Young Wizards
Encyclopedia
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
of novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s by Diane Duane
Diane Duane
Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...
.
The Young Wizards series presently consists of nine books, with a tenth in progress, focusing on the adventures of two young wizards named Nita and Kit. Each novel pits Nita and Kit against the "Lone Power", an entity ultimately bent on the destruction of the entire universe. The series began in 1983 with the book So You Want to Be a Wizard
So You Want to Be a Wizard
So You Want To Be a Wizard is the first book in the Young Wizards series currently consisting of nine books by Diane Duane. It was written in 1982 and published in the next year.-Plot introduction:...
, which told the story of their first experiences with wizardry. In 1997, Duane began a spin-off, the Feline Wizards series, that takes place in the same universe, but with different protagonists.
This series incorporates elements of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. The series deals with issues such as death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
, and redemption.
The Powers That Be
The series shows the influence of many religious and mythological tropes from around the world, and the traits of traditional angels and various gods or heroes of ancient mythology are united in semi-divine, demiurgicDemiurge
The demiurge is a concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe. The term was subsequently adopted by the Gnostics...
beings referred to as the Powers that Be. The Powers exist outside of mortal time, capable of manifesting themselves anywhere in the universe, at any point in time. They were created by a being known only as "the One" (the source of all energy, wizardry, and creative forces in all of the universes) and are portrayed as Its active assistants in the business of creating and maintaining the universe.
During the process of Creation, one of the Powers that Be—originally described as the greatest and most glorious of Powers, second only to the One—went apart from the others and invented the "gift" of death (often referred to in the series under the blanket term of entropy
Entropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
), turning it loose in the universe and thus corrupting or subverting much work done by the other Powers. This rebellious (or at least extremely self-willed) being became known as the Lone Power, and as a result of Its destructive behavior was cast out of the creative order by the One. It has since manifested in many avatar
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
s or alternate forms throughout the universe. Its incarnations roam the multiverse, seeking new species to trick into accepting Its "gift". When a species becomes sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
, a process called "The Choice" begins, during which the Lone Power appears and offers the species the opportunity to support a lifestyle or course of action which may seem tempting but ultimately serves entropy (not coincidentally, the Lone Power is often compared to, or even equated to, The Devil). However, the species also has the opportunity to reject the offered "gift" and choose to fight against entropic behavior—but that does not mean that the species has necessarily chosen to fight against pain, death, and evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
. The Lone Power is conniving and devious, so to make the right Choice is difficult. Rejecting the Choice outright can sometimes lead to suffering for the entire species.
Humanity's Choice appears to have ties to the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story of creation involving Adam and Eve eating the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, with the Lone Power being "behind" the purported actions of the serpent.
When involved in a Choice, the Lone Power tends to work subtly, controlling minds or events to result in its "gift" being accepted. It sometimes appears physically when becoming involved in the Choice process, though almost always in some kind of disguise
Disguise
A disguise can be anything which conceals or changes a person's physical appearance, including a wig, glasses, makeup, costume or other ways. Camouflage is one type of disguise for people, animals and objects...
.
One of the central themes of the series, however, is the idea that the Lone Power truly wants to return to the light, and in some senses already has (after the third book, "High Wizardry", the Lone Power is reconciled with the other Powers, but because the Powers exist outside of time, it does not mean that they will never have to fight the Lone Power again).
Wizardry
To combat the Lone Power, the One created wizards. Wizards manifest their power through The SpeechThe Speech
The Speech is an idealized language found throughout modern fantasy/science fiction. It is considered a central language, the root of all tongues, and in some cases the true describing words that made the universe...
, which allows them to describe the desired effects of the wizardry exactly. "It is the language of the Universe", Non-wizards can learn the speech, but cannot effect change using it.
The Powers that Be choose individuals who have the potential to become wizards. The selection is often motivated by the need for a particular individual to solve a particular problem. Once a person has been offered the opportunity to become a wizard, if he or she decides to accept it, that person will be offered the "Wizard's Oath" -- a pledge to fight entropy wherever it may be found.
If the potential wizard takes the Oath, the event is immediately followed by an Ordeal -- a period during which the wizard may combat the Lone Power directly, or perform some other difficult task. The Ordeal is typically when a Wizard is at the peak of his or her power. The younger they are when they take the Oath the more power they will possess, (and the greater their Ordeal will be). They will slowly lose power as they get older. Not all Ordeals are successful however, and the result of being unprepared or careless during Ordeal is often death. Or it could be successfully and they give their life to stop the Lone Power, saving a species or planet. (Ordeals are said to account for a certain percentage of what the real world perceives as "missing children".)
Every wizard has access to the Wizard's Manual, a book written in the Speech that gives the reader as much information about the business of wizardry and spells as he or she requires or is capable of handling. The Manual can take many forms and is often tailored to the race and personality of the wizard in question. Water-dwelling wizards, such as dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s and whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s, use the Sea itself as their Manual, drawing answers for their questions out of the songs of the ocean, aka the "Heart of the Sea". Cat wizards have a similar method of accessing the Manual called "The Whispering". Human wizards tend to use books as the Manual, although some hear voices like the cats and whales, and Irish wizards memorize the information. Recent advances in technology have allowed some wizards to use digital versions of the Manual, such as laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s and, more recently, iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
variations (called WizPods).
Nita
Juanita "Nita" Louise Callahan begins the series in junior high school as a typical "book-nerd" who is often bullied by stronger girls. As the series goes on, she deals with such issues as parents, romance, death, and social bullying. She lives at home with her parents and her genius kid sister Dairine. She is sometimes called "Neets." She loves horse books and listens to Journey (band)Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
according to High Wizardry. Relating to wizardry, her specialty initially seems to be the art of dealing with plants and the living world (sometimes referred to as organic wizardry), but later on shifts more toward wizardly theory and manipulation of kernels - cores of energy found at the center of every person, planet and universe that act as replicable centers for major wizardries. Recent events have suggested that Nita may be switching specialties again, this time into precognition and oracular dreaming.
The third book, High Wizardry briefly deals with the possibility that Nita and Kit have feelings for each other. In the 9th installment,(A Wizard of Mars), Nita admits that she may be jealous of a female alien that Kit seems to be attracted to. Later in the heat of the moment, while fighting with the alien princess, she calls Kit her "boyfriend", though she and Kit are not officially "together" until the end of the novel.
Nita had a brief relationship with the Irish wizard Ronan in A Wizard Abroad, although when he reappears in Wizards at War, there isn't any sort of tension.
Kit
Christopher "Kit" R. Rodriguez also starts the series in junior high school, dealing with the issue of becoming a responsible adult. Despite being one year younger than Nita, Kit is usually the more mature member of the pair. Kit is in Nita's grade in school, having skipped a grade. His birthday is September 25. In the first book, he often gets teased because of his Spanish accent and his height, but after their Ordeal, matters improve. Kit also lives at his home in Nita's neighborhood with his parents, his older sister Carmela, and his dog Ponch. The oldest child in his family, Helena, lives at college. Kit is skilled with mechanical objects and sometimes, through Ponch, he is skilled in 'scent'. Kit found his Manual in a used bookstore in NYC.In A Wizard of Mars, Kit admits to himself that he is attracted to Nita, and that he may have never pursued his feelings because he was afraid of going beyond their friendship. This occurs after he finds himself strangely attracted to the Martian princess Aurilelde, who reminds Kit slightly of Nita when he meets her. His affection for the alien is extinguished when he finds out about Aurilelde's ill intentions but finds out that Aurilelde is actually a counterpart of Nita.
Dairine
Dairine "Dair" E. Callahan is a brainy child, wise beyond her years. She is known for being obsessed with all things Star Wars and wants to be a Jedi. Although she is three years younger than Nita, she cannot stand it if Nita knows anything that she does not. She figures out that Nita has odd powers, finds out about wizardry, and in High WizardryHigh Wizardry
High Wizardry is the third novel of the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It was published in 1990.-Plot introduction:In this book, Dairine becomes a wizard and much more of a major character than a supporting one in this novel, since the plot revolves around her Ordeal.-Plot summary:When...
becomes a wizard herself, enormously powerful and prematurely skilled, though, as with all wizards, her sheer power diminishes with time. Her Ordeal is a pivotal moment in the history of the universe, as she not only temporarily becomes the Manual, but helps to redeem the Lone Power. Dairine's skill comes through computers, and she is mentally connected to a race of silicon beings and their sentient planet. She calls her computer (which is also her Manual) Spot. There is speculation that she has romantic feelings for Roshaun.
The Lone Power
The Lone Power is the chief antagonist of the series, and appears in various avatars and/or as Itself in each book. He is named as, "the Witherer, the Kindler of Wildfires, the one who decreed darkness, the Starsnuffer," (So You Want to Be a Wizard-238). A renegade Power who attempts to increase entropy, wizards exist in order to fight Its influence, with varying degrees of success. Addressed formally as "Fairest and Fallen", The Lone Power used to be one of the 'good' PTB, but his actions were regarded as 'evil' and he fell from grace.Throughout the series, The Lone Power, as a result of Its actions, deeds, and history, is often
equated to the Devil, an evil entity in most monotheistic religions. For example, in the second book of the series, Nita is asked if she attained her wizardry through a Deal with the Devil
Deal with the Devil
Deal With The Devil is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lizzy Borden released in 2000 .A return to form, featuring a cover by Todd McFarlane.2 covers were recorded...
, to which she responds "Kit and I are the last people that One wants anything to do with"
Tom & Carl
Tom B. Swale and Carl J. Romeo are Senior Wizards who appear in each book. Originally introduced as local Advisories, they are promoted to Senior between the events of the first and second novels. They live together in the same suburb as Nita, Kit and Dairine, and generally appear in order to advise or to correct them. Tom is a writer of spells and fiction, while Carl sells commercial airtime in television. His wizardly specialisation appears to be in time and its manipulation. Tom and Carl are wise, tolerant, and funny; Nita frequently refers to them as examples of adult wizardry.Ronan
Ronan Nolan, Jr is a wizard who Nita meets during the events of A Wizard AbroadA Wizard Abroad
A Wizard Abroad is the fourth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to High Wizardry.- Synopsis :Nita and Kit's parents have never been fully behind their children's practices and in this book Nita's parents reveal that they are sending her to live with her aunt in...
. His body is the host of the One's Champion and he also possesses the Spear Luin (Spear of Light), making him extremely magically powerful until the One's Champion has to leave him in Wizards at War
Wizards at War
Wizards at War is the eighth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane.In this book, for the first time in a millennia, the wizards would have to go to war...-Plot summary:...
. He is one of the main characters in Wizards at War and is Nita's love interest in A Wizard Abroad. On his Ordeal he 'took the sea in', briefly controlling an entire portion of the ocean, essentially becoming it. In "Wizards at War", he becomes a love interest of Kit's sister, Carmela, a theme that continues in "A Wizard of Mars".
Eventually the tension between Nita and him decreases after Nita says that Carmela is "all his" in "Wizards at War".
Darryl
Darryl McAllister is introduced in A Wizard AloneA Wizard Alone
A Wizard Alone is the sixth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to The Wizard's Dilemma.-Plot summary:After the events of The Wizard's Dilemma Nita is depressed. She has also been having some strange dreams concerning a lone character refusing any help. She has some...
and appears briefly in Wizards at War. In Alone, Kit is sent to help Darryl in his Ordeal. He soon learns that Darryl is autistic and that his Ordeal is being deliberately sabotaged by the Lone Power. Utilizing Ponch's ability to "walk" through universes, Kit enters Darryl's mind to assist him in the Ordeal, but overexposure causes Kit to exhibit antisocial tendencies and mood swings picked up from Darryl himself. Nita, however, discovers that Darryl is an Abdal - a figure of tremendous power and a conduit for goodness from the One - and that he is actually tricking the Lone One, making him think that he's in control so that Darryl can trap him in a self-created universe and never again let him out. Nita and Kit put a stop to the cycle by reaching out to Darryl together, who swears to the Lone One that he will remain in the universe if the Lone One returns to it someday, and then circumvents the Ordeal by taking advantage of his Abdal ability to be in two places at once. Using this ability, he then splits his autistic "self" and leaves it behind in the universe he created, so that the Lone Power is forever trapped there with the autistic Darryl. Though the Lone Power itself is not trapped, the manifestation targeting Darryl is forever locked away from the rest of the universes.
S'reee
S'reee is the whale wizard who acts as the Senior for Earth's oceans. She has a special relationship with Nita, who saves her life in Deep WizardryDeep Wizardry
Deep Wizardry is the second book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to So You Want to Be a Wizard.-Plot summary:...
. In DW she asks Nita and Kit for help performing the Song of the Twelve, a complex wizardly ritual. She is thrust into responsibility very young after the death of her mentor, but in later books she seems to be more confident with her duties. S'reee helps Kit implement a 'cleanup' wizardry to clean the waters surrounding Manhattan at the beginning of The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard's Dilemma is the fifth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to A Wizard Abroad.-Plot summary:...
. She appeared briefly in Wizards at War.In "A Wizard of Mars", during a talk with Nita, it was said that S'reee was dating another whale who is a food critic.
Roshaun
Roshaun ke Nelaid am Seriv am Teliuyve am Meseph am Veliz am Teriaunst am det Nuiiliat (sometimes am det Wellakhit) is a haughty humanoid alien prince from the planet Wellakh first featured in Wizard's HolidayWizard's Holiday
Wizard's Holiday is the seventh book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to A Wizard Alone.-Plot summary:When Nita's sister Dairine signs up for an intragalactic exchange program without permission, their local advisors transfer the mission to Nita and Kit. The destination...
and remains a prominent character until his disappearance in Wizards at War. He is one of the exchange students from the wizardly exchange program and his skills focus on stars. He has/had a "sort of friendship" with Dairine, though it is unclear what these feelings were, they seem to be of a romantic nature.
Sker'ret
Sker'ret is one of the exchange students in Wizard's Holiday. His species, the Rirhait, resemble giant metal centipedes and have physiologies that allow them to eat almost anything. Sker'ret is skilled with machinery and teleportation wizardry. He is one of the children of the Stationmaster of the Crossings on Rirhath B, and takes over the position for a time during the wizards' war.Filif
Filifermanhathrhumneits'elhhessaifnth or "Filif" is one of the exchange students in Wizard's Holiday. The program resulted in enormous culture shock, because Filif is not just an alien wizard. He is an alien wizard shaped like a Christmas tree, so learning about vegetarianism was like being in a world full of cannibals.But culture clashes aside, Filif is a very personable sort of tree: curious, friendly, and very easy-going. He takes almost everything in stride and is eager to learn about human culture. His favorite discoveries so far are baseball hats and bright colors, even if his fashion sense is, to put it politely, nonexistent. He calls them "decorations" and prefers bright orange swim trunks and Victoria's Secret lingerie. He is very magically powerful and excels at writing new spells, as well as designing illusions.
Pralaya
Pralaya is a wizard from a different universe that Nita meets while experimenting with kernels in The Wizard's Dilemma. He bears much resemblance to that of an otterOtter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
, with the exception of two extra legs and antennae. Nita meets him while retrieving the kernel of a "practice universe" from a canal. Later in the story, he is possessed by the Lone Power and presents Nita with the deal to give up her powers in order to save her mother's life. When Nita tells Pralaya that It had been using his body, he is then killed by the Lone Power.
Harry Callahan
Harold Edward Callahan, Nita and Dairine's father. After his wife's death, he grows closer to his daughters and also to the world of wizardry, serving as a comforter and encourager to wizards who are going through a hard time, notably to Filif and Tom in Wizard's Holiday. Harry is a florist and landscape gardener; Nita believes she gets her talents with living things (especially plants) from him. Nita and Dairine inherited their magic powers from his side of the family.Betty Callahan
Nita and Dairine's late mother, and the focus of The Wizard's DilemmaThe Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard's Dilemma is the fifth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to A Wizard Abroad.-Plot summary:...
. A former professional ballerina, Betty passed on both her red hair and her natural grace to Dairine. She passes away sometime between 'The Wizard's Dilemma' and 'A Wizard Alone'.
Carmela Rodriguez
Kit's sister, who's older than he is by a couple of years. She bought a laser dissociator off the Mizarthu shopping network, which she uses to help Nita and Sker'ret defend The Crossings. She is in the process of learning The Speech, despite the fact that she's not a wizard. Once Carmela learns The Speech, she spends most of her time watching TV from across the galaxy, and talking to her new alien friends. She seems to have a talent for languages, as she was learning Japanese before taking up the study of The Speech, and presumably knows Spanish as well. She helps Dairine deal with the exchange wizards in Wizard's Holiday. In Wizards at War Carmela also manages to free the entire group when they are captured at a crucial moment. During A Wizard of Mars She assists in the translation of an ancient text found in an underground cavern on Mars.Mr. Millman
Robert Millman is the school therapist; he first appears in A Wizard AloneA Wizard Alone
A Wizard Alone is the sixth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to The Wizard's Dilemma.-Plot summary:After the events of The Wizard's Dilemma Nita is depressed. She has also been having some strange dreams concerning a lone character refusing any help. She has some...
to help Nita and, later, Dairine, with their mother's death. Although he is not himself a wizard, he knows of wizards and so recognizes Nita for what she is. Later, in Wizards at War, he helps by arranging for them to get time off from school.
Ponch
Poncho (Kit's black Labrador/Border Collie mix) is an average dog. More worried about food (and squirrels) than anything else, Ponch accompanies Kit and Nita on some of their adventures. As the series progresses it is obvious that something is different about Ponch; at the beginning of the series, he is featured as a minor character, mostly a source of canine comic relief, but further on his character is developed into more of a supporting role and partner to Kit. He starts to find and even create alternate universes (his favorite being a squirrel universe) and eventually becomes a canine Power, namely the canine version of the One, according to the Transcendent Pig. After this, Kit mourns his loss, only to have a stray dog come up to him and reveal that Ponch is inside all dogs now.Peach
Machu Picchu is an irascible scarlet macaw owned by Tom and Carl. Extremely grumpy and given to showing off, she can also tell the future: her advice saves Nita and Kit in all of the first three books. In High WizardryHigh Wizardry
High Wizardry is the third novel of the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It was published in 1990.-Plot introduction:In this book, Dairine becomes a wizard and much more of a major character than a supporting one in this novel, since the plot revolves around her Ordeal.-Plot summary:When...
she accompanies Nita and Kit to find Dairine, and they discover that Peach is actually an avatar of the Winged Defender, or One's Champion, one of the Powers that Be. Nita recognises Peach in Ronan in A Wizard Abroad
A Wizard Abroad
A Wizard Abroad is the fourth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to High Wizardry.- Synopsis :Nita and Kit's parents have never been fully behind their children's practices and in this book Nita's parents reveal that they are sending her to live with her aunt in...
.
Fred
Khairelikoblepharehglukumeilichephreidosd'enagouni, nicknamed Fred by Kit, is a white holeWhite hole
A white hole, in general relativity, is a hypothetical region of spacetime which cannot be entered from the outside, but from which matter and light may escape. In this sense it is the reverse of a black hole, which can be entered from the outside, but from which nothing, including light, may escape...
who features in So You Want to Be a Wizard
So You Want to Be a Wizard
So You Want To Be a Wizard is the first book in the Young Wizards series currently consisting of nine books by Diane Duane. It was written in 1982 and published in the next year.-Plot introduction:...
. He appears when Nita and Kit do a finding spell to try to retrieve Nita's space pen, and bears a message for Tom and Carl. Fred is the catalyst for Nita and Kit's Ordeal, starting them on a quest to find the Book of Night with Moon; he is comic in his appreciation of the delights of Earth and he becomes good friends with Nita and Kit. At the end of SYWTBAW, he sacrifices himself by converting his mass to light, relighting the moon and allowing Nita and Kit to save Manhattan from an incursion by the Lone Power.
Ed
ed'Rastekeresket t'k Gh'shestaesteh, the Master Shark and the Pale Slayer, appears in Deep WizardryDeep Wizardry
Deep Wizardry is the second book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to So You Want to Be a Wizard.-Plot summary:...
to play the appropriate role in the Song of the Twelve. He is the master of his species, a great white shark; throughout the book he is both aloof and threatening. Although he frightens Nita, they strike up an unusual friendship. His role in the song is to devour Nita, as the Silent One; however, at the end of the book, Ed sacrifices himself rather than let Nita die.
Transcendent Pig
Inspired by Chinese mythology, this is a being of mysterious origins, first mentioned in So You Want to Be a WizardSo You Want to Be a Wizard
So You Want To Be a Wizard is the first book in the Young Wizards series currently consisting of nine books by Diane Duane. It was written in 1982 and published in the next year.-Plot introduction:...
and first seen in The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard's Dilemma is the fifth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to A Wizard Abroad.-Plot summary:...
. He has been called Chao, but it is unclear if that is a personal name or merely an epithet, as Chao is a Chinese word for pig. The Pig is designated as being between mortals and the Powers That Be, more than a mortal but less than a Power. However, according to The One's Champion, not even the Powers That Be know where the Pig came from. The purpose the Pig serves is that it knows the meaning of life for an unexplained reason, but it does not just let anyone know. This makes it wizardly custom to immediately ask the Pig the meaning of life upon seeing it. He appears in "Wizards at War" also.
Spot
Spot is Dairine's sentient Apple computer, originally an Apple IIcApple IIc
The Apple IIc, the fourth model in the Apple II series of personal computers, was Apple Computer’s first endeavor to produce a portable computer. The end result was a notebook-sized version of the Apple II that could be transported from place to place...
variant, but later appearing to be a Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
PowerBook
PowerBook
The PowerBook was a line of Macintosh laptop computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and redesigns, often being the first to incorporate features that would later become...
, which also serves as her wizard's manual. He is shy around others, but (according to Dairine) is quite talkative in one-on-one conversations with her. He also has the power to upgrade himself, changing his platform and appearance as the series progresses to keep up with contemporary technology. After getting an upgrade from his siblings (Dairine's 'children'), he seems to develop a sense of the future.
Temporal setting
Time in the Young Wizard series does not progress in a straightforward manner, and in fact there is some disagreement among fans as to the chronology of events in the series. For example, in So You Want to Be a Wizard, Carmela is fifteen, Nita is thirteen, Kit twelve, and Dairine eleven. By Wizard's Holiday, they should have all aged two years, since two summer vacations (Deep Wizardry and A Wizard Abroad) have passed. However, Nita progresses only one grade from High Wizardry to The Wizard's Dilemma, which means that either Deep Wizardry and A Wizard Abroad take place in the same summer, or Nita and the other characters got held back in school. Also, in A Wizard Alone Nita mentions that she has "a couple of years' more of experience" at wizardry than Dairine, which would imply that Nita had already been a wizard for two years before Dairine took her Oath. In Wizard's Holiday, Dairine says she and Spot have been "working together" for a couple years. Wizards at War puts Nita's age at fourteen. In High Wizardry, Dairine is eleven. In the latest book, A Wizard of Mars, Dairine's dad says about her, "She's only eleven!"The books, however, are always set in the year of publication. Few dates are ever given, but Deep Wizardry explicitly says that the events occur in 1985 while High Wizardry, set two months later, gives the eleven-year-old Dairine a 1978 birthdate. The discrepancy in time is particularly noticeable when it comes to computers; in High Wizardry Nita's family obtains a brand new "Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
IIIc+," apparently modelled on the Apple IIc+ of 1988, while less than a year or two later in Wizard's Holiday Dairine's computer Spot is apparently imitating an Apple Titanium PowerBook
PowerBook
The PowerBook was a line of Macintosh laptop computers that was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1991 to 2006. During its lifetime, the PowerBook went through several major revisions and redesigns, often being the first to incorporate features that would later become...
.
Even more obviously, in the 2005 podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
version of the 1986 short story "Uptown Local," Duane changes a line so that one minor character is using an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, and in Wizards at War a fellow wizard shows off his specialized manual known as a WizPod. In the same book, Nita thinks about the Manhattan skyline when someone refers to recent troubles, signifying that it takes place after 9/11. Also in "Wizards at War", the Lone Power refers to "a tower or two crumbling" in his gloating speech. The sliding scale is similar to those used in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films and Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
comics.
Young Wizards
A short story within the same universe, "Uptown Local", was originally published as part of Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
's Dragons and Dreams anthology; it has also been included in the 20th anniversary edition of So You Want to Be a Wizard and as part of an ebook, Uptown Local and Other Interventions.
On June 21, 2011, at midnight BST, Duane announced that the title of the tenth novel was Games Wizards Play, confirming earlier reports. It will involve a tournament called "The Invitational", where instead of the normal cooperation between wizards, they compete all-out for a year-long apprenticeship under Earth's "Planetary Wizard".
Feline wizards
Two other books are not strictly in the Young Wizards series, but take place in the same setting:- Book of Night With MoonBook of Night With MoonThe Book of Night With Moon is a 1997 fantasy novel by Diane Duane. Although set in the Young Wizards universe, it was written as an adult novel. It centers on a team of cat-wizards....
(1997) (US ISBN 0-340-69329-0, UK ISBN 0-340-69328-2) - To Visit the QueenTo Visit the QueenTo Visit the Queen is a fantasy steampunk novel by Diane Duane...
(1998) (ISBN 0-446-67318-8), published in the UK as On Her Majesty's Wizardly Service (ISBN 0-340-69330-4) - The Big Meow. (chapters one through seven published online; remainder projected)
Adult wizards
Short stories about adult wizards in the same setting.- "Theobroma", published in the anthology , edited by Martin H. GreenbergMartin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
and Loren L. ColemanLoren L. ColemanLoren L. Coleman is a science-fiction writer, known for having written many books for series such as Star Trek, Battletech/Mechwarrior, Age of Conan, Crimson Skies, Magic: The Gathering and others. Former member of the United States Navy, he has also written game fiction and source material for...
http://www.youngwizards.com/Theobroma
- Short Circuit (projected) http://www.crooty.com/author-text.php?dakey=192&name=Diane+Duane
External links
- YoungWizards.com - interactive website
- Author's Weblog
- Diane Duane's Bibliography
- Uptown Local and Other Interventions