Revelation

Rating:
Summary: Finally more depth!
Review: Revelation was a real treat. The story was dark and compelling. The characters were well developed. I am an avid bookworm but I don't want to read fluffy shallow stories. I want something that I can dig my teeth into and get lost in the world that the writer creates. Revelation was such a book.

Rating:
Summary: The Gripping Tale of Seyonne Continues
Review: Seyonne was enslaved by the Derzhi for 16 long years. He forced himself to live a day at a time and to never look past the present. But Prince Aleksander, his master, freed him and, wonder of wonders, Seyonne had reclaimed his magic and was free to live among his people, the Ezzarians, once more. Seyonne was overjoyed to return to his wife and his people. He immediately took up his duties as a Warden again and worked tirelessly for two years to force demons out of innocent human souls. The Ezzarians still whispered that he was tainted by his captivity, but Seyonne refused to let it matter, even as he refused to worry about Fiona, his babysitter who followed him everywhere he went, searching for signs of corruption. When Seyonne let a demon go free, Fiona had the sign that she was looking for. Then Seyonne discovered that his wife had left his son out to die and he had never even seen the baby. The Ezzarian Council tried to force Seyonne to give up his magic and to earn his right to work as a Warden again, but Seyonne refused to enter this different kind of slavery and set off to find his son.

Seyonne discovered Brand, a demon-joined Ezzarian who was attacking the Derzhi and undermining Aleksander's rule. The more Seyonne learned of Brand, the more he liked him, but Aleksander was so important to the future of their world and Seyonne couldn't bear to see two of his best friends fighting each other. Seyonne learned that there were others like Brand who were born demon joined, like Seyonne's own son, and they had different powers - in some way greater powers - than the Ezzarians. Seyonne started to question all that he knew of Ezzarian history and came to the stunning conclusion that his people were meant to be demon joined - the demons were a part of them! But what had happened and how? The only place that Seyonne could think to go and look for answers was into the demon realm itself...

Revelation takes place two years after the end of Transformation and it was nothing like what I thought it would be. When we left Seyonne in Transformation he was picking up the old threads of his life and I thought that he would have a much longer time to be happy. But Seyonne is a great hero and always takes the path he should - even when others try to discourage him and make it difficult. Seyonne suffered greatly in this book and it was hard to see him walk into agony again, but the answers that come from this book were startling and took the story of Seyonne and Aleksander to a whole new level. Berg's fantasy world is never static, the rules are always changing and so the reader will always be surprised. This was an absolutely superb book with stunning characters. A must read for any fantasy lover!

Rating:
Summary: Stunning Sequel to Transformation!
Review: Seyonne was enslaved by the Derzhi for 16 long years. He forced himself to live a day at a time and to never look past the present. But Prince Aleksander, his master, freed him and, wonder of wonders, Seyonne had reclaimed his magic and was free to live among his people, the Ezzarians, once more. Seyonne was overjoyed to return to his wife and his people. He immediately took up his duties as a Warden again and worked tirelessly for two years to force demons out of innocent human souls. The Ezzarians still whispered that he was tainted by his captivity, but Seyonne refused to let it matter, even as he refused to worry about Fiona, his babysitter who followed him everywhere he went, searching for signs of corruption. When Seyonne let a demon go free, Fiona had the sign that she was looking for. Then Seyonne discovered that his wife had left his son out to die and he had never even seen the baby. The Ezzarian Council tried to force Seyonne to give up his magic and to earn his right to work as a Warden again, but Seyonne refused to enter this different kind of slavery and set off to find his son.

Seyonne discovered Brand, a demon-joined Ezzarian who was attacking the Derzhi and undermining Aleksander's rule. The more Seyonne learned of Brand, the more he liked him, but Aleksander was so important to the future of their world and Seyonne couldn't bear to see two of his best friends fighting each other. Seyonne learned that there were others like Brand who were born demon joined, like Seyonne's own son, and they had different powers - in some way greater powers - than the Ezzarians. Seyonne started to question all that he knew of Ezzarian history and came to the stunning conclusion that his people were meant to be demon joined - the demons were a part of them! But what had happened and how? The only place that Seyonne could think to go and look for answers was into the demon realm itself...

Revelation takes place two years after the end of Transformation and it was nothing like what I thought it would be. When we left Seyonne in Transformation he was picking up the old threads of his life and I thought that he would have a much longer time to be happy. But Seyonne is a great hero and always takes the path he should - even when others try to discourage him and make it difficult. Seyonne suffered greatly in this book and it was hard to see him walk into agony again, but the answers that come from this book were startling and took the story of Seyonne and Aleksander to a whole new level. Berg's fantasy world is never static, the rules are always changing and so the reader will always be surprised. This was an absolutely superb book with stunning characters. A must read for any fantasy lover!

Rating:
Summary: Seyonne's Progress
Review: Seyonne's return to Ezzaria, promised at the end of book 1, isn't quite the happy ending which Seyonne hoped that it would be. For all that he longed for Ezzaria in exile, he finds that he chafes under the rigid thinking and the clear distrust he faces among so many of his former people. When he encounters a demon which isn't evil (something that his people hold impossible) he's exiled again, this time into a captivity of the soul rather than one of the flesh.

Revelation is a strong follow-up to the extremely promising debut Berg made in Transformation. The world of the Rai-Kirah is vivid and heartbreaking and the ordeal of Seyonne captures the attention and the imagination. I was impressed enough to run out and buy the third book right away, something I almost never do.

Rating:
Summary: excelence
Review: this book is excelent. there is no other way to describe it. althought i thought the transformation was better, revalation is a worthy sequal to the series. Seyonne has lived among his people for two years since the horrific battle he fought alongside is former master, and his people have begun to trust him again. all is chaos in his life however, with him being the only warden left among his people,but he is grateful enough to be back in his home that he doesn't let it disturb him. then disaster strikes. his son is born a deamon, and is disposed of. nearly crazy with grief, Seyonne goes through the portal anyway to fight yet another deamon, but is then suprized. this deamon unlike all the previous others he has fought, has no evil intentions. at a loss for wht to do, Seyonne lets the deamon go, and as a result has taken away the very thing that gave him hope throughout his 16 years in slavery, his place as a warden. furious, Seyonne leaves his people and searches for his son and information about the deamon he faced.
and so starts the great story. the only problem with it was that i was bored for a good deal of the book, but the end more than makes up for it. all i have to say is that u must read this book. it is soooo good. please read it and do urself a favor. enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: If you thought transformation was good....
Review: This book is one of the best books I have ever read. I am so tired of overused fantasy plotlines and devices, and have recently stopped reading two other books in the middle because I couldn't stand the cliches for even one more agonizing page.

This book was not -at all- like those. I devoured this book over the course of three days; couldn't put it down. And it was not less than three days because I had to do things like work, and try not to annoy my wife as I waved her away so I could read some more.

The moral dilemmas that Seyonne encounters in this book are phenomenal. Carol Berg has a strong talent for weaving a masterful tale, this book surprised me more than once - there were times I had to put the book down for a little while just to get over the shock of some event or piece of information learned in the book.

Seyonne is forced to examine the very nature of his existence and the goodness of his people. Ironicly, he manages to alienate all his friends in his struggle to help them, and ends up in some very unlikely places. Watching Seyonne struggle with his belief system as he shifts his paradigms....awesome. Realistic. Engrossing. Were I as good a writer as Carol Berg, perhaps I could convey to you how powerful this book is.

A MUST read. I'm recommending it to all my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This has got to be some of the best writing I've seen in quite a while. Berg is a masterful writer. The worlds and people created are so vivid and strong. Each and every character is unique. Their attitudes, demeander, and how they handle situations are completely different from others. Plus they hold their character throughout the entire story--series. I've read so many novels where every character was a carbon copy of how the arthur feels and sees the world. Not so with Berg's novel. There are characters with major flaws, and yet the reader can't help but relate to them. What is most compelling is that not everything works out to the main characters advantage. Bad things happen and they happen in this book.

In the second installment of this series, Seyonnne's life is not perfect in his homeland of Ezzaria. Despite all he has gone through in fighting and defeating the Deamons in the first novel, Transformation, many of his people do not trust him. He is now their only Warden, until he has completed training the younger boys, and fights sometimes even two to three battles a day. Instead of his wife, Ysanne, acting as Aife in these battles, the elders have chosen another, Fiona, as his Aife. Only Fiona is really there to watch and monitor Seyonne to make sure he is not contaminated.

When Seyonne discovers a Demon, who is not evil, in a body and decides to not destroy or remove him, Fiona is quick to report this to the elders and Seyonne finds himself banned from Ezzaria. This is not the end, of course, but only the beginning. Seyonne has his own problems to solve and takes on many for friends. He has his abandon son (yes, son) to find, his long time friend and once master has problems in the kingdom Seyonne vows to help with, and we meet a new character, Blaise who's very life depends on what Seyonne can discover in the world of demons.

You will find it hard to put this novel down and if you are like me, will find yourself caught up in the lives of the characters. I admit, I even cried at some points.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Tale Continues
Review: This is Book Two in a three book series. The second book in a trilogy is rarely the best, and this one isn't either. It gets a little stuck in motion in the middle, but I didn't mind because I so enjoyed being lost in this fascinating world of Seyonne. The writing is fabulous. I gave books one and three five stars. I highly recommend the series, beginning with "Transformation."

Rating:
Summary: OK middle book
Review: This is the second of a trilogy and not a stand alone story. So to get the most from this work you need to have read the first book. This story is not as strong as the first novel. This is particularly noticeable in the first 1/3 of the book. Seyonne is a great character but he comes across best when interacting with the strong sharply wrought charas like Aleksander. Not until Seyonne meets the enigmatic Blaise does this story get interesting. The whole mystery of the children born demon posessed is captivating. That in itself is enough to keep you going. The middle third of the book is devoted to exploration of the world of demons and the the suffering that seyonne endures while he is there. The author spends far too long recounting Seyonne's torment. After the first few pages of this, the reader really couldn't connect with him anynmore; you just wanted it to be done with so that you can get on with the story. The last part of the book is much better-- as good as anything in the first book. All and all I recommend this book. Even with the filler, the evolving mystery of the Ezzarians makes this an interesting story.

Rating:
Summary: The Gripping Tale of Seyonne Continues
Review: This story had tears welling in my eyes in so many places in the last eighth of the book. The talented Carol Berg has such talent in her words that she can put the reader right behind Seyonne's eyes as he lives through ungodly amounts of torment and dispair throughout the second installment of his story.
While this book was equally as engaging as the first, I had a little bit more trouble following all the intricacies of the plot this book had to offer. The problems and delimmas go all over the map and you may find your head spinning with how many different directions you're being taken at once... all while remaining steadfast at Seyonne's feet, waiting for him to tell you more.

For a while I was beginning to feel like the new tortures and torments the main character was continually put through were starting to get old.. but the feeling teetered on and off. I understand also that without all of them, the point would not have been put across so vibrantly. The stretched details were a necessary evil, you might say.

Besides feeling slightly as though too much time was spent wrapped up in the demon world, I was more impressed with Berg's ability to hold so many peices of a plot together, throw the reader in all directions, and then bringing him/her back to a steady, pleasant landing in the end, leaving the reader breathless. I'm thuroughly impressed by her superb talent in story-telling. Congratulations to Carol Berg.