Specifically So You Want to be a Wizard? and Deep Wizardry.

I am lumping these two together because although Deep Wizardry is my favorite, it is the second book in the series.

When I first read these books, I was probably about 12, and loved unicorns, whales, magic and rainbows. A book titled So You Want to Be A Wizard? practically leapt off the shelf at me. I wished my copy was like the one 13-year-old Nita finds, tucked away on a shelf of her own library: a manual teaching her how to become a Wizard. Soon Nita and fellow young wizard Kit are racing around New York, casting spells and fighting the the Lone Power, source of the entropy that is destroying the universe.

One of my favorite things about these books is the wizardry itself. It’s not just flashes and smoke and waving your hands. When Kit and Nita teleport to the moon, they have to calculate how much air to bring (and they even use the formula for the volume of a cylinder). When they create spells they have to be precise. Scientific, even. And it’s also all about words, relying on the Speech, a magical language that allows things to be described so accurately it can be used to affect the world around you.

The other thing I love about these books is the seriousness of Kit and Nita’s work. They take on a big responsibility in becoming wizards, and it has consequences. It’s not just a fun rollick. There are risks, and there are sacrifices, especially in the second book, Deep Wizardry, which tells how Nita and Kit assist a group of whale wizards in performing an ancient ritual to prevent an undersea event that could devastate both land and sea. Deep Wizardry also introduces one of my favorite fictional characters, the Master Shark Ed, a remorseless but drily witty killer who is yet still part of the pattern.

Plus, there’s the Trancendental Pig. I love the Trancendental Pig. Though he doesn’t show up until book #5. Because yes, the series does continue, and as far as I can tell there are more still on the way. They’ve got aliens, Irish folklore, dogs, parrots, loss, love, redemption, adventure, and artificial intelligences.

“Sweetheart,” Carl said, “if you’re in this world for comfort, you’ve come to the wrong place… whether you’re a wizard or just plain mortal. And if you’re doing what you’re doing because of the way other people will feel about it– you’re definitely in the wrong business. What you do has to be done because of how you’ll feel about you [...] There are no other rewards… if only because no matter what you do, no one will ever think the things about you that you want them to think.”

~from Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane

Edited to add: Checkout the official website for more!

It may come as no surprise that I love books. As a kid, very little could compare to getting a brand new wonderful book for my birthday or Christmas. Of all my childhood keepsakes, my favorite books are among the most precious. Books have always been magical to me, and places where books live have always been special places. Even now I always carry a book in my purse, like a sort of security blanket and proof against boredom while waiting in line if I’m out running errands. And I still get a thrill of excitement whenever I step into a bookstore.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how the faltering economy has impacted the publishing industry. I won’t repeat that here, but I will direct you to an interesting posting on the topic. And I will encourage you to consider buying books as gifts for this upcoming holiday season. Because I want there to keep being good books. Lots of books. Lots of choices.

In celebration of books, I am going to dedicate the month of December here in my little corner of blogdom to my own favorite childhood reads. I’ve drawn up a list of 31 books I loved (and still love), from picture-books to big fat novels, and I will try to cover them all over the next few weeks. I’d love to hear about other people’s childhood (or more recent!) favorites too, so please feel free to comment!