“My dog makes alternate universes, ones that no one’s ever seen before. They’re new.” -Kit Rodriguez, discovering something entirely new in his worldview

Even after everything they’ve seen, done, and learned, there’s still plenty of surprises left for wizards Nita Callahan and Kit Rodriguez. In The Wizard’s Dilemma, the fifth book in the popular Young Wizards series from best-selling author Diane Duane, the intrepid duo are matched up against a whole new set of obstacles, trials, and challenges, as they continue to fight the intricate machinations of the Lone Power, the guiding force behind evil, entropy, and death.

In their first adventure, So You Want To Be A Wizard, Nita and Kit traveled to an alternate world to complete their initiation into the widespread society of wizards who serve the Powers, protecting life and slowing down the inevitable course of the universe towards ultimate entropy. In Deep Wizardry, they delved into the secrets of the ocean, meeting up with the cetacean wizards who protect that portion of the world. In High Wizardry, the initiation of Nita’s little sister, Dairine, as a wizard took all three to distant planets and a galaxy far, far away. A Wizard Abroad saw the partnership of Nita and Kit split for the first time, as Nita journeyed to visit relatives in Ireland, a vacation which would ultimately have both Kit and Nita exploring times past, and the mythological secrets of an ancient land. And finally, in The Wizard’s Dilemma, their adventures take on both macro levels, as they explore a panoply of strange new universes, and micro levels, as they discover that we are each our own universe.

It’s the start of a new school year, and the pressures of high school bring on stresses of their own for Nita and Kit, who’re finding it harder and harder to spend time together, despite the emotional strength of the partnership they’ve developed over the past few years. When an argument goes awry, it looks like it may be the end of their time working as a team, as they each go off on their own tangent. Even after the initial flare of tempers dies down, and they both start to see the other’s side of things, it’s no guarantee that they’ll get back together, when separate discoveries and tasks take them both in different directions.

For Kit, it’s the discovery that his dog, Ponch, is capable of creating entirely new universes, ones never before seen, ones capable of existing on their own after the initial generation. When the Powers charge Kit and Ponch with further exploration, he’s truly out of this world at the time when Nita needs him the most. For she’s faced with something much more mundane, and much more personal: her mother is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Cancer. And it doesn’t look like there’s any way to cure it on the mundane level. Naturally, she turns to magic, a path which leads her beyond this world as well … just not in the same direction as Kit.

Their partnership in tatters, their schedules radically opposed, their concentrations set upon other matters, it may be the end of Kit and Nita. And if either of them fails, Nita’s mother will pay the price. Lives and universes hang in the balance if the teenaged wizards don’t grasp the lessons they’re given. And just to add another wrinkle into the mess, when the Lone Power comes calling with a particularly tempting bargain for Nita, her mother’s life in exchange for the one price Nita doesn’t dare pay, it looks like she may just start playing for the wrong team after all ….

I’ve been reading this series for years, and to get another book starring Kit and Nita was enough to make me jump for joy. To my immense delight, this book doesn’t disappoint in the least. Possessing all of the rich characterization and fantastic ideas that have made Diane Duane’s previous books so much fun, it’s proof that she’s still at the top of her game. It’s fast-paced, taking place entirely within the span of a week, from Friday through next Friday, constantly on the move. The stakes are high, both on a personal level for the characters, and on a universal level, literally. The aliens are truly alien, exhibiting mannerisms, beliefs, and physical adaptations that render them believably different from the human characters. Even the magical system that’s so prevalent within this series is complex, ultimately flexible, but contained within entirely logical rules and boundaries.

For those who’ve read the series thus far, it’s a treat, as cameos by cetacean wizard S’reee, and feline wizard Rhiow, as well as supporting roles by Dairine and Senior Wizards Tom and Carl, solidly link this book to the others set in the same framework. New characters, like Ponch (the universe-creating dog), Pont (an alien wizard whose plurality gives them a unique view of the world), and the Transcendent Pig (who refuses to reveal the meaning of life, no matter how often you ask), further expand the potential and possibilities.

I couldn’t put this book down, staying up quite late at night to finish it. It hits a certain point, about halfway through, where it just starts moving at a breakneck, roller-coaster speed, and it doesn’t let up until the very end, an unexpected, unpredictable ending which still had the power to surprise me. The Wizard’s Dilemma is fascinating and intriguing, addressing the ethical concerns of healing without proper knowledge, the moral quandary of turning to your worst enemy when all else fails, and the responsibilities we all face in making the best we can of the world we live in. Evil has never seemed so subtle or tempting as when it takes on the face it does here. I can’t help but compare it to the latest season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which the title character likewise has to deal with her mother’s illness, a storyline which revealed that magic might not always have the answer. It also hit a personal note for me, since it made me reflect upon my own mother-in-law’s recent stint in the hospital, and how lucky she was to get the help she needed. Far scarier than the thought of losing a battle to the Lone Power on a distant planet is the thought of losing a loved one to a disease that can’t be fought so easily.

Truly, The Lone Power, Nita, Kit, Dairine, and Diane Duane herself are in fine form, making this quite possibly the best book of the series to date. It just goes to remind us that long before Harry Potter made his debut, the Young Wizards series was exploring some of the same ground, and a lot of new territory. I highly recommend The Wizard’s Dilemma as one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

“Trouble is, someone changed the location of “normal” and didn’t bother sending me a map.” -Nita Callahan, reflecting on the changes in her life caused by the events of A Wizard Abroad