The Oracle
In the distant land of deserts and islands, the servants of the god rule the land, his wishes conveyed through the Oracle and interpreted by the High Priestess. Mirany is the new Bearer, afraid of her perilous duties for the god in the rituals of the Oracle, and fearful of her secret questioning ... Does the god truly exist?
The priestess is corrupt and in secret partnership with the General, ruler, since the God-on-Earth, the Archon, has no real power - chosen as a child, his face always masked, never seen by outsiders. Should any national tragedy occur, he is also the sacrifice. When the old Archon dies, his spirit migrates into a child, and there are several candidates for succession. But Mirany begins to experience the real visions of the god, discovers which child is the rightful heir, and that the General and High Priestess intend to choose another child and seize power. With only a tomb-robbing scribe and a mad musician for allies, Mirany begins her quest - knowing that, if she is betrayed, her fate will be to be walled up alive in the Archon's tomb ...
Note: This book has also been published with the title, 'The Oracle Betrayed'.
Shortlisted for the Whitbread Award
About the Oracle Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Oracle(2003)
- 2.The Archon(2004)
- 3.The Scarab(2005)
Reading age: 11+ years
This series should be read in order.
Mirany lives in the hot desert country of Two Lands, a land beset by drought and anxious to seek peace with the Rain Queen. A shy and scared priestess, Mirany is the new Bearer, charged with carrying out perilous duties in rituals to honour the scorpion god. But the leading priestess seeks ultimate power and is conspiring to betray the god by substituting an imposter as the Oracle Archon – the god’s revered representative on earth.
Initially unsuspecting, Mirany begins to receive direction from the scorpion god himself, soon teaming up with a scribe called Seth, a tomb thief known as The Jackal - and Oblek, a drunken and sometimes violent musician. The four devise a high-risk plan and work together in order to find and protect the new Archon.
A compelling trilogy, full of action, betrayals and mystery, and drawing on the rituals of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. This fantasy world is richly-detailed and the adventure set against a backdrop that explores themes of ambition, motive and the implications of divinity.