Flesh and Spirit (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "On my seventh birthday, my father swore, for the first of many times, that I would die facedown in a cesspool..." (more)
Key Phrases: pureblood families, voiding spell, gatehouse tunnel, Brother Gildas, Brother Victor, Abbot Luviar (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of this chilling fantasy from Berg (Daughter of Ancients), the first of a pair set in the land of Navronne, her rebellious hero, 27-year-old Valen, has been hiding from his pureblood family of sorcerers for 12 years. Valen, who's also struggling with a kind of drug addiction called "doulon sickness," possesses his grandfather's magical book, Maps of the Known World ("Legend said it could lead men to the realm of angels"). The book is Valen's passport to sanctuary with the learned monks of Gillarine Abbey, who believe he can unlock its magic. After his family discovers him, Valen becomes resolved to learn the book's power. At stake is not only the protection of an innocent boy sheltered at the abbey from greedy princes vying for control of their dead father's kingdom but also the entire world's salvation. Like much fantasy marketed as "adult" today, this well-written novel is suitable for readers as young as middle-schoolers, though some preteens may find it a bit too dark and slow for their tastes. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

The first book of a duology introduces Valen of Navronne, the pure-blood scion of a long line of diviners and magical cartographers, who hates his heritage. He ran away as a youth, lived as a rogue, and wound up, badly wounded and owning nothing but a magical atlas, at a monastery. Offered sanctuary, he finds his maps, rumored to chart the way to the realm of angels, plunging him into intrigue instead of the retreat, however temporary, that he wanted. Navronne is beginning to unravel, starting with a battle for the succession between heirs of the late king. Omens and divinations are foreboding, and even the monastery contains several factions, each trying to use Valen and his maps. Berg touches a shop-worn situation with originality and limns Navronne and the characters well--Valen is unquestionably memorable--in what is definitely a dark fantasy as much concerned with Valen's internal struggle as with his conflicts with others. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Roc (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451461568
• ISBN-13: 978-0451461568
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #169,881 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative Fantasy, May 7, 2007

By	M. Jacobs (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flesh and Spirit (Paperback)

For those of you who've already read some of Carol Berg's work, the following comments will come as no surprise. For those of you who haven't... what in the world are you waiting for?

Ever since Ms. Berg burst onto the scene back in 2000 with _Transformation_, the first novel in one of the best fantasy series of all time, she has been writing consistently excellent books. Her newest effort is no exception. The protagonist is a young man named Valen who abandoned his home in order to escape the rigid and often cruel society of pureblood sorcerers in which he grew up. He was also interested in getting away from his family of origin, for a number of very good reasons.

After taking refuge in an abbey, Valen--in spite of keen self-preservation instincts which keep telling him to run--becomes caught up in efforts to preserve Navronne's cultural treasures and history from an apocalyptic bunch of lunatics called the Harrowers. Interesting events follow, the nature of which it would be a shame to give away here. So I won't. Suffice it to say that the plot twists are not telegraphed in advance, there are various mysteries to ponder as you read, and the characters drive the action rather than the other way around.

Unlike Ms. Berg's other novels, this one doesn't tell a complete story. It stops right in the middle of things, which means if you want to find out what ultimately happens you're going to have to read the sequel. Not that this should be too onerous. _Flesh and Spirit_ is good, solid fantasy that you're likely to enjoy. Give it a try.

(Note: the previous reviewer has so many facts wrong about the plot that I doubt this individual even read the book.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start but worth it, June 2, 2008

By	Odhren (WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flesh and Spirit (Paperback)

It took me a long time to get past the first hundred pages. I kept putting it down and reading other things. But when I finally finished I was glad I did. I loved the concept and the world in this book, which is unusual for me since I am usually more interested in characters. The characters were good in this as well, if a little understated. I would have liked it to have a faster pace, but it does pay off. Some of the plot was kind of predictable, but there were other points in the plot that were surprising. Give this book a chance and read the sequel!

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkly Different; A Fantasy Must-Read, May 19, 2007

By	Wantz Upon A Time Reviews "www.wantzuponatime... (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flesh and Spirit (Paperback)

Can a scoundrel become a hero? This is the last question Valen wants to answer. A fugitive simply because he didn't fit into his ancestral role, he does what he can to survive without being hauled in by other purebloods. It doesn't help when he's abandoned half dead near a community of religious monks.

In possession of a priceless book, yet unable to read, Valen finds his new place among the brothers both intriguing and depressing (what man in his right mind would swear off sex for the rest of his life?!). An addiction to an insidious drug spikes even as Valen faces the danger of exposure. Accustomed to putting himself first, he suddenly faces a dilemma that could mean saving the world at the cost of his freedom.

Author Carol Berg introduces readers to a highly complex character in Valen. A morally corrupt drifter at the beginning, readers will be eager to see if he can grow past selfishness and his avoidance of the past in order to serve the greater good. Events having to do with the surrounding world will further pull readers in. Are the monastery monks crazy fanatics, or do they have a clearer view of the future than it seems?

In a land divided by tyrants, extremists, war, and a fair bit of insanity, very little is certain. What IS certain is that this first half of Valen's duology will delight readers eager for a taste of something darkly different.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
05/19/2007