A page of recent reviews of Catherine's novels
The Scarab
In this dramatic conclusion to the Oracle Prophesies trilogy, Mirany, Seth and Argelin all face their inner demons and meet their destinies head-on. Mirany and Seth's fates are inextricably tied to each other, to Argelin's choices, and to their common responsibilities to preserve the gods.. This is a highly satisfying conclusion. Maintaining the breathtaking pace is necessary to tie up all loose ends, and Fisher does so admirably; small side plots from earlier novels are carefully tended to and mixed into the larger destiny of this beleaguered cast of characters.
The final showdown is a refreshing change from the usual didactic or straightforward ~ confrontation between Good and Evil; instead, the characters face a complex and intriguing struggle among and against the contradictory impulses in all people. Fans of the series have likely been anticipating this volume, and they will not be disappointed by this satisfying (and heartbreaking) final outing.
Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books.
Wales has in Catherine Fisher one of the most skilled and original writers currently working in young adult fantasy.
The Scarab concludes Fisher's Egyptian-flavoured Oracle trilogy, which began with the Oracle and The Archan.. Fisher employs one stunning image after another, creating an almost tangible landscape recalling ancient Egypt but also strongly informed by Greek myth, Judeo-Christian tradition, and a fertile imagination. Hieroglyphs and talismanic cats exist alongside Sisyphean punishments. In this polytheistic world the god and his shadow care for creation and interact personally with mortals, while the Rain Queen plays the part of the jealous deity, sitting in judgement and meting out gifts or vengeance.
The Scarab follows much good fantasy writing in that it throws established literary themes into sharper relief. The Archon exists to be asacrifice for his people, embodying a model of leadership antithetical to that represented by Argelin, who is prepared to sacrifice unlimited people to the pursuit of his desires. Mortals serve the common good not by hiding behind the power of gods or armies, but by making full and unselfish use of their own talents..
Full review in New Welsh Review, Spring 06
The Oracle Prophesies trilogy plunges to its conclusion amidst madness, intrigue and armed struggle- exactly the wild ride readers have come to expect... All is chaos; mercenaries prop up Argelin, who has desecrated all images of the Rain Queen and seeks only to resurrect his dead lover. As in her previous outing, Fsher splits up her group, sending Mirany, Oblek and Alexos into the land of the dead with Argelin, while Seth and the Jackal assemble an army of thieves to defend the holy Island and its remaining priestesses.. The narrative cuts back and forth at breaknecrk speed, the reader sharing in the characters' anxiety to know what is happening on the other;side of the Nine Gates.. It's an appropriately disorienting experience, informed by echoes of Greek and Egyptian mythology, but wholly its own. A triumphant finale to a complex and multilayered adventure.
KIRKUS REVIEWS (Starred review)
Political intrigue and invented myth merge seamlessly.. Fisher fills her archetypal story with fresh invention, but it is her multifaceted characters with their subtle loyalties to one another that propel the emotional engine of the tale. Vivid, complicated and thoroughly engrossing, this fastpaced adventure keeps readers avidly turning pages until the majestic conclusion.
HORN BOOK REVIEW (Starred review)
Darkhenge
..Rob believes he is going to rescue his sister from the King of Annwn, a chivalric quest that comes to an ingnominious halt when she refuses to be rescued. Chloe, it seems, unconsciously summoned the king through her desire to escape from an existence lived in the shadow of her popular and high-achieving brother. In Annwn, finally in control of her circumstances, Chloe begins to realize her power, only to become intoxicated by it. It is easy to sympathize with Chloe's desire to define herself, and difficult not to groan at Rob's blundering inability to see beyond his own idea of her. But the stronger her will becomes, the greater the danger that she will trap herself, alone, in the caers of the Unworld and never return to her body outside. For Chloe, indulging the deadly sin of envy will prove more deadly to her than anybody else, a fact underlined by the mutually destructive onging indulgence of Ceridwen's wrath toward Taliesin...
full review in New Welsh Review Spring 06
Drawing from the ancient Celtic tale of Taliesin and Ceridwen, Fisher crafts a complex and frightening story of family love and jealousy... The novel plays out in a terrifying race against time and primordial evil to free Chloe from the grip of a malevolent force of her own making. While steeped in early myth and fantasy, this is an exploration of the responsibility of familes to speak honestly to one another. The venerable tale meshes with Rob and Chloe's interactions, and readers unfamiliar with the old story will nevertheless be swept up in the mystery and dark magic. .a challenging read but one that is ultimately very satisfying.
SCHOOL LIBRARY REVIEW US. March 06
..the Unworld is both a manifestation of Chloe's comatose brain synapses and a very real kingdom of tales wwhere she is held captive. Most of the narrative sticks to Rob's third person viewpoint, but brief flashes of Chloe's thoughts add brilliant potency. Chloe ventures deeper and deeper from caer to caer, all brimming with symbols from her real relationship with Rob, which it turns out- was wrought with pain. The portrayal is delicate and poetic, the journey frightening, with suspense that builds as young, bitter Chloe decides whether or not to return to life. KIRKUS REVIEWS USA Feb 06
Following her bent for the atmospheric and mythological, Fisher fuels Darkhenge with themes and patterns taken from Welsh legend cycle the Mabinogion... Vetch tells Rob that Chloe has gone to Annwn, a place between life and death. Rob can reach her by passing through the henge, but first he must get past Clare- and, as Vetch points out, he must also confront his own rivalry with Chloe.. Fisher focuses on immediate events with painstaking attention, laying out the bigger picture only slowly, leaving the intrigued reader to fill in details and connections. She blurs together the unseen movements of the subconscious with the psychological underpinnings of myth, evoking myth's ties to pagan nature and creating a dark, enigmatic mis-en-scène filled with vividly concrete natural imagery. A complex fantasy that resonates with strangeness, mysticism, and magic.
HORN BOOK MAGAZINE USA.
Corbenic
Fisher transposes genres to great effect; the opening chapters feel as much like the start of a horror movie as a fantasy tale, with a well-executed sense of dread and mystery. And in a masterful turn, CaI's relationship with his mother is fused with the Grail story into a completely surprising twist ending, one which casts anew, human light on all the fantasy elements that came before..
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
,br> Fisher's rich, descriptive writing style and creative approach to alternative worlds work well in establishing the fascinating wasteland that is the Grail's home. Cal's journey contains key elements from the Arthurian legend of Perceval's quest, including a willingness to forgo familial bonds to pursue higher aspirations...
BULLETIN of the Centre for Children's Books
Playing with our perceptions, Fisher purposefully blurs the line between supernatural occurrences and mental illness in this modem-day retelling of the Fisher King. Fisher presents the supernatural elements now as straight fantasy, now as paranoid delusions, expertly flipping readers' assumptions back and forth with slight shifts that recast entire scenes. Arthurian England (sic) comfortably shares space with a depressingly industrial modem setting, and the author handily exploits the Fisher King's motifs of sacrifice, self-discovery, and ultimate healing as she breaks open her tightly wound protagonist, reduces him to a bare shell, and then returns him, like Parsifal, to himself, healed.
Horn Book Magazine
Follow the stream down the valley back to the "novels" page, or go through the rock arch to the Guestbook
