The Soul Weaver

Berg delivers again. I was enthralled by the strong female protaganist (Seri) and the equally interesting Prince of Anovar. All three books held my interest and I was utterly surprised by the ending chapters of this book. No, it wasn't an easy ending to understand unless close attention had been paid to the story. The end came and I had a basic understanding of what went on. Yet still in a bit of shock, I went back just to see how Berg set me up so well. Was the "The Bounded" part supposed to be crystal clear? If it had been, then I might have been disappointed and might have predicted some of what occurred at end. The Bounded is not a separate character - refer to the introductory poetry and folk stories told throughout the book to gain further understanding. Bottom line: I loved this book. It wasn't structured as expected, all the characters had truly mysterious aspects and the love bounds portrayed felt so authentic. Berg took me on an amazing ride through an inventive world and I sincerely thank her for it, yet again. Yet I see she has another book coming in this series. I totally thought it was over. I'm glad that it's not, but even if it had been, this last book would have ended the series just fine.

She is brilliant. Berg had me switching opinions of every character all the time. Just when i think that there is no one she could trick me, she does. I've read all her other stuff, so I have an understanding of her style, yet she still pulls quick ones on me. Everything is always tied back to something. Like Gerick's Soul Weaving for instances. You get a glimpse of the power while he's a Lord, but of course we know he's only doing the Lord's evil power, not soul weaving. Then, as he's going through the breach, he reaches out with his power to stay a live. He created order from the chaos, creating a world bound to himself. THis is the Bounded, the Source a reflection of his Soul. I should have guessed, who the bad guy was, it made sense, all the clues were there. His father was the big surprise for me at the end. I don't have a single clue about what the next book could be about. I love how the characters with the least amount of power, have the larger influence upon the books, mainly Seri and Paulo. Nobility of the heart and true love, is what this book breaths, and it makes you feel every part of it, every bit of the story will make you feel what the character feels.

This is book three in a fabulous fantasy series. The series had low-moderate violence and no sexuality -- but plenty of intrigue and page turning excitement. Carol Berg has yet to disappoint me with her interesting characters, amazingly intricate plot lines, and beautifully descriptive writing. This series contained amazing twists and turns that kept me unable to guess what would happen next. I dislike the way she keeps switching the point of view from one character to another, but, to be fair, it probably WAS the best way to give the reader a full understanding of what was going on. I'm amazed by the way Carol Berg can write such rich descriptions of both the setting and the characters' emotions, yet keep the pace brisk and intriguing. I purposefully didn't buy Book One and Book Two until Book Three had been released, because I know from my past Carol Berg experiences that I can't put her stuff down. It would have been agonizing to wait months and months for this final novel. But now it's out! So I highly recommend them all. It's rare for me to give out 5 stars, but this book deserves it.

It's been four years since the last book, and with it Gerick and his relationship with his mother, Seri, has blossomed. But his father's work in Avonar has kept him away from his son, so Karon decides to take Gerick over the Bridge and risk the eyes of the Lords of Zhev'Na so he can bond with his son for a night. Yet right after they return, the problems start coming. Gerick is accused of being a traitor, people all over Leire are disappearing, and the mysterious people responsible are haunting Gerick's dreams. There is another world, the Bounded, and its people are convinced Gerick will rule them. As with the last book, the point of view changes between characters, although a bulk of it will go to Gerick. He has stopped his incessant whining and temper tantrums and is acting more like an adult. Karon is losing himself to the more violent D'Natheil, the Prince's personality overwhelming Karon's in his rage. Seri must decide whether she believes her husband or her son, and must play mediator between the two. The character's changes as well as the fast-paced plot make this book come to life. I absolutely loved this book. It outshone the previous two, and thats saying something. Berg plays with the reader's emotions and uses them to make an intense story that you can't put down. Definetly one of the best fantasy series I've ever read, and this book concludes it impeccably. I highly recommend it. quick edit* Apparantly this is not the last book of the series. Apparantly Carol Berg decided to put one more book in so she could work with Gerick's issues. Sounds exciting, details are on her site. Its called "Daughter of Ancients" and should be out sometime in September.

While Karon rules in Avonor on the world of Gondai, a place where magic is practiced openly; his wife Seri and their son Gerik live on the mundane world of Valleorn, where magic is stamped out whenever the anomaly appears. Gerick recovers from being held prisoner by the lords of Zhev'Na, powerful evil sorcerers. They hoped to break Gerick and make him one of them but his parents rescued him. In Avonor, Karon battles the Lords of Zhev'Na, a war that has been going on for a millennium. The only time he sees his wife and son is when he crosses D'Arnath's Bridge that links the two worlds. He takes Gerick to Avonor for a day and returns him to his mother. Not long afterward Karon believes Gerick betrayed his plans to the Lords. Gerick crosses the bridge into a new world whose people say he is their rightful king. He cares for these people, damaged, broken, but kind. Still he knows he must leave them to so he can root out the traitors that counsel his father. He also wants to use his knowledge to help Karon put an end to the Lords and bring peace to a world that knows only war. Carol Berg is one of those rare and talented fantasists who has the ability to create worlds out of her imagination, populates them with tortured but likeable characters and place them in realms that feel believable. After reading THE SOUL WEAVER readers will feel as if they have gone through an emotional wringer having empathized with the three main characters. This exciting finale brings to a close one of the best fantasy series in a long time. Harriet Klausner