{"id":4035,"date":"2016-12-09T05:00:09","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=4035"},"modified":"2016-12-04T23:07:46","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T07:07:46","slug":"mark-reads-a-wizard-alone-chapter-1-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2016\/12\/mark-reads-a-wizard-alone-chapter-1-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘A Wizard Alone’: Chapter 1, Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first half of the first chapter of\u00c2\u00a0A Wizard Alone<\/i>, I WISH I HAD NOT BEEN RIGHT. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read\u00c2\u00a0Young Wizards<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of death and grief\/loss.<\/b><\/p>\n

SIGH, I HAVE NEVER WISHED TO BE WRONG ABOUT A PREDICTION MORE THAN RIGHT NOW.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fascinated by the choice Duane has made to open\u00c2\u00a0A Wizard Alone<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0from Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective. If my prediction proves to be spot-on \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that this book is about Nita\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s loneliness \u00e2\u20ac\u201c then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re experiencing it at a distance. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an interesting way to open the book, though, because it eases us into this conflict. This opening is hilarious! Duane takes a very common problem that many of us have had to deal with and adds humor through wizardry.<\/p>\n

Though I admit that Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s struggle dated this book. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a criticism, for the record; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just that Kit is on the precipice of a whole\u00c2\u00a0new<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0wave of technology that is about to come. Wait until everything \u00c2\u00a0is synced over wi-fi or bluetooth! Wait until you have to deal with a product that simply refuses to pair with another. THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S FUN. Or how about out-of-date apps, or being forced into a terrible software update, or being in the state we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re currently in where everyone is starting to move towards USB-C but only a small amount of products use it and most use proprietary cables and there are a MILLION OF THEM and now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting carried away. You get the point. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0going to be like for Kit?<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fun to imagine, especially since this chapter does\u00c2\u00a0wonders<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0for Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not even done with it, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so thankful to get such a rich scene with his family. I am especially happy that Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother is now my new favorite. HER SENSE OF HUMOR IS GREAT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. But above all, I cherish how this chapter opens because it gave me a cushion. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much here to like, from Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pride in his brujito, to Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother asking about the dog, to Carmela\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rapport with Tom. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not saying that it reduces the importance of the reveal of Nita\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother, but it makes it sting just a little bit less.<\/p>\n

It still hurts, though. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how much time passed between the publishing of\u00c2\u00a0The Wizard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Dilemma<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0A Wizard Alone<\/i>, but I finished the former book this morning. I had to sit with the reality of Nita\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother dying soon for a quarter of a day. I imagine the line about her funeral hit other people much harder, though. It seems so casual, even reading it a second time. But I think it\u00c2\u00a0has<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to be. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happen to Kit, and in the weeks since Nita\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death, Kit has found a way to live without it consuming his day.<\/p>\n

Nita, on the other hand, is still grieving. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very sad thing to read, but Duane redirects her readers by filtering this through Kit. I found myself thinking about how embarrassing sadness used to feel to me! I have few hang-ups about it because I AM PROFESSIONALLY SAD THESE DAYS, which is honestly a very empowering thing for me. However, I used to have so much anxiety over the very\u00c2\u00a0thought<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of crying in public. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad this is being addressed because I never saw it acknowledged in anything I read or watched.<\/p>\n

So, Tom needs a consultation.\u00c2\u00a0From<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0Kit. I barely know how that is possible. BUT HERE WE GO INTO THE UNKNOWN.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vG9mMUz9qm4<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! 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.<\/b>
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"