The Divided [Paperback]

Katie Waitman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1999

Katie Waitman's award-winning first novel, The Merro Tree, heralded the arrival of an exciting new science fiction talent. Now the exceptional promise of that acclaimed debut is more than met in a powerfully original story of love, loss, and transformation. Set on a war-torn world of stark contrasts and fragile balances, of plenitude and poverty, romance and betrayal, Sa'har will stir the heart and haunt the mind long after the last page is turned. . . .

Sekmé is a rarity--a female Maurheti soldier risen to the rank of Commander at the tender age of twenty-four. Daughter of a pilot killed in a gel-bombing raid on godless Tel-mari civilians, Sekmé is determined to crush resistance once and for all. But the merciless efficiency that has made her a hero to her soldiers and a demon to the enemy has also earned Sekmé the enmity of dangerous men closer to home. Men with interests other than victory.

Merkus is a freedom fighter leading the resistance against the despoilers of Tel-mari wealth and honor. Sickened by the endless slaughter, he longs for a peace he has never known--a peace he has only read about in an ancient poem that sings of a mythical place called Sa'har. But to the Maurheti, Markus is a hated terrorist to be hunted down.

Wepanu has spent his life wandering the inhospitable deserts of Maurhet, his only companions the mysterious entities known as jo. Visible to a chosen few, the jo remember what humans have forgotten--a prophecy passed on to Wepanu that will bring Sekmé and Merkus into a violent collision fated to shake the beliefs of Maurheti and Tel-mari to the core. A prophecy that will point the way to the peace of Sa'har--or ignite an all-consuming holocaust . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though it deals with war and soldiers, Waitman's second novel (after The Merro Tree) differs greatly from the military SF of Pournelle and Drake. Concentrating more on character development than on battles, it explores alternatives to war, even in a world where racial/national conflict has become the basis of culture, family tradition and religion. Sekm?, the heroine, is a convincingly lethal and all-surviving soldier but one who never sinks into the usual stereotype of hard-bitten killing machine. Waitman builds a world of unconventional gender roles that are neither egalitarian models nor simple reversals of our own. Traumatized by the results of a devastating attack she led against the enemy, Sekm? finally questions her culture's mandate that life be based on constant war. During an undercover mission, she makes friends among the enemy Tel-mari and learns that, far from being born an evil, separate race, the Tel-mari may have once been part of her own people. Strong secondary characters include Sekm?'s brother, the blind poet Set; Merkus, a scholar turned guerrilla for the Tel-mari; and Wepanu, a seer who can communicate with invisible spirits known as the jo. Though some fans of military adventure may find Waitman too tame, those in search of complex characters and vivid language will be entranced by the unfolding mysteries of her book.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

An arid planet is war torn by the efforts of the technologically superior Maurheti to conquer the "godless," less advanced Tel-Mari. Sekme, a young female Maurheti officer, brings the war to a crisis. Then she is sent on a secret mission to lure the terrorist Merkus out of hiding--and also to get herself killed before she can provoke another crisis. Thanks to her blind, poetic brother Set and Merkus' sister Bekka, she finds Merkus without getting killed and, uneasily allying with the terrorist, sets off into the desert with him. By then it comes as no surprise when the wise sage Wepanu and the immaterial entities called jos teach them that the whole planet was originally settled by colonists from Earth and that Maurheti and Tel-Mari are of the same stock--but may not be the planet's only inhabitants. This triumph of vivid world-building, characterization, and action scenes is certain to find readers among action-sf fans and demands a sequel. Roland Green

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (February 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345414373
• ISBN-13: 978-0345414373
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,095,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing through the writer's eyes, April 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Divided (Paperback)

The Divided was a special read for me. In 1996, by accident or by twist of fate, I met Katie Waitman on a trip to Egypt/Jordan and spent two weeks rooming with her. (The trip was months before her first book, The Merro Tree, had been published.) During this trip she was always writing, taking photographs, drawing; taking in what was around her and putting it into words and pictures. I was unaware that she was working on The Divided at the time. Two years later, when I was reading The Divided I was amazed by scope of her talent. Her ablity to absorb what is around her and weave it into perfect word is somthing that only a few people posess. Seeing how she interpreted the terrain, environment, what she saw on this trip, and how she incorporated it into The Divided is truly remarkable. Katie Waitman shows us that creative inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime. For those who were also on this trip; The Divided isn't just a good read with a wonderful heroine, it's a visual reminder of a wonderful trip. BRAVO Katie, keep them coming!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical science fiction author, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Divided (Paperback)

I discovered Katie Waitman through her first novel, THE MERRO TREE, a year or two ago. THE MERRO TREE quickly became one of my favorite novels, because of the intriguing story, the exploration of the dramatic arts, and the very well written characters- and this was the author's first book. When I found out that the she had a new book out, I bought it immediately. I was impressed that Waitman was able to write another excellent book, that was very different from her first, yet retaining the same elegant and interesting style. Many authors are stuck writing the same exact type of book over and over again (e.g. McCaffrey), while Waitman's first two books are better than many seasoned writer's later books. I have to admit that I did not like THE DIVIDED quite as much as THE MERRO TREE, but it was still an excellent book, and I am eagerly awaiting her next book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, March 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Divided (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book the characters were so normal you wouldn't think this book was a sci-fi.Although like most book there were a few parts that got the story off track, but when they got back into it it was inpossible to put it down.On a scale of 1-10, I would have to rate it a 10.If you are in the mood for a dramatic love story you should pick up a copie of The Divided.