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The Caster Chronicles: Book 1
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Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small southern town of Gatlin has ever seen. Lena has wavy black hair with large green eyes. She wears a necklace made of pieces of junk and carries around a tattered journal. She is gossiped about, picked on, and neglected because of the fact that she is... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Ethan Lawson Wate: The main character and narrator of the story. Ethan is considered somewhat popular, being Ethan hating Emily's ex-boyfriend and a member of the basketball team, but he feels somewhat like an outcast. His one goal in life is to escape Gatlin forever and not become stuck there like many other of the small town's citizens. He enjoys reading everything from classic novels to comic books. He is the descendant of Ethan Carter Wate and son of Lila Evers and Mitchell Wate.
- Lena Duchannes: The new girl at school. Lena has never lived in one place long enough to call anywhere home. She’s different—and not the kind of different that makes you the coolest girl in school. Even worse, she has a secret she can’t share with anyone. A secret that can destroy her, and everyone she loves. Lena has piercing green eyes, wavy black hair, and a crescent shaped birthmark under her eye.
- Amarie "Amma" Treadeau: Amma is the Wate family housekeeper and Ethan's "caretaker" ever since his mother died.
- Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood: Lena's eccentric uncle, and the town shut-in, known by the townspeople as "Old Man Ravenwood." He has deemed himself protector of Lena. Is known as an Incubus in the Caster World. Instead of deeding of of blood, like his brother Hunting, he feeds off of dreams.
- Wesley Jefferson "Link" Lincoln: Link is Ethan's best friend. He is an amateur musician, and he plays in a band that he is very proud of, although they aren't very good. He is the only other student, besides Ethan, to accept Lena as a friend. He is very supportive of both Ethan and Lena, and he stands beside Ethan no matter what happens. Link is the best friend we all wish we had – quick to take a hit or write a song for a friend. Because first and foremost, Link is a drummer and a dreamer. A guy who’s going places, even if those places are only in his mind.
- Dr. Marian Ashcroft: Town librarian, Ethan's mom's best friend before she (Ethan's Mom) died, kind of like a mom to Ethan.
- Ethan Carter Wate: Ethan's namesake. Ethan's Great Great Great Great Grandfather; lover of Genevieve Katherine Duchannes
- Genevieve Katherine Duchannes: Lena's ancestor. In love with a Mortal; Ethan Carter Wate.
- Sarafine Duchannes: A very dark and powerful Caster known as a cataclyst.
- Mercy Lynne Statham: Ethan's youngest great aunt and sister of Prudence Jane and Grace Ann Statham.
- Grace Ann Statham: Ethan's second eldest great aunt and sister of Prudence Jane and Mercy Lynne Statham.
- Prudence Jane Statham: Ethan's eldest great aunt and sister of Grace Ann and Mercy Lynne Statham.
- Mrs. Martha Lincoln: Link's mother, friends with Mrs. Asher and Mrs. Snow and member of The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
- Savannah Snow: Emily's best friend, considered one of the popular girls and the captain of Stonewall Jackson High's cheerleading squad.Most popular girl at school; best friends with Emily, Eden and Charlotte. Also known as the "Snow Queen" of the Prom
- Emily Asher: Ethan's ex-girlfriend and daughter of Mrs. Asher. She is best friends with Savannah Snow. A student at Jackson High who is completely against Lena; in the so-called "in crowd" with Savannah.
- Barclay Kent: Lena's Uncle, Delphine's husband and father of Ridley, Reece, Larkin and Ryan. He is a Shifter and can morph things into other things for as longs as he likes. Barclay is a Light Caster.
- Delphine "Del" Duchannes: Lena's aunt, Barclay's wife and mother of Ridley, Reece, Ryan, and Larkin. She is a Palimpsest and can read time. Delphine is a Light Caster.
- Ryan Duchannes: Lena's youngest cousin, and daughter of Delphine Duchannes and Barclay Kent.
- Larkin Kent: Lena's cousin, and son of Delphine Duchannes and Barclay Kent. Larkin is an Illusionist. He can spellcast and make anything look like something else.His special talent is playing with Snakes, or transforming himself into Snakes
- Reece Duchannes: Lena's cousin, and daughter of Delphine Duchannes and Barclay Kent. Reece is a Sybil and can read faces. She is a Light Caster.
- Boo Radley: Macon's dog. More like a wolf in form and looks.
- Ridley Duchannes: Lena's cousin, also a dark Caster. She is a Siren and has the power of persuasion. Ridley's usual attire is Pprivate school girl outfits with boots and a red lollipop. She works for Lena's mother, Sarafine. She is the daughter of Delphine Duchannes, Lena's aunt, and Barclay Kent, Lena's uncle, and sister of Reece Duchannes, Ryan Duchannes and Larkin Kent. Ridley and Lena grew up like sisters; they shared the same bedroom until Ridley was Claimed
- Phineas Hunting Ravenwood: Macon Ravenwood's brother; A Dark caster known as an Incubus. He feeds on blood
- "Gramma" Duchannes: Lena's Beloved Grandmother; a light caster known as an Empath. She can "borrow" other castor's powers for a short while. Is Delphine "Del" Duchanne's Mother
- Lila Evers Wate: Ethan Wate's mother who was killed in a car accident. She was a skilled author and was best friends with the Librarian, Marian.
- Eden Westerly: A second-string cheerleader and she is one of Emily's friends.
- Aunt Caroline: She is Ethan's father's sister.
- Principal Harper: The Mortal principal of Ethan's school.
- Mrs. Eugenie Asher: The mother of Emily and a member of DAR.
- Mrs. English: Ethan's English teacher.
- Harlon James: The dog that belongs to Ethan's great aunt.
- Abraham Ravenwood: Bad guy.
- Thelma: The woman who looks after Ethan's great aunts.
- Uncle Abner: One of the Greats that Amma can contact in times of need.
- Silas Ravenwood: Add a description of this character.
- Mitchell Wate: Ethan's father, who after his mother's death, keeps himself locked up in his office. He is a great writer, and is currently writing a great novel.
- Fatty: He is Stonewall Jackson High School's truant officer and a proud member of the Gatlin police force.
- Amanda: She is fatty's girlfriend who worked at Stop & Steal.
- Mr. Hollenback: He is the Chemistry teacher of Ethan.
- Mr. Lee: He is the US History teacher of Ethan.
- Shawn Bishop: He is the point guard of Stonewall Jackson Basketball team.
- Emory Watkins: He is a member of the Stonewall Jackson Basketball team.
- Earl Petty: He is Savannah's boyfriend and the captain of the Stonewall Jackson Basketball team. His basketball position is center.
- Billy Watts: He is the forward of the Stonewall Jackson Basketball team.
- Mrs. Loretta Snow: She is the mother of Savannah and a member of DAR.
- Miss Spider: She is the crazily skinny and overly enthusiastic conductor of the school band.
- Mrs. Abernathy: She is the ceramics teacher in Stonewall Jackson high.
- Charlotte Chase: She is one of Emily's friends.
- Abby Porter: She is the one who usually sat on the Good-Eye side of Mrs. English.
- Dean Wilks: He ran the feed store but he was the closest thing to a vet in Gatlin.
- Ivy: She is the Greenbrier's cook.
- Principal Harper: He is the principal of Stonewall Jackson High.
- Carlton Eaton: He is the postmaster of Gatlin.
- Mr. Bates: He is Ethan's Algebra II teacher.
- Aunt Arelia: She is a beautiful woman who is old enough to be someone's grandmother. She is Macon's mother.
- Winnie Reid: She is the only member of the Jackson Debate team.
- Robert Lester Tate: He has won the State Spelling Bee two years in a row.
- Mrs. Ellery: She gave Ethan his first hair cut.
- Lucille Ball: Aunt Mercy's Siamese cat.
- Coach Maggie Cross: She is the girls' track coach in Jackson and have been the crush of Link ever since.
- Doc Asher: He is Emily's dad and the only real doctor in town.
- Sadie Honeycutt: She is one of the townspeople in town.
- Bertrand Hollingsworth: He is the head of the School Board of Stonewall Jackson High.
- Mr. Snow: He is Savannah's father.
- Mr. Wilson Ebbitt: He is a member of the School Board of Stonewall Jackson High.
- Mrs. Rosalie Ebbitt: She is the wife of Wilson Ebbitt.
- Gaylon Evans: He is the old owner of the Fallen Soldier.
- Vera Evans: She is the daughter of Gaylon who desperately wants to be a member of the DAR.
- Hunting: He is Macon's younger brother.
Quotes edit
-
“Sixteen moons, sixteen years, Sixteen of your deepest fears, Sixteen times you dreamed my tears, Falling, falling through the years..." Sixteen moons, sixteen years, Sixteen times you dreamed my fears, Sixteen will try to Bind the spheres, Sixteen screams but just one hears...Sixteen moons, sixteen years,The Claiming Moon, the hour nears ,In these pages Darkness clears, Powers Bind what fire sears...”
The Mysterious Song -
“There's not one word that describes all the people in my family. Is there one word that describes everyone in yours?" "Yeah. Lunatics.”
Lena and Ethan Wate -
“Just let me give you a ride home. You shouldn't be out here." "No, thanks. I'll wait for the next guy who almost runs me down.”
Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes -
“You're so full of crap, you could pass for a toilet. You like her, Wate. Admit it.”
Link Lincoln -
“No, I'm too busy trying to deflect your Power of Stupidity. But I don't think I'm strong enough.”
Lena Duchannes -
“I loathe towns. I loathe townspeople. They have small minds and giant backsides. Which is to say, what they lack in interiors they make up in posteriors.”
Macon Ravenwood -
“I'm a freak, you're a freak. Your house makes rooms disappear, my house makes people disappear. Your shut-in uncle is nuts and my shut-in dad is a lunatic, so i don't know what you think makes us so different.”
Ethan Wate -
“Darkness, real darkness, was something more than just a lack of light.”
Ethan Wate -
“You watch yourself. One day you're gonna pick a hole in the sky and the universe is gonna fall right through. Then we'll all be in a fix.”
Amma Treadeau -
“What in the heck are those?" "Ethan Wate, you watch your mouth, or I'll have to wash it out with soap. You know better than to use profanity." Which as far as she was concerned, included words like panties, naked, and bladder.”
Ethan Wate and Aunt Grace Statham -
“I'm not crazy. I thought I was, but I'm not. It's you. You're standing right in front of me.”
Ethan Wate to Lena Duchannes -
“Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures.”
Macon Ravenwood -
“I still can't think about her being there. It doesn't make sense. Why would you stick someone you love down in a lonely old hole in the dirt? Where it's cold, and dirty, and full of bugs? That can't be how it ends, after everything, after everything she was.”
Ethan Wate -
“Around here, libraries were created so that Alcoholics Anonymous would have somewhere to meet when the Baptists kicked them out.”
Marian Ashcroft -
“Don't think of me as a librarian. Think of me as a mad scientist; this is my secret laboratory.”
Marian Ashcroft -
“Jeez Dr. Ashcroft, you about scared the pants offa me!”
Ethan Wate -
“If I let her go, something terrible would happen to her. But that's the thing. I couldn't let go. I couldn't lose her. It was like I was in love with her, even though I didn't know her. Kind of like love before first sight.”
Ethan Wate -
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Martin Luther King Jr. -
“No wonder Lena didn't want to see the visions. I was starting to agree with her. There were no coincidences.”
Ethan Wate -
“Julia! I mean Ridley. What are you doing here? I must be confused. I thought, I thought..." I knew something was wrong. This didn't seem like your average mother-daughter hello.”
Aunt Del and Ethan -
“Moments bleed together, no span to time fate decides until challenged by the fated desperate/ relentless/ condemned/ empowered open your eyes;and see. illuminate the darkness illuminate the darkness”
Lena
Setting & Locations edit
- Gatlin, South Carolina: Gatlin is a small (fictional) town in South Carolina where our characters (Ethan Wate, "Amma", "Link", Macon, Lena) live.
- Ravenwood Manor: The Ravenwood's plantation, a ever changing residence.
- Greenbrier: Genevieve Duchannes' residence, the plantation adjacent to Ravenwood, which was burned during General Sherman's March to the Sea.
Organizations edit
- DAR: Daughters of the American Revolution. The most popular (and most exclusive) ladies' auxilliary in Gatlin.
- Sisters of the Confederacy: The lesser cousin of the DAR.
First Sentence edit
There were only two kinds of people in our town.
Table of Contents edit
1- Before: The Middle of Nowhere
2- 9.02: Dream On
3- 9.02: New Girl
4- 9.02: A Hole in the Sky
5- 9.11: Collision
6- 9.12: Broken Glass
7- 9.12: Greenbrier
8- 9.12: The Sisters
9. 9.14: The Real Boo Radley
10- 9.15: A Fork in the Road
11- 9.24: The Last Three Rows
12- 10.09: Gathering Days
13- 10.09: A Crack in the Plaster
14- 10.09: The Greats
15- 10.10: Red Sweater
16- 10.13: Marian the Librarian
17- 10.31: Hallow E'en
18- 11.01: The Writing on the Wall
19- 11.27: Just Your Average American Holiday
20- 11.28: Domus Lunae Libri
21- 12.01: It Rhymes with Witch
22- 12.06: Lost and Found
23- 12.07: Grave Digging
24- 12.08: Waist Deep
25- 12.13: Melting
26- 12.16: When the Saints Go Marching In
27- 12.19: White Christmas
28- 1.12: Promise
29- 2.04: The Sandman or Something Like Him
30- 2.05: The Battle of Honey Hill
31- 2.11: Sweet Sixteen
32- 2.11: Lollipop Girl
33- 2.11: Family Reunion
34- 2.11: The Claiming
35- 2.12: Silver Lining
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 5 in The Caster Chronicles. (standard series)
Followed by Beautiful Darkness.
This book is in Young Adult. (community list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Kami Garcia (Author)
- Margaret Stohl (Author)
Other Contributors:
- M. C. Leardini (Translator) - Italian Translator
- Martin Maecker (Reader) - Reader for the German Audio Edition.
- Petra Koob-Pawis (Translator) - German Translator
- Luc Rigoureau (Translator) - French Translator
- Kevin T. Collins (Reader)
- Little, Brown and Company (Publisher)
- Jennifer Hunt (Editor)
- Julie Scheina (Editor)
- Dave Caplan (Designer)
- Matthew Chupack (Translator) - Latin Translator
- Alex Hoerner (Photographer) - Authors' Photographs
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Little Brown
Country: USA
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
ISBN: 0316042676
Page Count: 576
Publisher: Little Brown
Country: USA
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
ISBN: 0316042676
Page Count: 576
Awards edit
- Amazon.com's Best Books (November 2009: Editors' Picks, #5)
- William C. Morris Debut Award (Finalist, 2010)
- Teen Read Awards (Finalist, 2010: Best New Writer)
- ALA Best Book for Young Adults (2010, #6)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ7.G155627 Bed 2009
- Dewey: 813.54
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