The Oracle Betrayed

by Catherine Fisher

Book Overview

They might not know what the future holds, but they know they hold it in their hands. Mirany, the newly appointed attendant to the Speaker, is untested, in fear for her life, and keeper of the god's secrets. Seth, an ambitious scribe toiling in the shadow of the pyramid, has discovered the secret labyrinths and underground passages to the tombs. Hermia, the Speaker, interprets the words of the god and twists his wishes to suit her treachery. General...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060571578
• ISBN13: 9780060571573
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Length: 341 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Speaker is Corrupt. The Oracle is Being Betrayed. Burn This. Stay Alive.

Listen... I Will Trust You. There Is No One Else, And I WIll Be Dead Soon. The Speaker is Corrupt. The Oracle is Being Betrayed. Two Things You Must Do, Mirany. Find the New Archon, Stop Argelin. Second. In My Palace Is A Musician. Oblek. Talk To Him, He Knows. Do Not Be Afraid Of The God For He Has Chosen You. Burn This. Stay Alive. The Oracle Betrayed is by far the best book I have ever read. Catherine Fisher creates a vivid landscape, close to something like Egypt or Greece, and writes of all sorts of characters, each with a unique, complex, but believable personality. The back ground point is Mirany is chosen to be the Bearer-of-the-God, the second highest ranking position in amongst nine priestessess. The first is the Speaker to the God, Hermia, who is corrupt and turns the god's word around to suit her's and Argelin's own purposes. But the God speaks to Mirany, tells her about it. And gives her a mission. Find Oblek before he is put to death with the other slaves of the old Archon (god-in-human-form (who dies at the start of the book)) The rest you have probably already read about in other reviews so i won't waste space telling you. What I disliked about this book: Well, the starting is a bit confusing, but it's all explained later on. And you repeatedly read about the Jackal's long eyes staring at someone, or his fair hair, or about the characters licking dry lips. Well, it's better than just plain " Seth liked his lips." And that's all. What I liked about this book: All the characters are so complex and even the main ones are still mortal and will give in if it means something for them will come out of it. No two are alike- like real people. And Catherine Fisher does such a good job describing how they're like- (not in long, boring paragraphs) but how they act in different situations throughout the book that it's almost like you know them like you do a friend. Admittedly, not all the characters are like that, most have deep histories that aren't apparent until Catherine Fisher tells you or until you put two and two together and figure it out for yourself. When I read this book for the third time I started to realize that, how Mirany was helping Oblek and Seth from the Garden of the Rain, and i only started to understand who the Rain Queen really was at the third book. And when you finnish one of her books, it's clear what happened, but you still have a feeling as if their was more to it, if you cared to understand, and there is, in short paragraphs or poem-like pages that you thought were insignificant before. The Oracle Betrayed is fast paced, and doesn't take long to start up- the climax happened about 30 pages into the book, and never receded. Catherine Fisher really know's how to right suspense, and the words seem to just roll off the pages and into your mind. Suspense always leaves you hanging whenever the points of views between characters suddenly switch, and you never know what will happen next. Over all, I highly reccome

How does she do it?

Seriously, Cat Fisher is one of the best authors I have ever experienced. She beats JK Rowling! The main female character is a teen brunette called Mirany. She is a shy, timid little thing, who is easily intimidated by her fellow priestesses, especially ambitious Rhetia and ruthless Hermia, who has hooked up with obsessive general Argelin. Her only friend in the Nine is ditzy blonde Chryse. After being secretly contacted by the ancient Archon, God-on-Earth, Mirany teams up with handsome scribe Seth, who seems to have two conflicting personalities- one power-hungey and greedy, the other ... well, noble, really. Throughout the series, Seth and Mirany have much sexual tension between them, as they quickly fall for each other. Along with Oblex, a protective yet alcoholic musician, and Alexos, the quirky ten-year-old who is the god... these characters burn in your head for time to come.

An incredibly vivid view of an incredibly entrancing story

I picked up this book at a college bookstore today with absolutely no knowledge of the author or her works, and purchased it after reading the first page. As soon as I started, I couldn't put it down; it's that amazing. "The Oracle Betrayed" is set in a pseudo-Egypt, where the land is dying for lack of rain (no Nile here!) and a new God-on-Earth must be chosen to replace the old one, who has just been killed as a sacrifice for rain. The main character, Mirany, is a young priestess who discovers that the High Priestess (who is supposed to be the Oracle) actually cannot hear the god and is plotting with the chief general to control the new boy chosen as the God-on-Earth. And then Mirany discovers that the god is speaking to her, and that she has to thwart the plot and find the real vessel the god has chosen... The book incredibly well-written. Fisher has such an amazing gift with words; I am in awe. She conveyed the preciousness of water in a desert society as I've never really understood it before. Several places I had to stop and just gibber at the sheer glory of her writing. And the characters! *meeps* No one was wholly good nor bad; the main character was a quiet, shy, frightened girl who was so terrified of what she had to do and yet knew she had to do it and so gained the strength for it; the other main viewpoint character was a scribe who was working with a tomb-robber in order to get water for his desperately ill sister. And then there was the little god... *huggles him* Oh my gosh I'm still gibbering. Just...SO GOOD. I want the sequel and I want it now and I'm cursing myself for not buying it when I had the chance. I shall, of course, rectify this mistake tomorrow. My advice to you all? Buy it. Read it. Love it.

This is a terrific new series

I've started reading this series after having gone through the Edgewater series. "The Oracle Betrayed" already promises that this series will be much better and more satisfying. The characters are well rounded, the dialogue is believable, and while there is a lot of action, it all flows together as part of an overarching plot, rather than as individual episodes. This book will appeal to both girls and boys. Catherine Fisher does a great job of making the world of this story come to life. The brutality of life in the ancient world is made evident. As she describes the crowded city streets, details such as rotting garbage and the odor of dead animals make it extremely vivid and realistic. And then this is contrasted with the sumptuous City of the Dead, where the high ranking inhabitants lack for nothing, even precious water while the poor are reeling from the effects of the long-lasting drought. The two main characters, Mireny and Seth, are flawed which makes them more believable than they would have been if they had been gung-ho, able-to-do-everything types. Mireny is priestess but she doesn't believe the in the existence of her god, and by nature she is shy and uncomfortable around people. Over the course of the book her faith changes and she gains confidence. Seth begins as an arrogant scribe who gets drawn into the plot initially as a means of achieving his ambitions, but he too grows and his motives change. A previous reviewer complained that the meaning of everything is not spelled out at the beginning. That's actually what makes for sophisticated storytelling, and makes this a book that will appeal to various ages. As you read on the various layers of the the mystery are revealed and the various threads of the plot come together. For parents who are evaluating this book there are a couple of things to be aware of. Although this is listed as book for 9 yr olds, it probably is more appropriate starting at 11 to 12 year olds due to some more mature elements. There is a scene of ritual sacrifice, and while it is not graphic it might be disturbing to some kids. Also there is a brief scene that takes place in an opium den. Otherwise I highly recommend this book. It's enjoyable for anyone who enjoys a mix of mystery and fantasy.

Great book about growing up and finding one's unique path

Mirany is chosen to be a Bearer of the God in the society where 9 priestesses serve to the God's different needs. It's a great honor to become one of the priestesses. With the respect and adoration of average people, the title gives each of the 9 the status and the power to control the life of the society they live in. The only reason for Mirany being chosen is that she seems to be easily controllable. Imagine the surprise, when under the timid and shy appearance, a very resourceful and thoughtful individual emerge as the story progresses. Mirany's character grows as the story goes on; she starts out questioning God's existence (quietly in her own thoughts, terrified that someone could find out) then confronted with the fact that God might be real after all (reincarnated in the young boy Alexos), she still doesn't stop questioning God's work - the society she lives in, its inequality and cruelty. On one hand she believes that Alexos is the new Archon, but on the other she still sees everything that is wrong with people and society around her and doesn't understand how and why the God would allow things to be that way. Seth, the practical and ambitious scribe (another character from the book) seems to shear Mirany's dual attitude towards the God, but with somewhat more practical attitude - ok, God's great, but we mortals here have to fend for ourselves and help ourselves, because no one else will. Oblek, the old bad tempered musician, loves the "Old Man" (the Archon), but more like an old friend than someone to worship. These three very different people with different motivations have the common purpose - to make sure that Alexos will be chosen as the new Archon. And all three of them discover different parts of themselves during their quest. I definitely recommend the book to anyone 10 and up. It has the adventure, intrigue and "edge of the seat" suspense for the younger audience, while bringing up questions that people can spend their whole life trying to answer.