Rating: Summary: Star Wars 2 Review: Nita has known about wizardry for a while. Her little sister, Dairine, is fascinated. But the Powers That Be only invite certain people to become wizards. Only if no one else can fix a problem. And Dairine has been chosen. Nita thought it would be a quiet day at the space museum. But when your a wizard and Dairine is your sister, nothing is ever quiet. With the help of a Wizard's Manual Laptop, Dairine finally gets the freedom she's dreamed of: she leaves Earth and heads out to explore the galaxy. Dairine thinks she's on a little vacation, but if she is on vacation, why are evil creatures following her? Why do the beautiful creatures she's created want to freeze all life forms? She soon finds out that the Lone Power, the most feared Power That Is is after her. And she's up to her neck in danger. Will she make it back to Earth all in one peice? Will she even be able to get to Earth at all?
Rating: Summary: Duane does it again Review: Probably the emotional high point of the series, this book culminates in a great fiasco that spans the entire universe in its scope. It is mostly science fiction, but it takes a stronger look at the Christian mythos that the series has in the background of all the characters. Nita and Kit are played down a great deal, with Dairine stealing most of the "screen time." For some this may be a let down, but how often can you do the same thing over and over again. I argue that this should be the last book in the series, since the next two books in the wizardry series never succeed in topping the dramatic events of this one.
Rating: Summary: The second time was better Review: The first time I ever knew that this series existed was when my mom brought home High Wizardry from the library. I was (and am) a Harry Potter nut, and she thought it might be of some interest to me. I picked it up at about 2:00 pm and didn't put it down till dinnertime. The book was fantastic, even though I still didn't know the first two existed. I got about halfway through it, and it became too confusing. I didn't know who the Lone Power was (yikes) and didn't even understand the whole concept of this type of wizardry. I was clueless. So, one night, I left it on the table, and my mom (thinking I was done with it) took it back to the library. About six months later, I was in a bookstore and the first book, So you want to be a Wizard, caught my eye. I bought it, and devoured it in about two days. Then I bought Deep Wizardry, and devoured that, too. I was excited then- remembering how good High Wizardry was and thinking it would be a lot better than it was when I read it the first time. It was. That's an understatement. I was captivated. I would not leave my book alone for more than five minutes. This book held me in its pages like none other has ever done. I stayed up hours past my bedtime, carefully eluding my mom's attempts to catch me reading. At school the next day, I got told off a few times for reading when I wasn't supposed to. (oops) There was one boy who even made fun of the title. (Oh, I get it! She's high on wizardry!) High Wizardry is the best book I have ever read. The last half is incredibly written and had me sitting on the edge of my chair. A few days of sorrow happened after I finished it- I had nothing to read... One last comment- do NOT read this book unless you have read the first two. It will (in the end) do nothing more than confuse you.
Rating: Summary: Not as good as the others, but still a good read Review: The next book in the Young Wizards series dips somewhat below the quality of the two previous novels. Duane treads far into the "rational fantasy" territory of Madeline L'Engle here; in fact, the book in places seems to be a direct homage to _A Wrinkle in Time_ with its rapid planet-hopping and planets based on philosophy. I'm tempted to call this science fiction or at least science fantasy. In a major shift, the hero of the story is Nita's little sister, Dairine, who has a knack for computer wizardry. The humor that was subtle in the previos novel, _Deep Wizardry_, returns in full force here for the first half-Dairine makes for a very humorous heroine. But toward the end the book bogs down in its own half-explained philosophy. This confusing finale keeps the book from obtaining the thrilling heights of the first two.
Rating: Summary: Almost the last book in the series - thankfully wasn't Review: The Wizardry series was intended to be a trilogy at first, this being the third and final book. It shows - but the events here lead up perfectly to the fourth novel. In it, Nita Callahan's bratty but highly intelligent sister Dairine takes the Wizard's Oath without realising what she's getting into and, with a software version of the wizard's manual, finds herself on a journey into deep space - with the Lone Power itself chasing her. As Nita faces up to many changes in her life, she and Kit follow her to a strange planet where an alien intelligence, locked in a planetary computer chip, has been waiting indefinitely for a sentient being to wake it up. Dairine, of course, has never baulked at anything but when she gives the motherboard access to wizardry, the story rises to a stunning climax with a totally unexpected twist. You may think it's unbelieveable, but remember the youngest wizards have the most power . . . A brilliantly constructed piece of storytelling, thoroughly enjoyable - all the more so when you discover there is a fourth book in the series.
Rating: Summary: High Wizardry Review: This book is really great! How Dairine got the computer talking was weird and how she went to Mars! She got on a big computer chip, and got a weird friend with fourteen legs. I think this book is cool and a bit weird.
Rating: Summary: good, but dribbles off Review: this book starts out ok but goes down to a terrible end. A Wizard Abroad is much better, along with Deep Wizardry and So you want to be a Wizard. A weak spot in a strong Series, I tells how Nita's annoying sister,a wizard wannabe, goes through her ordeal...
Rating: Summary: Frightful Review: This book. What can I say? If the theology/morality wasn't so pointless, affectated and plain ridiculous (more on that in a second), it would still be a crime against humanity on the part of the publishers. The writing style is banal, flat and unimaginative, the characterisation is poorly thought out and unbelievable (Dairine suddenly transforms into a different person halfway through the book, and the parrot/goddess...don't get me started. Nita and Kit are as they always were, in their ways and in their relations with each other, and the Lone Power, unbelievably, goes through a completely ludicrous character change.) Also, it has a falsely sentimental overtone, the jokes are childish and- well, it just ... all round. About the theology. It's just rehashed Judeo-Christian philosophy with a little boring physics and calculus thrown in. Pu-lease. In short, just read something else.
Rating: Summary: Duane's besst book so far! Review: This is a great book to introduce you to Duane's work. Whatever you do, make sure that you at least read the first book, So You Want to Be a Wizard. It is a very entertaining book and is very exciting!
Rating: Summary: The kid-wizards are at it again! Review: This is the third book in Diane Duane's Wizard series about Nita and Kit, the two kid-wizards. This is a very interesting fantasy book. It has interesting theories about what other worlds are like. The story never really ends, which makes me want to read more of these books.
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