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    Wizard's Holiday
    Wizard's Holiday
    Wizard's Holiday
    Audiobook11 hours

    Wizard's Holiday

    Written by Diane Duane

    Narrated by Christina Moore

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Diane Duane has written more than two dozen science fiction and fantasy novels, including four New York Times best-sellers. Her popular Young Wizards series, including High Wizardry, is available unabridged from Recorded Books. When teenage wizard Nita gets signed up for an intergalactic cultural exchange program, she travels to a world that is a little too perfect.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 10, 2008
    ISBN9781501974243
    Author

    Diane Duane

    Diane Duane is the author of The Door Into Fire, which was nominated for the World Science Fiction Society’s John W. Campbell Award for best new science fiction/fantasy writer two years in a row. Duane has also published more than thirty novels, numerous short stories, and various comics and computer games, several of which appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. She is best known for her continuing Young Wizards series of young adult fantasy novels about the New York–based teenage wizards Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez. The 1983 novel So You Want to Be a Wizard and its six sequels have been published in seven other languages.

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    Reviews for Wizard's Holiday

    4/5

    290 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book is partially split between Dairine and Nita, and while I love Dairines side of the story Kit and Nitas portion of the book just doesn't interest me. Even with multiple rereads I still dont feel that I fully understand what the deal was with the alien society they visit, although this might be more of a weird personal blindspot than anything else. I do like reading about whats going on in their heads after the events of the previous books though. Meanwhile, back on the ranch (aka, earth) Dairine and Carmela play host to alien exchange wizards, all of whom I like a great deal. Even with my issues its still a 3 star book, and a need to read if you are going to continue the series.
    • 4/5
      De twee kinderen, Kit en Nita, gaan op een twee weken durende 'excursie' naar een andere planeet. Gelijktijdig komen er 3 'aliens' tijdelijk naar de Aarde.

      Het lijkt er op dat de verhalen steeds beter worden.
    • 3/5
      The latest in the Young Wizards series. Dairine, Nita, and their father are all still coping with the death of Mrs. Callahan in a previous book, and not doing it all that well yet. Dairine signs herself and Nita up for a wizards' cultural exchange program, unfortunately without first consulting Nita, their supervisory wizards, or their father. When the truth comes out, Mr. Callahan and the senior wizards ground Dairine. Nita and Kit go off on the cultural exchange program, while Dairine stays home with her dad to host the young alien wizards who are about to arrive in their home. Nita and Kit land in an idyllic world which only ever has one wizard at a time because that's all it needs. Dairine and Mr. Callahan find themselves hosting a friendly, tree-like wizard who puts vegetarianism in a whole new light for them, another, stranger, more mechanicially-inclined wizard who needs to be told that the plates and silverware are not to be consumed along with the food, and a very humanoid wizard who, sadly, is an arrogant, self-important prig. Naturally, both groups have to save the world (the world they're on.) Good fun, but nothing special.
    • 3/5
      This is book seven in Diane Duane's Young Wizards series, which features teenage wizards helping to keep the Earth and the universe in good working order. In this one, our heroes Nita and Kit participate in a sort of wizardly exchange student program, which sends them to a paradisaical alien planet for two weeks while an assorted trio of aliens moves into Nita's house with her dad and her sister.I remembered really enjoying at least the first few books in this series, but at some point I lost interest or just stalled out for some reason, and it had been many, many years since I read book six. The good news is that it was easy enough to fall right back into the series, and not the least bit confusing, even if I'd forgotten a lot of the specific details of what had happened before. And this installment did make me remember what I liked about it in the first place, including the way the magic is informed by real science and the sense that the characters inhabit a big, wide, wonderful universe. I'm less sure how I feel about the pseudo-Christian metaphysics behind it all, but it is at least interesting, and it's wrapped up in an appealingly life-affirming philosophy.Unfortunately, most of this particular volume just wasn't particularly interesting, as it takes almost 3/4 of the book before any semblance of a plot develops. That's nearly 300 pages of lying around on beaches and introducing aliens to the joys of the American shopping mall, and it's pleasant enough, even rather charming, but not terribly engaging, to the extent that every time I put the book down, I had to mentally poke myself to make myself pick it up again. And once the plot does get going, some parts of it work better than others. I was never able to get too worked up about the Earth-bound side of the story, as there was very little suspense about how it was going to come out. The stuff on the alien planet was quite a bit more interesting, if only because it gave me a lot of classic Star Trek vibes, but both parts felt like they wrapped up entirely too abruptly.Mind you, it's very possible that if I hadn't left the better part of a decade between the previous volume and this one, the lack of action in most of it might have felt more like a welcome breather -- a holiday, even -- between more intense stories. It's also very possible that if I were 12 or so, and thus much more firmly in the intended audience, rather than the jaded, seen-it-all adult that I am, pure sense of wonder might have carried me happily through the slower parts.I'm not remotely sure, now, whether I'm going to end my attempt to return to this series here or carry on with the rest of it at some point.
    • 4/5
      Wizard’s Holiday is the seventh book in the Young Wizard series by Diane Duane, a YA fantasy series which starts with So You Want to Be a Wizard. I generally recommend reading the series in order. The plot of this installment is basically wizards’ student exchange program – with aliens! Nita and Kit head off to stay at a strange planet where everything seems like it should be perfect, but there’s a lingering sense of unease. Dairine plays host to three alien visitors.““Uh, popi,” Kit said, “uh, is it okay if I go halfway across the Galaxy for a couple of weeks?”“Nita going with you?” Kit’s father said, not putting the paper down.“Uh, yeah, pop.”“Her dad said it’s okay?”“Yeah.”“Fine. Dress warm,” Kit’s father said, and turned to the comics section.”After Nita and Kit leave, the book splits into two strands, one following them and the other following Dairine and her alien house guests. I much preferred Dairine’s section. Both sections were incredibly slow plot wise. Over half way through, it felt like the plot still hadn’t arrived. However, Dairine’s section had the benefit of being hilarious. Every moment with the alien guests (a talking tree, a giant centipede, and an arrogant alien prince) was delightful. Carmela, Kit’s older sister, also played a role in showing the aliens around earth, such as accompanying them and Nita on a humorous trip to the shopping mall. Even though the plot for this section showed up so late, it was still a joy to read due to these wonderful character moments.On the other hand, Nita and Kit’s section was dull. Possibly even as dull as what I consider the worst book in the series, A Wizard Abroad. The problem with a “seemingly perfect” planet is that until the reason it’s imperfect shows up, it is super boring to read about, and there wasn’t the humor that made Dairine’s section so breezy.“Dairine’s response to aliens could range from partying with them to blowing them up”Something that Diane Duane does very well is creating likable characters. I grew to care about Dairine’s alien house guests in no time, and I’m glad that they reappear in future books. It was also nice to see more of Dairine since she hasn’t had a major viewpoint since back in book three.Wizard’s Holiday is a light spot before the much darker and tension filled eighth book. It also contains a lot of set up for this next book, which might be part of why I had pacing for some of it. Anyway, this is still a series I highly recommend! And don’t skip Wizard’s Holiday if you’re reading it for the first time – I might not have liked Nita and Kit’s section that much, but the book’s still worth reading, particularly for alien house guest hijinks.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable YA urbanish fantasy read. I liked the greater prominence given to the broader universe in this one - the series' focus is obviously on human concerns, which the protagonists chiefly deal with, but given its all-encompassing premise, it's good to see more of the other lives out there. I liked the alien characters and their presentation, as well as the Big Reveal for one in particular. Kit and Nita remain interesting to read along with, while the extra spotlight time for the supporting case was welcome and well-used.That being said, this volume jarred a bit in being incomplete. Of course an ongoing series is going to link both forwards and backwards; at the same time, this volume puts more emphasis than usual on events of the last. More importantly, it ends on an explicit lead-in to the next story; not only are there some major loose ends and unanswered questions dangling, the story literally ends with a link to the next, rather than wrapping itself up and taking stock.Personally, I tend to prefer even a series to work as standalone volumes, and not expect me to read on to get closure on plot elements. How a romance is going to turn out? Fine, I approve of character development throughout a series. Why such-and-such important thing happened in the story? Not fine. So that was a bit of a downside for me.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this one. Sheltered tree-wizards, obnoxious princes, and ascension.
    • 4/5
      Nita and Kit embark on a holiday on another planet after they are signed up for a wizardly exchange program by Nita's sister. On a peaceful, oceanic planet with a few islands, Nita and Kit are prepared to relax, but all is not as it appears in their topical paradise. Nita's sister Dairine also finds adventure at home in the form of three visiting alien wizards who turn out to be more trouble than she bargained for. Fun reading!
    • 4/5
      Great book. I don't think there's much difference (a few bits, but not much - Nita's dad's cellphone, for one) between this and the original edition. The funny thing is that I remember scenes throughout the book, including the end, which makes me think I read it all - but I must have skimmed in some fashion, because I don't remember some very important scenes and concepts. There's some really deep thinking here - much less grimness and sorrow than the last couple books, but (as usual for a Duane) new concepts about the way the universe is organized, and the characters' parts to play in the universe. Little things like why the Stationmaster was rude, or what the keks were actually doing, have wider resonances throughout the book and into later books (I'm pretty sure). This is supposed to be a vacation for the wizards - it turns out to be not so much of one, more just another errantry (though they do get _some_ time to relax). It is, however, a nice vacation for the readers. While the stakes continue to be high, there's much less of the doom and gloom of the last few books; the one point where the Lone One is gloating doesn't last long, for a change. Loopholes - speaking of resonances, that one resonates from the very first book (among others). Two different storylines, with Kit and Nita in one and Dairine in the other, along with other wizards in both lines. The siblings don't interact at all, though (which is probably a good thing for both of them - speaking of holidays). Fun, and makes me want to read the next one soon.
    • 4/5
      The Wizard's Holiday is a fun book. Because of all the stress and issues in the previous couple of books, Dairine decides to sign herself and her sister up for a sort of wizardly student exchange program during spring break. She gets in trouble for signing them up without asking anyone first, so instead of her and Nita going, Nita and Kit go, while Dairine stays home to help her dad deal with the exchange wizards that come to stay at her house. Hijinks ensue...and some saving the world, too.
    • 5/5
      In the grand tradition of Star Trek films, the best Young Wizards books are always the even-numbered ones. Except Wizard's Holiday, which bucks that trend by being one of the very best books in the series - even if it is something of an in-between book.When we open this book, Nita has been going all-out pretty much ever since she became a wizard, and is still reeling from the death of her mother and the changes in her life around that loss. But in Wizard's Holiday, she gets a vacation - a real vacation, to sit on the beach and get sunburnt and read and relax. For free and clear, courtesy of the Powers that Be, as part of a wizarding exchange program.Of course, the One's work is everywhere, and a wizard's holiday always involves some wizard's work in it, somewhere.Meanwhile, Dairine is left at home with her father to handle the foreign wizards hosted at their house in exchange, a delightfully mismatched group of wonderfully non-humanoid young people, each with his own problems back home -- and a crisis shows up on Earth as well, a chance for Dairine's guests to have a wizard's holiday as well.This is a much more low-tension book than most of the series, and most books of its type; though the climax is as high-stakes as ever, most of the book is about exploring and making friends and learning about yourself - the fun parts of being a wizard, and something that too easily gets lost in stories that simply chronicle one crisis after another. In some respects it serves as a calm before the storm that's coming in the next books, Wizards at War (and it has much more in the way of a direct lead-in to that next book than most of the YW volumes, though it's not quite a cliffhanger). But it's also a chance to see how the young wizards react to wizardly problems when they *aren't* under direct pressure - a much different kind of test.I do have a few issues with the structure here - the start is slow (espeically for someone who already knows all about wizardry); the switching between Nita and Dairine with barely-connected storylines on two different planets can be fragmenting and confusing, especially with lots of new characters being introduced quickly; and in some respects the endings come off as rushed. But the general high quality of the writing and the characters and story is up to Duane's usual standard and this is simply a lovely book.
    • 5/5
      Kit and Nita go on a wizard exchange program. They wind up on the perfect planet--no war, no disease, even death is different. So why does it feel like something is wrong? Back on earth, Darlene has her hands full with 3 visiting wizards, one that looks like a tree, one that looks like a bug, and one that looks like a hot guy. Too bad he's the one that she can't stand.Great entry in this series. Not the very best (I really loved Deep Wizardry), but still great.CMB
    • 4/5
      Nita and Kit go on a "foreign" exchange program to another planet, while three wizards come and stay with Dareen and her father. Enjoyable back and forth action between the two settings. It was fun to see wizards from other planets.