My rating: 3 of 5 stars
One of the oldest mythical figures in human civilization, wizards, magicians, witches, druids, warlocks, sorcerers, mages, shamans, apprentices, seers, necromancers and mystics were once revered as healers, historians and prophets. Now they have become the inspiration for magnificent fantasy stories that span from Merin's Camelot to Harry Potter's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The legends of wizards and other magical kind are numerous and widespread that almost every culture has their own variations and stories.
Wizards started off with the basics of the definitions of a wizard, how they came to being, their powers and abilities and their constant staying power. All the details such as notable wizards and witches from history, what they wear, where they live, what they're taught and in return what they teach, spells and spellcasting and their equipment from pointed hat to walking staff.
Merlin actually gets his own section and deservedly so. All that is connected to wizards and wizarding lore can be easily traced back to King Arthur's mentor and advisor. Merlin set the standard and all other cultural legends have followed since. Harry Potter is broadly covered as well, however, my primary complaint is that Aubrey Sherman could have done a reread of the Potter books before she wrote about them. There were several errors that only a true Potter fan could notice.
Wizards also went to great lengths to chronicle all that wizarding legends have contributed to the modern media. From books, movies and television shows, it seems that any story, whether fantasy or sci-fi, usually has a witch or wizard lurking about. (And God bless Marvel for finally distinguishing the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer) I was especially happy when the BBC's wonderful television series, Merlin received a good portion of recognition!
Like the rest of the MLL books, I greatly enjoyed Wizards and the plethora of knowledge about magic and its creators. The pictures and drawing that accompanied the book were stunning and I appreciated the Ravenclaw blue theme as well! Exploring the different worlds of wizardry and magic, and also realizing how much the wizard lore opened the doors to both fantasy and science fiction, one can't help appreciate the mystical mediators between our world and the unknown.
