Hi

[destinys-brink.livejournal.com]

So I'm probably a little too old for these books, but...you know...I just find the books for "young adults" so much more interesting than most of the books written for folks around my age. I'm 21, in case you were wondering...and a big fan of all things fantasy and science fiction. I stumbled over the Young Wizards series in Waldens one day and noticed how they were written way back in 1983...seeing as how that is what I consider the best year ever, I had to have it...that and I was/am waiting for the next "Harry Potter" book to come out... But, I have to admit, it wasn't at all what I was expecting to read. I like the series a lot, and I think the Duane set the road work down for a lot of other writers to exploit the whole wizard thing.
One thing though, do you notice how the books evolved into 2002 and beyond...
In the early books, Nita's little sister is said to have been born in 1979...yet, in the later novels, Kit's sister is walking around with a cell phone while he argues with a DVD player and remote. I thought it was a little rough of a transition for Duane since she seems to be a rather fluid writer...did she think no one would notice?
Well...that's all the blabbering I'll do for now!

Comments

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

Actually, she's stated that she intentionally wrote the books in the "eternal present" -- the current book is always taking place around the time she's writing it, and she says that if Nita were ever to find out that she was fictional and her timeline was a little goofy, Nita would probably cope (and, if I'm remembering right, probably find it less freaky than some of the other things she's experienced).

[destinys-brink.livejournal.com]

oh...well I guess that works in its own quirky way :) Where is that response from her at...it be interesting to read further into. Thanx!

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

Um... I think she's probably said it elsewhere, but I think I'm remembering part of it from an afterword or something in a book... maybe the anniversary version of SYW with "Uptown Local" in it? I'm not sure.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's where it is. When I get home on Monday I'll see it I can hunt it down...

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

LOL.
That's such a DD thing to say.

[fiveforsilver]

These books seem pretty ageless to me. I've been reading them for at least 10 years (I reread books that I love multiple times), my sister - who's a few years older than I am - still reads them, and so on. And, even though I should "move on" to "higher literature", there are some young adult books that I like better than anything "adult" that I've read - this series, Tamora Pierce's Tortall series, and a few others.

[destinys-brink.livejournal.com]

Tortall? Whats that about? I'm always looking for new reads. :)

[conuly]

Tamora Pierce. Brilliant author. You should read her.

But you know who else you should read? Hilari Bell. She's so... gah. Can't describe. I'm in the middle of her Farsala trilogy right now, and as soon as I dig up "A Matter of Profit" I'll re-read that.

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

If you read Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, start with the earlier ones -- the Song of the Lioness is the first quartet. Not only does it begin what can be seen as one long story about an evolving society, it's better than the later ones.

[fiveforsilver]

That's a matter of opinion. Much as I love Song of the Lioness, her latest two books - Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen - are possibly my favorite even above those. I've heard all the arguments about how Mary-Sue Aly is (and I know it's true) but it somehow just doesn't matter.

It helps that reading them reminds me of watching Alias, one of my favorite tv shows.

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

I keep meeting people who love Alias... I haven't watched enough to know why, but a number of my schoolmates are hooked on it.

[fiveforsilver]

My whole family loves it, and two or three other people I know love it, too. I only know one person who's ever watched some of it and not started watching it religiously; everyone else either watches it or never has. It's a fun, fun show with fantastic characters. And it helps that many of the main characters are gorgeous, handsome, hot, attractive, and/or adorable (etc.) to various degrees :)

[conuly]

Let's be honest here. All of her protagonists are Sue-ish.

[fiveforsilver]

I don't deny it. But then, most are. It's not easy to write characters who aren't. That doesn't make me like her books any less.

[conuly]

Well, you said that the complaints were just that Aly is a bit of a Sue. Which is true (though I also love the books), but a bit of an unfair criticism, considering.

[fiveforsilver]

By Tamora Pierce. They're about the same level as the YW books, maybe some of them are slightly younger. Tortall is a medieval-type world where magic (of the old swords-and-sorcery variety) is prevelant. In the first book, Alanna: The First Adventure (brilliant title, I know; they get better :), Alanna switches places with her twin brother Thom. She was supposed to go somewhere to learn how to be a lady, but instead, Thom went there to learn to be a sorcerer, while Alanna dressed as a boy and took his place at the royal palace to become a knight.

The first quartet (Song of the Lioness) is about her becomming the first female knight in a century. The second related quartet (Immortals) is about a girl who has "wild magic" - can speak to animals, shape-shift, and so forth. The most recent books are about Alanna's daughter and her escapades as a spy.

I don't know how well I explained them...I'm not very good at summaries. But they're fun, exciting books that I've enjoyed at least as long as the YW books.

I also love Robin McKinley's books, which are in a similar vein to Pierce's. Other authors in somewhat similar veins are Patricia C. Wrede, Philip Pullman, and Diane Wayne Jones.

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

*Diana Wynne Jones

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

Who has written an entire essay on the misconception that there's a necessary barrier of complexity between books that children and adults will enjoy and understand. When she came to write her first adult novel, she found that she wasn't actually doing much different.

[fiveforsilver]

On Robin McKinley's website, in the section about what NOT to write in letters sent to her, the first thing (I think) on the list of what not to write is "I still love your books even though I'm X years old." I guess she feels the same way. Honestly, there are kids' books that I still love to read (although I don't reread them as often as I do actual novels :).

[fair-janet.livejournal.com]

Ditto the above comment- I am 25 and still love these books. Actually, in a truly sad fashion, I very seldom read anything from the "Adult" side of the book store and, usually, except for Patricia McKillip, I am quite disappointed.
I noticed the ageless thing, too- like how Kit's sis is watching Sailormoon, Sailorstars- which wasn't made until the late 90's but just ignored it as part of Duane's charm.

[destinys-brink.livejournal.com]

You know...I didn't even think about that and I used to be a Sailormoon FREAK. HAHA.

[blackjackrocket.livejournal.com]

A show every wizard should see.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

If you'd like something a bit less YA in the Duane universe, I recommend the "Doors" series: The Door into Fire, The Door into Shadow, The Door into Sunset (and maybe someday The Door into Starlight, which has been in RSN status for about 20 years!). They share the religious underpinnings of the "Wizards" books, but are set on a non-Earth planet with different characters.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

Approaching 28 myself, and eagerly awaiting the next book. :)

(I second the recommendations for DD's Door series and the Tortall books. Good stuff.)

[seraphim-12.livejournal.com]

u know I was thinking the same thing last nite, since apparently in the upcoming book, AWOM, one of the wizards has their "manual" on a iPod, more commonly known as a wizpod! and those were most certainly not out during the 80's!

i used to read Tamora Pierce like mad! My fav series of hers is the Circle of Magic quartet and Wild Magic!

I also loved Sherwood Smith's books alot, oooh and um . . . . . the person who wrote the Sabriel books was quite excellent as well!

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

AhahahahaHA! No way! Like a little digital version of the Silence or the Whispering?

(Garth Nix wrote the Sabriel books)

[seraphim-12.livejournal.com]

yup! Well Dair does have her manuel on a comp . . . sorta anyway, it;s just like know they're trying to make it smallerand smaller!

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

ahahah you haven't seen The Wizpod (http://www.youngwizards.com/The_Books/TheWizPodPage.html)? So depreived!!!!! :D

[greencat3.livejournal.com]

I need a paid account so I can get more icon space to use that "I want a WizPod" icon.