In the first half of the third chapter of Wizard’s Holiday, Kit deals with the weirdness of his home. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Young Wizards.
So what is going on at Kit’s house? The first half of this chapter is more set-up than anything else; I wouldn’t say much happens. That’s okay, though, because now I’m intrigued. Kit has had unintended consequences on his own home, and this all details that. There’s Ponch, obviously, though his development as some sort of wizardry conduit isn’t surprising. The dogs in the neighborhood… well, that’s a bit more concerning. Clearly, Ponch is much more than a conduit, but why are the dogs so obsessed with him? Do they want wizardry, too? Are they drawn to Ponch out of some desire to be more like him? IS PONCH ABOUT TO BECOME A CULT LEADER????
Okay, now I’m just being ridiculous, but y’all. The best part of this whole chapter is Carmela. She’s a delight as a character, and you can tell that Duane is having a lot of fun exploiting the brother/sister dynamic here. But Carmela’s brilliance is what intrigues me the most. My understanding of the Speech is that it is something wizards learn over time through usage of it in wizardries. They aren’t granted an automatic knowledge of it, though I suspect being a wizard gives them an advantage and understanding of it that non-wizards don’t have.
And then we’ve got Carmela, who is not a wizard, who has no manual to teach her how to conjugate verbs or string sentences together in the Speech, who is learning the language BY USING CHAT ROOMS ON HER TELEVISION. Look, I can barely comprehend the level of intellect required to pull this off because I barely understand the Speech. While the Rodriguez family speaks English the vast majority of the time, I wonder if they’re bilingual! Is Spanish ever spoken regularly? Was it ever spoken? Because that makes me wonder if Carmela’s knack for the Speech comes from being bilingual already.
But let’s say that this is immaterial. That means that Carmela is learning things like verb conjugation, syntax, and translation of the Speech into English entirely on her own, WITH PRACTICALLY NO AID WHATSOEVER. Like… can older people become wizards? I want to grant her wizardry as a fucking award, okay???
Anyway, I still feel like most of this chapter is a set-up for what’s to come. My guess is that Kit’s parents will be perfectly fine with Kit going to Alaalu with Nita, and that adventure is going to be weird as hell. I, too, was shocked by the reveal that a planet of a billion and a half individuals has just one wizard in its entire population. So, what’s different about Alaalu? How have the managed to hold up entropy to the kind of level that means they only need one wizard? That’s what I’m most excited for in Wizard’s Holiday. The cultural differences between Alaalu and Earth are going to be so much fun to explore, and I CANNOT WAIT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7duYt2XEM
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.
– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.  Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
