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Dethalissicus: The Parting of the Worlds
Dethas, an orphan living in early Engla', is captured by pirates and taken to Eire. Among a series of harrowing adventures, Dethas learns who she is, where the Tuatha Dé Danaan have disappeared to and becomes involved in the Great War between the sons of Cruithne of the Picts and Lord Vortigern of Engla'.
"The story I remembered about my mother was always short and full of holes. She never had a wedding gown, but she was beautiful. Her eyes were like pieces of the sea, if the sea could become a rock and turn into stones. She could make a thief or a traitor confess what he had done and throw himself off a cliff, into those sea-eyes. Her lips were like flowers and like blood, virginal and terrible. She wore white, even when she traveled across the country on foot to find her people, even in the dark woods where she stood out like a skull shining in the moon. Her dress, like her, never seemed to wear from the traveling, as if she walked just barely above the loam, a small moth with feathery feet. And maybe she did, for she was one of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, one of the lost people, one of the people with strange powers and long lives."
"The story I remembered about my mother was always short and full of holes. She never had a wedding gown, but she was beautiful. Her eyes were like pieces of the sea, if the sea could become a rock and turn into stones. She could make a thief or a traitor confess what he had done and throw himself off a cliff, into those sea-eyes. Her lips were like flowers and like blood, virginal and terrible. She wore white, even when she traveled across the country on foot to find her people, even in the dark woods where she stood out like a skull shining in the moon. Her dress, like her, never seemed to wear from the traveling, as if she walked just barely above the loam, a small moth with feathery feet. And maybe she did, for she was one of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, one of the lost people, one of the people with strange powers and long lives."
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2014
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Manning
6 books90 followersChelsea Elizabeth Manning is an American activist and whistleblower. She is a former United States Army soldier who was convicted by court-martial in July 2013 of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses, after disclosing to WikiLeaks nearly 750,000 classified, or unclassified but sensitive, military and diplomatic documents.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 21, 2014
Dethalissicus, or Dethas is a force to reckon with. I admit it took me more than a couple of days to finish reading the book, but those days were all worth it. The story captured and sparked my interest; there was something in the story that mystified me no end.
Dethas experienced the harshness of life at an early age; she was taught how to survive, to be tough and defiant and not give love or feel loved. Abandoned by her father and left on the doorstep of a smithy, Dethas worked with the blacksmith and endured every single day, although there were times when the blacksmith was caring, often times he raised his voice and when his patience ran out, he whipped his belt onto her back.
Despite the hardships she'd been through, Dethas still had high hopes of being reunited with her father. But it seemed that fate was not on her side; for one day, she and the people of Bannaven were taken under siege, tormented, captured and tied, in order to become slaves on another land, the Eire. In the course of captivity, her other companions were sold and taken by would-be masters, but only Dethas remained unsold. Mayhap it was because Amien, the captain of the pirates, apparently had set a ridiculous price for her head. So when no one dared buy her, Amien spared her life and offered her to become part of his ship instead. Too bad, the only man she almost trusted was declared dead a few days later and so another captain took his place.
In the next days to come, Dethas worked as a slave in the ship, she was almost beaten to death, she almost escaped, was almost raped, her feet were almost amputated, and she even almost gave up. But at the end of the day, she stood strong and determined to gain freedom from the clutches of the pirates.
And when the perfect time came, she flew and ran as fast as she could, into the wild thickets of the forest. Her freedom was short-lived, however, when a series of arrows almost hit her and when she was captured by another group of bandits. This time, she did not let the men hurt her nor get into her. And when she saw someone she did not expect to see again, the fates have finally agreed to her. Soon, she embarked on another journey that answered her nagging questions about herself, her family, her history.
The twist on the latter part of the story was a big shock and revelation to me. I really did not anticipate the information I learned about Dethas and her kin. It was a little too weird, at the same time, nerve wracking. I refused to believe it, but somehow, as the story progressed, I finally learned the mysteries and secrets of the Tuatha De Danaan. At this point, I am quite reluctant to divulge any detail because the story was so beautiful to be spoiled. But this I have to say - The last chapter of the book, as well as the Epilogue, were one of the most heart-breaking and gut-wrenching scenes I have ever read. I found myself wiping my tears every now and then. Like Dethas, I had nothing more to say, so I had to close the door on my bedroom, into the darkness, sniffed and wept.
How was I able to read through her unimaginable and deathly conquests, I have no idea. I just found myself reading this book until my heart bled for her misfortunes. My gut reaction after reading about everything that Dethas had endured was overwhelming, too powerful and heavy-laden to put into words.
Dethalissicus (The Parting of Worlds) is by far, one of the best fantastic books ever written. The author must be a literary genius; her writing style was at first, admittedly was quite hard to grasp, given that most of the words were new to me. I also thought some of the words were misspelled but I abandoned that thought, because as I continued reading, I have nothing else but praises and kind words for the beautifully plot and epic fantasy storyteller that was Chelsea Brooke.
Really, I've got nothing but two thumbs up, hands down, and an unending smile. I am telling you, you have to read it to fully enjoy Dethalissicus. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has penchant for epic fantasy, mythology and great literature.
Dethas experienced the harshness of life at an early age; she was taught how to survive, to be tough and defiant and not give love or feel loved. Abandoned by her father and left on the doorstep of a smithy, Dethas worked with the blacksmith and endured every single day, although there were times when the blacksmith was caring, often times he raised his voice and when his patience ran out, he whipped his belt onto her back.
Despite the hardships she'd been through, Dethas still had high hopes of being reunited with her father. But it seemed that fate was not on her side; for one day, she and the people of Bannaven were taken under siege, tormented, captured and tied, in order to become slaves on another land, the Eire. In the course of captivity, her other companions were sold and taken by would-be masters, but only Dethas remained unsold. Mayhap it was because Amien, the captain of the pirates, apparently had set a ridiculous price for her head. So when no one dared buy her, Amien spared her life and offered her to become part of his ship instead. Too bad, the only man she almost trusted was declared dead a few days later and so another captain took his place.
In the next days to come, Dethas worked as a slave in the ship, she was almost beaten to death, she almost escaped, was almost raped, her feet were almost amputated, and she even almost gave up. But at the end of the day, she stood strong and determined to gain freedom from the clutches of the pirates.
And when the perfect time came, she flew and ran as fast as she could, into the wild thickets of the forest. Her freedom was short-lived, however, when a series of arrows almost hit her and when she was captured by another group of bandits. This time, she did not let the men hurt her nor get into her. And when she saw someone she did not expect to see again, the fates have finally agreed to her. Soon, she embarked on another journey that answered her nagging questions about herself, her family, her history.
The twist on the latter part of the story was a big shock and revelation to me. I really did not anticipate the information I learned about Dethas and her kin. It was a little too weird, at the same time, nerve wracking. I refused to believe it, but somehow, as the story progressed, I finally learned the mysteries and secrets of the Tuatha De Danaan. At this point, I am quite reluctant to divulge any detail because the story was so beautiful to be spoiled. But this I have to say - The last chapter of the book, as well as the Epilogue, were one of the most heart-breaking and gut-wrenching scenes I have ever read. I found myself wiping my tears every now and then. Like Dethas, I had nothing more to say, so I had to close the door on my bedroom, into the darkness, sniffed and wept.
How was I able to read through her unimaginable and deathly conquests, I have no idea. I just found myself reading this book until my heart bled for her misfortunes. My gut reaction after reading about everything that Dethas had endured was overwhelming, too powerful and heavy-laden to put into words.
Dethalissicus (The Parting of Worlds) is by far, one of the best fantastic books ever written. The author must be a literary genius; her writing style was at first, admittedly was quite hard to grasp, given that most of the words were new to me. I also thought some of the words were misspelled but I abandoned that thought, because as I continued reading, I have nothing else but praises and kind words for the beautifully plot and epic fantasy storyteller that was Chelsea Brooke.
Really, I've got nothing but two thumbs up, hands down, and an unending smile. I am telling you, you have to read it to fully enjoy Dethalissicus. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has penchant for epic fantasy, mythology and great literature.
April 26, 2014
I want to start by saying that this novel is not an easy reading, but it is worth your while.
I would place this book in the historical fiction genre, with elements of fantasy and mythology. Its title, “Dethalissicus”, is the name of the main character – which the author does not give away easily – an intricate name with symbolic references, maybe referring to “death”. Unlike the other names in the book, the main character’s name is not explained in the Glossary, the author leaving it surrounded by mystery.
The novel has a multitude of characters, most of them only sketched. Chelsea Manning lets her characters develop by themselves in front of your eyes, through their actions and sometimes dialogue, not influencing you by giving clues. She describes only their physical traits. My favorite character was Amien, in my opinion, the most complex character in the novel, with his ever-changing behavior and temper, and with the many secrets that he keeps.
The storyline holds a multitude of plots and sub-plots that develop and resolve through the story. It is an open-end book, with the background plot (the parting of the worlds) being left unresolved, the author leaving the possibility for a sequel, or just for our minds to wonder about. We are introduced to the main theme - the battle between good and evil - from the beginning of the narration, and we find the same theme in all the sub-plots. Elements of mystery and suspense are present throughout the story, and accident plays an important role, turning the storyline in a different direction from what you expected.
But, no matter how intricate and complex the plotting of the novel is, I found it secondary to the setting. The action is set in 5th-6th century post-Roman Britain, during a time of internal wars between tribes. The author tries to imitate the language and vocabulary of those times, making the book a laborious reading, at least for the first chapters, until you get used to it. From a point of view of scenic effects, I consider this book a descriptive novel. The illustration of the hills, plains and forests of old Britain is majestic, full of details and imagery; it is easy to get stolen away from what is happening in the story. I also felt that there is a strong relationship between the events and the scenery: rain starts pouring when the main character is facing some hardship, winter becomes a time of transition, and spring is the time for hope and new adventures.
The only critical comment I have refers to the use of dialogue – it is reduced, and I would have liked to see more of it.
I recommend this novel to readers of historical fiction and fantasy, and especially to lovers of descriptive writing. It seems to be the author’s true calling.
I would place this book in the historical fiction genre, with elements of fantasy and mythology. Its title, “Dethalissicus”, is the name of the main character – which the author does not give away easily – an intricate name with symbolic references, maybe referring to “death”. Unlike the other names in the book, the main character’s name is not explained in the Glossary, the author leaving it surrounded by mystery.
The novel has a multitude of characters, most of them only sketched. Chelsea Manning lets her characters develop by themselves in front of your eyes, through their actions and sometimes dialogue, not influencing you by giving clues. She describes only their physical traits. My favorite character was Amien, in my opinion, the most complex character in the novel, with his ever-changing behavior and temper, and with the many secrets that he keeps.
The storyline holds a multitude of plots and sub-plots that develop and resolve through the story. It is an open-end book, with the background plot (the parting of the worlds) being left unresolved, the author leaving the possibility for a sequel, or just for our minds to wonder about. We are introduced to the main theme - the battle between good and evil - from the beginning of the narration, and we find the same theme in all the sub-plots. Elements of mystery and suspense are present throughout the story, and accident plays an important role, turning the storyline in a different direction from what you expected.
But, no matter how intricate and complex the plotting of the novel is, I found it secondary to the setting. The action is set in 5th-6th century post-Roman Britain, during a time of internal wars between tribes. The author tries to imitate the language and vocabulary of those times, making the book a laborious reading, at least for the first chapters, until you get used to it. From a point of view of scenic effects, I consider this book a descriptive novel. The illustration of the hills, plains and forests of old Britain is majestic, full of details and imagery; it is easy to get stolen away from what is happening in the story. I also felt that there is a strong relationship between the events and the scenery: rain starts pouring when the main character is facing some hardship, winter becomes a time of transition, and spring is the time for hope and new adventures.
The only critical comment I have refers to the use of dialogue – it is reduced, and I would have liked to see more of it.
I recommend this novel to readers of historical fiction and fantasy, and especially to lovers of descriptive writing. It seems to be the author’s true calling.
April 17, 2014
Dethalissicus is a wonderful story that transports you to a whole new world. You start off the book meeting Dethalissicus,or Deth as she is called, in her village in medieval England right before her town is attacked and everyone is either killed or taken prisoner.You follow Deth as she is taken through her adventure which is hard and dangerous. But through it all she stays strong. You learn about her, her past, who she is and her family as you go through the book. At no time is her journey easy but as you travel it with her you really start to hope things get better for her. The author takes you on through this journey keeping you guessing right up til the end. And leaves you hoping there will at least be one more in the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
April 19, 2014
Great penmanship by the author who knows how to make scenes come alive on the pages of a book. I was completely engrossed until the very last page. Deth is left in the care of a blacksmith by her father, which left her perplexed as to why her father abandoned her to such a harsh life with an intimidating and demanding blacksmith. But her life would dramatically change years later when her village is pillaged by pirates and she is taken captive and made a slave. Dethalissicus has many layers and overlapping plots, but it is not confusing and easy to follow. It’s not your usual run of the mill predictable story, it is filled with suspense, mystery and magic that will keep you turning the pages. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews