Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea

By Diana Marcellas

Book Overview

The shari'a people are an ancient race-a proud and gentle people, ruled by witches who harnessed the powers of the world for the benefit of all. When the seafaring Allemanii tribes came to their shores, the two races lived side by side for generations, staying apart but trading and learning from each other in peaceful harmony. But something went horribly awry and the shari'a people were suddenly and brutally slain by the settlers who had come to dominate the land. They feared the shari'a . . . and more important, the witches who led them and who held powers that the Allemanii could barely comprehend. The remnants of this gentle people were scattered, and any shari'a who held the knowledge of the old ways and powers were proscribed and hunted to death. That was long ago, and young Brierley thinks she is the last shari'a witch in the world. She knows what discovery it would mean, but she cannot deny her gifts as a healer; risking discovery, she goes out time and again to bring solace . . . despite the fact that those Brierley saves are the very people who killed most of her race. When she saves the life of a nobleman's wife-a nobleman sworn to obliterate any trace of witchery-Brierley stumbles into a web of deceit and power struggles more deadly than anything she has ever faced. But she refuses to walk away-and by staying the course, Brierley gains the possibility of finding a love to last the ages, as well as a way to reclaim her people's heritage. With Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea, Marcellas has crafted a beautiful first novel that explores what it means to be different, to value that difference, and what happens when one trusts in true love.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312874847
• ISBN13: 9780312874841
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.4" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Wow

This book was fantastic, make sure to read the rest of the series!

Buy this book!

A fabulous fantasy that understand that life is not always a matter of good guys and bad guys but of the merging and conflict of individual lives. The best story teller to come along since Ursula Le Guin.

A must read

If you like fantasy with on the edge of your seat plots then you'll love Mother Ocean, Daughter Sea. I chanced upon this gem in a used book store and immediatly fell in love with it. It's and intriguing tale of a young girl with the power to heal and must keep it secret from all less she suffer the penalty of death by being discovered as a sharia witch. When she makes the discion to heal a young earls wife right in front of him she finds herself on a fantastical adventure of surviving a menacing duke and discovering herself and her ancestors of long ago. Mother Ocea, daughter Sea is a a book you wont be able to put down. I would know...i've read it twice thru all ready!

wow

definitely a new twist on the idea of all powerful witches and wizards; the plot is well done and the ideas are fresh. i would recommend it to anyone who reads fantasy, especially those interested in strong women protagonists. i absolutely loved this book and i can't wait for the second one to come out!

Great start to a new fantasy series

On the planet Yarvanett, Brierly Mefell is fully aware of the heritage of her people the Shari'a. The Allemanii massacred most of the Shari'a fearing the powers of the witches. Any individual who shows the gift of witchcraft is put too death. The few survivors were scattered. Brierly lives in a cave because she has the outlawed feared power. In spite of knowing the danger of discovery, Brierly provides healing services to the very people who committed genocide against her race and would kill her if they knew. However, a calling forces Brierly to surface in order to save the life of an Allemanii noblewoman. Brierly knows she can no longer hide amidst her enemies. Ready to escape Brierly hesitates because she has found another Shari'a witch. Brierly believes she needs to protect this sister at even the cost of her own life. MOTHER OCEAN, DAUGHTER SEA is an exciting opening fantasy that readers will find delightful because the key players seem real. The story line is loaded with the fears of the Allemanii towards the mostly dead witches of Shari'a and that haunts most actions. The key to that tale is that palatable phobia and that Brierly and her powers feel genuine. Diana Marcellas has opened up with a strong novel that will mesmerize the audience who will want the next two books released immediately.Harriet Klausner