- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1 edition (Jun 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060571616
- ISBN-13: 978-0060571610
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.3 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
3,939,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #98 in Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators > F > Fisher, Catherine
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So the rumors were true. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Amazon.com:
7 reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Birds, stars and diamonds
3 Nov 2005
Format:Hardcover
Catherine Fisher continues the tales of incarnate gods, desert kingdoms and plots that would shame Machievelli. "Sphere of Secrets" suffers from some awkward, rushed storylines and an unfortunate heroine, but it does have a spellbinding quest story wrapped up in it.
The Archon, a peasant boy named Alexos, has been found, but things haven't improved. The drought continues, General Argelin is still plotting to seize power, and Mirany is still enmeshed in the lies and schemes of the Nine priestesses. So Alexos tells the people that he will bring back prosperity by making a journey to the mystical Well of Songs, to atone for stealing three stars. But he doesn't know that Argelin is blackmailing his pal Seth to kill him.
Meanwhile Mirany is trying to deal with the Oracle's corruption, and the fact that one priestess is secretly in league with Argelin's enemies. Plots are exposed and Mirany finds herself made into a puppet Speaker. Her only hope is that Alexos survives the journey to the Well of Songs...
In concept, there's very little wrong with a story like this. Fisher piles on the wonder and beautiful prose, including everything from a ragged bird-worshiping civilization to a mountain made of diamond. At the same time, she also exposes the frightening results when a religion tries to use lies for its own benefit.
But despite some tense moments, the schemes and plots never come to life, even when the god makes a convenient cameo to save a little girl. Fisher seems more comfortable in Alexos' desert quest, in which the god-boy has to deal with drunks, savages, fallen stars, and a master thief who thinks he's just a crazy little kid.
The biggest flaw is the heroine Mirany. While Seth is struggling to protect his family, we're never really told why Mirany cares about any of this. She also seems a trifle wimpy and naive beside the mysterious desert thieves and the enigmatic Alexos, who can be a cheerful boy one minute and an overpowering god the next.
Though the scheming priestesses get tiresome after awhile, the desert quest for the three fallen stars is reason enough to read "Sphere of Secrets." Not Catherine Fisher's best, but an intriguing read.
The Archon, a peasant boy named Alexos, has been found, but things haven't improved. The drought continues, General Argelin is still plotting to seize power, and Mirany is still enmeshed in the lies and schemes of the Nine priestesses. So Alexos tells the people that he will bring back prosperity by making a journey to the mystical Well of Songs, to atone for stealing three stars. But he doesn't know that Argelin is blackmailing his pal Seth to kill him.
Meanwhile Mirany is trying to deal with the Oracle's corruption, and the fact that one priestess is secretly in league with Argelin's enemies. Plots are exposed and Mirany finds herself made into a puppet Speaker. Her only hope is that Alexos survives the journey to the Well of Songs...
In concept, there's very little wrong with a story like this. Fisher piles on the wonder and beautiful prose, including everything from a ragged bird-worshiping civilization to a mountain made of diamond. At the same time, she also exposes the frightening results when a religion tries to use lies for its own benefit.
But despite some tense moments, the schemes and plots never come to life, even when the god makes a convenient cameo to save a little girl. Fisher seems more comfortable in Alexos' desert quest, in which the god-boy has to deal with drunks, savages, fallen stars, and a master thief who thinks he's just a crazy little kid.
The biggest flaw is the heroine Mirany. While Seth is struggling to protect his family, we're never really told why Mirany cares about any of this. She also seems a trifle wimpy and naive beside the mysterious desert thieves and the enigmatic Alexos, who can be a cheerful boy one minute and an overpowering god the next.
Though the scheming priestesses get tiresome after awhile, the desert quest for the three fallen stars is reason enough to read "Sphere of Secrets." Not Catherine Fisher's best, but an intriguing read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The Sphere of Secrets
20 April 2010
Format:Hardcover
The Sphere of Secrets has many of the same problems that the first novel had. I still don't get a feel for society as a whole, and the characters are weak. I feel like the characters are just going through the motions and completing tasks without any drive or determination. They do as ordered by the god and don't really think for themselves. In addition, this novel adds a large amount of traveling. I'm really not into books where the main plot consists of traveling across the land to retrieve an object or complete a task. In a nutshell, that's what this book is. Plenty is happening in this book, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the events of the last story. Most of the events in The Sphere of Secrets are based on the discovery of the sphere and traveling to restore the water. Those things could have been explained without the sphere, and I don't understand why the Archon is just now discovering how to restore water. To sum it up nicely, I would say that the plot doesn't flow very well.
I'm interested in the land, and I want to know what happens with everything. I just want a little more than is being delivered. I want to know more about the characters. I want to know what drives them, why they act the way they do, why they care about certain events. I want to know what the god thinks of people randomly asking for things, and I would like to see a reckoning. I don't know that any of those things will happen, but I will continue to read the series because it's not bad. It's not really good or great, but it's not bad either. I don't judge it too harshly because it is the second book in a trilogy, and I almost expect those to be slow. If you liked the first book, definitely give this one a try.
I'm interested in the land, and I want to know what happens with everything. I just want a little more than is being delivered. I want to know more about the characters. I want to know what drives them, why they act the way they do, why they care about certain events. I want to know what the god thinks of people randomly asking for things, and I would like to see a reckoning. I don't know that any of those things will happen, but I will continue to read the series because it's not bad. It's not really good or great, but it's not bad either. I don't judge it too harshly because it is the second book in a trilogy, and I almost expect those to be slow. If you liked the first book, definitely give this one a try.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Great 2nd book
8 Jan 2011
Format:Hardcover
I enjoyed this second book. It was not a disappointment and carried the same fire as the first. Strong characters with a great story and well developed land to have this little series in. These are great young adult reads.
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