Day of the Scarab: Book Three of The Oracle Prophecies [Paperback]

Catherine Fisher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: The Oracle Prophecies (Book 3)

How will their struggle end?

Madness reigns in the Two Lands. General Argelin has proclaimed himself king and is systematically destroying all enemies -- humans . . . and gods.

Mirany, the young priestess, is in hiding.

Alexos, the boy who should be ruler, is powerless.

Seth and the Jackal are scrambling to gather a small group of resisters without attracting notice from Argelin -- or from the sinister power he now controls in the sign of the scarab.

Their last hope lies in the Underworld. Mirany can lead their journey into death, but can she bring them back?

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–Mirany, one of a select group of priestesses called the Nine, struggles alongside her friends and allies–including a thief lord called the Jackal and Alexos, a boy who embodies divinity–to defeat the renegade general Argelin, who has made himself king. The ruthless ruler destroys statues of the god and particularly despises the Rain Queen, goddess of water and of the dead, including Hermia, whom Argelin has unintentionally killed and intends to reclaim from the underworld. Fisher's fantasy world, introduced in the first two books in the series, is a fully realized creation, mingling characteristics of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and even the later Byzantine Empire when the Vikings had become a threat. The headlong rush of Fisher's writing is perfectly suited to teens raised on blockbuster movies and video games. Full of dialogue and action, the brief scenes force readers to concentrate on what is happening and to whom, allowing the accumulation of detail and circumstance to supply the explanations. Readers who have not first read the earlier titles will find themselves puzzling over background material, though much is cleared up by dialogue as the story progresses. The book is so full of incident and character, and the scenes shift so rapidly, that it can be difficult to keep the various plot threads separate. Likewise, the constant breathless pace may lessen the impact of the climax for some readers. Most, however, are likely to be swept along in this entertaining and evocative adventure, eager to keep turning the pages.–Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. The Oracle Prophecies trilogy offers a compelling story within a strongly realized fantasy world that is reminiscent of ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations. In the final volume, Fisher weaves the many strands of story into a sizable narrative tapestry. Given the large ensemble cast of characters introduced and developed throughout the series, the plotting is necessarily complex. Although keeping the many characters (some with two names) straight can be a challenge, readers absorbed by the dramatic scenes and intrigued by each new revelation will find the book a rich, resonant conclusion to the series. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060571659
• ISBN-13: 978-0060571658
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,359,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Catherine Fisher is the New York Times best-selling author of Sapphique and Incarceron. She is "one of today's best fantasy writers," according to the London Independent. An acclaimed novelist and poet, she has written many fantasy books for young people, including The Oracle Prophecy series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 Stars - an end to the series, January 15, 2010

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Day of the Scarab: Book Three of The Oracle Prophecies (Hardcover)

I usually like Catherine Fisher's writing and stories, but I must say that for me "Day of the Scarab" was only mediocre. While the story was interesting enough, the characterization good, there were too many pages used to carry the storyline forwards. I think 50 or more could have been pared down with no harm.

The other thing I thought didn't work in this book was the choppy editing. It's one thing to flip from location and character from one chapter to the next. Another to do it multiple times within the same chapter... chapter after chapter.

For those who read the first two books, you'll probably want to track it down anyways to see what happens. Whether Seth and Mirany get together and what happens with The Jackal and Argelin.

Overall I thought the series was entertaining. The world building excellent.

Better than average.

Pam T~

mom and reviewer, BooksForKids-reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written characters!, December 7, 2010

By 

BOOKFreak! (Spanish Fork Ut.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Day of the Scarab: Book Three of The Oracle Prophecies (Hardcover)

Really liked the ending to this series. I wish there would have been more finality between the main love interest in this story. A kiss would have been nice. But overall I liked the ending and felt everyone got exactly what was coming to them. These are intense and complicated books I would recommend them to the very intelligent younger reader or a 16 year old who loves to read.

3.0 out of 5 stars Day of the Scarab, April 21, 2010

By 

Ithlilian "Ravenous Reader" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day of the Scarab: Book Three of The Oracle Prophecies (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the beginning of Day of the Scarab. I felt that it had nice dark undertones, and the characters were starting to be strong. Unfortunately, the novel lost my interest after the halfway point. At that time I realized that the series was almost over and it was largely unimportant events. Now, I'm not trying to bash the series, I really did enjoy it overall, but I did get to a point where I asked myself what the point of the novels were. I didn't learn anything from them, the characters still came off as weak to me, and the plot wasn't very exciting. I don't feel like the characters did anything to improve themselves other than drink some water. The god wasn't awe inspiring or special, and was more concerned with playing with toys and joking in your mind than doing anything important. I have a hard time loving novels that have characters I don't care about, and I just never grew to like any of the characters in this series. I did want to know about the final outcome of the city, and in that aspect I was satisfied, but everything else left me severely wanting. There is some intrigue in this book, and a bit of action, and it is decent overall. If you enjoyed the other books I would suggest reading this, but it did not blow me away and did not realize it's full potential. I liked the environment and the religion, but everything else I had issues with. Even with all of my problems it kept me interested enough to finish, so that says something.