What do you think?
Rate this book
Young Wizards #9.5
How Lovely Are Thy Branches: A Young Wizards Christmas
It’s five days till Christmas, and the day before the Winter Solstice. The biggest pre-Christmas blizzard seen for decades is heading straight for the New York metropolitan area. But in one small corner of the Town of Hempstead, everyone’s attention is on other business. That’s because there’s a party tonight at Juan and Marina Rodriguez’s house… and the guest of honor is a being from four hundred lightyears away who looks a whole lot like a Christmas tree.
As so often happens, the motive force behind the festivities is the redoubtable Carmela Rodriguez, intent on fulfilling her longtime intention to fulfill one of the great wishes of the wizard known as Filif — specifically, to finally get him into a full set of Christmas decorations. The two-day party that ensues (with an epic sleepover in the middle) brings together a cast of old and new friends to eat, drink, exchange presents, and see a few things the likes of which this world has never seen before…
This 35,000 word novelette is a canonical work in the Young Wizards universe and takes place between the events of A Wizard of Mars and the forthcoming Games Wizards Play.
As so often happens, the motive force behind the festivities is the redoubtable Carmela Rodriguez, intent on fulfilling her longtime intention to fulfill one of the great wishes of the wizard known as Filif — specifically, to finally get him into a full set of Christmas decorations. The two-day party that ensues (with an epic sleepover in the middle) brings together a cast of old and new friends to eat, drink, exchange presents, and see a few things the likes of which this world has never seen before…
This 35,000 word novelette is a canonical work in the Young Wizards universe and takes place between the events of A Wizard of Mars and the forthcoming Games Wizards Play.
ebook
First published December 20, 2014
10 people are currently reading
621 people want to read
About the author
Diane Duane
167 books2,416 followersDiane Duane has been a writer of science fiction, fantasy, TV and film for more than forty years.
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.
She lives in County Wicklow, in Ireland, with her husband of more than thirty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.
Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."
(From her official website)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 27, 2020
I just finished my regular Christmas re-read of How Lovely Are Thy Branches, which is an annual tradition along with rereading Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. They're very different works, of course, and I don't particularly want to get into the nuts and bolts of comparing them, but I mention Hogfather to give you an idea of the high esteem in which I hold HLATB.
Is it the best introduction to the Young Wizards series? Probably not, but as a YW for more than 20 years, I don't have to right perspective to make that call. It's also not a major adventure. It's a fun, light, "fluffy" slice of life story about a Christmas party. In short, it's a nice, low-stakes breather all about the meaning of the season. At the same time, it's not frivolous - it's a story about loss, friendship, and togetherness. And, naturally enough, magic.
If you're already invested in the series, it's a must-read (but YW fans are dedicated enough that I'm sure they've already devoured it). If you're new to the series, start at the beginning...but definitely start.
Is it the best introduction to the Young Wizards series? Probably not, but as a YW for more than 20 years, I don't have to right perspective to make that call. It's also not a major adventure. It's a fun, light, "fluffy" slice of life story about a Christmas party. In short, it's a nice, low-stakes breather all about the meaning of the season. At the same time, it's not frivolous - it's a story about loss, friendship, and togetherness. And, naturally enough, magic.
If you're already invested in the series, it's a must-read (but YW fans are dedicated enough that I'm sure they've already devoured it). If you're new to the series, start at the beginning...but definitely start.
February 4, 2016
In How Lovely Are Thy Branches, Carmela holds a Christmas party and invites all our favorite wizards. Carmela’s reason for the party is to finally get Filif dressed up as a Christmas tree, which he was interested in back in Wizard’s Holiday. This was a really sweet story and basically pure fluff. Character interactions were at the forefront.
December 10, 2020
It's one day before the Winter Solstice, five days before Christmas, and a wizards' holiday party is about to descend on the home of Juan and Marina Rodriguez.
The Rodriguez parents know that their two younger kids, Kit and Carmela, are wizards, but unlike Nita and Dairine Callahan's dad, they haven't previously experienced a full-blown wizard party at their home. Moreover, this time, the guest of honor is Filif, the Demisiv, who just happens to look an awful lot like the Christmas tree of your dreams.
Filif, having learned about Christmas and Christmas trees, wants to be decorated--tinsel, garlands, decorations of all kinds, and lights. When Marcus, coming in from Germany for the party, mentions that actual lit candles on the tree used to be traditional, and are still included in some places, Filif wants those, too. His friends wonder if that's going a little far...
Meanwhile, the biggest winter storm in decades is bearing down on New York City, and the Terror Twins, next door, are bent on their usual mischief.
This is a fun, warm, enjoyable Christmas novelette, canonical in the Young Wizards series. A nice little addition to your holiday reading.
I bought this ebook.
The Rodriguez parents know that their two younger kids, Kit and Carmela, are wizards, but unlike Nita and Dairine Callahan's dad, they haven't previously experienced a full-blown wizard party at their home. Moreover, this time, the guest of honor is Filif, the Demisiv, who just happens to look an awful lot like the Christmas tree of your dreams.
Filif, having learned about Christmas and Christmas trees, wants to be decorated--tinsel, garlands, decorations of all kinds, and lights. When Marcus, coming in from Germany for the party, mentions that actual lit candles on the tree used to be traditional, and are still included in some places, Filif wants those, too. His friends wonder if that's going a little far...
Meanwhile, the biggest winter storm in decades is bearing down on New York City, and the Terror Twins, next door, are bent on their usual mischief.
This is a fun, warm, enjoyable Christmas novelette, canonical in the Young Wizards series. A nice little addition to your holiday reading.
I bought this ebook.
September 23, 2017
I am loving these Young Wizards novellas way more than the full length novels. So much time spent just enjoying the characters without any deep crisis to deal with. And this one centers around Filif. Sweet!
August 23, 2018
My favorite in the whole series to date, so a favorite among favorites, I suppose. Sometimes I just need a whole lot of joy in life, and this provides that nigh perfectly.
December 6, 2023
Cute, but I didn't like the format. Present tense with zero dialogue tags. No thanks.
May 25, 2025
Cute, fun, and perfect for the 80 degree weather outside.
How Lovely Are Thy Branches, rated 4.5/5 stars.
How Lovely Are Thy Branches, rated 4.5/5 stars.
February 16, 2015
A delightful and wildly funny Christmas-themed novella set in Duane's Young Wizards universe. The young wizards we've come to know and love are having a Christmas party at the Rodrigeuz home, and friends from across the galazy are invited. The special aspect of this party lies in the decoration of the tree - a role played by Filif, the young Demisiv wizard who closely resembles the traditional Christmas evergreen, and who has been dreaming of being gloriously decorated ever since he heard of the human tradition. While the story is mostly the wizards having fun with their friends, there are a few serious notes concerning the healing of grief, the wrongness of bullying and the dynamics of being an individual and and being a part of a close-knit community. A treat for Young Wizards fans.
May 13, 2016
A cute YW Christmas novella. Recommend for fans of the series, NOT a great intro to the fabulous DD & her series, since it's a complex universe & (most importantly) because it contains spoilers for some of the books. So start with All You Want to be a Wizard ;-) Read this ONLY after reading AWoM!
It dragged just a little. Since it seems to be basically self-published I think lack of serious editing is the reason. For fans, this isn't a big deal. In fact, DD seems to have had so much fun with this it's contagious. Lots of fun cameos she would never squeeze into a regular novel, and some fun trivia and info about characters make this a very worth while read for fans :-)
It dragged just a little. Since it seems to be basically self-published I think lack of serious editing is the reason. For fans, this isn't a big deal. In fact, DD seems to have had so much fun with this it's contagious. Lots of fun cameos she would never squeeze into a regular novel, and some fun trivia and info about characters make this a very worth while read for fans :-)
December 23, 2014
Wonderful novella. I stayed up a bit late to finish it the same day I started. Laughed out loud several times. No need to have read the books in the Young Wizards series if you have a decent background in science fiction. Flif is a sapient alien tree type being, and human friends invite him to a Christmas party, so they can decorate him. Hilarious.
February 8, 2017
New Young Wizards. Filif learns about Christmas. Warning: there are a couple of canon atypical swear words (they make sense, but they threw me for a loop). We also learn a lot about Filif's people, and a lovely cameo makes it nicely not an overwhelming story for those of us who don't celebrate Christmas. Also, a lovely tide me over until Games Wizards Play is finally out!
December 11, 2015
It's a great mark of success, I think, for an author to write about a party in great detail while making you wish you were there enjoying the fun too. Duane definitely does that in this cute tale, although some people's cameos at the party felt shortened and the reader wishes they could have been longer. The conflict is even more contrived than in Not On My Patch but that's fine!
December 31, 2014
Great Young Wizards novella to tide us all over until Games Wizards Play is released in 2016. An enjoyable story, it was nice to see all of the characters totally "at play" and relaxing completely for once, since we typically see them in the series as hard at work.
January 16, 2015
Straight-up fanservice, particularly for Filif fans who have been waiting for this the whole time. Terrible place to enter the YW universe, great fun if you're already in it. One jarring dig at Virgin Galactic really should have been edited out, given the release date.
December 23, 2014
Oh my goodness, it's been so freaking long since there was new Young Wizards stuff to peruse and this novella was sweet and thoughtful and so much fun.
December 27, 2014
Delicious story, especially at Christmas. I may never look at a Christmas tree in the same way again!
July 31, 2016
Indeed, lovely. God I love these books.
May 14, 2016
This really, really made me actually wish it was winter and that I was young enough to have a winter break from school...and all the nerdy references were great!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews