Fans of The Dangerous Days of Daniel X and the Maximum Ride series should not expect similar greatness in James Patterson’s latest fantastical thriller series Witch & Wizard, co-written with Gabrielle Charbonnet.
The plot of this book is that a corrupt government has taken over the United States. In the process they have banned all books, music, and art. Chewing gum is against the law and people are disappearing -especially kids. The story is told through a back and forth narrative of a brother and sister, Whit and Wisty Algood.
Whit and Wisty are roused out of a good night’s sleep when the police bust into their home and arrest them. They are taken to a prison where they find it filled with nothing but other children. Whit and Wisty are judged to be dangerous because they possess magical powers. Something they were completely unaware of till they were abducted and with every page their powers grow. It turns out that Whit is a wizard and Wisty is a witch. For this, they should be executed, but “The One Who Is The One” currently running the country, wants some information from them first.
Wisty is able to transform objects, people and animals, and when angry bursts into flames matched by her red hair. She also floats in her sleep.Whit is incredibly fast and strong and increasingly impervious to weapons like stun guns. Together, they must figure out a way to escape their prison, and to bring to fruition a prophecy – a certain prophecy that foretells their rise to power that will make right the wrongs of the world.
Unfortunately, as wonderful as the premise the above story seems, they were never realized on the page. There is no meat to this book – it’s written in an entirely simplistic manner with absolutely no skill or subtlety.
The chapters were incredibly brief, and the perspectives of the different sibling’s never clearly differential zed. It was difficult to tell who was talking at various moments within the stories. The ending of Witch & Wizard leaves it open for a sequel, but fails to bring the story full circle and solve even one problem raised within the text. Everything has been left for the next installment.
James Patterson has begun to rely heavily on co-writers, and in the process is experiencing that his writing is losing credibility. There is very little to recommend in this story.
GENRE: Fantasy/Suspense
