Guardians of the Keep: Book Two of the Bridge of D'Arnath

I am totally enthralled with these characters. I found this installment better than Book 1 and can barely wait to get Book 3. I put this series right up there with GRRM and Robin Hobb's Farseer. My heart broke for Gerrick and the personal struggle he encountered. This book is worth every minute spent reading it.

I just finished this book while on lunch break today and I simply cannot wait to start the third tonight! It surprises me that some of the reviewers liked the first book better and actually thought this book was slower than the first. I was just the opposite. I really enjoyed this book MUCH more than the first and thought it was fast paced and exciting. I had problems putting it down! The first book was viewed (first person) through the eyes of only one character (Seri) and this one was viewed first person through the eyes of many. I enjoyed "seeing" all the characters and their respective views. Thank you Carol Berg!

Berg continues her Bridge story with Seri returning to her family home to pass on the message from her brother to his son as promised upon his death. Regardless of the fact that her brother murdered her son and was involved with the people who burned her husband to death, Seri comes to the belief that her brother was used and manipulated in doing so by the enemies of her husband's people. When Seri arrives at Comigor she discovers a frightened, strange nephew and a prissy, self-absorbed sister-in-law. While Seri's sister-in-law is bedridden from a dangerious pregnancy, Seri decides to help out running the home she loved as a child, for her nephew's sake. She begins to make it her business in getting to know her nephew (a recluse) and tries numerous ways to draw him out. The story becomes fast-paced when her nephew, Garrick, is kidnapped. Seri goes on a dangerous journey, accompanied with friends from the previous novel, through two worlds to save Garrick. This novel is riddled with suspence, action, and surprises. I'm usually very good at guessing what would happen next, but Berg left me guessing on several accounts and surprised me on several. It took all I had to not flip to the end. What I love most about Berg is her superb ability to show the true nature of humans. I'm anxious for what next Berg has to offer.

I became a huge Carol Berg fan after recently reading her Transformation series, so much so that I was hesitant to pick up her "Bridge" series for fear of getting burned out on what looked to be a similar narrative tale. While "Son of Avonar" was, in itself, a very good novel, "Guardians" was truly exceptional and laid aside any fears that I had of Berg being a one-trick pony like so many other authors who have well-received debuts. As with the Transformation series, Berg seems to have no end of well thought out plot and character development which adds a richness to the adventure-filled storyline. The first hundred pages were warmly enticing, but the rest of the book was a series of great revelations; patiently told and thoroughly rewarding. If you enjoy mature character development without sap, excellent and original world-building, and masterful narrative then pick up this series!

Carol Berg has done it again. I happened by chance upon her first novel Transformation, about the time that it was published, and was enraptured by her work from the start. Guardians of the Keep marks the second book in her second series, and true to her form, Berg enchants the reader. In Guardians of the Keep, Berg makes a departure from her usual one-person format by placing us in the heads of various other characters in the book, alternating the heroine from _Son of Avonar_, Lady Seriana of Comigor, with her resurrected and memory-challenged husband, Karon, as well as a new character, the young Duke of Comigor, her nephew Gerick. First person narration from multiple characters is something that has always been discouraged in creative writing courses in which I've attended. It generally creates confusion and distances us from the characters. Berg somehow manages to harness the unusual format and rather than detracting from the novel it enriches it. There are surprises in store. I pride myself on being able to pick up on nuances early, and with the revelations that take place, I don't feel as if I've been led on a merry chase by the author. Conversely, I don't feel as if the obvious is sitting there, in the reader's face, just waiting for a character to pick up on it. I realize the surprises only pages before the characters do, which is how it should be. Guardians of the Keep is a definite must for the fantasy enthusiast.