This post is gonna be “quick and dirty” cause… well, that’s how James Patterson handles history in Witch & Wizard. I’ve read a variety of books, each handling the past in different ways. Never have I read a book that plants you so firmly in the present that the history is inconsequential. And yet this is realistic if you’re a character who never paid attention to the world or a reader who’s never stepped into the story before.
I do have some thoughts regarding the history of this novel, but I want to take a minute to give James Patterson a round of applause. It’s easy for a writer to get roped into their concept and want to share every snippet. This leads to lengthy exposition and unrealistic dialogue attempting to force-feed readers the depths of the world. Fact is, the main character may only know the horizon. And for a reader, that minimal knowledge and realistic discovery is an invitation to explore the vast world.
What We Gain in the Chaos
In a matter of paragraphs, Whit, Wisty, and the reader learn that the world ended because of politics. A party called The New Order took the political spectrum by storm, gaining support and winning elections left and right. The name should’ve clued people in, but they were probably to gobbsmacked by the knowledge of witches and wizards not being fairytales.
This New Order party, according to a voice within the depths of prison, gutted the government and restructured everything to be under a Council of Ones. One who Judges, One who Commands, that sort of thing. We meet several of these Ones throughout the story, but the ringleader seems powerful than he lets on. I’m not talking politically.
There is also a prophecy of which Whit and Wisty seem to be in the middle of, but we gain very little insight into its backstory. What we know of the history is what we gain in short bursts and the results of past decisions. Children of witches and wizards are rounded up without notice or reason, laws and rulings are effectively changed to benefit the cause of this mysterious order, and the general populace hardly bats an eye. It’s dizzying and nonsensical, yet so realistic when considering how easily people follow the pack.
Witch & Wizard: An Allegory for Past Traumas
There are many atrocious events in history that could’ve inspired this very concept. The persecution of Jews during the Holocaust, the perpetual enslavement of African Americans before the Civil Rights movement. Even now, people are hunted and chained, or even killed, for their heritage. Standing in the 21st century, we look back and wonder how and why.
The answer is complicated.
In some cases, I think it’s fear. In the Bible, Pharoh enslaved the Israelites and had their babies murdered because he feared their exponential growth. He worried they would take over Egypt just by sheer numbers, and so did whatever he could think to shrink their population and degrade their will.
That seems to be the route of Witch & Wizard, fearing something that can’t be understood. Worrying that such people will decide they have the right to control just because they have special abilities. The prophecy throws another monkey wrench into the thinking, but I’m sure the people supporting The New Order could care less.
What I find interesting is how Patterson pulls from history to boost the thinking of his limited history. Could be a habit from his political thrillers, but it gave me a solid frame of reference when taking in the utter chaos scribbled across these pages.