Book #27 of 2016:
Lifeboats by Diane Duane (Young Wizards #9.5)
Lifeboats is an “interim” novella in the Young Wizards series, taking place in the narrative gap between main novels A Wizard of Mars (#9) and Games Wizards Play (#10). There are two other stories by Duane that also fall in that gap, “Not on My Patch” and “How Lovely Are Thy Branches,” and I thought those were fun enough little drabbles. Lifeboats is a much longer and more significant outing, however — I would recommend it wholeheartedly to any fan of this series, whereas I wouldn’t say that those other interim pieces were at all essential.
This book showcases the growing maturity of its characters, both in their personal relationships and in their understanding of the complexities of life, where sometimes all you can do is search for the best response to a bad situation. It features a compassionate look at refugees, as well as a thoughtful consideration of what it means to grant others the agency to make decisions that you see as bad for them. (Also: an alien with nonbinary pronouns and another one that looks like Chewbacca.) I really enjoyed this tale, to the extent where I wish it had been published as the official tenth part of the series.
★★★★☆
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