Customer Reviews

Secret Sacrament

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I finished this book I sat back and said "wow". I have to say three days later, when I was re-living Gabriels story I cried. I didn't cry during the book, but after! I'm crazy. Well, most AWESOME books on my A List make me want to read them so fast that I miss half the meaning and never fully capture the essence of the book. This book however, was one where I read it, then I thought about it and I was never bored. I dunno what else to say. I wanted to write this just to make even 1 person read this wonderful book. Im not very good with words....But, lol, READ THIS PLEASE! Thanks a million!

There is an ancient prophecy in Navora that the downfall of the empire will be brought about by the rise of the conquered and banished Shinali people. When he was little, Gabriel had tried to run away from his father. During his escape he watches from cover as an escaping Shinali woman is attacked. Gabriel begins to have dreams which he finds he cannot understand. After his father dies, Gabriel disappoints everyone but his mother, by refusing to take over his father's business in Navora.

Gabriel earns the chance to receive healer training. He is happy with his training when a chance meeting with a Shinali girl changes his life and his views. He begins to think that he may be the agent in the prophecy who will bring about war.

A good, exciting tale about the abuses of power, two different societies and values, and the person who must make the choices which will determine the future of both.

With SECRET SACRAMENT, New Zealand teen fiction writer Sherryl Jordan adds richly to her fantasy oeuvre. In her convincingly realized world, two nations --- one powerful, one weak --- live side by side. One inhabits a vast empire; the other, a narrow strip of land. The Navorans are civilized (or so they think). The Shinali are traditional, living their lives as peaceful hunter-gatherers. Enter the unlikely hero, Gabriel Eshban Vala, toss in a prophecy and words like destiny, vows, and dreams, and you have the makings of a perfect fantasy --- a fantasy in which one man will bring about both destruction and rebirth.

Born the son of a wealthy merchant-mariner, Gabriel is to take over his father's thriving business one day. But when he witnesses a brutal act committed against a Shinali women, he is inextricably bound to a different destiny. Highly intuitive by nature, Gabriel is a born healer, a vocation he pursues despite his father's demands. His gift as a healer is finally legitimized when he is accepted into the Citadel, the most esteemed institution in the land. He is soon in league with the powerful of the empire, including Empress Petra herself, who comes to rely on his ability to interpret dreams. In gaining her favor, he makes powerful enemies and witnesses firsthand the corruption that is weakening the empire, rotting it from the inside out. Soon, he will be called upon to make a choice --- a choice that will threaten Navora, his beloved Shinali, and his very life. Who will prevail?


--- Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier

"In this luminous fantasy, Sherryl Jordan surpasses her award-winning novel The Raging Quiet with a vividly realized story that centers on a young healer, the evocatively named Gabriel, as he moves inexorably toward fulfilling his destiny with a heroic sacrifice."

So begins the editorial review above. But Sherryl Jordan actually wrote Secret Sacrament BEFORE The Raging Quiet. It was published in 1996 and shortlisted in the Aim Awards (as I think they were then called) for 1997. In my opinion it should have won not only the award for Best Book for Older Readers but should also have won overall Book-of-the-Year. But then I almost invariably find myself disappointed in the choices made by the judges of New Zealand's most prestigious annual book awards. A recent addition to these awards is a children's choice. Unfortunately, instead of allowing children to choose from books published during the year, they're given ONLY the shortlisted books from which to choose. Not much better than Hobson's Choice, quite frankly. The children's choice is also invariably a picture book. I wish more encouragement would be given to readers who've gone beyond needing their fiction illustrated.

Anyway, back to Secret Sacrament. It's a totally engrossing read for both teenagers and adults. You will never forget Gabriel and even adults will want to keep the book so they can rediscover its delights years later.

I cant not tell you how much i loved this book. It is incredible!! It will always be one of my favorites of all time. I dont think i wll ever tire of reading it again and agian. i read alot and so it is high praise for a book to be one of my all time favorites!! It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, and most importantly it makes you love the characters. Highly recommanded!

Secret Sacrament is an awesome book! I have read three times already and still every time I turn the next page I get excited and want to keep going. Sherryl Jordan is an awesome author and is one of the many that inspire me. This book is a fantasy that kids of all ages will enjoy! I sure did. I recommend this book along with The Raging Quiet. A book also by Sherryl Jordan. It is Awesome!

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that this book is one of the most beautifully written and poignant stories I've ever read, and I've read quite a few. I was most amazed that most people haven't heard of this book, and it hasn't gotten nearly the amount of publicity it ought to have gotten. It truly was a buried treasure, and I am so lucky I found it.

Jordan does a wonderful job with the language in this novel. The writing is clear, simple, and easy to understand, yet is incredibly descriptive. The wording is so colorful, I could almost feel the wind on my face as I stood beside Gabriel on the city walls, overlooking the bustling markets...and it only starts there.

Although this is a fantasy novel, the historical and political references had implications even a child couldn't ignore. Thoughts of the persecuted native Americans, the Roman empire, and Jesus Christ were only a few of the historical concepts going through my head as I read this novel, which not only brought the story to life and made it more realistic, but also brought the story close to home, for I'm sure not only myself.

I won't waste time by writing a full synopsis, but the main points to know are that Gabriel is a tormented hero who, ever since he was a child, has wanted to be a healer. He is kind, patient, and above all, flawed yet fundamentally good, which makes him grow on the reader and regard him with close empathy even at the beginning of the story. The rest of the characters were incredibly endearing, also- Ashila and the wise Sheel Chandra, for example.

Not only were famous historical allusions made, but many personal difficulties and home life troubles were brought to attention in this story. Gabriel dealt with an unfeeling father who was often away from home, as well as overbearing uncles. Gabriel's mother was an excellent example of what I loved about the story's characters- she was a fundamentally sweet and kind woman who was overly controlled by her husband, yet, despite her weakness, she was not a totally meek and mild person. No one in Secret Sacrament is black-and-white, good and evil. Everyone has some good and bad in them, making all the characters charmingly realistic.

I recommend this book for readers of all ages, however, I think it's fair to say that there is some sex, though it is not too graphic and is quite beautiful, as well as this is a heart-wrenching story which had me weeping in the last few chapters, as Gabriel becomes a martyr for his people. If you are interested in a completely beautiful and amazingly well-written story, though, I recommend Secret Sacrament with all my heart.

This book is for a young adult audience. After being very impressed by Jordan's Raging Silence, I wanted to explore her other works. She says this is her favorite one, though I prefer the other. Both offer powerful characters in difficult situations that test their uncompromising honesty and unwavering moral justice. Raging Silence is an intensely personal story, while Secret Sacrament is an heroic one, with consequences that impact the entire society. This book tells the tale of Gabriel, a healer who becomes unavoidably entangled in a political coup. Out-maneuvered by the Empress's duplicitous advisors, he finds himself a fugitive, and must weigh the personal consequences of his surrender against the greater salvation of his people. There is little ambiguity of character or motivation here; the good characters are beyond reproach and the wicked are viciously evil in their sinister manipulations. It also examines the idea of the simple person, avoiding fame, who has greatness and destiny thrust upon them in the guise of the noble sacrifice. For me, this huge responsibility made it impossible to feel a visceral stake in the outcome, but that is not the determining factor of the book's worth. Jordan is a masterful writer, using simple eloquence for her story teller's magic. She is equally skilled at evoking vibrant characters, tangible settings, and forceful confrontations and conveying the serenity of blue sky on a warm autumn day, and the wistful memories carried by the scent of hay at harvest time.

...and the funny thing is, I only JUST realized that the other fantastic book I read this month was ALSO by Sherryl Jordan.

How I missed that little detail, I'll never know.

"The Raging Quiet" is a fantastic book, and so is this. I have to say that the ending irked me just a little, but I won't give it away. I WILL say that the book could easily, EASILY have continued on from its ending point, although perhaps the reason it did NOT is that what followed is easily predictable by even the densest of readers (such as myself). The child would have been born and named after the chief's daughter (if a girl) or the hero's brother (if a boy); the rise of the tribe would be successful, the evil sorcerer would have fallen, etc. etc. etc. Still, Jordan's writing is such an absolutely JOY to read, it's a real pity she stopped for the pithy reason that the rest of the story is OBVIOUS. I mean, really. SO many authors simply refuse to take that into account...

...though admittedly not all of them are any good...

In any case, this is a splendid piece of work, a book any author should be proud to consider theirs no matter what the ending is like.

I have to admit that when I started to read this book, I was a bit skeptical. The plot didn't seem to be that well distinguished from other fantasy books that I read.

Gabriel goes against his relative's wishes when he decides to become a healer, though he still has the love of his brother and mother. He is very promising as a healer and is accepted into the Citadel, where he will be taught. The Empress becomes in debt to him, and all seems to be going well, except that her advisor, an evil person, has power over her and hates Gabriel because he thinks that his job is being stolen by him. (That whole powerful advisor thing reminded me of Aladdin.)

When Jaganath (that's the guy's name) finally turns over Gabriel's life, he starts another with the Shinali people and tries to bring about a prophecy that both cultures yearn for.

Those some of this was cliche, it will leave you staring at the last page, wanting to start over again.