The Serpent Gift (Shamer Chronicles) [Hardcover]

Lene Kaaberbol (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Series: Shamer Chronicles

Has Dina inherited another dangerous ability--this time from the father she's never met?

A watching face in a market crowd, a mist-shrouded figure on the moor, a haunting presence seen only when he wants to be seen--Sezuan, possessor of the Serpent Gift for lie and illusion, is a chilling and ambiguous figure at the best of times.

He is also Dina's father.

And when he comes to claim the daughter he has never seen, the Shamer and her family are catapulted into reckless flight and danger. With nowhere else to turn, Dina must learn to see through her father's deceit and use her own powers to her advantage.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—An unusually dark fantasy, skillfully told. In this third book in the series, Dina and her family have settled into a comfortable life of farming and trading. Her mother no longer uses her Shamer's gift of seeing the ugly truths hidden behind peoples' eyes, and Dina's own Shamer's talent has disappeared. Then her father, a Blackmaster who wields the Serpent's Gift of illusion and coercion, comes to claim his daughter. The family flees to a neighboring country where Dina's brother, Davin, and Nico, the usurped teenaged ruler of their homeland, break the repressive local laws and are sentenced to years in the royal prison. In this grim place designed to break the souls of its inmates, Davin learns to respect Nico, and Dina learns to see some good in her father. Dina and Davin's alternating first-person descriptions of the various threats to their family make for a fast-paced read. Prison scenes of physical and psychological abuse are absolutely chilling, all the more so because they sometimes involve children. The book can stand alone but will be more rewarding for readers of the first two books, who will recognize the characters' growing strength and maturity under often-brutal conditions.—Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 6-9. Kaaberbol's third book in the Shamer Chronicles, which began with Shamer's Daughter (2004), is every bit as entertaining and well written as its predecessors. The Shamer's family and Nico are on the run; Dina's father, Sezuan, a Blackmaster who commands the gifts of lie and illusion, has turned up at Yew Tree Cottage, bringing death and destruction with him. Trouble dogs the escapees, accelerating after they reach Sagisloc, where they become slaves for the Foundation. They are separated, stripped of their names and belongings, and hired out. When Nico and Davin are arrested, Dina attempts to secure Sezuan's aid in freeing them. Meanwhile, locked in the bowels of Sagisburg Castle, Nico and Davin, shackled with other prisoners, must work as fast as possible to avoid floggings and, even worse, torture staged for the entertainment of Prince Artos Draconis. The unique world Kaaberbol has created, her well-developed characters, fast-moving plots, and thoughtful examination of bravery and moral issues put this book, and the series as whole, in good standing alongside Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. Diana Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805077707
• ISBN-13: 978-0805077704
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,356,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lene Kaaberbøl was born in Copenhagen in 1960, with suitable drama: the obstetrician had to rush from banquet and was still wearing his white tie and tails. She was 15 when her first two books were published, and since then she has written more than thirty novels and children's books. She has won several national and international awards for her fiction, and her work has been translated into more than 30 languages. At her recent nomination for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the IBBY Committee wrote: "She is incredibly skilled at constructing universes and shows remarkable loyalty to her stories and her characters. Lene Kaaberbøl's writing captivates the reader; her worlds draw you in, move you, make you laugh and cry and give you ample food for thought. And it is our assessment that her works have not just national and international potential, but the potential to become classics."

While fantasy is her preferred genre when writing for children and YA, there is nothing remotely fairytale-like about her crime novels for adults. The Boy in the Suitcase, written in collaboration with Agnete Friis, was called a "first rate thriller" by Michelle Wiener of Associated Press: "Written in that sparse, uniquely Scandinavian style sure to draw comparisons with a certain blockbuster trilogy (this is better), this story packs plenty of emotional suspense and interpersonal friction without veering into melodrama."

"I really enjoy writing in many different worlds - including our own - and for many different audiences. I sometimes feel it's the literary version of living in an auto camper: you can always change the view, and you're constantly meeting new people," says Kaaberbøl, who in real life lives in an old water mill in the countryside near Aarhus, Denmark, with her four dogs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, June 23, 2006

By 

Htebasile Terrence "Htebasile" (Il, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Serpent Gift (Shamer Chronicles) (Hardcover)

I had read the first two Shamer books and had been uncertain as to actually reading The Serpent Gift. I am so glad that I did.

My praises and qualms:

- The entrance was a little slow, but the story swiftly picked up speed.
- The prose is alright -- not excellent -- and not dreadfully annoying.
- The characters were interesting and decently well developed.
- The story *flowed.*
- Even with two view points driving the book, Kaaberbol allowed only a little repeating of the same events.
- A pleasing mixture of humor and seriousness.

Overall, this book is more mature and engaging than the previous Shamer books. And now I await the publication of The Shamer's War!

5.0 out of 5 stars Every bit as good as the first two books, March 31, 2011

By 

R. Ruesch (St. George, UT) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Serpent Gift (Shamer Chronicles) (Paperback)

I absolutely loved this book and this series. After I read the first book, I wondered why I hadn't heard of this author or these books. They captured my attention from the start and held it to the very end. They really made me think--something I feel is missing in too many books these days. They are very well-written, and the language became even more impressive when I discovered that Lene Kaaberbol is from Denmark and translates these books into English herself.

Great series that I would highly recommend.

(One note--these books do contain some vulgar language [no more than two or three words per book] that may not be appropriate for young children.)