Revelation (Rai Kirah)

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."

"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.

Whew! What Seyonne went through in Transformation was child's play in comparison to what he goes through in Revelation. It took me longer to read this book because it is so intense I had to put it down a few times to keep from being overwhelmed. Ms. Berg has again crafted a story that keeps draws you into a world of demons, sorcery and human perception of what is right and evil. In many ways I found this story darker and less hopeful than the first novel. Seyonne does the right thing, but the sacrifices he has to make along the way are more than anyone should have to bear. I hope the author follows up this story with another one and makes it up to him. In any case, if you are looking to read something that will stay with you long after you have finished it, this is the one to choose.

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.

When the Derzhi conquered the homeland of the Ezzaria, they sold the losers into slavery or forced them to flee into the woods. Seyonne, a master of powerful sorcery, won the freedom of the Derzhi by defeating, with the help of his master, Prince Aleeksander, the lord of the demons. The master returned home only to be met with suspicion because they think he is demon tainted. Nevertheless, he resumes his job as warden, freeing humans who are possessed by demons. The elders do not trust him and haves someone be with him at all times. Seyonne realizes his years of captivity have changed him. He questions traditions and laws that do not make any sense to him. When he is on the hunt, he finds a demon who is not evil and allows him to live. For this act, he is stripped of his rank and leaves his homeland, but soon learns the truth about the so-called demon. He enters the demon homeland so he can learn why the Erzzarians and the Demons are at war. The truth will change the world and its rigid beliefs for all time. REVELATION is an epic fantasy on a gigantic scale. The worlds of the Ezzaria and the demons are meticulously detailed so that the reader can believe they actually exist and visualize them in the mind?s eye. The hero is reminiscent of Hercules who does feats of daring do knowing that he can be killed at any time. Carol Berg lights up the sky with a wondrous world that exists in every fantasy fan?s imagination.Harriet Klausner