Is Wilsonville Author the Next J.K. Rowling?

He’s heard comparisons to author J.K. Rowling, and Wilsonville author C.W. Trisef agrees his books share magical elements with the “Harry Potter” stories. But Trisef’s “Oracle” series distinguishes itself by combining fantasy with real-life mysteries, geography and history.

In book one, “Sunken Earth,” for example, protagonist Ret Cooper, is the lone survivor of an Atlantic hurricane off the Florida coast, with no memory of his past. His search for the earth element (one of four classical elements found in Greek Philosophy) takes Ret to the real-life Bimini Road in the Bahamas which, in legend, leads to the city of Atlantis.

Trisef’s mix of science and fable has garnered the interest of Accelerated Reader, reading enhancement software used by some educators. “Sunken Earth” has been favorably reviewed, and is among the Young Adult Literature submissions to Literary Arts, whose Oregon Book Awards winners will be announced in January, 2015.

Monday, November 24, Trisef will meet with families, fans and the media to talk about how the “Oracle” books touch on social issues – especially those faced by “Generation Z” (today’s teenagers) – such as the environment and education. The free event will be in the U.S. Bank Room of the Multnomah County Central Library in downtown Portland, at 6:00 p.m.

Rebecca Webb talked recently with Trisef about book one of the “Oracle” series, “Sunken Earth.”