(no subject)

[skygiants]

Once upon a time, I made a bargain with dictator_duck. She was going to read The Fionavar Tapestry, and I was going to read the rest of the Young Wizard books, which I had dropped many years ago after reading A Wizard Abroad.

TL not only read Fionavar in a prompt and timely fashion, but also several other books I flailingly recommended to her after that. Meanwhile, I failed horribly to acquire the Young Wizards book I needed and brought an oathbreaker's shame down upon my head. However! When I visited The Strand over my Thanksgiving break, I finally acquired and read A Wizard's Dilemma, mitigating at least of my guilt, and when I went back this past weekend I found the next book and read it on the plane back. So! A Wizard Alone.

I don't think I'll ever love the later books as much as I did the first three, partly because of the place those first three held in my wee little ten-year-old heart, and also because part of me will always be going 'but - but they fixed The Lone Power! There was a big dramatic conclusion and everything!' That being said, I think I enjoyed A Wizard Alone the most of the post-High Wizardry books so far. Carmela grows ever-more fabulous, and the way in which Nita and Dairine struggled with their grief and depression was portrayed really well without bogging down the book (the way it did a little, I think, in the last one.) I do miss seeing Nita and Kit actually interact with each other while on errantry; I think the books lose something when it keeps them separated, which is something that has frustrated me since A Wizard Abroad.

There was one thing that made me pretty uncomfortable, though, and that was the treatment of autism within the text. I . . . um. I am not an expert, but I don't really think it works like that, or that "let's just leave your autism behind and then you will be totally normal!" is a viable solution, and it makes me kind of twitch to see it. I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on that, though, especially people with more knowledge than I have.

Conclusion: I had some problems with the book, but I did enjoy it, and will be going on to read the next two. Partly to fulfill my promise to TL, and partly because I am still very fond of the characters, and in large part because MOAR CARMELA! And Filif, soon!

Comments

[adiva_calandia]

The next two books are where Carmela shines. :D

I'm with you on the autism -- DD is certainly talented enough to have pulled off something that wasn't a "Yay they all live happily ever after!" ending -- but I applaud the effort nevertheless. It's not a topic you see addressed in fantasy often, as far as I can tell.

As a whole, A Wizard Alone isn't one of my favorites, because I feel like in many ways, it's a Kit book, to make up for the last two being Nita books. But hey -- it has Millman, and Millman is made of win, so.

[skygiants]

*beams* I am so looking forward to Carmela in the spotlight. She was the best part of the last two.

And I definitely applaud the effort! I just - well, autism is tricky because it's not really a disease, and there's debates over whether it's even correct to call it a disorder, and . . . she almost gets it right at first, but what she's describing by the end as the disorder that affects Darryl, and what she's fixing - it's not really autism. And since it is such a relevant subject, it's worth doing right. (Also, I am spoiled by having read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is not fantasy but is written from the perspective of an autistic boy and is really, really good.)

Millman is totally made of win. And - yeah, you're definitely right. Thinking back, the book really picked up for me once we started getting Nita's perspective again.

[adiva_calandia]

I may have to read that. *adds to ginormous list*

Well, I mean, I'm biased towards Nita, obviously. *grin* But I rather think DD is, too, so yeah. Moar Nita!

[skygiants]

You should! It is one of those books that I picked up in the library and ended up staying in for several hours to read the rest of it, so.

And yes. *grins* I like Kit! But also, I am not much of a dog person, and while Ponch is sweet . . . Kit-and-Ponch is just not as much fun as Kit-and-Nita.

Also, Nita got the cool clown metaphors.

[batyatoon]

I still don't know what I think about turning a disorder into a form of chosen-one-ness. I mean, aside from "wow".

Whedon did something broadly similar in the last issue of the Buffy comic, which only becomes clear if you read the lettercol.

[skygiants]

Yeeeeeah. It seems like - I don't know. I'm not quite sure what she was trying to say with that conclusion, but it made me uncomfortable regardless.

Did he? I have not yet acquired the last issue of the Buffy comic, but I don't mind spoilers - what was it?

[batyatoon]

Mmmmm I don't know if I can do it justice without essentially copying the whole text, and I am lazy right now. *wry*

You should read it!

[skygiants]

I know I should! I meant to buy it at Forbidden Planet, and then I was like, "well, I can borrow it from someone and read it before everyone goes home . . ." And then I did not, because I am lame. I will probably get it when next I am in Berkeley, since there are NO comics shops around here.

[dictator-duck.livejournal.com]

Don't forget Carmela-Filif! *giggles a lot* I am so happy you actually are reading them now! Enabler.

*glomps*