In the third part of the second chapter of A Wizard of Mars<\/i>, Nita and Carmela rendezvous with other wizards to meet the coolest goddamn wizard in the history of everything. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Young Wizards<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Let me be real with y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all: it is an immense<\/i> achievement that Duane is able to introduce a character like Mamvish so late in this series, and yet I was still able to understand what a huge deal this was. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been mentioned outside of A Wizard of Mars<\/i>, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dilute her importance. Look, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know what a Species Archivist was until the final third of this chapter! I DIDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T EVEN KNOW THAT MAMVISH WASN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T HUMAN, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n
On a purely superficial level, of course, this is amazing because Diane Duane found a way to make to combine a fantasy narrative about wizards with one about biological diversity and DINOSAURS. THERE IS A WIZARD DINOSAUR IN THE YOUNG WIZARDS<\/i> SERIES, SOUND EVERY ALARM OH MY GOD.<\/b> I did not know this book was just existing<\/i> out there in the wild, waiting for me to come along and read it and fulfill my every dream<\/i>.<\/p>\n
So, I was wrong about them traveling to Mars; this chapter involves a trip to Indonesia, where EVERY WIZARD EVER is visiting Mamvish as she tries to convince the Komodo dragons to leave Earth with her. A Species Archivist is pretty much what the name claims it is, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a logical role to have within this fictional universe. If wizards are dedicated to stopping the spread of entropy, then preserving (or archiving) species makes a lot of sense. The very act of it is a blow to the Lone One! And I loved that Duane defined this within the text as being more than just preventing a species\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s extinction; some species are able to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153preserve\u00e2\u20ac\u009d themselves, and finding that information is part of the job. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s through this that we finally get the context we needed from Kit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chapter: Mamvish has been trying to find the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hidden\u00e2\u20ac\u009d information about a possible<\/i> Martian race that disappeared hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of years ago. (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll say it again: the trap is set, and I shall willingly walk into it.)<\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much more here beyond the full introduction of Mamvish, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also so good<\/i> that I just want to yell at all of you. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Mamvish is basically a rainbow dinosaur, right? THE TRUE GAY ICON. Also: a saurian who loves Earth tomatoes more than any food in the whole universe<\/i>. I literally could not make up anything better than this. PLUS: Even Mamvish recognizes what a big deal it is for Carmela to be present. (There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no hint that maybe she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a late-blooming wizard, though. Hmmmmm. Not that I need her to be a wizard! I am satisfied with her as a character in either state, but I am<\/i> curious what Duane will do with her.)<\/p>\n
So what exactly is the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bottle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? Mars has no kernel, but after a long search, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apparently some sort of clue to the fate of the Martians hidden 560,000 years ago. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a really long time ago. Mamvish said that some species know that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on their way out and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 actually, lemme just quote her:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Many species have seen a catastrophe coming and found ways to archive or preserve not just the news about what happened to them but themselves as well.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that this means the Martians did this, so\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what will they discover? HOW IMPORTANT IS IRINA, THE<\/i> PLANETARY WIZARD FOR EARTH, TO THIS STORY??? I feel like Duane wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t introduce her for the first time just to have her pop in and leave. Ah, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this is such a fantastic start to this novel. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m quite thrilled.<\/p>\n
I am thrilled to confirm that I will be a Guest at CrossingsCon 2017! Badges are now available, so COME HANG OUT WITH ME THIS SUMMER<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
http:\/\/youtu.be\/D7ZY9q5Hebc?a<\/p>\n
Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n
– Please visit my new site for all announcements<\/a>. If you’d rather not have to rely on checking a website regularly, sign up for my newsletter instead<\/a>! This will cover all news for Mark Reads, Mark Watches, and my fiction releases. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the third part of the second chapter of A Wizard of Mars, Nita and Carmela rendezvous with other wizards to meet the coolest goddamn wizard in the history of everything. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Young … Continue reading