On This Page
Description
During a summer vacation at the beach, thirteen-year-old wizard Nita and her friend Kit assist the whale-wizard S'reee in combating an evil power.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
electronicmemory Both books are about young children who discover something supernatural within the ocean.
Member Reviews
This, the second book in Duane's So You Want to Be a Wizard series, was an excellent follow-up to its predecessor but a strong story all on its own as well. One of the (many) nice things about the series so far is that, though you should read them in order, each book feels very self-contained, and so the reader can comfortably proceed through the series without the ridiculous cliffhangers typical of 21st century YA literature. This particular volume feels even more self-contained, since it takes place within the space of a beach vacation and mostly underwater. In fact, that more distant setting is part of the charm of the book -- Duane characterizes the deep and its denizens in wonderful detail, using the quirks of particular species of show more ocean life to flesh out non-human characters in realistic fashion.
The non-human characters are not only part of the fun, but also the foundation of both plot and metaphor in the book. Our series heroes, Nita and Kit, the young wizards we met in the first installment, are called to save the world again but must transform into whales in order to participate in the underwater quest. The way that these two humans begin to understand the nature of different species -- and the very idea that everything has its own nature and should not be forced into our personified or anthro-centric ideas of how animals are -- combined with the characterization of the non-human characters I mentioned a moment ago, creates a rich meaning in the novel that promotes ecological awareness and broader tolerance as well. And yet, there is not a moment in the book where the reader feels preached at. Certainly there are environmental messages -- strongest in the moments where Duane describes the foul state of the waters off Manhattan and the anger of certain hunted whale species toward human beings (remember, this series was written in the 1980's, before certain endangered species protections were in place) -- but they are a natural part of the novel's descriptions and very rarely feel unnecessary or overemphasized.
In fact, by the end of this intense and marvelously drawn adventure, the reader is so genuinely invested in the non-human characters that it feels almost impossible not to care about the ocean and its inhabitants in the real world. I cared already, but I suspect this novel could seriously nurture many a budding marine biologist. There is genuine connection and strong emotional context here between all characters, human and non-human alike, and that seems to be a hallmark of Duane's writing. We can relate to these characters, all of them, from the curious city kid to the angry mother sperm whale. That alone would make this book worth reading, but there is much more. So, read it. Better yet, give it to a young person who thinks whales and wizards might be interesting. Good things will happen. show less
The non-human characters are not only part of the fun, but also the foundation of both plot and metaphor in the book. Our series heroes, Nita and Kit, the young wizards we met in the first installment, are called to save the world again but must transform into whales in order to participate in the underwater quest. The way that these two humans begin to understand the nature of different species -- and the very idea that everything has its own nature and should not be forced into our personified or anthro-centric ideas of how animals are -- combined with the characterization of the non-human characters I mentioned a moment ago, creates a rich meaning in the novel that promotes ecological awareness and broader tolerance as well. And yet, there is not a moment in the book where the reader feels preached at. Certainly there are environmental messages -- strongest in the moments where Duane describes the foul state of the waters off Manhattan and the anger of certain hunted whale species toward human beings (remember, this series was written in the 1980's, before certain endangered species protections were in place) -- but they are a natural part of the novel's descriptions and very rarely feel unnecessary or overemphasized.
In fact, by the end of this intense and marvelously drawn adventure, the reader is so genuinely invested in the non-human characters that it feels almost impossible not to care about the ocean and its inhabitants in the real world. I cared already, but I suspect this novel could seriously nurture many a budding marine biologist. There is genuine connection and strong emotional context here between all characters, human and non-human alike, and that seems to be a hallmark of Duane's writing. We can relate to these characters, all of them, from the curious city kid to the angry mother sperm whale. That alone would make this book worth reading, but there is much more. So, read it. Better yet, give it to a young person who thinks whales and wizards might be interesting. Good things will happen. show less
Magnificent, as usual. I tried to stall in the middle, but had to see what would happen (yes, I remember how it ends. Just not how that ending is expressed). I was crying all through the Fearsong chapter, when Nita makes her choice. There's a lot of deep thought in here, and people learning what they're really capable of; choices made and held to; oaths kept and broken. This is not my favorite Young Wizards story, because it hurts too much, but it's possibly the richest and strongest one. I didn't notice any changes for the New Millennium Edition - oh, yeah, a couple references to poor cell reception.
While I regretted last time around that I had not encountered Diane Duane's Young Wizards books when I was a young'un, this time around I'm pretty glad I didn't, because if I'd come across Deep Wizardry when I was the age of its two young protagonists, I would have required extensive therapy afterward. Look, I'm not going to get into this much, but man, I could have used a trigger warning because
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS.
I'm having trouble breathing after just having typed those words.*
Fortunately, I'm a grown up now, and have evolved and developed coping techniques for dealing with scenes like the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
and am thus somewhat capable of admiring that scene for the majestic and badass bit of action writing that it show more is. Somewhat. I'm still very glad I put this book down to sleep last night well before the advent of the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
or I wouldn't have slept at all and would probably have to be hauled off to a mental ward like one of H.P. Lovecraft's less strongly-constituted wus-heroes.
All that aside, Deep Wizardry is a remarkably wise, thoughtful and lovely book. We start up not long after Nita and Kit saved the world from the "Lone Power" in So You Want to be a Wizard, with Nita's family (and Kit along for good measure) vacationing on the beach and Nita and Kit exploring the delights of ocean swimming along with their budding powers and responsibilities. Soon it's those responsibilities -- as I observed last time around, Duane's version of magic has a heavy ethical/ecological bent and literally preserves the world -- that come crashing to the fore like a tidal wave when the duo meet up with a badly injured humpback whale, who turns out to be a young wizard herself, and who has just lost her mentor at the worst possible time.
Soon Nita and Kit are drawn into an awesome round of ritual and rite of passage upon which the fate of the eastern seaboard depends -- the Lone Power they defeated and sealed off last time around is always finding new and old ways to attack the fragile living cosmos these kids and their kind are sworn to defend and preserve -- and into a frame of reference that is startling in its maturity, as they have to spend much of the novel contemplating death quite seriously and personally.
Adding to the shivery archetypal dread of this story is the magnificent giant white "Master-shark" (as in the biggest Great White Shark that ever lived, so old -- possibly thousands of years old -- and vast that he is actually all white, like a deadly ghost slicing through the water), Ed** (short for Ed'Rashtekaresket), who pretty much steals the novel. Ed is a giant slab of uncanny, inhuman awesome, utterly believable as both shark and sentient, at home in his role as the "ender of distress" and full of bleak, harsh and yet still oddly compassionate wisdom in his dealings with Nita and Kit, who assume the forms of a humpback and a sperm whale, respectively, for their dealings in the deep. And while they might therefore be a little bigger than Ed, his lordly, dreadful power keeps them and us in awe through their every dealing with him.
Really, were I at all a reasonable person, I'd be much more afraid of Ed than of the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
but anyone who knows me or even just reads my blog at all often probably already knows that if there is one thing I am not, it's a reasonable person. As it is, well, Ed versus the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
is one of the most thrilling and seat-wetting passages I've ever encountered in literature. Holy crap, you guys?
And but so, Duane has published seven more of these Young Wizards books to date, and another one is due later this year. Could she ever possibly top this? Or even come close to hitting its (pardon me) high water mark? I dunno. But I'm ready to find out.
After some milk and cookies and soothing music to cure me of my lingering horrors from the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
and the after-effects of some truly tragic content as well.
Deep and powerful stuff.
*My greatest childhood phobia was that a giant squid was under my bed and gonna attack me from the watery ocean depths that were also under my bed and yes I knew at the time this was quite impossible given that said bed was some 6000 feet above sea level not far from the Continental Divide but that's what phobias are, you guys. They're as powerful as they are irrational. show less
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS.
I'm having trouble breathing after just having typed those words.*
Fortunately, I'm a grown up now, and have evolved and developed coping techniques for dealing with scenes like the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
and am thus somewhat capable of admiring that scene for the majestic and badass bit of action writing that it show more is. Somewhat. I'm still very glad I put this book down to sleep last night well before the advent of the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
or I wouldn't have slept at all and would probably have to be hauled off to a mental ward like one of H.P. Lovecraft's less strongly-constituted wus-heroes.
All that aside, Deep Wizardry is a remarkably wise, thoughtful and lovely book. We start up not long after Nita and Kit saved the world from the "Lone Power" in So You Want to be a Wizard, with Nita's family (and Kit along for good measure) vacationing on the beach and Nita and Kit exploring the delights of ocean swimming along with their budding powers and responsibilities. Soon it's those responsibilities -- as I observed last time around, Duane's version of magic has a heavy ethical/ecological bent and literally preserves the world -- that come crashing to the fore like a tidal wave when the duo meet up with a badly injured humpback whale, who turns out to be a young wizard herself, and who has just lost her mentor at the worst possible time.
Soon Nita and Kit are drawn into an awesome round of ritual and rite of passage upon which the fate of the eastern seaboard depends -- the Lone Power they defeated and sealed off last time around is always finding new and old ways to attack the fragile living cosmos these kids and their kind are sworn to defend and preserve -- and into a frame of reference that is startling in its maturity, as they have to spend much of the novel contemplating death quite seriously and personally.
Adding to the shivery archetypal dread of this story is the magnificent giant white "Master-shark" (as in the biggest Great White Shark that ever lived, so old -- possibly thousands of years old -- and vast that he is actually all white, like a deadly ghost slicing through the water), Ed** (short for Ed'Rashtekaresket), who pretty much steals the novel. Ed is a giant slab of uncanny, inhuman awesome, utterly believable as both shark and sentient, at home in his role as the "ender of distress" and full of bleak, harsh and yet still oddly compassionate wisdom in his dealings with Nita and Kit, who assume the forms of a humpback and a sperm whale, respectively, for their dealings in the deep. And while they might therefore be a little bigger than Ed, his lordly, dreadful power keeps them and us in awe through their every dealing with him.
Really, were I at all a reasonable person, I'd be much more afraid of Ed than of the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
but anyone who knows me or even just reads my blog at all often probably already knows that if there is one thing I am not, it's a reasonable person. As it is, well, Ed versus the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
is one of the most thrilling and seat-wetting passages I've ever encountered in literature. Holy crap, you guys?
And but so, Duane has published seven more of these Young Wizards books to date, and another one is due later this year. Could she ever possibly top this? Or even come close to hitting its (pardon me) high water mark? I dunno. But I'm ready to find out.
After some milk and cookies and soothing music to cure me of my lingering horrors from the
GIANT SQUID ATTACKS YOU GUYS
and the after-effects of some truly tragic content as well.
Deep and powerful stuff.
*My greatest childhood phobia was that a giant squid was under my bed and gonna attack me from the watery ocean depths that were also under my bed and yes I knew at the time this was quite impossible given that said bed was some 6000 feet above sea level not far from the Continental Divide but that's what phobias are, you guys. They're as powerful as they are irrational. show less
(Second of 10: Young Wizards series / second of 12: Wizardry series. Fantasy, YA)
(Re-read.)
After the earth-shaking events of the summer, when Nita and her fellow wizard, Kit, saved the world, they're taking a well-earned break in the Hamptons with her family. But as the most recent and therefore most powerful of wizards, their help is needed again; the Lone Power is making trouble for the Sea People and needs to be bound again in this place and time. But to do that, Nita and Kit will need to shape change into whales. Her parents don't even know they're wizards; how is she going to explain that to them ?
Nicely written. I love the way it incorporates environment, ecology, entropy; all things that should concern young people today.The show more supporting cast - though they are whales and other denizens of the deep - are well characterised. The action sequences are written well, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Duane builds the tension and maintains that touch of darkness, as her characters face genuine danger and sacrifice.
(And - on a personal note - I love Ed'Rashekaresket)
5 stars show less
(Re-read.)
After the earth-shaking events of the summer, when Nita and her fellow wizard, Kit, saved the world, they're taking a well-earned break in the Hamptons with her family. But as the most recent and therefore most powerful of wizards, their help is needed again; the Lone Power is making trouble for the Sea People and needs to be bound again in this place and time. But to do that, Nita and Kit will need to shape change into whales. Her parents don't even know they're wizards; how is she going to explain that to them ?
Nicely written. I love the way it incorporates environment, ecology, entropy; all things that should concern young people today.The show more supporting cast - though they are whales and other denizens of the deep - are well characterised. The action sequences are written well, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Duane builds the tension and maintains that touch of darkness, as her characters face genuine danger and sacrifice.
(And - on a personal note - I love Ed'Rashekaresket)
5 stars show less
I would have given this book five stars for a highly original setting and scientific yet meaningful magic system, but for three major flaws. The forced rhymes of the whales' songs made them sound like a sanctimonious human choir. The master shark's behavior towards Nita was quite literally predatory, and he was portrayed too sympathetically, in my opinion. Also the ubiquitous victimized villain trope, but that's another essay.
This is actually my second time reading this book through but I don't remember the first much at all. So You Want to Be a Wizard was one of my favorite books of all time as a kid, and I know much of the plot by heart from reading it so many times, but I really was completely unaware that she had continued writing books with those characters for most of that time, so I never spent as much time with the rest of the series (I actually don't think I ever read past the third one, tbh).
I thought this book was generally a good addition to the series. It showcases the second time that Nita and Kit fight against the Lone Power, and the added lore that was brought into this story via the exploration of the culture of whale wizards was show more interesting. I thought it fit fairly seamlessly with what knowledge about wizardry we already knew existed.
However, a few minor things about this book annoyed me. First of all, I was disappointed almost instantly with the fact that the story doesn't pick up right where SYWTBAW left off. As someone who forgot most everything that happened in this second story, I had been looking forward to a novel where, once finished with their Ordeal, the two protagonists slowly became more acclimated to their powers. Instead, the story flashes forward to a time a few months later when they are already fairly comfortable with wizardry. I thought this was a missed opportunity to build up the wizard experience for the reader as well as to flesh out Nita and Kit's day-to-day relationship. For example, some aspects of that relationship that seemed fairly important (Nita developing feelings for Kit or worrying about his fluctuating temper, for example) were told when they could have instead been shown.
I also thought the plot twist that happens about midway through the book where Nita learns that she has accidentally agreed to die was super predictable. Admittedly, I might have been subconsciously remembering it from my first read through, but I doubt it. I didn't quite predict the ending, though, so that's a plus.
Overall, while the story didn't quite live up to the awesomeness of the original, I enjoyed it and will continue on with the series from here. show less
I thought this book was generally a good addition to the series. It showcases the second time that Nita and Kit fight against the Lone Power, and the added lore that was brought into this story via the exploration of the culture of whale wizards was show more interesting. I thought it fit fairly seamlessly with what knowledge about wizardry we already knew existed.
However, a few minor things about this book annoyed me. First of all, I was disappointed almost instantly with the fact that the story doesn't pick up right where SYWTBAW left off. As someone who forgot most everything that happened in this second story, I had been looking forward to a novel where, once finished with their Ordeal, the two protagonists slowly became more acclimated to their powers. Instead, the story flashes forward to a time a few months later when they are already fairly comfortable with wizardry. I thought this was a missed opportunity to build up the wizard experience for the reader as well as to flesh out Nita and Kit's day-to-day relationship. For example, some aspects of that relationship that seemed fairly important
I also thought the plot twist that happens about midway through the book
Overall, while the story didn't quite live up to the awesomeness of the original, I enjoyed it and will continue on with the series from here. show less
Nita and Kit are on vacation with Nita's family when they meet up with some friendly local sea life just in time to participate in a large-scale wizardry set to save the whole east coast and North Atlantic.
Deep Wizardry may be my favorite book in the Young Wizards series. The story is heartbreaking, the additional characters are wonderful with surprising depths and the undersea setting has both beautiful descriptions and incredible dangers. The New Millennium Edition adds a bit of modern-day technology and updates some dialogue and pop-culture references, but the story is the same. As with the first book, I may not agree with all of the changes but I understand the reasons for most of them and hope they help the series attract new readers.
Deep Wizardry may be my favorite book in the Young Wizards series. The story is heartbreaking, the additional characters are wonderful with surprising depths and the undersea setting has both beautiful descriptions and incredible dangers. The New Millennium Edition adds a bit of modern-day technology and updates some dialogue and pop-culture references, but the story is the same. As with the first book, I may not agree with all of the changes but I understand the reasons for most of them and hope they help the series attract new readers.
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
water on the brain: maritime fiction
74 works; 18 members
Travel from real to fantasy world -- children's/young adult fiction
125 works; 11 members
Books Read in 2013
1,629 works; 51 members
Author Information
135+ Works 35,835 Members
Author Diane Duane was born in New York City on May 18, 1952, and grew up in Roosevelt, Long Island. She is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Duane studied nursing in college and became a psychiatric nurse. She began writing full time in 1980 and has published numerous novels, including several with her husband, Peter Morwood. She show more also writes screenplays, served as senior writer for the BBC-TV education series "Science Challenge," and writes scripts for CD-ROM computer games. Her "Young Wizards" series won a special commendation in the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize in Children's Literature, 2003. She currently lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Diane Duane is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Deep Wizardry
- Original title
- Deep Wizardry
- Original publication date
- 1985
- People/Characters
- Betty Callahan; Dairine Callahan; Harold Edward Callahan; Nita Callahan; Kit Rodriguez; the Lone One (show all 13); Macchu Picchu (Peach); Ponch; Carl Romeo; Tom Swale; Ed'Rashtekarestek (Ed); Hotshot (Swift Fire in the Water); S'reee
- Important places
- Atlantic Ocean; Atlantis; Long Island, New York, USA; New York, USA
- Important events
- Song of the Twelve
- Epigraph
- A pause! Lost ground!
-Yet not unavailing, for soon shall be found
What took three ages to subdue.
The hunters, on their guard,
Give sparingly and greatly, east and west:
Yet how shall only faithfulness prev... (show all)ail
Against the peril of the overarching deep?
-Trigram 63/ Chi Chi: Water Over Fire - Dedication
- For J. A. C.
re: redemption and fried zucchini
Once again,
to J.A.C.
re: redemption and fried zucchini;
and in memory
of the divine and irrepressible
Sam - First words
- Nita slipped out the back door of the beach house, careful not to let the rickety screen door slam, and for a second stood silently on the back porch in the darkness.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She agreed.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)…Okay, Kit said. Bring on the next job. - Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ7 .D84915 .D — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 2,509
- Popularity
- 7,615
- Reviews
- 44
- Rating
- (4.03)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 28
- ASINs
- 11