Revelation

Rating:
Summary: Nightmares and dreams in the world of demons
Review: "Revelation" is Carol Berg's sequel to her marvelous first fantasy, "Transformation," and it continues the story of Seyonne, Ezzarian Warden against Demonkind. Readers of the initial novel may be surprised to learn that there is more than one type of demon, and not all of them are evil. Seyonne discovers one of these anomalous creatures upon entering a human soul to free it from demonic possession. He pursues his new theology of demons, even though it means alienating his best friend, losing his wife-Queen, collaborating with his worst (human) enemy, and giving himself up into the talons of his demonic foes.

"Revelation" is complex almost to the point of being over-plotted, although Seyonne's personality and moral convictions still drive the story. Lots of new characters (many of them demons) are introduced and their narratives are not concluded, which leads me to hope that there is going to be at least one more volume in this inventive and intelligent series (my favorite among all of the multi-volume fantasies currently in progress).

Carol Berg turns herself into the Poet Laureate of Demonland in "Revelation." Once away from the torture pits of the Gastai (the lowest, most brutal caste of demons), Seyonne finds an unexpectedly beautiful world:

"I blinked a hundred times to make sure I was not imagining it---a perfect frozen image of a butterfly. Not living, of course. Perfect only in shape and size and the detail of its patterned wings, for it was carved of the very stuff of winter, a fragile creature of frost. The coloration was quite faint, only a pale suggestion of the radiant reds and yellows and hard-edged black I knew were the reality. But there was such vivid truth in the shaping of it that I held my breath lest it startle, fly into the raging storm, and be shattered."

Ms. Berg if you are writing a sequel to "Revelation," please don't fall into the habit of impaling your hero into ever more hideous torture scenes. Grim reading though they were, Seyonne's beatings, brandings, and premature burial seemed to be a 'natural' part of his story in "Transformation." He was after all, a slave. However, some of his prolonged sufferings in "Revelation" seemed a tiny bit gratuitous. I'd be heart-broken if Seyonne's story degenerated into another S&M fantasy series, in the manner of Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule" (which was excellent but for a single prolonged torture scene), "Stone of Tears" (much more gratuitous ichor and bruising), et cetera, ad nauseum.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderous!
Review: Carol Berg continues the story of Seyonne and ALeksander. In Revelation, Carol focuses on Seyonne and Aleksander fades into the background. Seyonne again lives in his homeland, but as an outcast. There are still some of his people who refuse to excuse his "corruption" from slavery.

Fighting demons has become an everyday occurance for Seyonne until he comes across something he thinks nobody has ever seen before: A demon that does not want to fight and does not hate.

Exiled from his homeland again, Seyonne must discover the origin of the demons and decend to their realm, and he discovers a terrible secret.

Carol Berg again spins a story of love, trust, friendship, and enchantments; an outstanding sequel to "Transformation." I recommend this book to Berg fans and first time fantasy readers.

The plot line is good with no unnecessarily confusing twists and turns. She uses clear and concise language that is easy to understand is enjoyable to read. I will be looking forward to Carol Bergs next book "Restoration."

Rating:
Summary: A successful second novel.
Review: Carol Berg is an excellent storyteller, as evidenced by her previous work, "Transformation." Well, looks like she's done it again. In "Revelation," the hero Seyonne, now free from his sixteen-year Derzhi enslavement (though not from its stigma), tries to return to some semblance of normalcy among his native Ezzarians. However, he's been too long from home, has seen too much of the world, and comes back seeing the flaws of his people with the new vision one attains through prolonged disassociation. He fails at his attempts at settling into a society that believes that any influence beyond their little circle of piety is grounds for corruption, and is soon exiled. From that point on, everything for Seyonne goes straight to hell -- somewhat literally. He eventually ends up in the Demon Realm, putting together the pieces of a mystery, the solution of which will turn centuries of a civilization's beliefs and practices on its head.

And that's where my major quarrel with the story comes in. I think Berg spent too much time in the Demon Realm. Of course it was necessary, this place being an entirely new world and all, and in need of fleshing out. It's definitely a rich and fanciful place, a weird, incomplete, and oftentimes drab reflection of the human world that the demons seek to emulate. But the realm and its cast of demons just didn't interest me all that much. No, I don't think Berg fell short in the storytelling here, its just my particular preference. I'm sure that other readers enjoyed reading about this upside-down place and its mixed-up inhabitants as much as I found myself wishing it were just a little more condensed.

That said, Seyonne's stint in the Demon Realm ain't pretty. But out of all the conflicts he faces in "Revelation," the biggest has got to be that with his own people. Berg has wrought this out in a meticulous way, one that strikes a disturbing familiarity to some aspects of our contemporary society. The demon-fighting Ezzarians, as a whole, are a stubborn, high-handed lot, set in their beliefs in a way that's downright dangerous. They're blinded by thier own dogma to the point where they'll leave their own newborn infants to die in the wilderness if they find any demon "corruption" present in the child's soul. They were even reluctant to welcome Seyonne back into their society, casting aside any human pathos for a man who suffered sixteen years of brutality in favor of the self serving notion that he is a danger, a channel for demon influence. Even his own wife Ysanne is a party to this. Ysanne is a rather flat character at best, since she doesn't seem to have developed much yet, which is probably why I find the witch so utterly hateful. And what had me grinding my teeth into a fine paste is the fact that Seyonne actually LOVES this woman! Gah! After all she did and let happen. If I were him I'd give her a good kick with a pair of steel-toed boots, but I suppose Seyonne is just a little better than I am.

As for "Revelation"'s individual characters, let's just say that things aren't always what they seem (Yeah, yeah, the ol' cliche). But that's all I'll say on that. Don't want to give anything away! And don't be put off by the ending and its loose ends, as some reviewers expressed their displeasure over. There's a third installment that, at the time of this writing, has yet to be released. Go to Carol Berg's website and check it out.

So overall, a well-told story with a whole lotta social conflict, and a few twists and turns to keep you happy. Not QUITE as good as "Transformation," but good enough.

Rating:
Summary: A successful second novel.
Review: Carol Berg is an excellent storyteller, as evidenced by her previous work, "Transformation." Well, looks like she's done it again. In "Revelation," the hero Seyonne, now free from his sixteen-year Derzhi enslavement (though not from its stigma), tries to return to some semblance of normalcy among his native Ezzarians. However, he's been too long from home, has seen too much of the world, and comes back seeing the flaws of his people with the new vision one attains through prolonged disassociation. He fails at his attempts at settling into a society that believes that any influence beyond their little circle of piety is grounds for corruption, and is soon exiled. From that point on, everything for Seyonne goes straight to hell -- somewhat literally. He eventually ends up in the Demon Realm, putting together the pieces of a mystery, the solution of which will turn centuries of a civilization's beliefs and practices on its head.

And that's where my major quarrel with the story comes in. I think Berg spent too much time in the Demon Realm. Of course it was necessary, this place being an entirely new world and all, and in need of fleshing out. It's definitely a rich and fanciful place, a weird, incomplete, and oftentimes drab reflection of the human world that the demons seek to emulate. But the realm and its cast of demons just didn't interest me all that much. No, I don't think Berg fell short in the storytelling here, its just my particular preference. I'm sure that other readers enjoyed reading about this upside-down place and its mixed-up inhabitants as much as I found myself wishing it were just a little more condensed.

That said, Seyonne's stint in the Demon Realm ain't pretty. But out of all the conflicts he faces in "Revelation," the biggest has got to be that with his own people. Berg has wrought this out in a meticulous way, one that strikes a disturbing familiarity to some aspects of our contemporary society. The demon-fighting Ezzarians, as a whole, are a stubborn, high-handed lot, set in their beliefs in a way that's downright dangerous. They're blinded by thier own dogma to the point where they'll leave their own newborn infants to die in the wilderness if they find any demon "corruption" present in the child's soul. They were even reluctant to welcome Seyonne back into their society, casting aside any human pathos for a man who suffered sixteen years of brutality in favor of the self serving notion that he is a danger, a channel for demon influence. Even his own wife Ysanne is a party to this. Ysanne is a rather flat character at best, since she doesn't seem to have developed much yet, which is probably why I find the witch so utterly hateful. And what had me grinding my teeth into a fine paste is the fact that Seyonne actually LOVES this woman! Gah! After all she did and let happen. If I were him I'd give her a good kick with a pair of steel-toed boots, but I suppose Seyonne is just a little better than I am.

As for "Revelation"'s individual characters, let's just say that things aren't always what they seem (Yeah, yeah, the ol' cliche). But that's all I'll say on that. Don't want to give anything away! And don't be put off by the ending and its loose ends, as some reviewers expressed their displeasure over. There's a third installment that, at the time of this writing, has yet to be released. Go to Carol Berg's website and check it out.

So overall, a well-told story with a whole lotta social conflict, and a few twists and turns to keep you happy. Not QUITE as good as "Transformation," but good enough.

Rating:
Summary: A MAGNIFICENT FOLLOW-UP!
Review: Carol Berg pulls an amazing feat by following up her stunning debut, "Transformation", with an equally brilliant novel...a difficult task if previous authors attempts are any indication.

Continuing the arduous story of Seyonne, once and future slave, Berg delves deeper into the reasons behind the Ezzarian's beliefs, traditions, and rituals, and the reason why the demons are so insistent on possessing the human form. Answering the numerous questions posed in "Transformation", Berg manages to educate and tittilate simultaneously.

I eagerly await the next novel in this remarkable series...and praise Carol Berg for being what every fantasy author hopes to become! Excellent!

Rating:
Summary: Fell flat as as a sequal
Review: For me this book missed being anywhere near as good as the first. Berg is a great writer and her storylines are different and intersting. However, it was very difficult for me to get involved in this story. I kind of forced fed it a chapter at a time.

First off, the characters in this book lack a lot of dimension. You get a pretty good perspective of maybe two characters, but everyone else is a shadow of a person. I like to feel something coming from the other players, but I can honestly say that they had no personality whatsoever, just actions and no face to acompany them. The plot was good, but I didn't feel that it connected very well with the first. I would have like her to have explored relationships between the characters a little more, but she didn't. It was almost like she said, "Hey, I've got my characters and how they relate to eachother and they didn't need any other development than this." Therefor, from the first book, where the main character is reunited with the love of his life, you learn nothing new about their relationship other than actions they take,which are sometimes ridiculous from a human perspective.

Overall, I'll say again. This book really fell flat for me.

Rating:
Summary: Not nearly as good as the first
Review: Her first novel was quite captivating. I couldn't put it down till the very end--which did get to be a bit dull and predictable. Its main strength was the evolving mystery and great interaction between the 2 main characters. Her second book is somewhat contrived and has too many inconsistencies. One would think saving mankind from the ultimate demon and restoring the homeland would gain a little respect from your fellows. And, yes a minor detail, but what about that whole five year mourning period before marrying another man. The story and character actions are not believable in the context of her world. *SPOILER AHEAD* If there's only one warden, who in their right mind would fire him? *END SPOILER* Some may say this is nitpicking, but these inconsistencies and false dilemmas really made the book seem stale. It's difficult to be engaged in a book that creates such contrived, inplausible and unlikely situations. F Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, paraphrased [Sometimes the gateway to nothing is the most heavily guarded.] That characterizes this book. Hundreds of pages of writing to get to some cheap mystery about demons. It's too bad, I really liked her first novel. It was so well paced and engaging. Also, it was original in many ways. This second book seems a bit like a variation of the same theme--rags to riches, underdog to champion. I guess it's a credit to her writing that I actually got through the book I seem to be so heavily criticizing and am starting the 3rd one. Although I probably wouldn't have bought the 3rd if I hadn't purchased it from Amazon withthe 2nd. I'm hoping the third is as good as the first.

Rating:
Summary: As Mesmerizing as Transformation!
Review: I am in awe of Berg. Her imagination is stunning and her writing spellbinding. Revelation is a worthy follow-up to Transformation. I finish it in 2 days, not easy given that it is my working week days. But it is worth it despite my tired red eyes! The extension of this amazing series plot to cover the demon realm, the source of their existence and their purpose is riveting. The first 1/3 and last 1/3 of the book is just astounding. The only part when the pace slows down and I could take a breath was during Seyonne's enchantment under the she-demon. Besides that Berg does not let-up at all. The protagonist, Seyonne, is a wonderful character. I love his goodness, his courage, his loyalty and above all his vulnerability and sensitivity. Since the book is written in the first person, one could not help but be caught up in Seyonne's loss, pain and suffering. Berg's words are so emotionally charged that a few times I wish she could be kinder to Seyonne because he fully deserves it. Perhaps I am a sentimental fool but I wish Berg would give Seyonne a soul mate to truly love and understand him.
I have just ordered Restoration, the last installment of this magnificent trilogy, and will definitely put one day aside to finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Enjoyable
Review: I enjoyed this book very much, although not as much as Transformation. This is angst-driven fantasy; if the characters are not nobly suffering, the plot does not advance. Berg tries, but it is hard to conjure up more angst than she did in Transformation. Seyonne, after all, has already been a slave for sixteen years, seen the love of his life wed to another, lost and then rediscovered his magic, given it his all in a battle with a demon to save Prince Aleksander - and that was only book one. Berg tries very hard, introducing several new characters with whom Seyonne has tragic, complex relationships, but the story was just not as poignantly agonizing. Still, this was quite a good read and I am looking forward to Restoration as well.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Enjoyable
Review: I enjoyed this book very much, although not as much as Transformation. This is angst-driven fantasy; if the characters are not nobly suffering, the plot does not advance. Berg tries, but it is hard to conjure up more angst than she did in Transformation. Seyonne, after all, has already been a slave for sixteen years, seen the love of his life wed to another, lost and then rediscovered his magic, given it his all in a battle with a demon to save Prince Aleksander - and that was only book one. Berg tries very hard, introducing several new characters with whom Seyonne has tragic, complex relationships, but the story was just not as poignantly agonizing. Still, this was quite a good read and I am looking forward to Restoration as well.