As Alayna Williams
Dark Oracle — (2010-2011) Publisher: Can an oracle change the future she sees? Tara Sheridan swore off criminal profiling years ago. By combining Tarot card divination with her own intuition, she narrowly escaped the grasp of a serial killer who left her scarred for life. She put down her cards and withdrew from work and society. Now, Sophia, a member of an ancient secret society connected to the mythic Delphic Oracle, asks Tara to find a missing scientist who has unlocked the destructive secrets of dark energy. Tara resists — she fears reawakening her long-buried talents and blames Sophia’s Daughters of Delphi for the death of her mother. But, grudgingly, she agrees to search for the missing scientist, Lowell Magnusson.
Tara travels to Las Alamos National Laboratory, the location of Magnusson’s disappearance. She meets the serious, impatient, and highly attractive Agent Harry Li — and re-encounters her old partner, Richard Corvus. Corvus is now chief of the Special Projects Division, a position Tera might have held, had she notdropped out of investigative work. Corvus considers Tara mentally imbalanced and not to be trusted — but it may be Corvus who is untrustworthy.
Tara’s investigation and Tarot cards tell her Magnusson’s daughter, Cassie, may hold the key to her father’s plans, and that they both are in grave danger. Meanwhile, Corvus and the Daughters of Delphi have their own plans... and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
 
 Dark Oracle
For years, Tara Sheridan has been a hermit. She was once a criminal profiler, and a tarot-reading oracle destined for the all-female secret society Daughters of Delphi. After a series of traumas, she left these callings behind and retreated to a remote cabin in the woods. But when a brilliant scientist goes missing amid the ruins of his cutting-edge lab, leaving behind a young daughter, Tara reluctantly agrees to take the case.
This means dealing with the Daughters again, along with a former colleague who makes Tara uneasy. It also means running for her life when a couple of very powerful people decide they want her out of the way. And, too, it means a chance to face some old fears and perhaps even to fall in love, though she’s reluctant to reveal her unorthodox methods to a logical man like Harry Li.
Alayna Williams creates a compelling heroine in clever, intuitive Tara. Harry is a likable character, too, and their relationship — conflicts and all — is touching and realistic. Williams also peoples her novel with memorable secondary characters, from the scientist’s daughter Cassie to Harry’s awesome mentor to the Pythia, head of the Daughters of Delphi. (Not to even mention the dog and cat.) The plot is suspenseful, the descriptions vivid and often just plain gorgeous, and all the elements add up to a perfect escapist read for summer. I found it impossible to put down; I’m usually reading three or four books at once, but this was the book for several days running.
I really liked the way Williams incorporated the tarot into Dark Oracle. I’m pretty familiar with the tarot, and so at first the lengthy descriptions of the cards got to me. “OK, let’s move on,” I was thinking. That is, until I realized two things. First, many of Dark Oracle’s readers will not already be tarot buffs and will benefit from these careful descriptions. Second, the descriptions are important even if you don’t think you need them! You never know what details will turn out to be relevant later. Williams weaves the tarot imagery into the story in really interesting ways.
One more aspect I really loved: [Spoiler here, highlight to read it] There’s a “chosen one” in the story — and Tara’s not it! For much of the novel, both Tara and one of the villains believe Tara has been selected to be the Pythia’s successor, but the “chosen one” is really someone else. When asked about it, the Pythia says, “You’re good, but you’re not that good.” Tara has all sorts of butt-kicking in her future, but she’s not The One, and I can’t begin to express how refreshing that is. [End Spoiler]
A few things didn’t quite work for me, and they’re kind of intangible “feel” sorts of things, but I’ll try to describe them as best I can. Tara’s lingering anger at the Pythia seems a little over-the-top at times. I’m not entirely sure that one of the villains would confess his sins the way he does. And Cassie’s age feels a little hazy. She’s said to be 23 years old, but everyone calls her “the girl” and treats her like she’s about fifteen. She sometimes acts younger, too, but at other times is wise beyond her years.
—Kelly Lasiter
 Rogue Oracle
I have a deep-seated fear of nuclear disaster. If you made a list of Things that Freak Kelly Out, it’d be right up there. I can’t help it — I’m a product of my times. The Chernobyl disaster occurred when I was a child, and I knew just enough about nuclear meltdown to know that it was bad. Really bad. I still remember being sure — but being too afraid to ask and confirm my guess — that the reactor would just keep burning until it destroyed the whole world. When I was older, I learned what radiation could do to a person who wasn’t killed outright, and if anything, that was even more horrifying. I watched large portions of K-19: The Widowmaker with my eyes closed.
So why am I telling you all this? Because when I say that Alayna Williams has written a book that scared the bejabbers out of me (and not in the fun sort of way) and yet made me like it anyway, I want you to know I mean it.
Tara, the tarot-card reading criminal profiler we met in Dark Oracle, here applies her talents to the disappearance of several U.S. spies of the Cold War era, all of whom were involved in a project concerning unsecured nuclear material. She learns that the mystery has its roots in the Chernobyl disaster and that she needs to solve it before a worse calamity is unleashed upon the world. Williams describes many of the real-world effects of the disaster (hence the bejabbers-scaring) and creates one character who was affected by the radiation in a different, more paranormal manner. There’s a great deal of horror, tragedy, and repulsive imagery, and a villain whose acts are unconscionable but whom one can’t help but pity.
Subplots deal with her tenuous relationship with Harry Li, whose job stress has him on the verge of cracking, and on Cassie Magnusson, who is undergoing her training in Delphi’s Daughters. (Additionally, we get a better glimpse of why Tara despises the Pythia so; we learn more about the way she manipulates people for what she perceives to be the greater good.)
Readers who enjoyed the mix of mysticism and science in Dark Oracle will find another good story here. Rogue Oracle may freak you out, gross you out, or both — but even if it does, the compelling plot and the evolving characters make it worth continuing. —Kelly Lasiter
|
Embers
Sparks
links. Or donate.
