The Oracle : The Succession War

Book Review from Oracle Readers

2011-05-18T14:23:00.000-04:00

The target audience for The Oracle series is young adults. The book appears to be equally popular with men and women, as each book has attractive and vibrant young protagonists of both sexes. The best way to describe The Oracle series is to let actual readers from the target audience describe the first book in their own words:

≡ “As an avid science fiction reader and huge fan of the Lord of the Rings books, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. If you enjoy sci-fi and especially stories about knights and strange creatures then this story is for you.”

≡ “A Sci-Fi thriller with plenty of military action.”

≡ “To say that The Oracle is a captivating book is an understatement. This book is thrilling, exciting and makes you want to continue reading.”

≡ “An epic narrative of strength, will power, and blind ambition.”

≡ “ As you keep reading, you’ll realize that the book is simply a metaphor of politics in America today; but in such a powerful way! …I highly recommend this book to anyone… I am looking forward to the sequel.”

≡ “From the first page, Waterman creates a world full of action and magic and imagination from something so seemingly boring as American politics.”

≡ “A book of this stature and voice in regards to politics is quite the feat and executed extremely well.”

≡ “The Oracle: The Succession War by Richard Waterman chronicles American politics by amplifying it, turning it into science fiction (as opposed to the regular type of fiction that surrounds American politics) and makes it interesting for the political layman by adding swords and an ambiguous deity called the Oracle. All of the characters are molded in a way to resemble some real-life counterpart, whether the real-life counterpart is a specific person or a general, more wide-reaching stereotype of a politician… Conceptually, the novel is one-of-a-kind as far as I'm familiar, and was effective in delivery.”

≡ “The Oracle: The Succession War is a novel of great suspense centered in a made up world with all kinds of mysterious creatures.”

≡ “In every human, there is a drive, a hunger, to obtain the unlimited power of the metaphorical ‘Oracle.’”

≡ “The Oracle is a fantastic book, and I think I might have became a little more ambitious myself from reading it.”

≡ “When I read the book The Oracle: The Succession War by Waterman, I was pleasantly amused by how easy it was to relate our present day situation with a fantasy world… The story itself was brilliantly crafted and I really enjoyed the parallel use of the characters... This book really opened my eyes and made me smile at the idea that someone else sees the government and the institution of Washington for what it really is and I could not congratulate you enough on being intelligent enough to put this crazy, crazy idea onto paper and making it worthy and understandable for thousands everywhere!”

≡ The Oracle is a tremendous book that effectively portrays the chaos of American politics that as a citizen has personally disturbed me for years. It subtly touches on issues tearing this country apart and as a reader, I interpreted the characters in the novel, or the politicians of today, to be a primary cause. Is there an end to the madness?”

≡ “I thought this was a GREAT book.”

This is but a small sample of the extraordinarily positive responses that the first book received. To judge for yourself, read the Prologue of The Oracle: The Succession War at:

@ http://theoraclethesuccessionwar.blogspot.com/p/prologue.html

Here’s how to order your copy today!

'The Oracle: The Succession War'
by Richard Wayne Waterman
(Hardcover & Deluxe Edition) http://amzn.to/ey46J2

'The Oracle: The Succession War'
by Richard Wayne Waterman
(Paperback Edition) http://amzn.to/h6hKdF

Newspaper Article on Attleboro Sun Chronicle about The Oracle.

2011-01-17T13:41:00.000-05:00

Corrections: The book is erroneously mentioned as Self-Published... it is published through Otherworld Publications, Louisville, KY.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

Synopsis: The Oracle

2010-11-22T13:07:00.001-05:00

A young man, tempted by fate, driven by ambition that he simply does not understand, must inevitably chose between everything he treasures in life and the unlimited power of the mysterious Oracle.

The Oracle: The Succession War is an epic drama on a grand scale. It is the story of two families: the ruling Centama dynasty and their most loyal ally, the Tantamount family. A violent succession war is unleashed when the King of Arcania falls suddenly ill. His four sons, his most ambitious and clever daughter-in-law, and the renegade son of a prominent lord, all battle for the Arcanian throne. For whoever controls the throne, also controls a device of unlimited power known to all Arcanians simply as the Oracle. This device can alter pure imagination into stark reality. But there is a dark truth: it is not enough to desire the Oracle, for the Oracle must also desire you. Therefore, the Oracle actively manipulates the various challengers to the Arcanian throne, seeking out the one it will allow to rule over it.

The Oracle is a masterwork of imagination. The book literally takes the reader inside a vast infinite universe of pure thought where anything and everything is possible. It is a magical world, filled with an amazing array of vibrant pulsating rainbow-like colors, a world of surreal splendor. It is also a dark world, for at the epicenter of the Oracle lies an ambition for power so raw, so unadulterated, that it dare not fall into the hands of one who is unworthy.

And yet, those who seek the Oracle are the most ambitious, the most ruthless and unprincipled of people, bereft of any morality whatsoever. The youngest son of the Arcanian King, Pantamanu, believes the Oracle is his by the right of inheritance. Bellazar, a stunningly beautiful black woman, the wife of the king’s third eldest son, is driven by an equally destructive compulsion to rule the Oracle. And Montama, the innocent and impetuous son of a prominent highly principled and loyal lord, learns that he may very well be the chosen one and that it is his destiny to rule.

The battle for the Oracle is not conducted merely by mortals, for two unscrupulous entities, with the power of mighty wizards, reside inside the Oracle itself. They too seek to control its unlimited power for their own selfish purposes. The battle therefore occurs on two levels - within the real world and within the realm of imagination.

A series of battles unfolds, each fought in a unique setting: upon the banks and barren interior of a giant meteor crater and the tops of the world’s tallest trees. In these battles mortals must fight not only each other, they also must confront horrendous two-headed beasts while soldiers ride on the backs of giant primates. As these mere mortals battle savagely, the Oracle wizards seek to manipulate their destiny. The war of human versus human is therefore joined by another more frightful spectacle: the war of humans versus Oracle wizards. In these battles anything the mind can conceive of can become reality. From the very first page the action is unrelenting, as each contestant for the throne must decide, what price will they pay for an instrument of unlimited power? In the end, only one will rule the Oracle, that is, unless the Oracle itself rules the world.

By Richard Wayne Waterman

Order NOW: http://tinyurl.com/rw-order
Coming November 30, 2010.

Radio Interview about the Book

2010-11-16T21:58:00.003-05:00

Listen to the Radio Interview I did with Lillian Caldwell of InternetVoicesRadio as the author of The Oracle: The Succession War, on November 16, 2010.

http://lsc.audioacrobat.com/do wnload/e8756703-f666-04dc-fbf5 -341b4383d515.mp3

Rick Waterman & Loyal Friends

2010-09-18T19:16:00.003-04:00


GenCon 2010, Indianapolis. A Conference for Science Fiction & Fantasy Aficionados.

“I beg you, do not proceed any further!"

Updated PROLOGUE

2010-05-14T19:27:00.007-04:00

Posted the first chapter...

... the latest update of the Prologue.

Cover Design for The Orace : The Succession War

2010-04-27T18:04:00.010-04:00

The Cover Designed by the Illustrator Sendil Nathan for the book The Oracle : The Succession War has been RELEASED!

Book Release on November 16, 2010.

Otherworld Bookstore for Oracle

Welcome Oracle Readers!

2010-04-24T15:11:00.005-04:00

     Welcome to my new website, designed by the awesomely talented illustrator of The Oracle, Sendil Nathan. This is a site for all things Oracle! Here I will provide insights into the characters, the narrative, and the political dimensions of the story.

     The Oracle is meant to be a highly entertaining story about a succession war in an ancient realm. For those who are interested in deeper meaning, however, it also has much to say about our current political system. You may have fun trying to figure out which characters in the story represent which real life politicians. Or you may just want to lay back and enjoy the non-stop, irrepressible action and not worry about any of these haughty metaphysical concerns. After all, we are primarily here to have FUN!

     So, please feel free to email me with any of your questions or simply comment in this blog about the book. I will post the most interesting responses here. And remember, the Oracle is all powerful, which means that it is also very dangerous indeed, for what human can be trusted with absolute power?

   WARNING: The Oracle is capable of translating mere thoughts into powerful reality. So let your imagination run wild... for with the Oracle there are absolutely no boundaries! Imagination is Reality!!!!

2010-04-24T01:42:00.005-04:00

“I beg you, do not proceed any further!

Do not touch Memories long forgotten, for you
have no idea of the danger that lurks behind
them.”