High Wizardry (1990)

Well, I enjoyed this book more than the last one - and the younger sister Dairine's storyline just took a quantum leap (pun intended). I'll probably go on with this series eventually but for now I think I'll read some other things. ( )

see http://www.sfsite.com/09b/yw112.htm ( )

Nita's little sister Dairine becomes a wizard, copies the new family computer, and starts jumping around the Solar System, all in one day.

The story moves between Dairine testing her new powers and Kit and Nita chasing after her. Dairine was portrayed as a precocious brat in previous books, but now we get to see deeper into her character and also (as usual) meet exciting new characters as well.

This is the first of the New Millennium Editions that I actually found somewhat better than the original. The updated technology and a few dialogue tweaks really help the story flow.

This is the one where Dairine, Nina's kid sister, becomes a wizard and goes tearing off round the galaxy. It has some wonderful, wonderful moments - when Dairine thinks she is being so clever, but is actually talking to the alien's luggage, the creation of sentience and life on the silicone planet, and the final battle. ( )

This third installment in Duane's Young Wizards series was, I have to say, not quite as enjoyable for me as the first two. I think that a lot of what distanced from me from the novel is that, for the first time, this one felt dated. The story was, I am sure, cutting edge for the early 1990s and is chock-full of pop culture and computer/technology references... and that is the problem. Instead of being absorbed into universal themes as in the previous books, the reader is frequently jarred by the outmoded computer details. Not enough time has passed to make such details quaint or "period", so the effect isn't great.

In addition, instead of focusing on Nita and Kit, our two young magical heroes from the first books, this volume adds Nita's younger sister Dairine in a major way. Dairine is a little more difficult to relate to, and becomes even more so as the book progresses, but I don't wish to give anything away, so I will skip the details.

Even with these issues, this is still a fun novel and one that is definitely worth reading to the end; it is in the last quarter of the book that Duane's usual rich, universal themes finally come into play in a major way and some interesting things happen in that eternal battle between... well, you know.

So, while not the best of the series, in my opinion, High Wizardry is still a pleasant read.