-welcome to my worlds-
The Twelve Tasks
The vibrant universe contains twelve magicked worlds. Each is filled with entities both powerful and mighty whose actions and reactions effect the precarious balance that sustains all life. Over the centuries, when the shadow of war threatens to destroy the universe, a single individual has appeared to challenge the dark forces. Although these warriors, known simply as Djed, have succeeded in the past, there is no guarantee of success in the future.
No one knows how the Djed are chosen or by whom. They always appear on one of the magicked worlds without warning, always from a world that does not host magic. What is known that the next Djed is prophesied to be a child from Earth. Thirteen-year-old Katie must accomplish twelve difficult and dangerous tasks to prove she is the next Djed and, if acclaimed, accept a daunting challenge.
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The Twelve Tasks
The Djed Chronicles Book 1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9983779-8-8
ASIN: B08N1G46VZ​
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The precarious balance between two opposing forces has begun to shift and threatens the very existence of life throughout the universe. Only the Djed—the prophesied savior—has a chance of thwarting a catastrophe that could destroy the cosmos. And the next Djed is predicted to be a child of Earth.
Katie awakens on a world far from her own, a world bound in magic, one of twelve that hosts entities of vast power and might. She is suspected to be that savior. However, to be acclaimed Djed, difficult and dangerous tasks, one on each of the magicked worlds, must be completed. Katie and a menagerie of misfit companions—a precocious witch, a half-blood elf, and a humanoid pup—work together to discover her fate. If proven true, a terrible burden will be placed upon her, one that will link her destiny with war, a war led by a thirteen-year-old girl.
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The Djed Chronicles follows Katie over her teenage years as she confronts dark forces and discovers that the right choices are not always apparent and wrong choices can have deadly consequences.
The Twelve Tasks Awards
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Reviewed By Lit Amri for Readers’ Favorite
Five Stars
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“If the Djed was not discovered and proven true, the scales would tip too far, the balance would be shattered, equilibrium lost. And along with it, all life.” In The Twelve Tasks (Djed Chronicles, Book 1) by Katharine E. Wibell, 13-year-old Katie wakes up in a strange world filled with magic and fantastical humanoid beings known as the 'Ntr'. She finds out that she's a Djed; a prophesied warrior who can stop a catastrophe that could destroy the universe. To prove that she is a true Djed, she must complete twelve tasks that will give her items necessary for her battle against her formidable foe. Working together with a gifted witch, a halfling, and an Ntr pup, Katie must become the savior that the universe needs before it's too late.
Twelve tasks in twelve worlds; the story premise gives the world-building its wonderfully complex structure which in turn gives the plot its depth and room for character development. There are aspects derived from classic myths and legends that readers will love as they provide a sense of familiarity to the fantastical realms that also have unique features of their own. As a 13-year-old who misses home but tries her best to fulfill her purpose, Katie is admirably courageous but also has much to learn about the importance of virtue. Her camaraderie with the young witch, Sar’ra, is not easy as she has the same stubbornness as Katie and has her own goal to achieve. Filled with danger and surprise encounters, the tasks constantly challenge Katie and her companions' resolve and, at times, trust becomes an issue. With action, gritty adventure, friendship, and self-discovery, Katharine E. Wibell's The Twelve Tasks is an epic young adult fantasy, a great start for the Djed Chronicles.
4 of 5 stars
I positively adored Katharine E. Wibell’s Incarn series and was more than happy to dive into The Twelve Tasks when I found out the author had a new book for me to devour. Upon finishing The Twelve Tasks, I’m convinced I’ll be rapidly consuming another series by the author.
The Twelve Tasks offers all the goodness people expect from fantasy adventures. From interesting worlds to gripping characters, from tasks to magic, and more, The Twelve Tasks has a bit of everything. From the start, it pulls readers in and has them curious to see how the details will play out. As the story develops, more and more details are added to ensure they cannot put the book down. It is a story where the pieces come together in a wonderful way, ensuring the reader will want more of the characters and the worlds.
If I had to pick the thing that I enjoyed most about this one, though, I would have to go with the way the author took known mythologies and mixed them into unique fantasy worlds. There were so many nods throughout – I doubt I caught them all – and I adored watching the way they all came together and were made unique to the story without deviating too much from the known. It ensured I could not get enough, and I’m curious to see what else the series offers.
Without a doubt, The Twelve Tasks is a brilliant start to the Djed Chronicles, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
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This is by another author that I came across on TikTok, and am I ever glad for that! I'll say, right off the bat, that I am totally looking forward to continuing this series.
Katie wakes up, in her pajamas, in a totally unfamiliar and alien world. It turns out that she is not even on Earth, but on some unfamiliar planet (turns out to be called "Wect") in a totally alien galaxy. She runs across a bear-like creature, who walks on two legs like a humanoid, named Valere, who helps her. Her ultimate goal, of course, is to get back home. Valere agrees to take her to the closest town, called Ogdoad.
In Ogdoad, she encounters a Triumvirate of rulers, all having human-like characteristics, but also having the characteristics of a variety of animals. For example, the high king of Ogdoad, Rege, resembled a Doberman, while Allimondria, the queen, resembled a crocodile. The lower king (for there were two), Kastor, resembled a beaver.
Eventually, it was revealed to Katie that she could not, in fact, be returned home. Not only that, but, because of the circumstances of her arrival, it was possible that she could be the next "Djed" to be named. This "Djed" was a warrior, destined to save the universe.
In order to prove (or disprove) this theory, Katie would be required to complete, you guessed it, twelve tasks, one on each of the twelve planets in their system. Portals were employed to transport from planet to planet.
On a side note, I will say that this idea of being transported to a different plane of existence, or universe, or whatever, is one of my current favorite "tropes." Especially when it happens without one's knowledge and one wakes up in a totally unfamiliar place, as did Katie, our "anti-hero."
That is all of the plot that I will reveal. I totally loved this book. Katie was, from time to time, rather annoying, but what thirteen-year-old (Oh, did I forget to mention that?) isn't, right? I mean, she has pretty natural teenage qualities about her.
The story line is believable (well, as believable as any fantasy story line can be, right?) and easy to follow. As Katie moves from world to world, working on these tasks (I will mention that failure in several of them would have involved her death), she encounters other alien species, some more human-like than others, and even makes a couple of friends along the way. She also does foolishly selfish things that have dire consequences, things that cause her to mature quite a bit by the end of the story.
She also encounters species on some worlds that are at war with each other, but, by the time she is done with that world, has the perspectives of both of the species, and has to grapple a bit with which one is actually right (or if either one is). There is a lot of philosophy involved in this tale, in my opinion, whether the author intended that or not, but I suspect that she did.
I laughed because some of the characters are humorous (especially Spant, the puppy-like young person on Wect). I was literally afraid for the lives of our heroes multiple times, so there is plenty of suspense. I was captivated, at times, by the beauty of the descriptions of some of the worlds, as well as by the almost complete desolation of some of them.
And the final battle in this book was EPIC!! Legendary!! And it had me on the edge of my seat!
I also had some tears at the end. Yes, to me, the ending is somewhat sad. It left me wanting more, though, so I will definitely be continuing the series. There was a teaser at the end, the first few pages of the next book, and in that, one of Katie's actions was addressed, and I was glad to see that, because I could not believe that she was actually going to do what she did.
I also enjoyed that there was some Nordic mythology thrown into the mix just a little. And part of that involves the above mentioned action, which is sure to have some pretty severe repercussions.
Oh, I almost forgot (it has been a little bit since I started) the reference to William Blake on the first world that Katie visited. I don't think it too much of a spoiler to express my delight that it featured the "Tyger."
Over all, this is a fantastic novel in the fantasy genre, and, as I said, I am eager to continue the series. Well done, Ms. Wibell!