The Divide trilogy

The Divide trilogy is a fantasy trilogy by Elizabeth Kay. It describes the adventures of Felix Sanders in an alternate universe where myth is reality and reality is myth.

The Books

The three books are "The Divide" (2003), "Back to The Divide" (2005), and "Jinx on The Divide" (2006). These books have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Finnish, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Italian. A Romanian translation is on the way.

The Divide

The first book in the trilogy is about a thirteen year old boy named Felix Sanders who has a heart illness that threatens his life. His family is spending their summer vacation in Costa Rica. At a place called the Divide, where the waters that run to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans split, Felix finds himself in a magical world, where mythical creatures are real and humans are a legend.

There, he meets Betony, a tangle-person with an independent personality, Ironclaw, a brilliant yet absent-minded griffin, and Thornbeak, Ironclaw's former mate and a historian. Together, they set off on a journey to cure Felix's illness and send him home. Along the way, they meet Snakeweed, a cunning japegrin who specializes in selling dangerous potions and remedies without testing them. The first book in the series is sure to attract readers to the second and third novels.

Back to the Divide

Snakeweed has been trying to sell his dark magic in Felix's world, but he hasn't been successful. He wants to return home, but in order to do so, he needs the spell hidden in Felix's notebook. In order to obtain the spell, Snakeweed freezes Felix's parents with a horrible curse that turns anything living into marble. The curse begins to spread, and Felix must head back across the Divide to find the countercharm. The fate of Earth itself may rest on his shoulders.

Jinx on the Divide

In the third book, a bully at Felix's school, Rhino, accidentally releases the brandee (genie) from the magical lamp Felix obtained from across the Divide. The djinn takes Rhino hostage, demanding to be returned home and to be given a solid form.

Felix and Betony, visiting in Felix's world, return to the fantasy world. Inside the magical lamp, Rhino has found an ancient jinx box, granting him any of his desires, in exchange for nothing but hearing Rhino say a few simple, magical words... words that could wreck both Felix and Betony's worlds with a deadly mix of science and magic. The ending of the book wraps up all loose ends and concludes the trilogy.

Characters

Felix Sanders

Felix is a boy with a heart condition that threatens his life. He is very intelligent in the fields of science, and as he travels to the magical world, his scientific knowledge is beginning to be introduced in the magical world, changing it dramatically. He has brown hair and deep blue eyes. His best friend is Betony, a tangle-person he met in the world across the Divide. His parents are David and Alice Sanders.

Betony

Betony is a tangle-person, or an elf. She, like all other tangle-folk, has white-blond hair, emerald green eyes, and pointy ears. Unlike other tangle-folk, Betony keeps her hair neat and tidy. Her parents were turned to stone after a healing spell went wrong, and Betony has gotten used to living independently. She is kind, although very stubborn and unwilling to accept help. Her parents were transformed to stone statues for 20 years by a spell that went wrong. Her siblings are Ramson and Tansy, and she is training as Thornbeak's apprentice at the Andrian library.

Agrimony

Agrimony is vain about her appearance and is always the top in school and wearing the latest of everything. She helps close down Global Panaceas.

Progg and Dibber

Progg and Dibber were best friends. They were diggelucks (gnomes) that worked in the mines together. After Progg was killed by Global Panaceas, Dibber helped shut down Global Panaceas. He owns a printing business and works with Ramson.

Ramson

Ramson is Betony's brother. He is always polishing his sickle. He helped shut down Global Panaceas and is aiming to be in Dibber's printing business.

Tansy

Tansy is Betony's older sister. She helps shut down Global Panaceas.

Ironclaw

This brazzle (griffin) is one of the smartest creatures Felix meets. Ironclaw is a mathematician and loves riddles. He repeatedly forgets important things (such as eating) when he finds a new math problem to solve. Thornclaw is his mate and he has a son, Stonetalon, and a daughter, Granitefuzz. Granitefuzz was named after his best friend, Granitelegs, who was killed by Snakeweed. He doesn't care about his appearance, unlike Thornbeak.

Thornbeak

A historian by nature, Thornbeak is a brazzle (griffin) who is currently researching a long-dead mathematician brazzle named Flintfeather at the Andrian library. She and Ironclaw have a son, Stonetalon, and a daughter, Granitefuzz. Unlike Ironclaw, she is always clean and neat. She sometimes scorns Ironclaw because of his appearance. Betony is her apprentice.

nakeweed

Snakeweed is a japegrin (pixie) that is cunning and eager to rule. He uses sinistroms to achieve his own goals, without giving a thought to the well-being of anyone else. He was once head of Global Panaceas, which went out of business after the public found out that he was cutting corners.

Grimspite

Grimspite is a sinistrom, a shadow beast, similar to a devil-hyena that is summoned by its master at will. Grimspite achieved free will when he was in Felix's world while his pebble was in Betony's world. He turns into a much nicer sinistrom who likes writing cookbooks. He often gets things wrong, although he tries hard. He is best friends with Turpsik.

Architrex

Architrex is Snakeweed's sinistrom. Ruthless and vicious, he is the most powerful of Snakeweed's sinistroms. He is killed by a hunting party at the end of the first book.

Flame-bird

Felix helped the flame-bird (phoenix) build its reincarnation nest. In return, it helps find the book that has the cure to his heart illness.

Chalky and Snowdrift

Chalky and Snowdrift were two brittlehorns (unicorns) that were taking Felix and Betony to Tiratattle when they were poisoned by Architrex and Vomidor. Snowdrift's father was Pewtermane, who went into mourning.

Vomidor

Snakeweed's other sinistrom, Vomidor isn't bright. He is killed by Stonetalon in the first book.

Turpsik

Turpsik is a one-eye (cyclops) that was kicked out of her home in the north because she wrote some horrific poems. She is kind and loves fish. She also is great with needle and thread and is Grimspite's best friend.

Fuzzy

Fuzzy (short for Granitefuzz) is the daughter of Ironclaw and Thornbeak. She first appears in the second book, and is more important in the third. She is a very independent character, into squawk music and dying her feathers, and she's a bit of a rebel.

tonetalon

Stonetalon is Fuzzy's older brother and Ironclaw's and Thornbeak's son. He helped invent the Divide spell to get Felix home.

Nimblenap

Nimblenap (Nimby) is a magic carpet. His main goal is to win the Magical Objects Bravery Award. He is friendly and is in Betony's possession.

Leona

Leona is a riddle-paw (sphinx) that calculates some spells for Felix. She and Ironclaw are friends and enjoy sending each other riddles by mail.

Harshak

Harshak is a renegade sinstrom. Like Grimspite, he gains free will when Snakeweed takes his pebble over the Divide. However, he starts a reign of terror and ends up getting killed by Thornbeak.

Fleabane

Fleabane was one of Snakeweed's junior officials. When Snakeweed dissappeared,he took over Andria. He was killed by Grimspite.

Jinx Box

The jinx box is a sadistic being that tricks people into seeing it as whatever they want. It promises them great things as long as they say some magical words that would ruin the world.

Goodbody

Goodbody, formerly a genie, became a nomad after Grimspite said a magical word in the third book. Goodbody helped guide Felix part of the way to the hidden city of Sebeth in the second book.

Granitelegs

Ironclaw's best friend, Granitelegs is killed by Snakeweed in the second book. Granitefuzz is named after him.

Vocabulary

Magical Creatures

*Amberly - Perisian fairy.
*Brandee - Jinn.
*Brazzle - Griffin.
*Brittlehorn - Unicorn.
*Carrionwing - Harpy.
*Creepy-biter - Parasitic invertebrae
*Cuddyak - Yak-buffalo with a rhino horn.
*Cutthroat - Two-headed, six-legged lion with a shorter tale.
*Diggeluck - Gnome.
*Fire-breather - Dragon.
*Flame-bird - Phoenix.
*Gobbler Fish - Unusual fish.
*Japegrin - Pixie.
*Lickit - Elvish cookery experts.
*One-Eye - Cyclops.
*Pond Hopper - Frog with silly-sounding croaking noise.
*Quaddiump - a four-humped camel.
*Ragamucky - Brownie.
*Riddle-paw - Sphinx.
*Shreddermouth - Crocodile with longer legs.
*Sinistrom - Devil-hyena.
*Small-tail - Faun.
*Snagglefang - White wolf.
*Stabber-bird - Long-necked and dangerous grey-blue bird.
*Tangle-person - Elf.
*Triple-head - Roc.
*Troggle - Troll.
*Vamprey - Vampire.
*Wise-hoof - Centaur.
*Worrit - Dog with comic appearance that makes its victim literally die of laughter.
*Note - All magical creatures except for creepy-biters, fire-breathers, vampreys, and cuddyaks are intelligent and can talk.

Real Creatures

*No-horn - Horse
*River-fatty - Hippopotamus
*Humungally - Elephant
*Bone-crusher -Hyena

External links

* [http://www.elizabethkay.co.uk/ Author's web-site]