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bloodyrosemccoyMostly I am ambivalent about the idea of fiddling with and changing classics. On the one hand you can get something excellent, like the Star Trek reboot that clearly loves the hell out of its source material. On the other hand, well, Star Wars. And you get tradeoffs, like with ET—CG allows for more mobility, but puppets are more convincingly THERE.* So there are arguments for both sides, and I can come down on either depending on a lot of factors.
Except in the case of Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series. When she decided to update the first books in it into Millennium Editions (which are available as ebooks from the store on her site--and on sale for a few days HOLY SHIT Y’ALL 60% OFF!), there was no ambivalence. I was all like FUCK YEAH.
Because while the originals are wonderful snapshots of the time and place they were written, the first one came out in, what, 1982?, and the most recent one in 2010. In that time our heroes age about two years or so, but their technology rockets almost thirty years from vinyl to iPods. It’s a little confusing.
And also, Diane Duane has such a fine time playing with The Latest Technology that I was just DYING to see where she’d take it.**
So, protip: if you are already a fan of the series, and have read--particularly--High Wizardry and now want to try the new version, I suggest you keep a copy of the old one handy for reference. Going back and forth to see all the changes is half the fun.
I’m saying High Wizardry in particular because, while there are other changes to the series (Nita’s Walkman becomes her MP3 player, her Alan Parsons Project LP morphs into a Coldplay CD, Duane no longer has to explain the phrase “boot up” but now has to give a brief overview of what subway tokens were, and Dairine, who was now born in 1997, has understandably but unforgivably become a fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars instead of REAL Star Wars), the book all about using Cutting-Art State-Of-The-Edge computer technology for wizardry is the one with the most fascinating changes. A lot changed since she wrote the original in 1990.*** Computers are no longer relegated to your school’s science class. (No, seriously, in the original book they explain that Dairine is familiar with computers because her science class has one.) If even regular people are watching movies, Skyping with their friends in Iceland, publishing ebooks, 3D printing replacement skulls for accident victims, checking satellite positions, looking up who that one actor was in that one show, signing up for online tap dance classes, and playing World of Warcraft ALL AT THE SAME TIME, then why the hell wouldn't WIZARDS use that shit for magicHUH, HARRY POTTER?
The book’s main story still stands, though. The books are the same crazy smoothie of man-eating helicopters, automotive ecosystems, magical talking sharks, friendly white holes, interdimensional terminals at Grand Central Station, robot wizards, and oblique cameos by Marvin the Martian and The Fifth Doctor that has always made it so damn entertaining. Just with an updated graphics card.
*I don’t know why everyone pitched a fit over the change from assault rifles to walkie-talkies, though. Sure, man, whatever.
**I realized at some point thatThe Book of Night With Moon, which I read first in junior high, might have been the first real urban fantasy I ever read. And I am now surprised that I liked it. Most urban fantasy is a little too smugly clever for me.
***Other change: the big dang climax, which was based on a scientific paradox that has since been questioned, changed without actually changing the story much. Good on ya, Duane!
Except in the case of Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series. When she decided to update the first books in it into Millennium Editions (which are available as ebooks from the store on her site--and on sale for a few days HOLY SHIT Y’ALL 60% OFF!), there was no ambivalence. I was all like FUCK YEAH.
Because while the originals are wonderful snapshots of the time and place they were written, the first one came out in, what, 1982?, and the most recent one in 2010. In that time our heroes age about two years or so, but their technology rockets almost thirty years from vinyl to iPods. It’s a little confusing.
And also, Diane Duane has such a fine time playing with The Latest Technology that I was just DYING to see where she’d take it.**
So, protip: if you are already a fan of the series, and have read--particularly--High Wizardry and now want to try the new version, I suggest you keep a copy of the old one handy for reference. Going back and forth to see all the changes is half the fun.
I’m saying High Wizardry in particular because, while there are other changes to the series (Nita’s Walkman becomes her MP3 player, her Alan Parsons Project LP morphs into a Coldplay CD, Duane no longer has to explain the phrase “boot up” but now has to give a brief overview of what subway tokens were, and Dairine, who was now born in 1997, has understandably but unforgivably become a fan of Star Wars: The Clone Wars instead of REAL Star Wars), the book all about using Cutting-Art State-Of-The-Edge computer technology for wizardry is the one with the most fascinating changes. A lot changed since she wrote the original in 1990.*** Computers are no longer relegated to your school’s science class. (No, seriously, in the original book they explain that Dairine is familiar with computers because her science class has one.) If even regular people are watching movies, Skyping with their friends in Iceland, publishing ebooks, 3D printing replacement skulls for accident victims, checking satellite positions, looking up who that one actor was in that one show, signing up for online tap dance classes, and playing World of Warcraft ALL AT THE SAME TIME, then why the hell wouldn't WIZARDS use that shit for magic
The book’s main story still stands, though. The books are the same crazy smoothie of man-eating helicopters, automotive ecosystems, magical talking sharks, friendly white holes, interdimensional terminals at Grand Central Station, robot wizards, and oblique cameos by Marvin the Martian and The Fifth Doctor that has always made it so damn entertaining. Just with an updated graphics card.
*I don’t know why everyone pitched a fit over the change from assault rifles to walkie-talkies, though. Sure, man, whatever.
**I realized at some point thatThe Book of Night With Moon, which I read first in junior high, might have been the first real urban fantasy I ever read. And I am now surprised that I liked it. Most urban fantasy is a little too smugly clever for me.
***Other change: the big dang climax, which was based on a scientific paradox that has since been questioned, changed without actually changing the story much. Good on ya, Duane!
