Wizards at War facts for kids
Cover art for Wizards at War
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| Author | Diane Duane |
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| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Young Wizards |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt Trade Publishers |
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Publication date
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2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 560 |
| ISBN | 0-15-204772-7 |
| OCLC | 57557591 |
| LC Class | PZ7.D85415 Wjr 2005 |
| Preceded by | Wizard's Holiday |
| Followed by | A Wizard of Mars |
Wizards at War is the eighth exciting book in the Young Wizards series, written by Diane Duane. In this story, for the first time in a thousand years, young wizards must prepare for a huge battle.
Contents
Plot Summary
The Dark Threat
The Lone Power, a very old and dark force, feels a new threat to its power. It creates a wave of dark energy called "the Pullulus". This energy starts to cover the whole universe. Because of the Pullulus, older, more experienced wizards lose their magic. Only younger wizards, like our heroes, can still use their powers.
The Search for a Solution
Ponch, Kit's dog, uses his amazing tracking skills to help. He guides Nita, Kit, Ronan, and two wizard tourists, Filif and Sker'ret. They travel across the galaxy to find a special tool. They are told this tool is the only way to stop the Lone Power.
Meanwhile, Dairine and Roshaun visit the Motherboard from a previous adventure. They talk to wise "mobiles" there. They discover that the "weapon" they are looking for is actually the Hesper. The Hesper is another version of the Lone Power, but one that never turned evil.
Finding the Hesper
The group finds the world where the Hesper lives. This world is "lost" and completely devoted to the Lone Power. Despite the danger, Nita, Kit, and their friends go down to the planet. They wear disguises to blend in. With Ponch's help, they find the Hesper. Nita begins to teach the Hesper about important ideas. These ideas include "self" and "choice," which the Hesper had never understood before.
The Final Battle
Nita asks the Hesper to choose to fight the Lone Power. But before the Hesper can decide, the Lone Power captures them all. It takes away all magic in the area, like cutting off a Jedi from the Force. Ronan bravely sacrifices himself. This frees the One's Champion, a powerful being who lives inside him. The Champion holds back the Lone Power and brings magic back to the area. This gives the Hesper one last chance to make her choice.
The Hesper chooses to become fully powerful. As she takes her true form, the Lone Power is defeated. The wizards are now free to leave. Ronan is badly hurt, and the Pullulus is moving towards Earth and Filif's home planet.
Returning Home
The wizards head back to Earth, except for Filif. He returns to his planet to fight the Pullulus there. They arrive on the Moon. All of Earth's remaining active wizards are gathered there. They are working on a powerful spell to stop the Pullulus. Nita's group joins in, adding their energy to the spell. At first, the spell seems to push the Pullulus back. But then it fails because there isn't enough power.
As the Pullulus gets closer, Roshaun uses his unique ability with stars. He channels energy directly from the sun to burn the Pullulus. This works for a while. But the power needed is too much for one wizard.
Ponch's Choice
The remaining wizards prepare for one last fight against the Pullulus. Kit tells Ponch to take Carmela and Kit and Nita's parents away from Earth. Ponch starts to obey. But he is torn between following orders and staying with his master and friend. He makes a huge decision: he completes the "canine Choice." This choice had been waiting for a long time, ever since dogs first became loyal to humans.
The Pullulus takes on a wolf-like shape. Ponch then becomes a dog version of the One, a powerful cosmic being. The dark wolf clashes with the hound of starlight. The wolf of darkness is defeated. Because Ponch has become a Power, like the Hesper, he can no longer be with Kit in the same way. But as he leaves Kit, Ponch hints that some things will still stay the same.
Aftermath
Nita, Kit, Dairine, and the others recover. They realize the Pullulus is gone. They head home with Ronan healed. Roshaun and Ponch are no longer with them in the same way. The book ends with school starting again. Dairine decides to find out what really happened to Roshaun. Kit finds Ponch in a "stray" sheepdog that suddenly appeared on his street.
Main Characters
Nita
Nita is one of the main heroes of the series. She and her friends often save the world. In this story, Nita deals with her feelings for Ronan. She also truly becomes a key part of the team.
Kit
Kit is another main hero. He is Nita's best friend and partner in magic. He was the one who invited Ronan to join their adventure.
Dairine
Dairine is Nita's younger sister. She travels with Roshaun to the Motherboard to get advice from the mobiles. At the end of the book, she starts looking for what happened to Roshaun.
Ronan
Ronan is a wizard from Ireland. He joins the group and accidentally becomes a love interest for Carmela. He also surprises Nita when she first hears his voice.
Ponch
Kit's dog becomes a very important character. He helps the others with his amazing tracking skills. He also makes the "canine Choice," which changes him forever.
Darryl
Darryl is a "Pillar," a wizard with more power than most. He is like a human version of a Power. He helps the other wizards fight and destroy the Pullulus. He also appeared in The Wizards Dilemma and was a main character in A Wizard Alone.
Roshaun
Roshaun was once a prince and is now the Sun King of his planet. He travels with Dairine. He uses his star abilities to try and stop the Darkness. He vanishes when the power becomes too great for one wizard.
Filif
Filif is an exchange wizard from the previous book. He joins Sker'ret and the others to find the special tool needed to defeat the Lone Power.
Sker'ret
Sker'ret is a fellow exchange wizard and a centipede. He joins Filif on the search for the special tool.
Hesper
The Hesper is the "weapon" the wizards need to defeat the Lone Power. The Hesper is a part of the Lone Power that never turned evil.
The Lone Power
The Lone Power is the main bad guy of the entire series. It captures the wizards and the Hesper. However, it is defeated (at least one version of it) when the Hesper makes her choice and takes her place.
The One's Champion
The One's Champion was once connected to Ronan. But Ronan breaks this connection to give the Hesper a chance to make her choice. The One's Champion is described as a male being.
