human), then expanded over the course of the volumes so that now each of these characters' families are included, especially one of each of their sisters.
If you haven't read the others, stop reading this one (the 9th) and start from the beginning; these are not "stand-alone" books. They really are series and it needs to be enjoyed in sequence because the plots and subplots as well as the characters develop over time.
I appreciate Duane's storytelling and science mixture, which almost never gets too dry or "download-y."
Highly recommended, except for the ending, which was a bit too neatly resolved.
August 7, 2015
Hooray! for the first time in a long time, maybe from the first book on, no one major dies in this book! What a relief! It was becoming really distressing how consistently loved people (including other species such as aliens and dogs) were dying towards the end of each book. I had just about decided to give up reading this series for that reason alone. This was a well done story, and focused on Nita's and Kit's developing feelings for each other. Carmela plays a fun and also helpful role in the book. Dairinne actually was a sub theme this time mostly to show Nita's growing maturity in dealing with her sister and her father both. I recommend this book fairly highly but do suggest it be read as part of the series, not as a standalone. Too many prior events are referenced for a newcomer to be able to completely appreciate this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2010
Diane Duane has done it again. An incredibly well crafted story in the universe she has crafted and evolved over nine fantastic books. For any fan of the series, this is a must read. Anyone new, I highly recommend starting from the first installment.
The painstaking descriptions of the Mars environment really makes everything real - as if this could really be happening and we are oblivious to it. The plot development is a bit like A Wizard's Dilemma and A Wizard Alone where Kit and Nita are separated for much of the book. I happen to like the stories where they are together a bit more, but I felt the separation was well done and not as forced or contrived as it was in the earlier two books.
Bottom line: I loved it. Duane's series continues to be one of my all time favorites!
The painstaking descriptions of the Mars environment really makes everything real - as if this could really be happening and we are oblivious to it. The plot development is a bit like A Wizard's Dilemma and A Wizard Alone where Kit and Nita are separated for much of the book. I happen to like the stories where they are together a bit more, but I felt the separation was well done and not as forced or contrived as it was in the earlier two books.
Bottom line: I loved it. Duane's series continues to be one of my all time favorites!
April 9, 2010
This ninth book in the Young Wizards series seemed a little slow-moving to me, but I think fans of the series will be pleased with it. The possibility of figuring out what's odd about Mars and finding or awakening sentient life there comes to obsess Kit and drive a wedge between him and Nita. Pop-culture references abound as Kit and other familiar characters, plus some new ones, explore the mystery and get drawn in. (I was thrilled that the planetary wizard for Earth always travels with her infant child and her budgie.) In the end, Kit's relationships with his family, Nita, and his dear departed dog, Ponch, are significantly changed.
August 15, 2016
Someone I know is going to give me flak about giving a 5, but I enjoyed this book.
It was very fun, but it had an air of mystery about it pertaining to the original inhabitants of Mars. It is cool to see how the extra characters in the series have been kept in the story rather than dropped out. Ronan seems to be a little more lighthearted than in the past, but I suppose nearly dying and no longer having the equivalent of an archangel inhabit the back of his mind can do that to a person.
The addition of Helena was great. Kit takes things way too seriously.
Anyway, fun story.
It was very fun, but it had an air of mystery about it pertaining to the original inhabitants of Mars. It is cool to see how the extra characters in the series have been kept in the story rather than dropped out. Ronan seems to be a little more lighthearted than in the past, but I suppose nearly dying and no longer having the equivalent of an archangel inhabit the back of his mind can do that to a person.
The addition of Helena was great. Kit takes things way too seriously.
Anyway, fun story.
June 12, 2019
“The Speech isn’t the only language with power. If a story hasn’t been heard in a long time, much power can lie in it, tightly compressed until it’s told again...”
July 21, 2017
"Young Wizards" book 9
Okay, so, well.
For the past several books of this series, I admit I haven't been so much _reviewing_ as _blurbing._ This is the result of reading nine in a row, while on vacation, and not being able to write them up as I read them. Here I shall make some comments about the series as a whole, with particular application, of course, to _A Wizard of Mars_.
The tile made me somewhat suspicious. Could this be Barsoom?
Yes and no.
Kit Rodriguez, Nita Callahan's partner-in-wizardry, has become obsessed with the Red Planet. He believes (and he is not alone among wizards in believing this) that the planet once held life, possibly sentient life. (One of the clues that drives this is humanity's seeming obsession with invasion from Mars.)
A specialist in retrieving lost and endangered species, a dinosaur-like alien named Mamvish fsh Wimsih fsh Mentaff, reports that a "message in a bottle" has been found ... and Kit opens it, releasing the Lost Race of Mars. (Sorry.) The Martians, before coming forth, set Kit and his friends a series of puzzles based loosely on human ideas of Martian life.
The problem is that Kit isn't authorized to do any of this, let alone make first contact.
As with all the books, problems of ethics lie at its core. The key problem here can be framed generally as: when two entities' legitimate claims are in conflict, how can the problem be resolved?
Alas: the answer is "wizardry," as you might expect, leaving us without a neat solution for the goings-on in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Also: Kit and Nita reach a new stage in their "relationship."
One of the best things about these books, to date, has been that Kit and Nita do not *have* a "relationship" in the sense of boyfriend-girlfriend. It's been really great to see a young man and a young woman become fast friends without "that subject" seriously interfering. (There has been some brief service to it on a couple of occasions in previous books, but nothing serious.)
This is a subject which concerns me personally; how can men and women be friends without That Subject creating tension? Obviously they can, but does it have to even be dealt with? Can we deal with each other just as *people*, ignoring matters of plumbing and such? Duane was doing a great job of that ... until now,.
Alas.
Okay, so, well.
For the past several books of this series, I admit I haven't been so much _reviewing_ as _blurbing._ This is the result of reading nine in a row, while on vacation, and not being able to write them up as I read them. Here I shall make some comments about the series as a whole, with particular application, of course, to _A Wizard of Mars_.
The tile made me somewhat suspicious. Could this be Barsoom?
Yes and no.
Kit Rodriguez, Nita Callahan's partner-in-wizardry, has become obsessed with the Red Planet. He believes (and he is not alone among wizards in believing this) that the planet once held life, possibly sentient life. (One of the clues that drives this is humanity's seeming obsession with invasion from Mars.)
A specialist in retrieving lost and endangered species, a dinosaur-like alien named Mamvish fsh Wimsih fsh Mentaff, reports that a "message in a bottle" has been found ... and Kit opens it, releasing the Lost Race of Mars. (Sorry.) The Martians, before coming forth, set Kit and his friends a series of puzzles based loosely on human ideas of Martian life.
The problem is that Kit isn't authorized to do any of this, let alone make first contact.
As with all the books, problems of ethics lie at its core. The key problem here can be framed generally as: when two entities' legitimate claims are in conflict, how can the problem be resolved?
Alas: the answer is "wizardry," as you might expect, leaving us without a neat solution for the goings-on in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Also: Kit and Nita reach a new stage in their "relationship."
One of the best things about these books, to date, has been that Kit and Nita do not *have* a "relationship" in the sense of boyfriend-girlfriend. It's been really great to see a young man and a young woman become fast friends without "that subject" seriously interfering. (There has been some brief service to it on a couple of occasions in previous books, but nothing serious.)
This is a subject which concerns me personally; how can men and women be friends without That Subject creating tension? Obviously they can, but does it have to even be dealt with? Can we deal with each other just as *people*, ignoring matters of plumbing and such? Duane was doing a great job of that ... until now,.
Alas.
October 14, 2020
I'm wondering how much planning Diane Duane does before each book in the series. Book 8 felt like it could have been a definative ending for the series, but now we're on Mars.... Which doesn't feel like a progression from the outside, but like the books that came before it, it feels like it's right where it should belong in the book order as it plays off the feelings of loss from the previous books. But also we're going to Mars! Which is just a fun story beat to begin with. Sure, we've seen so much of space in the past books, but as the story mentions, there's something special about Mars in particular as it's so close to Earth, but also so mysterious.
I haven't been too crazy about Darrel's appearances before this book. I don't think there has been enough attention of Darrel as a person, instead it always seemed to focus more on his autism, when I really think it should be the other way around. But I liked how he was written in this book. He's definetely starting to grow on me.
So I like that the book is trying something that is a little bit smaller scale than "let's save the world!" I think Diane's strength shows when she comes up with interesting ideas for worlds to explore and adventures that show a lot of imagination and give the characters a lot of chances to play off of one another. With this book, I loved all the parts of the side. But I found the main plot itself to be a bit of a slow burn. It got pretty confusing and I was about ready to dismiss it entirely. But once I pushed through and could see all the pieces more clearly I found that I really loved what I saw.
I haven't been too crazy about Darrel's appearances before this book. I don't think there has been enough attention of Darrel as a person, instead it always seemed to focus more on his autism, when I really think it should be the other way around. But I liked how he was written in this book. He's definetely starting to grow on me.
So I like that the book is trying something that is a little bit smaller scale than "let's save the world!" I think Diane's strength shows when she comes up with interesting ideas for worlds to explore and adventures that show a lot of imagination and give the characters a lot of chances to play off of one another. With this book, I loved all the parts of the side. But I found the main plot itself to be a bit of a slow burn. It got pretty confusing and I was about ready to dismiss it entirely. But once I pushed through and could see all the pieces more clearly I found that I really loved what I saw.
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