The Scarab

The Oracle Prophecies #3

by Catherine Fisher

After wowing kids and critics alike in the UK, this smart and suprisingly gritty historical fantasy from award-winning Welsh author and poet Catherine Fisher finally arrives in the US. Fisher grabs readers quickly with a convincingly imagined Greco-Egyptian setting and characters that defy quick classification. Our heroine, Mirany, begins the story as a timid teen serving the High Priestess, the masked Speaker who discerns the wishes of a god through a mysterious island oracle. When the current Archon (the sequestered God-on-Earth) passes a secret note to Mirany just before he's sacrificed, the story throws intrigue onto intrigue with a murder plot, a drunken musician, a conflicted scribe, a slick tomb robber, an offended Rain Goddess, and no shortage of mystic burial rituals and dusty tombs. Fisher's biggest accomplishment is that for all the page-turning action, she still manages to raise some pretty heady ideas about death, ambition, and the nature of faith. Expect both kids and grownups to be reaching for Fisher's follow-up. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Mythology, Magic, Historical Fiction, Egypt

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Catherine Fisher was born in Newport, Wales. She graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in English and a fascination for myth and history. She has worked in education and archaeology and as a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Glamorgan. She is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy.

Catherine is an acclaimed poet and novelist, regularly lecturing and giving readings to groups of all ages. She leads sessions for teachers and librarians and is an experienced broadcaster and adjudicator. She lives in Newport, Gwent.

Catherine has won many awards and much critical acclaim for her work. Her poetry has appeared in leading periodicals and anthologies and her volume Immrama won the WAC Young Writers' Prize. She won the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 1990.

Her first novel, The Conjuror's Game, was shortlisted for the Smarties Books prize and The Snow-Walker's Son for the W.H.Smith Award. Equally acclaimed is her quartet The Book of the Crow, a classic of fantasy fiction.

The Oracle, the first volume in the Oracle trilogy, blends Egyptian and Greek elements of magic and adventure and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Books prize. The trilogy was an international bestseller and has appeared in over twenty languages. The Candleman won the Welsh Books Council's Tir Na n'Og Prize and Catherine was also shortlisted for the remarkable Corbenic, a modern re-inventing of the Grail legend.

Her futuristic novel Incarceron was published to widespread praise in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award and selected by The Times as its Children's Book of the Year. The sequel, Sapphique, was published in September 2008.

Reviews

[Ibuprophète (Lola) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une fin assez décevante pour ma part , beaucoup d'incompréhension mais se lit bien quand même

[Emily B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I didn't like this book very much because most of it was so creepy. The general's obsession with Hermia, Manto the witch, the fact that Mirany and three other characters took a trip into the underworld... all of those things freaked me out. I felt like this was a lousy way to conclude such an enchanting series.

However, the author redeemed herself later on in the story. Her vision of the afterlife cleverly combined Greek mythology (Cerberus, Orpheus, etc.) with Egyptian mythology (weighing somebody's life in a scale with a feather). My favorite part was her take on Cerberus. Instead of being a conventional three-headed dog, it was a dog that appeared differently to three different people. One saw an evil hound, one saw a bony, mangy dog, and one saw a puppy.

Ideas such as the revised Cerberus myth solidify my respect for this series, and for the author in general. Catherine Fisher has so many wonderful, creative ideas, and I enjoy reading them in her books. This trilogy isn't her best work, in my opinion (that honor goes to the Obsidian Mirror books), but it's definitely worth the read. With well-developed characters, an ingenious setting, a riveting plot, and engrossing fantasy elements, the reasons to read this trilogy are plentiful.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I liked this story, and it was very creative, during the whole book I kept hoping for more and being dissapointed. In this part of the story, the oracle has been taken over and almost destroyed by the crazed general, Argelin. Mirany, Seth, and the others are trying to fight back and regain the oracle and turn aside the wrath of Rain Queen. It was supposed to be exciting, but it never really took me there. However, the thing that I liked the least was that for all three books, the author hinted at an attraction and love building between Mirany and Seth, and yet they didn't even kiss in the book. It made that whole aspect of the story fall flat. Oh well.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE TRILOGY IS FINISHED I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE :( :( :( :(

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Архитипічна історія про дістання коханої з потойбіччя, яке у Фішер цікавіше за сам мономіф, бо ж її Сади не є кінцем всього, що нам кажуть вустами Бога. Та й Данте тутешньому співчуваєш, навіть не дивлячись на те, що цей антигерой протиставляється протагоністам.

Коротше, шукатиму собі щось ще з Фішер у папері.


Пи. Си.: Так і не зрозумів, що за чортівня коїться на російських обкладинках і ху іс ху, бо художник малював що заманеться

Пи. Пи. Си.: що заманеться маркетологам, напевно; і що не відповідає змісту та дуже відлякує, якщо чесно, ніколи б таке не придбав без особливої поради

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aw, man. This was one disappointing ending to a trilogy that started out so well.

The thing that bothered me the most was the sad, unbelievable descent of the villain from cunning, power-hungry evil plotter to pathetically obsessed sap blinded by grief. I know I said he was flat and cartoonich before, but this isn't exactly the type of character development I was thinking of. This is just weird and uncomfortably off-character.

Then there was the irritating attempt to shoe-horn some romance into the story. So the girl and the guy are barely friendly for two whole books, and then suddenly all they can think about is eachother? And apparently it's obvious to everyone around them, since different characters often make comments about it, but you are expected to take their words for it, because you don't see it. To be honest, the two characters in question have very little scene time together, even in this books, and when they do, there is still nothing happening to prove to you that yes, they appear to be falling for eachother. It just flies out of nowhere and you're supposed to buy it.

And what's the deal with constantly letting antagonists/villains get away with everything? You're an organized army of thieves and low-lifes, I'm pretty sure you should be able to handle someone who is constantly switching sides or someone who is always screwing up you plans with plans of their own. Same thing goes to the evil witch that everyone fears and hates - can someone please explain to me why she is still alive? Seriously.

The last portion of the plot, the journey into the underworld also disappointed me a bit. After two books of an interesting and original blend of ancient egyptian and greek myth, the underworld is completely lifted from ancient greek mythology, and it felt wrong being pasted there.

There is still room for development, though, so I'm keeping the hope that one day a fourth book will come out and clean up these edges a bit, because it was a nice trilogy with an interesting setting and mythology, and it deserves a more dignified ending.

[Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concluding volume of one of my favorite YA series ever sees the introduction of a mysterious and terrifying sorceress. I think Manto is a great character, but I wish she'd at least been mentioned in the earlier books, because I do think there's a bit of suddenness to her arrival in this story and lots and lots of intrigue, politics, magic, and general mayhem. I'm a bit biased because the Jackal is one of my favorite characters in YA fiction - in fact, I'd love it if Catherine Fisher ever decided to write a sequel to this series focused on his character (and I also wonder if she's a fan of the Lymond books, because he's a pretty Lymond-y character: you know, tormented by his past, does bad things in a good cause, willing to sacrifice his own life for others, fair-haired and charismatic, etc. and I love him the most and I also am sure that he and Rhetia definitely became an item after the end of the novel, because c'mon, they were made for each other!

Unfortunately, I felt like Mirany and Seth didn't have as much characterization in this installment, mostly just going along and doing stuff because the plot needed to progress farther though I did really like Seth's undercover operations. Still, great conclusion to a favorite series, with lots of lovely writing especially in the Underworld, with its combination of Greek and Egyptian mythology - the Garden of the Rain Queen in particular is beautifully imagined - and I really like that Argelin gets a grand moment right at the end when he realizes that as self-proclaimed Archon, he needs to do his duty.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third in the Oracle trilogy and completes the story of Mirany, Seth, Alexos, the Jackal and the variety of other characters in this other world fantasy. In this final saga, Mirany and the Archon must go to the Underworld and discover the Garden of the Rain Queen. The writing is expert, as in the other books. It is rare I find a book which has such consistent writing throughout the trilogy.

I truly enjoyed this book and recommend the trilogy to all fantasy readers young and old.

[Marcio · Rating 4 out of 5]

O poder da amizade e da capacidade individual para ultrapassar a adversidade, pondo em causa a fé de cada um!
Uma boa conclusão para uma excelente história.

[Moniszka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished it way faster than the second book and I liked it more too. Some things could have been cut out but over all it was alright. I guess the author wanted me to get to like or at least understand Argelin but it did not work out. I'm not Mirany. I don't pity him and I still don't think he loved Hermia but... Yeah... It is what it is. I'm also a bit sad that relationship between Mirany and Seth wasn't explored enough. Besides that, Gods in this story are really diffiluct to understand but I think this is what the author wants to get across.
I can't really recommend it but I also can't tell you not to read it. Give the trilogy a try and see if it's your jam :)

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fisher, Catherine Day of the Scarab, 400 p. HarperCollins –

Final in the Oracle Prophecies. Mirany, Seth, Oblek, the Jackal and Alexos must fight not only against Argelin, but also against Argelin’s mercenaries, Mantos the sorceress, the Emperor and factions within the Nine in this fast moving end to the Oracle trilogy.

This is a much better book that the slow moving middle book, with all of the disparate plots and characters coming together for a nail-biting finish.

MS, HS – ADVISABLE

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ευχάριστο, θα έλεγα. με μια αρκετά μεγάλη κοιλιά από τη μέση του βιβλίου έως και λίγες στιγμές ως το τέλος. Για κάποιον λόγο, η μαγεία του κόσμου που υπήρχε στο πρώτο βιβλίο δεν αναδείχθηκε κατάληλα στα άλλα δύο (για την ακρίβεια στο δεύτερο λίγο και στο τρίτο ακόμη λιγότερο). Σε γενικές γραμμές όμως αξίζει τον κόπο να διαβασοτύν και τα τρία.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid last book of the series, which as a whole holds up well together and was a very enjoyable read, even as an adult. It was a little slow in the middle. My favorite parts are the vivid dream-like sequences of impossible things, which I think are very difficult scenes to write, but the author pulls it off beautifully!

[Katinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel goed boek, denk wel de beste uit de reeks! In dit boek wordt het duidelijk waar de eerdere twee boeken naar opbouwen. Spanning wordt ook goed vastgehouden door het boek heen en het einde is niet afgeraffeld

[ملكة المماليك🇵🇸 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the book was good and it was well written but there wasn’t the element that gripped me and made me want to know more + As an Egyptian how on God’s green earth is there a prince called (Jamil) which is an Arabic name in an ancient Egypt settings ??

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trečioji trilogijos dalis - deja, pati prasčiausia. Daug mistikos, kurią skaitytojui susekti darosi sunku.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book three of the awesome oracle prophecies by the talented author Catherine Fisher. The thrilling conclusion to this awesome trilogy. This series has been amazing I loved the characters of mirany, Seth, alexos, kreon, hermia, chryse, rhetia, argelin, jackal, fox. I loved the shocking twists and turns, the betrayals, the final battle . It was highly entertaining and enjoyable book to read.


Mirany has been hiding from argelin for two months living with Kroen. Argelin is angry at the gods especially the rain queen for the death of his love hermia. He’s named himself king and has been destroying all the statues of the gods and rain queen not caring about her wrath. Mirany is reunited with Seth who has infiltrated argelin’s forces as a spy, she’s reunited with alexos, oblek, fox, Jackal. Argelin is desperate to bring back hermia to life and even lists the help of a sorceress manto who betrays him alongside ingeld. Mirany gives him the sun disk a map created by a mortal that once loved and lived with the rain queen before he left he created a map. Alexos takes argelin, oboes, Mirany and himself to the underworld to journey through the nine gateways during the day of the scarab to get to the garden. The journey is dangerous. In the living world Seth, rhetia the other priestesses, jackal, fox try to fight off manto and ingeld. No surprise here but chryse once again betrays everyone by serving manto. Seth becomes the oracle for the archon. With mirany’s group they come across the old archon who helps guilds them. They make it to the garden where argelin is judged for his actions and deeds, the rain queen agrees to give him back hermia under certain conditions and terms which he complies. In the living world Seth’s group defeat ingeld and manto is captured, Seth’s group is reunited with mirany’s group. Argelin is infuriated when he discovers the true meaning to the rain queens words she did return hernia to him but as a shadow attached to his, he kills himself in dispair to be with her. Archon reveals himself and mirany as his speaker ends the war with the emperor and ends the drought.

[İlaydabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Güneş de bitti ve böylece bir seriye daha veda ettim~ Şahsen biraz hayal kırıklığı yaşadım son kitapta. Fakat kesinlikle olayların kestirilemezliği bitmedi.

Olumsuz düşüncelerimden biri kitabın boşu boşuna 150 saufa falan uzatıldığını düşünüyorum. Bu arkadaşlar kaç bin kere Argelin'i öldürmek isteyip en doğru anı beklediler. Son kitapta 20 kere öldürme şansı ellerine rahat rahat geçtiği halde 3 kere hayatını kurtardılar adamın. Neden birden bu kadar temiz kalpli oldular? Kuyudan içtiler diyeyse yok o da değil. Anlamsız bir "Argelin'i öldürmeyelim!" uzatması vardı bence 150 sayfa falan.

Manto olayı da zaten ekstraya girmiş bence.

Ve en en en mutsuz olduğum konu. 2 kitaptır Seth ve Mirany'nin öpüşmesini beklerken hem öpüşmediler üstüne bir de Seth elinden böceği alıyım diye o salak Chryse'ı öptü. Yazar bari o boş boş 150 sayfayı eklemişin sona bir de öpüşme sahnesi koyar insan. Ben bu kitabı kesinlikle böyle bitirmezdim. Chryse de ölmeliydi ya da başına kötü bişey gelmeliydi. O kadar pislik yaptı. O kıza hala güvenmeleri mucize ve şimdiye nasıl Oracle düşmüş belli ediyor. Ayrıca ve ayrıca Hermia da Oracle'i içten çökerten bir haindi. Ölünce melek oldu. Bana kalırsa hak etmeyenler hak etmedikleri şekilde davranış aldılar. Ben olsam Hermia'nın mezarına tükürürdüm, Argelin'i gördüğüm yerde öldürürdüm. Chryse'ı da sürgün falan ederdim heralde.

Kısaca; iyi bitti ama beklediğim gibi çok da wow bir son değildi.

Şimdi bu gün Silber 2, Ebedi ve Kayıp çıktı yeni onlarla birlikte yeni sipariş verdim. O arada Magnisterium serisinin ilk kitabına geçiyorum.

[Ithlilian · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day of the Scarab, the last book in the Oracle Prophecies series written by Cathrine Fisher, is in my opinion, the best book in the series. Day of the Scarab is a tale of adventure, trust, action and betrayal. Following the previous books you find out that General Argelin, the former military leader, has crowned himself king of Two Lands and has become corrupt, obsessed with bringing Hermia, his love and the speaker before Mirany, back from the Rain Queen's garden, where the dead's souls go after death. In this book you find he has declared war against everything in his madness, the Emperor, humans, the Archon and most importantly, the Rain Queen.... Mirany, the Speaker of the Nine, Alexos, the Archon, home of the god, Seth, the scribe, the Jackal, the tomb thief, Fox, the Jakal's second-in-command, and Oblek, the drunk musician, are on a quest to end the Argelins frightful rule. With help from the Nine, the Pearl Prince, the King of the Underworld, and hidden allies, will they be able to stop Argelin?? I think this book is the perfect note to end this series on and would recomend this book to anyone with a taste for adventure, sorcery, or action.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Not all of my questions were answered, but enough to keep me happy. The stories are fairly complex, and although they follow the standard 'must set out on a quest' set-up, the quests are never straightforward. Characters are deliciously complex, growing and changing throughout the series. The series draws on Greek mythology and ancient Egyptian society, but deviates enough to feel original. Religion is an integral part of the characters' lives, particularly for those who hear the voice of the god.

I had a few minor quibbles with the story, maybe more related to my lack of attention than to the book. At times it can feel very chaotic, quickly alternating between several limited 3rd-person points of view. Since the characters themselves are in chaos, it feels appropriate though occasionally confusing.

The complexity of the stories suits them to the YA audience, or to sophisticated younger readers. There is violence and bloodshed, although several characters participate reluctantly and the focus of the story lies elsewhere.

[Andrea Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Day of the Scarab provides the dramatic conclusion to Catherine Fisher 19s Oracle Prophecies. Mirany, Oblek, Argelin and the Archon must journey into the underworld to help Argelin in his quest to retrieve Hermia from death. On the ground, chaos reigns with the mercenaries led by Ingeld attempting to take control of the city and the Island where the Oracle is found.

Desperate times call for desperate means. Seth and the tomb thief, the Jackal lead the remaining priestesses back to the Island in an attempt to restore the Oracle. Since there aren 19t nine priestesses left, Seth and the Jackal participate in the rituals and the attempt to cleanse the temple.

Can Mirany bring everyone back from the Underworld? Can Seth unite the remaining priestesses in the job of restoring the Oracle? Can the Jackal and his troops defend the Island from the invaders and from the sorceress, Manto?

Those who have read the first volumes in this trilogy won 19t want to miss the exciting conclusion.

[Ksenia (vaenn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Не всі трилогії однаково корисні.

Соромно зізнатися, але "Пророцтва" Кетрін Фішер взяли мене сетингом. За три книжки його свіжість для сприйняття дещо зів'яла, і тут з'ясувалося... Що по-аптечному дозовоні історічні алюзії загубили береги. Що міфологічно-релігійні метафори розрослися до головного сюжетного елементу. Що сюжет остаточно закріпився на квестових позиціях ("Хороша б вийшла комп'ютерна гра" - завжди каже в таких випадках Л.). Що з усіх героїв мені направду подобалися лише двоє, а їх було в третій книжці не так вже мало, але якось _неправильно_. Що початковий психологізм (не аж такий характерний) для підліткової літератури зійшов на павлівські пси - дзвіночок-слинка. Що... А, неважливо. Це все типове "тигру недодали м'яса". Шкода, що історія пішла геть нецікавим мені шляхом. Але ж залишається перша книжка, а вона - майже прекрасна.

[Kylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't know why there are so many negative reviews for this book. I thought this was the best of the trilogy. Some people are accusing it of having characters that aren't interesting enough but I disagree with this. I thought all of the characters were very interesting and there was a lot of character development! Other people are criticizing the romance in the book but honestly the central focus of these books never was romance. Personally I think it's very refreshing to have a book that doesn't focus centrally on the romance. One that can have a romance in it but it doesn't overpower the rest of the story. This book is very focused on the characters and on the action, and there is a lot of it! Once I started this book I could not put it down. It was a VERY satisfying conclusion to the series.

[Keziah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stunning conclusion to The Oracle Prophecies was every bit as exciting as the first two. It's easy to see why Catherine Fisher was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book Award. In The Scarab the travelers return from the Well of Songs to find that the world has turned upside down. Mirany has been crowned the new Speaker but is in hiding from Argelin and Seth's family are in danger.

A fascinating twist of the ideal of Gods and their feelings towards their subjects, Fisher's world is fascinating in its complexity and depth and one is never too sure who really is the good guy. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the character of Chryse.

[Marynchan Miku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something to pretty much sum up my experience with the book:
Me: reads in a completely chill manner as this book is meant for teenagers so usually main characters stay alive.
Book: my favorite character is on the verge of death
Me: reading intensifies
😆

At first I thought The Jackal was a temporary character, but ever since the second book pulled him into the whirlpool of events and we found more about this character, I completely fell in love with him. I am super glad the third book focused a lot on him.

I was hoping for a more closed ending though. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the trilogy, they're really well written books with a good story.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book in this trilogy is as wonderful and gripping as the first. General Argelin has proclaimed himself king as set about routinely destroying all images of the Rain Queen with his mercenary troops. Mirany and the other Nine are in hiding until Seth, Alexos and the others return from the desert. When they do, the work is not over as they then have to find a way to roust Argelin from his stolen post and reinstate Alexos to his rightful place.

[Bruno Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente o fim. Uma trilogia que por vezes parecia muito estranha mas que até valeu a pena. Este último volume fala-nos da travessia dos oito portais que vão levar à revelação final e à redenção. Mas para chegar lá tem que se passar por muitas e duras provas. Mais uma vez a Mirany na viagem pelos portais e o Seth numa luta pela redenção do que aconteceu no livro anterior. E o General com um papel fundamental e a revelar-se uma surpresa, porque todos temos as nossas fraquezas.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite quote from the trilogy is from the final book:
"I have brought many mortals here. Some hold my hand, some are dragged, some find their own way. There are many roads to this place, which is just as well, because people seem to think whether they come or not is up to me. The truth, of course, is quite the opposite. And who will tell them that the Garden is not the end of the journey? That beyond it lie realms and kingdoms?" page 361

[Brooke Shirts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm simply in love with Fisher's fantasy society here. It's a Reese's-Peanut-Butter-Cup mixture of ancient Greece and Egypt, with a magical, fairly complex deity worship thrown in for spice. Good for those who like their plots thick, their characters complex, and intrigue, intrigue, intrigue. Love that Jackal.