What’s This?
Yep, it’s a new kind of book review! While I’m still planning on reviewing newer-ish books I’ve read, I also want to give some love to the novels that I was raised on. So what will be my criteria for these sorts of reviews?
- It is a book that was released at least 20 years ago (it is currently 2023, so that means any book published pre-2003 is fair game!).
- I have still read it recently (meaning within the last six months).
Some of the criteria may change as I write more of these, but in any case, let’s get started!
Brief Synopsis
“So You Want to Be a Wizard” was written by Diane Duane and originally published in 1983. It follows Nita Callahan, a 13 year-old girl living in New York City, who discovers a book titled So You Want to Be a Wizard, and discovers that, with it, she can do actual magic. She meets Kit Rodriguez, another kid wizard, and together they must face a looming threat that threatens the entire world.
Content Warnings: Bullying, violence (PG)
What Do I Think?
I originally read SYWtBaW when I was around 10 years old. At that time, the book entranced me, and I read it several times more in those coming years. Returning to it about six months ago, I was hesitant. Was the book going to hold up? Would I be ruining my positive view of the children’s novel by reading it as an adult? What if I ended up hating it?
You will be happy to know that the first of Diane Duane’s Young Wizard novels is still as delightful now as it was then, if not more so.
Don’t get me wrong: there are some things that might make others give up on it. Many of the references are dated (I mean, this book was written in the 1980s, of course things are going to be dated!), and the pacing and structure is definitely different than what gets published nowadays. And yet, if anything, that actually gives SYWtBaW some additional charm. There is a reason that series like Stranger Things (also set in the 80s) or The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (set in the 1950s) are enjoyable despite being set in decades long-gone: it adds a sense of novelty of a bygone time. There have been some efforts by the author to ‘update’ the books into the 21st century, but I sincerely hope that future editions remain untouched from their originals.
Character-wise, Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez are delightful. They are both their own unique, clearly-separate individuals, but they also share a common sense of good and go-gettem attitude that unites them. Adding to the cast is Fred, a sentient white hole who offers up a fantastic amount of comedy, which is needed when facing off against the terrifying Lone Power.
Which brings me to the villain. Many children’s stories have Big Bads that are meant to convey a sense of fear and omnipotence, terrifying forces that seem impossible to fight against. Most of the time, they simply fall flat – the villains are defeated by simple means, or (especially in recent years) are characterized in a sympathetic light that detracts from their overall villain-hood. In SYWtBaW, however, the Lone Power forever remains a terrifying force that looms over the entire story. Part of this is helped by not overpowering the protagonists, who face extreme danger even from the Lone Power’s weakest henchmen, but this is also helped by the rich, flowing writing of Diane Duane herself, who does not shy away from complex and descriptive writing just because this is a children’s novel.
Overall, “So You Want to Be a Wizard” holds up extremely well. The story is beautifully-crafted, with characters full of heart, adventure lurking around every corner, and a villain who stands the test of time. I would recommend it to anyone, young or old, who is a fan of fantasy.
Jacob Ryckman 