In the second chapter of The Book of Night With Moon, the feline wizards take stock of the damage and realize they’ve been handed a strange errantry. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Feline Wizards.
Well, this was unexpected. I mean, it shouldn’t have been? There were clear hints that Arhu was a wizard or that wizardry had something to do with the experience he had at the start of the book. Still, as I said on video, I was pleased that there was a familiarity in this story for Young Wizards readers, but this doesn’t progress as I am used to. Rhiow’s meeting with Carl at the start is normal, but that’s about it. These are adult wizards (well, Urruah is pretty young, but certainly not as young as Arhu) who have a young wizard thrust into their lives. WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO.
Let’s back up first and talk about CARL. Oh, I hadn’t even considered how many cameos we might get in this. (I don’t know what time period this takes in, but can I be a little bit hopeful that Kit and Nita might show up at some point? PLEASE.) His appearance was a grounding force, both because I knew him and because he serves to demonstrate to the reader that there’s a hierarchy of sorts, that these feline wizards have someone that they answer to. Of course, that doesn’t mean there are answers to give, and I’m stumped. How is it possible that that thing used that gate and was able to complete wipe the log? Where did that gate open up to? Is that where it came from, or was it merely passing through on its way to somewhere else? Did it mean to come to this version of Earth, or is there something else going on?
So yeah, lots of unanswered questions here, and the fact that Carl has no idea what’s going on gives me pause. THIS IS VERY BAD, ISN’T IT. Anyway, with this in mind, the book moves on to the problem of Arhu, injured by rats (OR WAS HE?????) and in need of a lot of help. The cats take care of him in the interim, but it was clear he needed more than just a day or two of rehabilitation. Duane takes time to explain how communities form for cats and why it’s significant that Arhu is alone at such a young age. It’s not that this is impossible in a city like New York. Things happen, and there’s a very real analogue to how the youth in NYC end up on their own, too. Chance. Bad luck. Bad family lives. Injuries. The list goes on and on, and in Arhu’s case, we don’t quite know what order of events led him to being entirely on his own. No pride, no friends. Nothing! (I still can’t get over how they have prides. YES. LOVE IT.)Â
The bigger issue, however, is that Arhu was offered wizardry and has no idea what it is. He recited the Oath and, in his words:
“And I said it, though some of it was pretty stupid.â€
UM. OKAY. THAT IS CERTAINLY A REACTION. So, he took the Oath without fully understanding what it means or the historical weight of it. Duane makes a point of telling us that there is some friction amongst the People about wizardry; some cats deny it outright, others find it to be a nuisance or terrible; but they don’t have the same stigma as humans do. But Arhu doesn’t seem to have ever heard of wizardry, and thus, when his wizardry tells him what to do, it comes off more creepy than comforting. And when it comes to that thing, I’m just downright confused. Why the hell did wizardry lead Arhu down underneath Grand Central to that confrontation with that being??? That makes no sense either! That doesn’t seem like an Ordeal but a death wish.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK, Y’ALL.
https://youtu.be/J-fed0A9mFE
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