Customer Reviews

Revelation (Rai-Kirah)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carol Berg is an excellent storyteller, as evidenced by her previous work, "Transformation." Well, looks like she's done it again. In "Revelation," the hero Seyonne, now free from his sixteen-year Derzhi enslavement (though not from its stigma), tries to return to some semblance of normalcy among his native Ezzarians. However, he's been too long from home, has seen too much of the world, and comes back seeing the flaws of his people with the new vision one attains through prolonged disassociation. He fails at his attempts at settling into a society that believes that any influence beyond their little circle of piety is grounds for corruption, and is soon exiled. From that point on, everything for Seyonne goes straight to hell -- somewhat literally. He eventually ends up in the Demon Realm, putting together the pieces of a mystery, the solution of which will turn centuries of a civilization's beliefs and practices on its head.

And that's where my major quarrel with the story comes in. I think Berg spent too much time in the Demon Realm. Of course it was necessary, this place being an entirely new world and all, and in need of fleshing out. It's definitely a rich and fanciful place, a weird, incomplete, and oftentimes drab reflection of the human world that the demons seek to emulate. But the realm and its cast of demons just didn't interest me all that much. No, I don't think Berg fell short in the storytelling here, its just my particular preference. I'm sure that other readers enjoyed reading about this upside-down place and its mixed-up inhabitants as much as I found myself wishing it were just a little more condensed.

That said, Seyonne's stint in the Demon Realm ain't pretty. But out of all the conflicts he faces in "Revelation," the biggest has got to be that with his own people. Berg has wrought this out in a meticulous way, one that strikes a disturbing familiarity to some aspects of our contemporary society. The demon-fighting Ezzarians, as a whole, are a stubborn, high-handed lot, set in their beliefs in a way that's downright dangerous. They're blinded by thier own dogma to the point where they'll leave their own newborn infants to die in the wilderness if they find any demon "corruption" present in the child's soul. They were even reluctant to welcome Seyonne back into their society, casting aside any human pathos for a man who suffered sixteen years of brutality in favor of the self serving notion that he is a danger, a channel for demon influence. Even his own wife Ysanne is a party to this. Ysanne is a rather flat character at best, since she doesn't seem to have developed much yet, which is probably why I find the witch so utterly hateful. And what had me grinding my teeth into a fine paste is the fact that Seyonne actually LOVES this woman! Gah! After all she did and let happen. If I were him I'd give her a good kick with a pair of steel-toed boots, but I suppose Seyonne is just a little better than I am.

As for "Revelation"'s individual characters, let's just say that things aren't always what they seem (Yeah, yeah, the ol' cliche). But that's all I'll say on that. Don't want to give anything away! And don't be put off by the ending and its loose ends, as some reviewers expressed their displeasure over. There's a third installment that, at the time of this writing, has yet to be released. Go to Carol Berg's website and check it out.

So overall, a well-told story with a whole lotta social conflict, and a few twists and turns to keep you happy. Not QUITE as good as "Transformation," but good enough.

"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.

I have real mixed feelings about _Revelation_. On the one hand, it is just as beautifully written as its predecessor. On the other, I thought it had a number of...not flaws, precisely, but there were things about it that made it less interesting to me than _Transformation._

The book deals mainly with Seyonne's difficulty in returning to his people and his life after sixteen years of slavery -- years which, in the eyes of Seyonne's race, make him irretrievably corrupt. Once a certain incident proves this corruption, Seyonne once again leaves Ezzaria on a mission which eventually leads him to try to solve the mystery of his people and their origins.

Berg deftly portrays Seyonne's increasing frustration with the ritualistic ways of the Ezzarians, as she does his pain at being shut out of the world he loves, his confusion at finding things are not as he has always believed and his urgency in bringing about change. IN a way, this book is more introspective than _Transformation_, dealing more with Seyonne's inner world than with his actions and experiences. While this inner world is depicted skillfully and in immense detail, at places I found that it bogged the story down. I had a hard time retaining interest in the chapters that took place within the demons' realm, for example. They seemed overly slow and I wondered if spending all that time on that part of the story was strictly necessary. It often seemed to me that the first third of the book had set up events to proceed a certain way and then those story elements were simply ignored as Seyonne went off on his inner quest. I did not always feel the connection between the two, and the explanation that Seyonne was enchanted to forget what had gone before did not really do it for me.

I was extremely irritated by Aleksander's behavior in the early parts of the book. I do not think the schism between him and Seyonne was strictly necessary to the story and the way it came about seemed contrived. I would have thought that anyone of Aleksander's discernment and intelligence would understand that a person serving in the role of a spy might be forced to commit certain crimes in order not to blow his cover. It amazed me that no one in the book seemed to understand this.

The ending seemed anti-climactic and, I thought, did not satisfactorily tie up the loose ends. We're told the demons return to Kir'Navarrin, but not what that meant or how that affected anything. I think perhaps this may be a topic for another book, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more resolution here.

However, setting these objections against the extreme beauty of the writing, the deftness of characterization and the complexity of the plot still makes Berg one of the finest writers of fantasy that I've read in a very long time. I've come to expect a lot from her and she does not disappoint.

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.

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."

I haven't quite finished Revelantion yet, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying this series. Carol Berg really manages to suck you into this world--amazingly, since she doesn't spend much time describing the world or its history. You nevertheless get the sense that she has built a full, detailed world and that the truth about the demons and the reasons for the "war" are there and will become clear in time--no matter how mysterious the subject is and how long it takes Seyonne to get there. Really, something about her writing is so strong that it overshadows weaknesses within the novels.

The characters behave in sometimes very bizarre ways just, it seems, to fit with the direction of the story. (SPOILER) For example, one moment Aleksandar is in such perfect accord with Seyonne, that even though Seyonne suddenly acts like a madman--grabbing a sword and cutting the prince--Aleksander catches onto the scheme immediately and trusts Seyonne utterly, giving him the exact reaction he needs. Just a few weeks later, hearing of Seyonne's involvement in a bungled attempt to steal his horses, he has a complete hissy fit, acting as if nothing in the world will convince him to forgive Seyonne, and furious at his wife for agreeing to meet with Seyonne. I mean, considering how Seyonne has said that they know each other from the soul out and owe each other more than either of them can ever repaay, you'd think it might cross Aleksandar's mind that since Seyonne was with the bandits to "spy" for him (along with his own personal reasons), he might have gone along on that raid only to bungle it on purpose. (END SPOILER) There's a similar situation with the leader of the Lukash (his name momentarily escapes). The problem being that sometimes the characters give Seyonne the benefit of the doubt and *think* about Seyonne's motives, drawing the correct conclusions, but other times, when the author wants Seyonne to go it alone in isolation again, she has them jump to the worst conclusions. This may actually be MORE realistic than normal in fiction, but the off-again on-again nature of some of the characters brains has started to irk me a little.

Another thing is that certain "phases" of the novels are drawn out a little too much. Carol Berg gives you some information, some build up, leading to some major action on Seyonne's part........and then it takes FOREVER to find out anything else. Notably...the time Seyonne spends in the demon realm. The reason it's taking so long being, of course, that he's mostly lost his memory due to another LENGTHY session of torture. (I'm also a bit sick of Seyonne being tortured within an inch of his life.)

Which reminds me of another problem with some of the characters. Fairly important, reappearing characters are completely flat. Take Ysanne! (SPOILER) In Transformation, she was his beloved, who married his best friend. Then he finds out that they are half in-league with the demons. Commence unnecessarily lengthy journey interlude. Ysanne was his ally the whole time! Rhys, in his weakness, caused most of what seemed to be Ysanne's betrayals. So, in the begining of Revelation, Ysanne and Seyonne are married (insert poetic statements from Seyonne about Ysanne's beauty and his love for her). Suddenly, Ysanne gives away their demon-possessed child, and Seyonne stops speaking to her. She then refuses to support him against their council, and doesn't seem to care when he goes crazy and almost dies. CATRIN seems to care for Seyonne more. (END SPOILER) We NEVER hear from Ysanne about her motives for any of this, or about her own feelings for Seyonne. And her behavior is pretty important to the plot. I have no idea who Ysanne is except a beautiful, dutiful queen. And I feel like I should know, since she's been so important in Seyonne's life.

Notice the book still gets 4 stars...I'm loving them, but I have encountered some minor irritations. (Which I fear will be even more evident in Restoration). But it's still a good story, and Seyonne is a unique, memorable character. Even moreso because the more guy never seems to catch a break, he's always struggling, always isolated, always misunderstood, always losing his melydda, always being tortured, or beaten, or otherwise injured.

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 minds 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 fans imagination.

Harriet Klausner

For me this book missed being anywhere near as good as the first. Berg is a great writer and her storylines are different and intersting. However, it was very difficult for me to get involved in this story. I kind of forced fed it a chapter at a time.

First off, the characters in this book lack a lot of dimension. You get a pretty good perspective of maybe two characters, but everyone else is a shadow of a person. I like to feel something coming from the other players, but I can honestly say that they had no personality whatsoever, just actions and no face to acompany them. The plot was good, but I didn't feel that it connected very well with the first. I would have like her to have explored relationships between the characters a little more, but she didn't. It was almost like she said, "Hey, I've got my characters and how they relate to eachother and they didn't need any other development than this." Therefor, from the first book, where the main character is reunited with the love of his life, you learn nothing new about their relationship other than actions they take,which are sometimes ridiculous from a human perspective.

Overall, I'll say again. This book really fell flat for me.

This has got to be some of the best writing I've seen in quite a while. Berg is a masterful writer. The worlds and people created are so vivid and strong. Each and every character is unique. Their attitudes, demeander, and how they handle situations are completely different from others. Plus they hold their character throughout the entire story--series. I've read so many novels where every character was a carbon copy of how the arthur feels and sees the world. Not so with Berg's novel. There are characters with major flaws, and yet the reader can't help but relate to them. What is most compelling is that not everything works out to the main characters advantage. Bad things happen and they happen in this book.

In the second installment of this series, Seyonnne's life is not perfect in his homeland of Ezzaria. Despite all he has gone through in fighting and defeating the Deamons in the first novel, Transformation, many of his people do not trust him. He is now their only Warden, until he has completed training the younger boys, and fights sometimes even two to three battles a day. Instead of his wife, Ysanne, acting as Aife in these battles, the elders have chosen another, Fiona, as his Aife. Only Fiona is really there to watch and monitor Seyonne to make sure he is not contaminated.

When Seyonne discovers a Demon, who is not evil, in a body and decides to not destroy or remove him, Fiona is quick to report this to the elders and Seyonne finds himself banned from Ezzaria. This is not the end, of course, but only the beginning. Seyonne has his own problems to solve and takes on many for friends. He has his abandon son (yes, son) to find, his long time friend and once master has problems in the kingdom Seyonne vows to help with, and we meet a new character, Blaise who's very life depends on what Seyonne can discover in the world of demons.

You will find it hard to put this novel down and if you are like me, will find yourself caught up in the lives of the characters. I admit, I even cried at some points.

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.