wetdryvac's review
5.0
One of my very favorites of Duane's work - and really, one of my favorites generally.
snazel's review
I read l'Engle's [b:A Wrinkle in Time|33574273|A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507963312s/33574273.jpg|948387] at a similar time that I read Duane's [b:So You Want to Be a Wizard|116563|So You Want to Be a Wizard (Young Wizards, #1)|Diane Duane|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328877065s/116563.jpg|3464], and they kinda blurred together in my memory. Having now watched the new movie last night, and read this book today, I begin to see why. Both books/series have a very similar focus: on the necessity of responding to hatred and fear with love, with mercy, with refusing to be ground down by despair, not because it is easy, but because it is the only thing that keeps life worth living. And both books have a similar tendency towards dramatic moments with people shouting very emotionally in very large and deadly rooms. (Not super conducive to being filmed.) But I was always more interested in Duane's world, and in this book I finally put my finger on why.
In this world it is well known that you may not survive your confrontation with the forces of destruction (the Lone Power in this world, It in L'Engle's). I have always been aware that not everybody makes it home (family history of military service), and so with books that purport to deal with the absolute "is it worth getting up tomorrow" questions, but don't acknowledge that some people don't get to see what they work towards, those books could approach feeling accurate on a baseline level, but can never feel absolutely true. But here in this universe we know that part of the associated cost of standing against entropy, destruction, death, cruelty, is that some of us don't come home. We all know going in that some of us will die in pain and never know if our sacrifices did anything to help. And we still make the choice to go to the fight, to stare down despair, to do our best, because we have looked at the alternative and this is better/best/the only thing. So. This is a thing Bujold does too in the Chalion books, which I have not been able to tell people about because saying "a faithful servant of god died under torture and it healed something in me" does not sound like a sane thing to say. But yeah, a book that looks well into the dark and still comes out of it saying "we've got to be kind" is affirming at the soul level. Possibly because I don't read alluded to stuff very well, but I totally missed if l'engle covers the horrible cost of continuing to love? But I got it in Duane's work. So I glommed onto it more.
ALSO, I glommed onto Duane's work because there are semi-sentient trains, and dinosaurs attacking an opera, and excellent cat-chess played by posing, and tips on stealing pastrami.
In this world it is well known that you may not survive your confrontation with the forces of destruction (the Lone Power in this world, It in L'Engle's). I have always been aware that not everybody makes it home (family history of military service), and so with books that purport to deal with the absolute "is it worth getting up tomorrow" questions, but don't acknowledge that some people don't get to see what they work towards, those books could approach feeling accurate on a baseline level, but can never feel absolutely true. But here in this universe we know that part of the associated cost of standing against entropy, destruction, death, cruelty, is that some of us don't come home. We all know going in that some of us will die in pain and never know if our sacrifices did anything to help. And we still make the choice to go to the fight, to stare down despair, to do our best, because we have looked at the alternative and this is better/best/the only thing. So. This is a thing Bujold does too in the Chalion books, which I have not been able to tell people about because saying "a faithful servant of god died under torture and it healed something in me" does not sound like a sane thing to say. But yeah, a book that looks well into the dark and still comes out of it saying "we've got to be kind" is affirming at the soul level. Possibly because I don't read alluded to stuff very well, but I totally missed if l'engle covers the horrible cost of continuing to love? But I got it in Duane's work. So I glommed onto it more.
ALSO, I glommed onto Duane's work because there are semi-sentient trains, and dinosaurs attacking an opera, and excellent cat-chess played by posing, and tips on stealing pastrami.
healingtothemax's review
5.0
Being owned by cats, it's always a reassuring pleasure to know that you aren't alone in this feline-run world. Diane Duane writes about felines from such an informed perspective - the book is told from the lead feline's POV - it's clear that she loves cats and is loved by cats in her home life. Only a cat "owner" would know to say, "Y'know the tuna wasn't all that bad" in a feline's attempt at an apology and be able to wring tears from her audience. Being read to via Audible was also a pleasure because I could hear Duane's words sing off her pages, from her deeply interwoven other world's terms culminating in the finale's spine-tingling poetic and dramatic stand-off. Took awhile to get there, in a pace so graceful and deliberate - like a cat's stalking walk - that you enjoy the journey... saunter through NYC, stop in for pastrami at the deli inside Grand Central, before waging a wizard war among The Three Tenors' famous performance in Central Park. Evocative, loving - of the city and its cats who never get enough sleep - Duane's first in her feline side series is a true treat.
meliaraastair's review
5.0
To her humans, Rhiow is like any other cat. But to the world of wizards, she has an important role keeping the world gates in Grand Central Station running. Her and her partners get dropped a new kitten to take care of/guide through his ordeal in the midst of crisis after crisis with the gates. Can they solve the problems and keep their new kitten - and themselves - from losing another life?
First of all, if you haven't read the Young Wizards series, you have to. If you like YA sci fi/fantasy, you just have to read it. I also highly recommend reading those before reading this book. I think this story would be a little hard to follow if you weren't familiar with the main series.
Duane has created such a realistic, yet deeply detailed world. Every aspect of cat/human interactions has been thought about an explained, along with a complete cat language and a very technical science system of how the world gates work. Her brain is just incredible - and the whole thing is so believable.
While there were a few interesting moments in the plot that I was confused at how they were resolved, and occasionally the cat language tripped me up, I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm anxious to read the next one but I'm waiting on Nick to finish the series he has been reading so he will read these!
Again, read the Young Wizards series first, but if you are dying for more like me (like seriously, where is the next book in that series???), check these out! Definitely more adult and not YA (just in detail, not raunchy at all), a little more technical, but still great wizardry books.
This is making me want to go read another fantasy story right now! I'll go 8 of 10 overall (the original series is still so near and dear to my heart that these can't top it) and 3 of 5 for readability. Very technical. But a fantastic story with a very interesting and unexpected ending.
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!
First of all, if you haven't read the Young Wizards series, you have to. If you like YA sci fi/fantasy, you just have to read it. I also highly recommend reading those before reading this book. I think this story would be a little hard to follow if you weren't familiar with the main series.
Duane has created such a realistic, yet deeply detailed world. Every aspect of cat/human interactions has been thought about an explained, along with a complete cat language and a very technical science system of how the world gates work. Her brain is just incredible - and the whole thing is so believable.
While there were a few interesting moments in the plot that I was confused at how they were resolved, and occasionally the cat language tripped me up, I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm anxious to read the next one but I'm waiting on Nick to finish the series he has been reading so he will read these!
Again, read the Young Wizards series first, but if you are dying for more like me (like seriously, where is the next book in that series???), check these out! Definitely more adult and not YA (just in detail, not raunchy at all), a little more technical, but still great wizardry books.
This is making me want to go read another fantasy story right now! I'll go 8 of 10 overall (the original series is still so near and dear to my heart that these can't top it) and 3 of 5 for readability. Very technical. But a fantastic story with a very interesting and unexpected ending.
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!
novelinsights's review
3.0
This was an interesting addition to the universe of my beloved childhood read So You Want to Be a Wizard. This time, the wizards in question are cats, which draws me to the book all the more, being the cat fanatic I am.
I thought that the cat culture was fairly well-designed in the book, and I could tell the author had done her research. It's true that, linguistically, cats only really meow when they're trying to communicate with humans and that they usually speak in body language and softer trills with each other. The game that the cats play with each other also felt very realistic in terms of how cats interact. I did sometimes find the integration of the cats' language into the text to be somewhat annoying, though. I was fine with the fact that certain words that would have no English equivalent, such as the cats' names and cat-only concepts, would be written in the cat language, but since the majority of what the cats were saying was translated into English for the reader, I didn't understand why the author felt the need to keep so many seemingly random words in the cat language instead. It only really made them harder to read.
I had a few other complaints with the design of the story, as well. For one, I found the story to be almost too steeped in lore. It explored the lore of cat wizards and how it's similar and different to that of human wizards, but every character in the lore had multiple names to refer to them and it was difficult keeping everybody straight, especially when there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why certain names were used at certain times. Additionally, a lot of what the cats worked with magic-wise was very technical and could be difficult for me to picture well.
Finally, the ending of the story felt a little sloppy to me. The main character had in some way obtained a spell during her Ordeal which she kept in the back of her mind but didn't understand at all, and suddenly, during the climax of the story, she understood it and was able to use it against their enemy. The spell wasn't touched upon a great deal throughout the book before that, however; it was mentioned a little, but I was frequently unclear of why. I also kind of wanted the MC to be able to use the spell due to some personal growth she went through, when in the book she could use it because of things the enemy had done. There was also kind of a throwaway solution to one of the problems of the book; when things are first starting to wind up toward the climax, a character goes missing. The mission leading to the climax was originally organized to find out what happened to him. However, the whole entire climax happens without ever finding him, and when it's all over, he's just back on his own. I found that sort of disappointing.
Despite all these things, however, I did find it a good read and would recommend it to fans of not-too-serious fantasy and science fiction.
I thought that the cat culture was fairly well-designed in the book, and I could tell the author had done her research. It's true that, linguistically, cats only really meow when they're trying to communicate with humans and that they usually speak in body language and softer trills with each other. The game that the cats play with each other also felt very realistic in terms of how cats interact. I did sometimes find the integration of the cats' language into the text to be somewhat annoying, though. I was fine with the fact that certain words that would have no English equivalent, such as the cats' names and cat-only concepts, would be written in the cat language, but since the majority of what the cats were saying was translated into English for the reader, I didn't understand why the author felt the need to keep so many seemingly random words in the cat language instead. It only really made them harder to read.
I had a few other complaints with the design of the story, as well. For one, I found the story to be almost too steeped in lore. It explored the lore of cat wizards and how it's similar and different to that of human wizards, but every character in the lore had multiple names to refer to them and it was difficult keeping everybody straight, especially when there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why certain names were used at certain times. Additionally, a lot of what the cats worked with magic-wise was very technical and could be difficult for me to picture well.
Finally, the ending of the story felt a little sloppy to me. The main character had in some way obtained a spell during her Ordeal which she kept in the back of her mind but didn't understand at all, and suddenly, during the climax of the story, she understood it and was able to use it against their enemy. The spell wasn't touched upon a great deal throughout the book before that, however; it was mentioned a little, but I was frequently unclear of why. I also kind of wanted the MC to be able to use the spell due to some personal growth she went through, when in the book she could use it because of things the enemy had done. There was also kind of a throwaway solution to one of the problems of the book; when things are first starting to wind up toward the climax, a character goes missing. The mission leading to the climax was originally organized to find out what happened to him. However, the whole entire climax happens without ever finding him, and when it's all over, he's just back on his own. I found that sort of disappointing.
Despite all these things, however, I did find it a good read and would recommend it to fans of not-too-serious fantasy and science fiction.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
In this spin-off from the Young Wizards series, we follow a group of cat wizards in the same world, meeting some of the same characters from "So You Want to Be a Wizard". This book includes spoilers for Book 4 of the Young Wizards series, "High Wizardry".
This book has much more adult content than the Young Wizards series. There were a lot of mentions about cats being in heat and tomcats competing for sexual favor. The cats overhear mice in the walls having sex, and at one point the cats stop outside a window like disgusting proverbial peeping toms and watch humans having sex.
There is also a lot more graphic violence in this book than in the Young Wizards series. There were disembowelments, drownings, and guts and blood and cannibalism. All very descriptively described.
I do not know what was going on with this book. It is not at all what I expected from this author.
The plot was slow. The writing was needlessly convoluted and overly mysterious about nothing. The ending left several unanswered questions that felt like plot holes. There is some deus ex machina with ridiculously convenient coincidences. This plot could have been condensed. It's just not at all the type of tightly-woven plot I expect from this author.
I was interested to learn about the cat culture. They have their own history, religion, social relationships, and language. The world-building was good, but I didn't connect with any of the cat characters.
There are a lot of cat language words that are used throughout the book, and I gave up trying to remember what all of them meant. Thankfully there is a glossary of cat words in the back of the book.
I probably will not continue reading this series. I love the Young Wizards series, but this spin-off is not my cup of tea.
This book has much more adult content than the Young Wizards series. There were a lot of mentions about cats being in heat and tomcats competing for sexual favor. The cats overhear mice in the walls having sex, and at one point the cats stop outside a window like disgusting proverbial peeping toms and watch humans having sex.
There is also a lot more graphic violence in this book than in the Young Wizards series. There were disembowelments, drownings, and guts and blood and cannibalism. All very descriptively described.
I do not know what was going on with this book. It is not at all what I expected from this author.
The plot was slow. The writing was needlessly convoluted and overly mysterious about nothing. The ending left several unanswered questions that felt like plot holes. There is some deus ex machina with ridiculously convenient coincidences. This plot could have been condensed. It's just not at all the type of tightly-woven plot I expect from this author.
I was interested to learn about the cat culture. They have their own history, religion, social relationships, and language. The world-building was good, but I didn't connect with any of the cat characters.
There are a lot of cat language words that are used throughout the book, and I gave up trying to remember what all of them meant. Thankfully there is a glossary of cat words in the back of the book.
I probably will not continue reading this series. I love the Young Wizards series, but this spin-off is not my cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Slavery, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Excrement, Gore, Grief, and Murder
briarrose1021's review against another edition
5.0
I first discovered Diane Duane with So You Want To Be A Wizard in the late 90s and quickly read all of the series that had been published at that time, continuing to follow along as more came out (though I will admit that the series fell off my radar after book 8 - I don't remember why). At the time, I did not know that there was a spinoff, featuring the wizard cats that we saw in that series.
Reading this book, and re-discovering that universe, was a wonderful experience. It was a little odd at first, getting used to the telling from a cat's perspective - though that was largely centered around trying to figure out how to say the words in their language, as it was dominated by vowels. I will also admit (I think because I was so far removed from the original series) that it took me entirely too long to figure out that Har'lh was Carl, of the Carl and Tom pair that advised Nita and Kit (who have cameos in this book!).
Once I got used to the language, I was free to enjoy the book and, I must say, it was wonderful. There are so many twists and turns, with little puzzles pieces being dropped along the way that you have to pick up, even if you have no idea where they're going to go. While I normally am one to try and solve the mystery before the book tells me the answer, with this one I rather enjoyed just being along for the ride (mostly because every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong LOL).
My only real complaint about the book (and it's more a complaint about me and when I found it) is that it has been so long since I read the original series, that it's hard to remember when this one falls in that timeline. Of course, all that means is that my TBR pile just got taller, since I'm now going to have to go back and reread the original series in order to refresh my memory. In fact, I'll probably go ahead and read the sequel to this one as well. After all, not only is it neat to have a book told from a cat's perspective, but I want to know how our new wizard handles things, now that he's through his Ordeal.
Reading this book, and re-discovering that universe, was a wonderful experience. It was a little odd at first, getting used to the telling from a cat's perspective - though that was largely centered around trying to figure out how to say the words in their language, as it was dominated by vowels. I will also admit (I think because I was so far removed from the original series) that it took me entirely too long to figure out that Har'lh was Carl, of the Carl and Tom pair that advised Nita and Kit (who have cameos in this book!).
Once I got used to the language, I was free to enjoy the book and, I must say, it was wonderful. There are so many twists and turns, with little puzzles pieces being dropped along the way that you have to pick up, even if you have no idea where they're going to go. While I normally am one to try and solve the mystery before the book tells me the answer, with this one I rather enjoyed just being along for the ride (mostly because every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong LOL).
My only real complaint about the book (and it's more a complaint about me and when I found it) is that it has been so long since I read the original series, that it's hard to remember when this one falls in that timeline. Of course, all that means is that my TBR pile just got taller, since I'm now going to have to go back and reread the original series in order to refresh my memory. In fact, I'll probably go ahead and read the sequel to this one as well. After all, not only is it neat to have a book told from a cat's perspective, but I want to know how our new wizard handles things, now that he's through his Ordeal.
essjay's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I have been reading Duane's Young Wizards series for 30y, and somehow had never picked this up. I did NOT expect where it went, and in a lot of ways, this reminded me the most of Wizards at War. IYKYK, you know?
sparklerussian's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25