Tamora Pierce, Wild Magic
Simon Pulse, 1992
The first Daine and Numair adventure
I guess I'm your ma now.
Daine to a baby dragon
On her way back from the fair with her newly acquired ponies, Onua Chamtong, horsemistress for the Queen's Riders, finds herself an unlikely assistant in thirteen-year-old Veralidaine Sarrasri—or Daine. The young girl shows an uncanny knack with animals, almost seeming to converse with them. Daine refuses to acknowledge that she is Gifted, till she learns that her ability is magic, wild magic!
But even before they can reach their destination, danger stalks them. Attacked by immortal monsters like Stormwings and Spidrens, who have broken free of the Divine Realms after four hundred years, Daine finds that it is more than just her ability with animals and skill with a bow (which is notable) that will keep her and her friends—both two-legged and four-legged—alive. On the way, she meets the legendary knight known as the Lioness—the King's Champion Sir Alanna, the only female knight of her generation—as well as the young, powerful mage Numair Salmalín.
She's [Sir Alanna] shorter than I expected. And I never thought she'd swear, or make jokes. She's a legend, sure enough, but she's so human. An idea made her jaw drop: if she's a legend, and a hero, then anyone could be a hero.
(p. 75)
It is obvious that Daine has a secret. Even as she agrees to letting Numair teach her to control her wild magic and to learn to heal animals, she is afraid to explore the limits of her own powers. As Numair's student, opportunities she never imagined open up to her. Learning to communicate with animals, dealing with her own magic, and assisting Onua, Daine starts to leave her traumatic past behind. Rubbing shoulders with nobles, who behave in a most un-noble-like manner—including royalty— trainees of the Queen's Riders and their support staff, young Daine finds life in Tortall like nothing else she had ever imagined.
"Odd's bobs, this is a strange place [says Daine to Queen Thayet]! Knights who say call 'em by their first name and wizards that light tinder and queens that run around dressed like real people—"
(pp. 103–4)
But in a land where the worlds of the mortal and immortal overlap, and where humans hunt their own kind, danger and bloodshed are never far behind. When enemy forces attack Pirate's Swoop, the location of the Rider trainees' summer camp and Alanna's domain, it takes all hands, animals and human, to defend themselves. It will take all of Daine's skill and Numair's powers to protect their people, and the young girl is faced with a very hard decision to make.
Wild Magic, the first of the Immortals quartet, featuring Veralidaine Sarrasri and Numair Salmalín, is a very different fantasy tale. The relationship between the the powerful, enigmatic mage Numair and his 'magelet', the young, orphaned, homeless Daine is endearing and heartwarming, especially given their fourteen-year age gap. It is certainly fun to see both Alanna of Trebond and Jonathan of Conté grown up. It is also interesting to note that Alanna is now married to George Cooper, but is King Jonathan's Champion.
Unlike the Alanna and Keladry quartets, this one is more of fantasy and less of 'heroism', not that Daine is any less brave or has to make any easier choices. (We also see a different side of Numair, who comes across as rather mysterious and unapproachable for the most part in the Keladry of Mindelan series.) Yet again, Pierce has created a strong central female character, something that is rather unusual in most fantasy books. Animals always play a major role in her books, and this one is no exception. Cats, badgers, hedgehogs, bats, birds, seals, whales, dolphins... and even dragons jostle for space in 350-odd pages.
Wild Magic is a must-read for fans of the kingdom of Tortall, and anyone who wants to know how Sir Alanna developed, or find out more about the pair of Daine and Numair from Keladry's times. The narration is a bit abrupt and stilted in places, and a few typos have given the sharp eyes of the editorial staff at Simon and Schuster the slip. But no matter, for this is a rather delightful read.
RATING: 8/10
The Immortals quartet:
Book II: Wolf-Speaker
Book III: Emperor Mage
Book IV: The Realms of the Gods