Customer Reviews

Flesh and Spirit

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.)

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!

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

Flesh and Spirit is the first book in the LIghthouse Duet by Carol Berg. Previous to this book I had read Rai-Kirah series by Carol Berg. I liked that series initially, although I wasn't completely pleased with the final book in the series. Still when I saw this new series I was intrigued. The art-work on the front of the book helped too, it is beautifully done :-)

This book starts with Valen being robbed by his traveling companion and left to die in the road in the freezing cold. Valen drags himself towards a monastery where he is sighted by a monk that serves as the monastery's lookout. The monks nurse Valen back to health and wish for him to take vows to become an initiate there. As time progresses Valen begins to wonder if more is taking place at this monastery than simple worship and charity. During his recovery the land of Navronne continues to be torn apart as the three sons of the dead king who fight for ruler-ship. Valen has his own secrets though, and as the monks place more and more trust in him, his secrets come back for a visit dragging him into even more dire circumstances.

The writing of this book itself is well done. The pacing of the book is horrible. One review on the book states that "Berg describes the difficult dirty work of ordinary live as beatifully as she conveys...." This is very true. The first 200-250 pages of the book go through Valen's day to day life at the monastery in slow, mind-numbing detail. Interesting facts about Valen and the monastery itself are very very slowly revealed. At times I felt like I was having to painstackingly pull facts of interest from this book, akin to pulling teeth. I had a hard time getting through the first part of this book. I told myself that, since I already owned the 2nd book in this duet, I would read at least the first 150 pages before giving up. Luckily there were enough interesting mysteries to pique my curiousity and hold me for another 50 pages or so.

Around page 300 in the book, the pacing picks up dramatically. Things happen crazily and rapidly, non-stop action from page to page. After the deliberate beginning, the rapid descent into darkness that the remainder of the book takes is almost shocking. As the book draws to a close, you realize that suddenly the book is over and nothing is resolved. Making this a very poor stand alone book. The book literally ends in the middle of things; leaving you hanging with no satisfaction gained from struggling through it.

In summary I thought the pacing was poor, the beginning grueling the get through, and the ending unsatisfying. This is not a nice book, the book is dark in detail and had a thick sense of hopelessness about it. Definitely not a book to lift your spirits. Still the mystery involved and Valen as a character are enough to make me want to read the 2nd book.

If you decide to read this book, buy the 2nd one at the same time because this is not a self-contained book.
karissabook.blogspot.com

Ever since reading "Transformation" several years ago, I have been a faithful reader of Carol Berg's books. She consistently weaves worlds full of magic and mystery, characters who are simultaneously sympathetic and flawed, and stories that capture the imagination. "Flesh and Spirit" continues this tradition well, staying true to those qualities that keep readers like me coming back for more, while also staying fresh with a new, somewhat racy protagonist. I withhold a five-star rating principally because I have liked some of Carol's other books even more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the myriad twists and turns that the story had to offer, particularly at the end of the book (which caused me to want to reread several scenes--always a good sign). While the storyline, it's large host of characters, and it's many unexpected turns are complex and, at times, difficult to follow, they never struck me as forced or unrealistic. Perhaps my biggest complaint would be that, throughout my reading, I found it next to impossible to keep straight the names of all the places, people, and terms of the "periphery" of the story (i.e. the canonical hours, various monks and their positions, the complex interrelationship of past, present, and mythical realms, etc.). Of course, it is possible to skim over these details and still understand the main storyline and principal characters.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this book, compared to her previous works, is that it ends very purposely at the "twist," when the rug is pulled out from under the reader, who is left wondering what will happen next. It is NOT a self-contained story like "Transformation" or even "Son of Avonar," but clearly the first half of a much longer story. If you don't like books that leave you with a cliffhanger and significantly more questions than answers, then this book is not for you. But personally, I can't wait to see how Valen's story ends.

The only warning I'd give you is that this novel is the first of what looks to be a two part set and all of the questions and issues are not resolved by the end (of course not, otherwise why would a second book be necessary?).

The world holds nicely together, and even though I paid full price for this in an airport, it was worth buying rather than waiting to buy it on-line later for less.

There is violence, but it doesn't dominate the book and it is not graphic. There is some sexual tension, but nothing graphic beyond a kiss, and only a touch of it here and there to move the plot forward. There is world building, but all in the background or moving the plot. There is a main character who has a flaw that is unexplained, but there is the strong implication that the character flaw is imposed by external forces and not just there to create plot tension (I hate books where the hero is an idiot so that the plot can go forward).

There are lots other reviews. Some with spoilers some without, many of them excellent.

All I'm doing is telling you:

a) All the elements move together to build the world and progress the plot.
b) The setting holds together consistently and the underlying rules set or structure is well constructed.
c) There is no fan service or gratuitous violence or sex that exists just to be a distraction.
d) There is a solid core character and the rest of the cast develops in good pacing for the second book.
e) I felt like I had not wasted my money paying full price for the book.

...in all senses of the word: great story, splendidly realized, full of wonder.

Carol Berg, with Patricia McKillip and Guy Gavriel Kay, is a writer who keeps real fantasy alive and compelling. (Note to publishers: sick to death of fantasy chick lit and vampires!) Berg's stories are always rich and emotionally moving. "Flesh and Spirit" is, too. Yet it's also a refreshing departure for Carol Berg, a bit racy, and with a delightfully decadent anti-hero who is as amusing as his times are perilous (you could read this book quite happily just for Valen's sly observations).

But there's so much more here ... genuine mystery, a touch of what, for want of a better word, I'll call faerie, and really scary villains--scary because they are so real and understandable, so much like us. How Berg balances Valen's cheerful spirit with the increasingly dark and dangerous times in which he lives, is marvellous.

As ever, the world Berg has created is a real place, full of extraordinary beauty, but it lies under a terrible threat, part of which has to do with the unique take on magic that this story centers around. Charming, selfish Valen, a young man on the run from his abusive family of sorcerers, gets caught between ambitious, warring princes, conflicting religions, and sorceries beyond his understanding.

This is part one of Valen's tale, and it finishes in a satisfying cliffhanger. If that seems a contradiction in terms, you'll just have to read it to find out what it means. For this reader, what it means is, I can't wait for the conclusion!!!!

This is fantasy--or any storytelling--at its best.

Dark dark dark fantasy. I wonder what it says about me that the darker the fantasy the more I love it. The world Carol Berg created for this series is uniquely messed up. Blood and gore spilled out of the pages at regular intervals and the stinking humanity of Navronne was ever so apparent. The protagonist Valen was so flawed in so many selfish ways that at first I couldn't even get myself to like him. But then I began to see the world through his eyes and he began to, if not redeem himself, at least explain his humanity. By the end of the two books I felt like I knew him and his weaknesses and strengths as I know myself. All his self doubts, his shameful lusts, and his sparkling moments of valor made me know this character as I have rarely known a character before. There were times I was so distressed for Valen and so terrified for him I felt the bile rising to my throat. That rarely happens if you do not care about a character.

One aspect of this duology that I found extremely disturbing (and disturbingly intriguing) was Valen's drug addiction and the explicit way Berg described it. The mingling of pain and pleasure and the feeling of having your very life and sanity depend on a drug... Gods. Her writing is so powerful I feel as if I now know what it means to be a druggie. If ever I had any desires to try out drugs before knowing Valen they are assuredly quenched now.

I have spoken of the darkness, but there is also beauty to this series, and this beauty is all the more apparent after you have lived through the darkness. If I close my eyes I can almost imagine what the proud and beautiful Danae, spirits of earth and trees, look like. I can almost see them dancing in the forests with their long hair trailing behind them to intricate music only they can hear. I can almost imagine the forest responding to them, growing to meet their attentions...

Overall this is a story that you must live in and feel as it is much too disturbing to be a casual read. But the story of deep torment followed by redemption and peace will lift you up and stay with you in the end.

This was my first introduction to Carol Berg's book. It hooked me completely in the beginning, but then slowed quite a bit. The slow pace allowed the author to completely flesh out her characters and background for the story. This paid off in the end. The characters, not just the main character Valen, but all the supporting characters, seemed like real people with both positive and negative qualities. Almost none of the characters seemed stereotypical - for instance Valen's sister was powerful in her own right but you could grasp the sibling relationship she and Valen might have had. My only complaint is that the ending wasn't just a cliffhanger, it was a dead stop. I got the feeling that the Lighthouse books were originally written as one novel and someone made the decision that it was too long for one book and cut it in half.

Carol Berg is one of my all-time favorite authors. I have read and re-read Transformation (and its sequels) until the book has begun to look frayed and worn. Having said that, I enjoyed Son of Avonar, but the rest in the series did not hold my attention in the same way. When I saw that she had a new series out, I was of course very excited... Flesh and Spirit does not disappoint. I couldn't put it down! I can't say that it had quite the same poignancy of Transformation, but it is a great read! I am dying to order the sequel and find out if I am right about Valen's mysterious ancestry!