Category: Fantasy Publisher: Morgan James Fiction
ISBN-10: 1683507398
Type: Fiction
Pages: 286
Copyright: June 5, 2018
ISBN-13: 9781683507390
Price: $9.99 (eBook)
The Whisperers of the Gods have seen the vision – the gods destroying the world in a flood because the old ways have been corrupted and forgotten. Three are chosen, Tersh, Kareth, and Sha’di, to go out and warn the world: the gods must be appeased...
"We were the first, and we will be the last."
The Whisperers of the Gods have seen the vision – the gods destroying the world in a flood because the old ways have been corrupted and forgotten. Three are chosen, Tersh, Kareth, and Sha’di, to go out and warn the world: the gods must be appeased.
In Orope – the White Snake Tersh must leave her children and travel to Matawe, the kingdom in the mountains. She must also care for Kareth and keep him out of trouble. Kareth, told since birth that he is destined for greatness, has been expecting this moment. Certain that he is ready, he quickly discovers that his confidence and curiosity have a tendency to lead him into dangerous situations. Sha’di finds himself travelling alone to find the people of the jungle, the Petzuhallpa. The jungle seems like a paradise, until he discovers the darker rituals practiced within.
Samaki is a merchant who returns to Mahat to find his home destroyed, his father dead, and no one to buy his expensive cargo. With his first mate Tiyharqu, the merchant struggles to move forward after his entire world has been upended. The stories of these four travellers intersect and entwine with each other as they move towards their destinations. Guided by visions the Whisperers must use their wits to survive in these strange new lands that would rather use them as political pawns than listen to their warnings.
Excerpt
The Bronze Age saw the beginning of empires, as well as their mysterious and catastrophic end. In a world not unlike our own, the nomadic Whisperers of the Gods have been given a grave vision of the gods destroying the world in a great flood, and they send three messengers to the great empires in hopes of appeasing the gods. Finding themselves in strange new lands with even stranger customs, the Whisperers soon discover the hardest thing is not only convincing the kings and queens to listen, but also reaching their destinations without falling prey to the dangers and temptations of these new lands. In this first novel, readers experience a lost age where the gods live in the wind and waves, and beasts lurk in the dark.
Professional Reviews
Official OnlineBookClub.org review of
The Gods are angry; unless they are appeased, they will wipe out all life in a great flood. This is the message that is given at the start of Orope by Guenevere Lee. This is a fantasy/historical fiction novel set in the distant past. It is written in the third person and follows the journey of the three messengers chosen to spread the message.
The Gogepe, commonly called the Whisperers of Gods, consists of many tribes. Within each tribe, there are women that can communicate with the Gods, called Rhagepe. Once [every twelve years] they gather for a huge ceremony. At this ceremony, a warning is heard that the Gods will cause the oceans to rise and swallow the land. This is because only the Gopepe follow the old ways. In an attempt to avert disaster, three people are chosen to be the messengers of Gods. These three set out to contact the leaders of the surrounding kingdoms, to try to convince them to change their ways and to return to the old forms of worship. Will they succeed in time?
This is a fascinating look into the past, showing how people with different beliefs interacted. Especially the way that the whisperers were treated, both with great respect and with immense fear. I really liked the way that the author taught us about these different cultures from the Whisperers point of view. I also liked the way that each chapter started with a map of where the messengers were in their respective journeys. This made it easy to work out whom that chapter focused on. There is also a very useful glossary, as there are many unusual terms used throughout the book.
The author has a smooth flowing style that made this an easy book to read. However; some of the concepts that she tried to portray were difficult and some passages I had to read twice to understand what she was getting at. This continued right to the end of the book, where the story didn’t reach a conclusion. It just said, “to be continued”. This makes this a story of many books and can’t really be read on its own.
I really enjoyed reading this story, though there were many grammar mistakes included, mostly in the guise of an extra letter in a word or even an extra word that did cause some confusion. Unfortunately, this means that I have to give this a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. With a bit more proofreading, this would have merited 4 stars. I think this would appeal to anyone who likes fantasy novels, or anyone who likes historical fiction tales about Gods and how they were worshipped. As the book does contain human sacrifices, I don’t think this is suitable reading for youngsters. I also think that anyone not interested in reading the full series should give this a miss.
-Emie Cuevas
Journey into a world of historical fiction
"I have read Fiction to escape in my imagination. Reading OROPE took me on a journey into a world of historical fiction. This page turner took me through twists and turns in an astonishing world across the Bronze Age. The authors writing style, new language and maps of the magical lands kept me in the story. I’m a business executive who reads fiction to develop my creative mind. This novel blew my mind and I can’t wait for the next book. Get it and be prepared to experience history in a fictional way."
-Tom Dutta, author of The Way of the Quiet Warrior
Venture to unknown lands
"“Orope The White Snake,” the debut historical fiction novel of Guenevere Lee, transports us to the Bronze Age, fleshing out Egyptian-like lands, blood-thirsty customs and god-like kings and queens. Lee does an admirable job of creating this world, bringing to life three characters who are chosen to complete a seemingly impossible task of trying to appease the gods. Every chapter is illustrated with ancient-looking maps, showing their path. The characters take on this task and venture to unknown lands, and the reader is left at end begging to know where the tale will lead next. Fortunately, a companion book to “Orope,” - “Pekari – the Azure Fish” continues the story, and is in the works."
-Michele Angello, author of The Secret Key of the Pythagorum
“Orope The White Snake,” the debut historical fiction novel of Guenevere Lee, transports us to the Bronze Age, fleshing out Egyptian-like lands, blood-thirsty customs and god-like kings and queens. Lee does an admirable job of creating this world, bringing to life three characters who are chosen to complete a seemingly impossible task of trying to appease the gods. Every chapter is illustrated with ancient-looking maps, showing their path. The characters take on this task and venture to unknown lands, and the reader is left at end begging to know where the tale will lead next. Fortunately, a companion book to “Orope,” - “Pekari – the Azure Fish” continues the story, and is in the works.
Danielle enters a baking contest that the Rainbow Dream Trains are hosting to impress a small UN counsel that is coming to the Castle of Imagination. But things quickly go wrong, for a very dark reason.