Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly well crafted!
Review: I actually bought this book after reading other people's reviews on this page. I can only say that they were correct. This is a finely written book. It's a good story well told. Where has Carol Berg been??! I got this book 2 days ago and wasn't able to put it down, sad to say it's been awhile since that happened. The essense of this wonderful novel is it's characters. You care, you can't turn away, you MUST watch them. They demand your attention and you're more than happy to give it. If you enjoy well thought out and masterfully wrought characterization buy this book, you won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: "Transformation" indeed...
Review: I thought that the cover (by Kevin Murphy: a guy on a cliff-top above a stormy castle) represented the innards of the book rather well. The art itself is well-done, dramatic, dark, deep...but really, those pale green wings that look as thought they've been stuck on artifically? I thought the same of some aspects of Berg's story.Her writing is very readable (feel free to skim the first couple of paragraphs), told from the point of view of Seyonne, currently a slave to Prince Aleksander, formerly a sorcerer committed solely to good. The magic system was a bit odd, if still acceptable, but the fact that Seyonne has wings simply boggles my mind. He's already established as a powerful sorcerer; did she really have to add this slightly corny touch? Add to this the bad guys of the book: demons, who care only for causing chaos and suffering. Rather one-dimensional. What wasn't one-dimensional was her characterization. Even the minor characters are vivid and play critical roles in the plot. As for the major ones-- When we first meet Aleksander, he's a rich, powerful, clever (and he knows it, and makes sure everyone else does too), and spoiled heir to an empire that has conquered other nations, including Seyonne's. Toward his new slave he holds nothing but indifferent contempt. This changes, however, and soon he captures our sympathy, as well as Seyonne's, who must struggle out of the apathy he learned was necessary to survive as a slave. Frankly, I think that the title refers to *this* transfomation, that of Aleksander from haughty prince to a decent man, and that of Seyonne from miserable slave to something more (I won't give that away). The ending was heart-stoppingly beautiful. Read it to watch the relationship between the characters, which compelled my interest far beyond the events of the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written
Review: Not just your average story about about a slave who saves the world, this is a human story about someone who finds out how to live life again after years of slavery. It's also about learning that you were really a jerk as a teenager. Which is what elevates this up somewhat from a typical fantasy novel into the realm of the truly interesting. The characters are convincing and human, as is the world and the various structures that hang it together. There is a certain suspension of disbelief required to make the story work, but it's not a terribly painful one. The only potential downside is that the book seems a bit long in places. Overall, I liked it quite a bit and would recommend without hesitation.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantasy akin to Mary Renault's "Persian Boy"
Review: "Transformation" is a one-of-a-kind fantasy that is so believable, it almost falls into the category of historical fiction. The only book I can compare it to is Mary Renault's classic, "The Persian Boy" which is the story of Alexander the Great as narrated by his slave, Bagoas. Now, imagine Bagoas as transformed into the slave, Seyonne who was once a mighty wizard and Warden against demonkind. The 'Alexander the Great' character is Prince Aleksander who is heir-apparent to an Empire that could have been founded by Harun al-Rashid, and Berg's mixture of 'Arabian Nights', demons, and wizardry is darn-near perfect. "Transformation" develops logically from the growth and interaction of its two main characters, Aleksander and Seyonne, but I wasn't noticing reviewerly items like 'character development' while I was reading it. Berg has crafted such an interesting world that I was reading purely to see what happened next. Magic flowed believably from character, which is the hallmark of a really good fantasy, and "Transformation" is one of the best I've read in a long time. A wonderful, wizardly love story is revealed as an integral part of plot, as the reader gradually learns more about the Wardens and their struggle to protect humanity from demonkind. "Transformation" was published in August, 2000 and I can only hope that the author is hard at work on another, equally engrossing fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Do it!
Review: Enter a world of Derzhi horsemen and Ezzarian spirit warriors, of slaves and spoiled princes, of the very personal evil inspired by demons that nest in an angry heart. Join the slave Seyonne and his master Prince Aleksander as they struggle to survive and triumph in a world corrupted by demons. Buy T r a n s f o r m a t i o n by Carol Berg. You will be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book !
Review: I was looking for a book to read online and i found this i didnt no if it would be that good but i bought it anyway. This book was excellent i havent read such a well written book in a long time. I was sucked in to it the minute i started to read it.I really recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good!!
Review: Are you tired of multi-book epics? Or of the naive, innocent character who saves the world while all the experienced people had no clue? Or of quick, nobody-gets-hurt solutions to huge problems? Well, I am. And so it was a wonderful discovery to find this book: Both heroes are disillusioned, and make mistakes, and have a hard time even trying to do good. And their development through the book is believable, not too fast or easy. No relationships are instant, but they develop nicely and convincingly. The problems also are not obvious to everyone, and grow and develop nicely. And despite all this, this is not a long-winded, drawn out book. It goes so fast, you just keep returning to it and reading on whenever you can, the tension is so high, you want to know what happens next, and you find yourself peeking a few pages down to know that it turns out OK. The writing is beautiful, Carol Berg draws unexpected pictures with her words, extremely readable. Nothing in this book was run of the mill - I found myself again and again waiting for a rehashed plotline or thinking (well, of course, and now...) but I was always surprised. Absolutely wonderful book, all around. And - just imagine! - it is finished after 400+ pages! There may be a sequel (who knows?) but it is not necessary, and I enjoy that. I do not want to be drawn into 1000+ pages every time, and so many fantasy authors just seem unable to stop. Recomms: you might want to try Tanya Huff, Julie Czerneda, Roby James, Anne Bishop, Laurell K. Hamilton - each very different, but all with complex characters and unexpected stories.
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Summary: This is what they mean by universal themes
Review: I like fantasy. However, I think I would have liked this novel as much if it was historical fiction, mystery or some other genre. Seyonne speaks to anyone who has been forced by circumstances to abandon a calling--in a non fantasy novel, it might be art, music or writing, rather than magic--in order to survive. I also like the way the two main characters encourage each other to step out of their socially mandated rolls, bringing out the best in each other and--since this is a fantasy novel--saving the world in the process.
Rating:
Summary: My 2000 New Years Resolution...
Review: was to actually get through either a Sci-Fi or Fantasy book. A long time mystery and romance reader, I have tried (and failed) many times to read this genre. I must have started Lord Of The Rings, Eye of the World and Mists of Avalon a hundred times. This book was recommended by a couple of readers on a mailing list I belong to. I was stunned at how much I loved this book. I will admit I was grateful to find a list of word meanings on sff.net, to go along with the read. What a wonderfully written, heart-rending book. I couldn't put it down. Thank you Ms. Berg for opening up a whole new reading world for me. I wonder now if I'm going to have a hard time finding something in the Fantasy genre to top it?
Rating:
Summary: We couldn't put it down!
Review: I bought this book to read on a plane to and from California. When I got there I couldn't stop reading it - I had to know what happened next and how the characters would handle new situations. I finished the book and left it with my mother-in-law, who couldn't put it down either. Then I brought it home for my husband. He got so involved in the story that he bought a new reading light so he could read later into the night. This is a wonderful story that we all highly recommend.
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