Hanley, Victoria. The light of the Oracle.HANLEY, Victoria. The light of the Oracle. (Companion to The Seer and the Sword and The Healer's Keep.) Random House, David Fickling. 312p. map. c2005. 0-385-75086-2. $15.95. JS An absolutely beautiful cover illustration of Bryn, the main character, will make this attractive to YA readers. It is a fantasy, set in a world not our own, yet it boils down emotionally to a boarding school story; okay, with psychic psychic /psy·chic/ (si´kik) 1. pertaining to the psyche. 2. mental (1). psy·chic adj. 1. studies as the main curriculum. Bryn is a stonecutter's daughter (low class) and she is chosen to attend a special school where she immediately becomes the object of hatred from another new student, Clea, a princess. Yes, Clea is smart and talented (psychically psy·chic n. 1. A person apparently responsive to psychic forces. 2. See medium. adj. also psy·chi·cal 1. ), but Bryn is even better--more reason for Clea's jealousy Jealousy See also Envy. Jesters (See CLOWNS.) adder’s tongue flower symbolizes jealousy. and bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. . The headmaster (Master Priest of the Oracle) is being corrupted slowly, compromising his principles to retain power. He seeks to destroy any of his young students whose gifts of prophecy Prophecy See also Omen. Prosperity (See SUCCESS.) Ancaeus prophecy that he would not live to taste the wine from his vineyards is fulfilled. [Gk. Myth. are strong enough to threaten his own position. Therefore, the story becomes a plot of rebellion as gifted students, including Bryn and Kiran, the prophet she loves, undermine the power of the Master Priest and rid the Temple of the Oracle of corruption. There are chases, a beautiful horse, a loyal dog, friends willing to die for the good of all, and ideas about dreams, meditation meditation, religious discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by Christian mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining , and prophecy that are New Age compatible. I have not read the companion books, but looking over the reviews of those two volumes, there doesn't seem to be a strong enough connection that would prevent this book from standing on its own. Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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