The Wizard's Dilemma: The Fifth Book in the Young Wizards Series

The Young Wizard's series is not just for Young Adults... I was in my 30's when I discovered it. I'm hooked. That said...This book lives up to the tradition that Ms Duane has created for scenes that are either slyly or blatantly funny, thoughtful, poignant, terrifying, awe-inspiring, shiver-giving, and above all, believable in the context of the story.Her characters all have their strengths and weaknesses...and they are not static either... one of the subplots deals with Dairine no longer having the incredible power levels she started out with and having to deal with this, not to mention possible loss of her mother and adolescence just around the corner... heavy stuff for an 11 year old who can put 'Created a sentient silicone race' on her resume. Ms Duane does not fall into the 'Wizardry can solve everything' rut either, she even has Nita muse that while it may be the simple answer sometimes it isn't always the right one. Her characters may have super powers, and get into some pretty fantastical situations, but they themselves are always believable, real, multidimensional. They make mistakes. They lose their tempers. They misinterpret what someone says, then second-guess themselves about what he/she really meant, and agonize about what they should have said. There is a scene between Nita and her mom that is sweet, touching, and makes you stop and think...how important is it REALLY to be 'right'?They don't stop being real people with real problems and concerns just because they have extra powers and abilities.It is not just the Young Adults who can thoroughly enjoy and benefit from reading this series... and it's nice to know that even wizards are just people, (although not necessarily human-type) too.

The fifth book in Duane's "So You Want to Be a Wizard" series continues the journey of Nita and Kit as Nita struggles to save her mother's life while Kit finds himself able to create new universes. The two partner's disagreements are thrown aside as the two learn that Nita's mother is slowly being destroyed by cancer cells that only the most complex magic can stop. Not only that, but a new friend is found to be inhabited by the Lone One. Nita finds that she must choose between her magic and her mother's life in a "dilema" harder than any challenge she has faced before.

It's a little while after we left off with Nita and Kit in A Wizard Abroad and they're a little older, a little wiser, and a little more in control. But after a fight they fear that they're divided forever. But after this fight they find themselves immeaditally pulled apart even more as they both embark on seperate journies. Nita has a lot to deal with when her mother gets sick with a cancer that could kill her. She tries to use her wizardry to help her but soon finds out that the only way to solve it might be to give up eveything she's worked for. Kit's busy too. One day when he's out walking his dog, Ponch, he finds himself in a whole new world, literaly. Can the two pull together in time to solve the problem? Or are they divided for good.I was nearly jumping out of my seat when I heard that their was going to be a 5th book in this series and now I pray Diane Duane will write a new one soon. She once again brings the charecters we all know and love alive once again. This book is one of the best ones in the series to date (next to Deep Wizardry). I reccomend this book to anyone whose a fan of the Young Wizards Series and I reccomend this series to fans of magic. I'll be sure to read this one again and again.

I don't know how she manages it, but Diane Duane consistently comes up with completely new and involving concepts. We've gotten a look at an undersea Passion Play, an enormous "worldgating" airport the size of New Jersey managed by centipedes, and a vast, underground New York run by dinosaurs. Now Ms. Duane treats us to entirely new universes created by a dog (he's fond of squirrels), "practice" arenas where wizards can adjust the laws of physics, and a brief excursion through the core of a planet. What is truly amazing in all of this invention is the way the author keeps her characters completely true and real. Teenagers Kit and Nita are never overshadowed by the wild places the plot takes them--the core of the book still revolves around their thoughts and emotions as they make their way through adolescence and face the challenges of the "real" world. It's a wonderful book, and I'm already pining for the next one.

After the slight disappointment of A WIZARD ABROAD, Duane is back up to the level of SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD and DEEP WIZARDRY which are the best of this series IMHO. DILEMMA is very nearly up to that mark.At its best, the Young Wizards series is true sci-fi/fantasy and adolescent fiction at is best, perfectly readable by teenagers and adults alike (for what it's worth, I'm 47!) Duane's characters confront moral dilemmas and learn to make the right choices, living in a world created with a wonderfully whimsical sense of humor and fascinating characters. (Like most series of this kind, these should be read in chronological order - SO YOU WANT ..., DEEP WIZARDRY, HIGH WIZARDRY, A WIZARD ABROAD and then DILEMMA).Nita and Kit are growing older, losing some of the wizardly power they had at first but gaining insight into the nature and limits of their powers. I've always found Dairine (Nita's sister) a bit hard to take, but here we get an insight into her prickly character that makes her a lot more human.If you insist on happy endings with all the loose ends tied up, you may not be pleased with the end of this book. I also suspect that Christian fundamentalists may have some problems with the world view, but this line of fiction isn't likely to appeal to that crowd anyway.Most of fantasy literature is about the things magicians can do; Duane's genius is to write fascinating stories about the things they *can't* do.