Secret Sacrament (Hardcover)

by Sherryl Jordan (Author) "Trembling, the boy crouched in the shadow of the bridge..." (more)
Key Phrases: mourning bracelet, high lot, bone carving, Sheel Chandra, Grand Master, Time of the Eagle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
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. Born in the urban city-state of Navora, Gabriel is also strongly drawn to the tribal society of Shinali that survives on the plain outside the city gates. He is haunted by a secret guilt, a moment from his childhood when out of fear he failed to help a dying Shinali woman. The richly detailed narrative moves quietly through Gabriel's training at the Citadel, where he learns the mystical arts of healing mind and body, and then gains in pace and excitement as he attracts the unwelcome attention of the sly and unstable Empress and is drawn irresistibly into the intrigue that surrounds her dependence on the malevolent counselor Jaganath. When Gabriel must flee the city, he retreats to the simple life of the plains people and his love for the strong and serene Ashila. But when the Navorans imprison the Shinali and then plan to destroy them, Gabriel must find the courage to make the sacrifice that will save both their nations. Themes of forgiveness and redemption, echoes of the Nazi Holocaust and the genocide of Native Americans, as well as a radiant love story illuminate this beautiful and intelligent novel for fantasy readers of all ages. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

From Publishers Weekly
Jordan's (The Raging Quiet) fantasy creates enough drama to keep readers glued to their seats, despite characters that lack dimension. The citizens of Navora have pushed the native Shinali off their land, but a prophesy foretells a coming change: a Navoran man will help the Shinali reclaim what was theirs, and (after much of Navora has been destroyed) the two civilizations will live in peace. When the empire's powerful advisers recognize the signs that Gabriel, a young healer studying at the prestigious Citadel, may be that presaged Navoran, they will stop at nothing to thwart his destiny. They eventually imprison the entire nation and the young healer in an abandoned fort. Jordan fills her taut narrative with gripping images, such as the opening chapter in which a seven-year-old Gabriel witnesses the murder of the Shinali chieftain's daughter. Her descriptions are equally vivid when Gabriel's look-alike brother is mistakenly murdered by the advisers, when he first sees and instantly falls in love with a Shinali healer and when he applies his powers of healing to the infirm. Unfortunately, the characters themselves are not beleivable: Jaganath, the corrupt chief adviser to the empress, is too evil, while Gabriel's mentor at the Citadel, Salverion, is too wise and pure. But the plot's twists and turns will keep readers hooked; even though it is clear that Gabriel will fulfill the prophecy, readers will wonder how he will manage and what he will have to sacrifice along the way. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (February 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006028904X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060289041
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #748,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlike any other book I've read, March 20, 2002

By	Merri (Warwick, RI USA) - See all my reviews

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!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gabriel was strong enough to follow a "different drummer.", May 31, 2001

By	Thomas H. Williams "clavicin" (Huntington Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secret Sacrament, July 29, 2004

By	Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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