Transformation

Rai-Kirah #1

by Carol Berg

Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for sixteen years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone. But from the moment he is sold to the arrogant, careless Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne's uneasy peace begins to crumble. And when he discovers a demon lurking in the Derzhi court, he must find hope and strength in a most unlikely place...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Magic, Epic Fantasy, Demons, Science Fiction Fantasy

439 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Carol Berg is the author of the epic fantasy
The Books of the Rai-kirah, The Bridge of D'Arnath Quartet, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet - Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone - the standalone novel Song of the Beast , and the three novels of the Collegia Magica.

Berg holds a degree in mathematics from Rice University, and a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado. Before writing full-time, she worked as a software engineer. She lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and is the mother of three mostly grown sons.

Reviews

[Punk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fantasy. There's this guy, and he has wings, and he's been...sold into slavery? And this prince buys him? I can't really remember. But the one guy totally has wings. And lots of man-angst.

My absolute biggest complaint about this book is that after hundreds of pages of foreplay, the prince and his slave do not actually confess their manly love for each other and get married. But they very nearly do, so maybe that'll be enough for the rest of you. The slave sleeps at the foot of the prince's bed! They have very strong feelings for each other! They fight demons and then have some sort of an Ezzarian mind meld! But no sex. It's possible they don't realize they're gay. Someone should really tell them.

One star, because after all these years I can't remember what the book was about, but I still feel like it lead me on. Also, the writing was swampy with adjectives.

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very unusual... The author had a lot of guts to start with a character so powerfully unlikable, that the reader wants to kill him on the spot, and then try to redeem him in our eyes, despite her giving us in detail his most hateful and despicable features of his character... It was good having a main character in whom we could give over our trust and that held the reader above water in the most difficult circumstances... I had never heard of this author, but now she is on my radar and I will definitely get to know her writing better!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

Alright, let's get this out the way straight up. That first cover is ridiculous. And not in a good way. I mean, who looked at that image of a scantily glad gentlemen with enormous green wings on a cliff top and thought, "yup, perfect." I mean, the covers for "Revelation" and "Restoration" aren't exactly awesome either, but compared to 'Transformation...' Yikes.

Which sucks. Because I suspect that that cover is bad enough to stop people from reading this book. Lord knows it came within an inch of stopping me. Which would have been my loss, because crap-tastic packaging aside, these books are surprisingly good.

Aleksander is the heir to an aggressive, conquering empire. Seyonne is a once proud warrior turned slave. Together, they fight crime! Ha, not really. Well, actually...

Ok, so Seyonne's people were this tiny, insular culture who have spent centuries waging a secret war against demon kind. They were the one thing holding back the hoard until, whoops, Aleksander's people come along to butcher and enslave them all. Good going guys.

Berg is skilled at presenting complicated things simply. She doesn't borrow any established mythology for her demons and demon hunters, everything is original to the books. And yet I never had any trouble following it or keeping things straight in my head. Plus, it was very cool, which always helps. I also felt that the various races in the books didn't model "real" cultures too heavily, which was a refreshing change from most fantasy novels I read.

The premise is what grabbed me first though. As a slave Seyonne, who used to be the best demon killer, focuses solely on the present as a way of surviving his slavery. Then he ends up being purchased by Aleksander and noticing, against his better judgement, that Aleksander has some seriously bad ass demon out to get him.

Does Seyonne remain true to the precepts he grew up following, or will his hate get in the way?

The main thing that kept striking me over and over as I read these books is how well done the friendship between Aleksander and Seyonne is. All too often in books if a relationship between two characters is focused on it will inevitably become romantic in nature. True friendship is a rarer best, and I think one harder to pull off. But Carol Berg does it in this trilogy and I was mightily impressed.

Both characters change considerably over the course of three books, and for the most part Berg does not take any easy routes. It's not until we reach the very end of the trilogy that I felt things got a little too neat and rainbows, but I probably only noticed it because she'd been so unflinchingly realistic up until then. I mean, odds are a man enslaved for sixteen years is not going to able to fit neatly back into his old home. Odds are childhood sweethearts are not going to live happily ever after. There are certain things we're used to seeing in fantasy novels, certain ways that things tend to play out, but Berg rarely follows convention. Although please note that while she didn't pull any punches, these books by no means fall into the category of dark fantasy. I don't know how she pulled it off, but all those "dark because dark equals reality yo" authors might benefit from checking these books out.

And there's one last things I want to give Berg props for. You might think as I've only mentioned Seyonne and Aleksander that these are dude heavy books. Not so! The supporting cast is large and populated with fleshed out three dimensional people (and demons) and her female characters in particular were very well done.

Now all props aside I will say that as enjoyable as I found this trilogy, I felt there was a lot of potential that wasn't realised as well. By the end I felt there were just too many things going on at once, and some story lines were seriously neglected or too hastily wrapped up.

But despite that, as embarrassing as it might be to be seen reading a book with such an awful cover, I really think you should give this trilogy a try.

[Leah Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was truly shocked to read the other reviews and realize that many perceived this as the-queer-book-that-didn't. I write gay fiction myself, and read tons of it. It never even occurred to me in reading this that they might be gay, or should be, for that matter.

I think what makes this one of The. Best. Character/Relationship books I've ever read is that it doesn't muddle the issue with lust and sex. Bravo to Ms. Berg for accomplishing it because it's harder to pen such a poignant relationship when you don't have the catalyst and commonality of physical desire. That these two men could come from such different realities and the worst kind of power imbalance and forge such a deep, meaningful friendship is what I find so moving about them and the book.

I had no complaints about the plot or worldbuilding. They could be better, I don't doubt, more impressive. Honestly, I'm glad they weren't. When I need a dose of sheer emotional connection, I come back to this book and read only the parts that show their developing relationship. I'd be sorry if that weren't so well developed, if there was less of it to enjoy. I think a physical relationship would have cheapened it. And removed some of the character depth that came from their relationships with others, specifically Aleksander's with the woman his father picked for him.

This book is so very satisfying, both as a fantasy, and as a picture of what matters so much in life.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't think. Don't wonder. Just go. Just do. What comes, comes, and you will survive it or not.

I read Song of the Beast by Carol Berg a while back and fell in love! So I decided to give more of her books a try, starting with Transformation. I wasn't disappointed!

This book is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!

The plot is deceptively simple. DECEPTIVELY being the key word here, because this is one of those authors who will make you sure of what's coming and give you the exact opposite in return. So don't bet you'll guess how it will all unfold, unless you're not fond of your money.

Before we begin please take note, that this book is not a romance. You won't find any bromance either in between its pages. What you will find however is, one of the most intricate and profound human relationships that were ever written.

Seyonne has been a slave for sixteen years and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, even the power he once wielded as a Warden of souls to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons.
He has made peace with his fate and with strict self-discipline, he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring.

Through Seyonne, you will get to experience the very worst of slavery.

Pinterest - Slave (5e Background) - D&D Wiki

Through him, you will get to witness, and perhaps even feel, the degradation of being paraded unclothed before strangers; the humiliation as those strangers touched and probed and joked of things they had no right to; the torment of the Rites of Balthar - an unimaginably cruel ritual to strip an Ezzarian of his power; as well as the pain that comes with the destruction of faith, hope, ideals and honor.

Through a first person narrative that reaches straight into your soul, you will get to know Seyonne's greatest fears:
Every moment of my existence carries such a burden of terror you could not imagine it. I fear I have no soul, I fear there are no gods. I fear there is no meaning to the pain I have known. I fear I have lost the capacity to love another human being, or ever to see goodness in one.

As well as his means of survival:
We can always bear more than we believe possible.... Don't think. Don't wonder. Just go. Just do. What comes, comes, and you will survive it or not.
Because in an existence such as his, there's little room left for the fear of dying; and absolutely no room left for hope.

After spending almost half his life in chains, Seyonne must now bend his knee to a Derzhi Prince, heir to the empire that wiped out his people and destroyed his life.

Prince Aleksander! This is how he would look to me:

Pinterest - character art in 2019

Lean, tall, handsome and sexy as hell... and an absolute bonafide SOB!!

It was astounding how proficiently Aleksander could destroy a friend, insult a reputable merchant, and cheat an influential baron in a short five minutes.
And this is just a hint of what our lovely hero can do!

He would remorselessly punch and kick a defenseless slave to an inch of his death, just because of a foul mood; or he will destroy the life of a free man, just because he was bored. He is a pampered overindulged prissy prick, that I really would have liked to see roasted on a spit from the very first chapters!!

And here is where our tale starts to unfold. Seyonne will have to make a choice. Because there are demons lurking in the Derzhi castle and no one but him is aware of the danger.

His Warden’s oath, for so long forgotten in the ruin that was his soul, just another scrap in the rubble of honor and dignity, love and friendship and purpose, his last principle and core of his existence, urges Seyonne to raise his voice in warning. But will he be able to ignore his years of subservience, put his hatred aside and actually help the selfish spiteful prince who holds the end of his chain?
If he does, he will risk his life, but it may save his soul!

True to its title, this book tell us a tale of transformation. Of not one, but two souls! Polar opposites, these two characters, and one in particular, will slowly and very very subtly transform. In bearing, thought and deed! And the shift will be so masterfully done that you will find yourself suddenly wondering how that really came to happen.

I've got to hand it to Mrs. Berg - the way she wrote Aleksander is a brilliant stroke of genius! KUDOS for the only character I have ever both hated and then rooted for! You cannot help but admire her craft in writing him!!

If you love dark and gritty epic fantasy that tends to be a little high at times and if you look for books that make you feel, you have got to give this a try!!

You might just end up loving it quite as much as I did!
Happy reading! :)

Find this review and more on my book review and cover art blog: The Magic Book Corner

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It’s intriguing and compelling, yet at first it was difficult to relate to the protagonists. I’m not sure I fully managed by the end of the book but the depth of their tale, the original world-building, the incredible characterization and the emotional ramifications to different decisions worked so well for me that I immersed with ease in the narrative and was always eager to turn the pages.
As I’ve come to appreciate from Carol Berg, her storytelling is ingenious, deceptively light. She shows rather than tell the story, which is voiced in first person, and only in retrospect I can see the meticulous work behind the structure of the book, what makes all the ingredients of a tale –writing style, characters, settings, situations, emotions and plot – merge into something unique.

Here Berg’s narrative talent truly shines, the plot itself is not terribly original and there are some clichés, but it flows very smoothly and beautifully, if there were incongruences or loose ends or even typos I failed to notice, so focused I was on the meat of the matter. I didn’t notice strokes of genius either, but that’s not the point, considering the linear plot and the small cast of characters. However, you don’t need a multi-POV or a many-layered tale to make a mess of things, books focused on a few storylines and depth need a successful recipe and the right cook to achieve a truly harmonic result, too.
The main characters and most of the secondary ones are well-rounded, the top-notch prose reels off scene after scene with endless abandon, and I was glued to the story. The rhythm is impeccable, with a slower start and then a skillfully structured denouement, full of action and twists: straight reading delight.

The title of the book is very clever and there are several meanings to it, although I don’t like the cover and I don’t think it is representative of the story, either. Yes, it features a powerful hero who can grow wings under the right circumstances but the picture made me think about paranormal fantasy and/or romance, and it’s far off the mark. I wonder why some reviewers speak of m/m romance in this novel, there is little or none romance of any kind, outspoken or pent-up; I’m not paramount, but I wouldn’t even speak of a bromance subtheme, I think instead there is a main focus about a far more difficult relationship to portray , friendship.
Considering the base material I was kind of impressed, too. When you have a main character who has spent sixteen years in cruel bondage, a despised creature who has tasted failure in life, and another who is younger, stronger, brought up in a society were owing slaves is natural, if not an outright prerogative of the powerful - so his in particular- well, I don’t think it’s easy to weave a believable story and avoid contrived behaviors. In different ways, both characters are emotionally flawed, and their interaction is one of the most captivating aspects of the book. Though, at the beginning, I was not favorably disposed toward them.

Personally, I’m fine with a great variety of unpleasant themes and can shoulder a certain degree of abuse and humiliation inflicted by and upon the characters of a book, but reading about the complete annihilation of another human being is sort of hard. Particularly about a protagonist who is already a slave, one who has learned to accept his condition and the fact some people relish in holding others, physically and psychologically, in their thrall.

Seyonne’s secluded country, which was tasked with a secret mission against demonkind since time immemorial, has been invaded and conquered, its people murdered, enslaved or scattered to the four winds. When caught, Ezzarians like him undergo a cruel rite which deprives them of their inborn sorcery. After the first years of fetters, he gives up all hopes and his very self in order to survive; he adapts, heedless of past and future, a broken, branded thing. Even if he were to escape, he would be dead in the eyes of his countrymen as a corrupted one. His disposition and actions are defined by his being a fallen demon slayer and a slave combined with a complex cultural heritage, and he consistently develops throughout the story.

“I was still breathing. There was still blood inside me. That was about all that was left.”

The other main character, Prince Aleksander, is an integral part of this culture which denies the basic human rights. Slaves are just commodities, sometimes valued ones, but just to assert a property claim. He thinks nothing of inflicting painful punishments, of killing, maiming and destroying. As the heir of a “royal family that had ruled a constantly expanding empire for five hundred years”, he believes in the natural right of the Derzhi’s systemic oppression of the conquered. He is a clever young man but also a racist and utterly prejudiced, contemptuous of other people’s traditions, a bully and an arrogant noble, prone to excesses and surrounded by sycophants. His whimsical nature makes him complex and contradictory even if he is very sure of himself, and he, too, consistently develops throughout the story; his faults are not just for show.

Not my picks for MCs of the year. So, with such framework at large, at least for me, you have to be an astounding storyteller to pull it off. I’m really glad my bias, eventually, worked in my favor because I was all the more pleasantly surprised as the story progressed and I became spontaneously sympathetic to their plight.
Berg neither trivializes evil nor goes for shock value, and she treats the topic of traumatic bonding with care.
She manages to keep a very good balance, in the world of the book what happens is pretty realistic and it doesn’t degenerate into helpless sentimentality, superficiality, or cynical nihilism. There is ambivalence, and like in real life, people can fall one side of the edge or another, change their minds, switch alliances, make mistakes and recognize them or blind themselves and stick to pride...a whole array of actions and consequences.
Now surely reality is full of the sad, the grim and the bottomless worse, but it’s just one aspect, so it’s nice to read about characters whose multifaceted personalities and inner growth are seamlessly integrated into the warp and weft of the story.
As I said, I didn’t empathize with Seyonne and Aleksander at first, but they gained my respect and undivided interest.

“Dying just to prove you cannot win profits nothing.”

The characterization clearly engrossed me, but of course the plot itself was good, if nothing revolutionary – a war against demons – still developed solidly, with nice world-building. Berg really knows how to weave a story. The ending is tightly wrapped and I was personally satisfied, but this is the first book of a trilogy and I’ve just started reading Revelation, I hope it will be up to the quality standard I’ve appreciated here and in Song of the Beast.

"Our regret would not change what had happened, only make our grief for the big laughing youth more bitter."

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't think. Don't wonder. Just go. Just do. What comes, comes, and you will survive it or not.

This was my first book by Carol Berg and it's a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. Seriously, just overlook the cheesy cover and dive into this book. There are memorable characters, unlikely journeys - both physical and emotional, and plenty of feels along the way. This book had me from the very first paragraph and never let go. Although it's the first book in a trilogy, it's almost presented as a self-contained story, meaning readers can choose to stop here since there is no cliffhanger ending. But why would anyone want to do that? I personally plan to follow Seyonne and Aleksander wherever they may lead.

**Reread in January 2021: This story held up really well on a second read. It was a risky choice to present readers with such a thoroughly unlikeable character as Aleksander. It's a testament to the author's skill in character development that his transformation (see what I did there?) over the course of the book is totally believable. My original four star rating still stands. I did this reread by listening to the audiobook and the narration gets 5 stars.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Berg has not yet written a book I didn't love.

Her books are full of cruelly treated souls with ultimate deliverance. Although her books rarely end in tragedy (at least not universal tragedy), you cannot count on an entirely happy ending either. You can be reasonably sure your favorite people will survive, but they may sustain significant damage, mental and physical, on the way.

The common denominator of her heroes and heroines is that they've suffered. Sometimes, they know why, sometimes not. Sometimes the real reason is cloaked and only discovered very late in the story. All of her primary male characters are unjustly persecuted. Injustice is a dominant part of the plot of the "Rai-Kirah" trilogy and also Ms. Berg's other series. In brief, there is a great wrong that must be made right and her hero(es) is (are) the man (men) to do it. Who must do it.

In this series, the hero and his persecutor evolve. Each must learn to trust and forgive the other. In the process, both transform. They save each others' lives multiple times and their lives are intricately interwoven. The developing relationship is often deeply touching.

Two people of the same sex who love one another are not necessarily homosexual. In my world, we call it "friendship." The kind of friendship that lasts a lifetime and on which you can always depend.

I know there are reviewers who seem to have a problem with this concept, so I advise them to cultivate some new and deeper relationships with members of their own sex. Drinking beer and watching a game is not necessarily the highest form of friendship.

In this series, hatred, bigotry, ambition, politics, greed ... the traditional pantheon of human evils ... are the forces that destroys lives and nations. Characters endure the unendurable without explanation or comfort; one could easily draw an analogy to Job.

Carol Berg never sets her stories in our "real world," and no one belongs to any modern religion. But they are all believers; no atheists in her books. They believe in their Gods and within the limits of their devastating sufferings, they never question their deity's existence, only why they have been abandoned. A Carol Berg hero or heroine has suffered terribly, lost everything, but survived somehow and he, she or they will nonetheless, against all odds, save the world.

This trilogy has two main characters who save each other as well as the world. Transformation turns a selfish, cruel monarchs into a compassionate human being. Fortunes reverse. The slave rises, the king falls, but all is redeemed. More or less.

There's plenty of action. The writing is intelligent and the author doesn't take the cheap way out of situations. Plots are not afflicted by "deus ex machina" issues. While there is magic in the world, magic is not the all-powerful force it is in other fantasy worlds.

Carol Berg's magic is powerful, but limited. It works, but so do weapons. The ability to wield magic never confers invulnerability. As often as not, whoever wields the magic pays dearly for it.

I hope Ms. Berg will publish more very soon. I don't know why her books are not more popular. They are beautifully written, full of action, romance (think "Dumas" rather than "Harlequin"), nobility set in fantastical realms that have a surprisingly realistic feel. Note that if you are an audiobook reader, only "Collegia Magica" is available on Audible. You will have to read all of Berg's other books on paper or Kindle.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ten years ago I would have liked Transformation a lot more. Back when I used to enjoy high fantasy this book would have been memorable. Now? Now I'm trying to get back to the genre but not doing very well, mostly because I'm tired of reading about the same things over and over again. Medieval setting, a conquering empire on the rise, boring court life, boring court intrigue, boring political maneuverings, ridiculously exacerbating nobles, tiresome royalty, etc etc. One exception is I still find intuitive dog and horse characters fascinating. Credit goes to Carol Berg's writing for keeping this book engaging. I wouldn't have abandoned it, but it would have been an uphill battle if not for Ms. Berg's handle on prose and world-building.

* * * * *

Review moved to https://covers2covers.wordpress.com/2...

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been intending to read Transformation for a long time. A friend recommended it to me, telling me to ignore the terrible cover, but I still let it sit on my virtual shelf for far too long. Thanks to my TBR challenge, I finally got around to it. I really loved it, and wish I’d read it sooner! This is a book that deserves more attention, and I agree - ignore the cover!

It’s a Fantasy that takes place in a large, greedy empire that gobbles up its neighbors and uses wide scale slavery. The culture(s) and magic system are well developed, but are filled in gradually from one character's viewpoint so you don't get the whole picture at the beginning. This is not the type of Fantasy with a lot of action and battles. There’s no revolution to take down the empire. The action is much more localized, but still engrossing - and there are still threats that become dire and affect the entire empire. It’s just that the characters are really the driving force, and the world, conflicts, and intrigues are revealed through their interactions and through the ways they change.

This method can only work if the characters are interesting enough, and it worked here because I liked the main character from page one, and was invested in what would happen to him immediately. He is an educated slave whose past is gradually revealed throughout the story, so I won’t reveal it here. He gets purchased by the Emperor’s son, a volatile, selfish, cruel man. As property that thinks too much, he is often punished brutally, but somehow manages to hold on to his sanity and his sense of right, even when he knows it will cost him dearly.

Learning more and more about the background of the main character kept me hooked until I finally had a sense of an entire world and system and his place in it, and by then I was invested in the larger conflict and the outcome. I loved how the characters changed each other, and I believe there’s potential for larger scale change in future books. I loved it. Recommended for those who enjoy something other than pure action and outright war in their Fantasy.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll try to rustle up an actual review for this book at some point. It deserves it since this is the second time I’ve read it spread over 20 years and it has been a good read both times! I’m just in the worst reading slump I’ve had in years and it means it has taken me ages to finish this and it has also killed my enthusiasm to review.

Rating: I’ll keep my original 4 star rating. This was a solid read. The first half was easily 5 star worthy stuff but the book lulled a bit in the second half so 4 stars seem the right rating.

Audio Note: To begin with I quite enjoyed Kevin Stillwell’s performance but as more time past in the story I began to feel like he was a little monotone and failing to inject the necessary amount of life into the story via his performance.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars. This is a well written, original, epic fantasy story with well drawn, three dimensional characters and a very intricate plot. Some pacing problems and a few slow parts keep this from getting a five star rating but I will certainly read the next book in the series. Recommended.

[Kristalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Final rating: 4.75/5 stars
Final rating - for the whole series: 4.25/5 stars

I love old books, sometimes they are much better than the newer ones as most of the ideas were seen. I loved the world building in this one and I honestly can't wait to finish the trilogy. I have finished the trilogy and have no regrets.

If you love angst this is the right book for you. If you want to feel a lot of pain and cry, this is the book for you. I love when books move me, and I knew from description that this won't be easy to read - it's heartbreaking, it's heart wrenching, not for the faint hearted. This book is also not a light read - the first half focuses on one culture, and second part of the book follows the other one and their customs. And world building is very, very interesting, maybe even unique cause I don't think I remember reading a demon based idea like this. I loved this concept and I found that demons fit this atmosphere greatly.

But if you dislike angst, do not read it. There is a lot of it. Maybe even 80% of the book.

The only thing that this book lacks is the female characters - despite being written by female author, female characters are barely present. We meet some of them, but they are not the central point of the story at all and not really present.

This story is told from one of the main character's POV, from the first view. There are no other POVs, but this worked out fine. Given my latest aversion to first person view books, this worked out fine.

Be warned that the main plot starts around the 30% of the book, and fast paced plot begins around the 50% especially - which is why it will be difficult to write the synopsis as first half of it describes the rules, culture and customs of a country which conquered many nations.

...Oh... and the cover is terrible.
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STORY:
____________________________________________

It's a cruel world - Derzhi Empire conquered nations around them, enslaved people and did whatever they wanted to them. Derzhi is a warrior race which rules for many, many years and has been prosperous and expanding, considering their main terrain is a desert. Being a warrior race, they care about fighting, conquering and ruling. Things such as literacy and other things like that are almost an embarassment, so they give those tasks to their slaves. But, they are not the worst evil in the world. Years ago, Derzhi conquered Ezzaria, a nation of unique wizards who were the only defenders left against a force more serious than Derzhi. Many of their people have been killed or enslaved, their powers bound, and the leftover of their race had hidden on a new location, waging their war against demons who will throw the whole world in chaos if their plan goes as planned.

Seyonne (also our narrator) is a slave who had lost everything and spent 16, almost 17 years in slavery (almost half of his life 18+16). The other main character is Seyonne's master Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, whom we meet through the eyes of Seyonne.

The story starts with the Prince buying Seyonne from the auction because he is literate and would be useful as a scribe for the Prince.

Seyonne had spent so much time in slavery he only wanted to live in present, blocking memories of his past due to horrors he suffered at the hands of his masters. Once, he was a warrior magician "warden" and a demon hunter, but when he was enslaved he was cut off from his powers. Now, the memories of his past life only bring him pain, so he does his best to forget everything about it.

His master, Prince Aleksander is a cruel, selfish person, with a short temper which can explode at any time and, sadly, Seyonne is usually on the receiving end of it.

But one day, a Khelid emissary (the nation which surrendered their own king for execution for the favors of joining the Drezhi) came to the court and Seyonne had that unfortunate luck to notice the presence of a demon in Khelid man. And to Seyonne's growing horror, the Prince, who is the target of the demon, is the very person Seyonne's nation has been looking for.

Seyonne must prevent Aleksander from falling into demon's hands. But how can he convince someone who heard only things he wanted to hear, who caused him pain so many times, and who doesn't believe in supernatural creatures, that a demon is near. If he lets the demons get what they wanted, the whole world may be lost instead.
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CHARACTERS:
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Like i said before, there are only 2 main characters in this story and both of them experience a lot of things during this book, especially Aleksander, who gets a lot of character development.

Seyonne is a kind person who struggles to survive in a world filled with cruelty. But once he decides something, he tries to force it to the end, no matter what happens to him. After all, he long ago abandoned his previous life and decided it's best to live in present, thus blocking the memories of his past. But when his true sworn enemies appear near him, his sense of duty returns - his nation waged war against demons for a long, long time, and seeing the demon getting what it wants is far more crueler than any punishment he had ever suffered. So, in his desperate acts of trying to convince the prince end up more than he could bargain for.

{Like i said before, Seyonne is very, very kind. And despite everything, if given a good reason, he will fight with everything he can if it meant people he loved would be safe. This poor man suffered through so many things it's a wonder how he stayed sane after everything he was put through (he is almost utterly broken after suffering too many beatings, humiliations, even rape (only mentioned, nothing graphic) at the hands of his masters, not to mention later finding out that the person he detests is the very person he has sworn to find and protect with his life and that his own wife ended up with his best friend and later finding out that the same friend was the one who basically left him to be captured and sold into slavery, despite being able to help.). But even so, once he saw the threat which is much, much worse than a spoiled rotten and cruel Prince, he slowly starts getting out of his depression. Seyonne is perfect example of character suffering from Trauma Conga Line trope.}

Aleksander is a Prince and the heir to the Empire. Given that his people are warriors and that he lives in a cruel nation with horrifying reputation, one must be a perfect picture of a strong ruler who has a vague idea of what mercy is. Aleksander is very cold, short tempered, cruel and sadistic, but as much as he inspires fear, he is a very definition of the ruler their twisted empire needs. But, compared to his father, he is less of the two evils. But, something captures his attention more than anything else - the fact that his new slave, after everything he had done to him, is not afraid of him at all. This picks his interest and he finds himself trying to figure out the way Seyonne's mind works. On his 23rd birthday party - a ceremony in which his father would officially crown him an heir to the throne, the dark powers - demons - play a hand in sabotaging the Prince as much as possible, and the only person who tries to help him is the same person he hurt over and over again. When the final trap is sprung, and shock from it passes, the prince finds himself in a position he never thought he would be in.

{Aleksander is completely ruthless and callous to people around him, and too, too proud. He acts first and then asks for explanations, leading to rushed decisions and vicious retributions, and he has little tolerance for people he dislikes. But, I wouldn't call him completely heartless, as he sometimes, even in the beginning showed concern, as mild as it was. And, with time, he changes under the influence of a certain person and starts acknowledging the efforts of people who help him. But, none of these later acts served to redeem his previous acts of cruelty, no matter how he acted later on. But he did surprise me, in a positive way. There may yet be some hope.}

Others: I will only talk about 1 more character, as writing about others would be most likely too spoilerish. Lady Lydia is a Derzhi noblewoman who is also betrothed to Aleksander, who wants to discover the truth of everything she sets her eyes on: the true personality of her fiancee and what hides underneath the Seyonne's stone facade. She is straight forward, brave and strong woman who wants to achieve her goals at all costs.
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OVERALL:
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I just noticed how long this review is. Overall, I loved it. Well written, fast paced in the second part, we are given a lot of information on the world and it's nations and demons and a story of two men who struggle to survive in the world. And no, despite how it looks, this is not glbt, this is an unusual bond of two people so opposite who have to work together to live.

Following section covers all 3 books in the series:

LIKED:
☑ Characters, especially Seyonne.
☑ World building and great idea for demons
☑ action, angst level, relationships
☑ Satisfying conclusion to the series
☑ All three books have beginning and ending and don't end up in cliffhangers.

DISLIKED:
☒ Nothing really actually, except a bit of a slow-down for the third book.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFO:
⚠ Standalone: Each book can be read as a standalone, as it goes through years and all of them have beginning and the end. But you must read them in order or it won't make sense.
⚠ Point of View: First POV, one character.
⚠ Cliffhanger: Nonexistent.
⚠ Triggers: slavery, torture, mind rape, lots of things actually, rape (off screen, only mentioned)...
⚠ Love triangle: No.
⚠ Angst: Of course. Lot's of it.
⚠ Supernatural: Yes. Demons and wizards.
⚠ Explicit content: No.
⚠ Ending type: HEA, or the best type of HEA that could be salvaged.
⚠ Note: Unique stories, lots of angst, great aspect on demons, fantastic world building and loveable main character.
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REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:

◈ Transformation (Rai-Kirah, #1)
◈ Revelation (Rai-Kirah, #2)
◈ Restoration (Rai-Kirah, #3)
◈ Elemental Magic (Moon #6.5; Rai-Kirah #0.5 )

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive Bookseller

[2.5/5 stars] Transformation was a mixed bag for me.

I liked the flowing writing style right away and found the basic premise of the book interesting. The characters showed some dynamics early on and there were a lot of interesting court politics to follow. I was sure this was going to be a 4-star read.

But ultimately I didn’t enjoy the execution of the characters and some of the plot points.

Inconsistency of character is probably my biggest criticism. One person in particular would swing wildly from one extreme to the other, and while I appreciate the duality of his profile, it was a bit overdone and not realistic in the slightest. Subtlety would’ve gone a long way here. He wasn’t the only one – a few of the characters flipped the switch on what had been established for them a couple times throughout the book and about the third time it happened, I lost investment in them completely. They just didn’t feel like real people.

As mentioned I also had trouble with the premise. It seems like the only reason for the heavy secrecy regarding demons was because it was convenient for the plot. Exposure by those fighting them would offer way too many solutions and then we wouldn’t have a plot. With some stories, if all the other elements are working for me I usually can just go with it and accept whatever premise I’m given, but because I was already not jazzed about some of the other plot points it was hard not to nitpick the whole thing.

I also don’t particularly like reading about metaphysical realms, and while that didn’t play a huge role in the book, during those parts I found myself dozing off.

Overall, despite how many people have told me they really enjoyed this trilogy, I’m coming in at a 2.5/5 stars – meaning I can grudgingly admit it was better than “just okay” but I’m not sure I liked it. For my personal tastes it was mediocre at best. I’m truthfully not sure if I’ll be reading on or not.

Recommendations: this story had a lot of ideas that were off the beaten path (to its benefit), however neither the overall premise, nor the character trajectories worked for me. That said, this was recommended to me by people who usually offer slam-dunks (they loved it), so take my underwhelming review with a grain of salt.

Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, and Katrin! <3

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Trin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I am shocked and delighted by how much I loved this. It’s an original world combined with all the pleasures of a really slashy bit of fanfic. There are slavefic and wingfic elements, and demons and destiny, and it all sounds really cheesy, but like really good fic, it transcends these clichés. The relationship between Aleksander and Seyonne is beautifully developed: they begin as master and slave, and we get to see the whole process of Aleksander gaining maturity and compassion, and Seyonne regaining himself. Plus there’s a really thrilling quest-y adventure, and an intensely exciting climactic battle in which…well, it would spoil it to say, but know that I made a very loud squeeing noise. Even without actually being slash, this book is the slasher’s dream come true. I only hope the next two volumes in the trilogy are half as good.

[YouKneeK · Rating 5 out of 5]

A minor miracle has just occurred. I’ve actually listened to an entire, full-length, 16.5-hour audiobook. Some of my followers may have seen me rant and rave about this at one point or another: I’m not a good audiobook listener. My attention drifts and, even when I’m paying complete attention, I feel like I don’t absorb things as well as I do through the written word. On a more bizarre note, I get really annoyed when somebody talks non-stop for a lengthy period of time. I’ve actually become irrationally annoyed at narrators of audiobooks because they just won’t shut up, never mind the fact that they’re only doing what they’re supposed to be doing and I'm the one who turned them on in the first place! Then I remember that I have the power to make them stop talking and I turn them off.

To add perspective, I only made it a few hours into Neverwhere, narrated by Neil Gaiman. I’d read it several years ago, I liked the story, and Gaiman is a great narrator, but I reached a point where I just couldn’t listen to him anymore. I tried listening to The Android's Dream by John Scalzi during a road trip. After an hour, I was in genuine danger of falling asleep and I had to turn it off. (I’ll have to try it again in print sometime.) I tried listening to Wool Omnibus, a book I really enjoyed a couple years ago. I can’t remember if I even made it through the first 50-page part. I tried listening to The Way of Shadows, and I did make it several hours into that one, but eventually the melodramatic narration got on my last nerve. Ok, I guess you believe me now, I’m not good at audiobooks. :)

This book, Transformation, is the first book in Carol Berg’s Rai-Kirah series. I’d read the series in print five and a half years ago and really loved it. I had also read a couple duologies by the author earlier this year and I would now rank them among my all-time favorite books. Reading those made me want to re-read this series, but I hated to take precious reading time away from the many new-to-me books I want to read, so I thought I’d make yet another attempt at an audiobook. It completely absorbed me; I was hooked on the story all over again. I started listening to it on a road trip, and then I continued listening during my normal commutes. For the first time since I moved to Atlanta, I found myself actually wanting to get stuck in traffic. :)

The story is told from the first-person perspective of a slave named Seyonne. His people have been decimated by a war, most of them killed or captured by a race known as the Derzhi. Unknown to most of the world, Seyonne’s people have devoted their lives to fighting demons so that the rest of the world can live free. Needless to say, the decimation of Seyonne’s people does not bode well for the fate of the world. At the beginning of the story, Seyonne, who has already been in slavery for sixteen years, is sold to the Prince of the Derzhi people. Prince Aleksander is arrogant and selfish, and Seyonne is treated very poorly. However, when Aleksander falls prey to a demon enchantment, Seyonne is the only one who sees what’s happening and has any idea what to do. It soon becomes clear that there is a deeper demon plot that goes far beyond this one incident. The story is absorbing, and the author really made me care about the main characters. The friendship that develops between Seyonne and Aleksander is one of the best parts of the book, and there are some other good relationships as well.

The narrator, Kevin Stillwell, had a narration style that worked well for me. He distinguished between character voices well, but I think what helped the most was that he read the story in a more understated manner. I’m starting to suspect that the more dramatic narrators are the ones most likely to get on my nerves, even the good ones like Neil Gaiman. That doesn’t mean my listening was frustration-free. Listening to the story felt sort of like walking around without my contact lenses in: I can still see pretty well, but everything is just a bit hazy and I miss the greater sharpness I’m accustomed to. Sometimes I just really wanted to see the words with my eyes, either to understand them better or to stare at my favorite passages and bask in the words a bit. Other times, I was too distracted to listen well and I would end up rewinding an entire commute’s worth of listening so I could listen to that part again when I had better focus.

In any case, I’m really happy at how well this audiobook worked for me, and I’m hopeful that the next two books in the series will work equally well. The commute is so much more pleasant when I can spend it wrapped up in a story, and it’s also a nice way to re-read old favorites. Maybe I’ll eventually build up a better tolerance for the narrators I find more grating and get better at focusing on the stories that don’t hold my attention as completely as this one did.

[Dawn F · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good enemies-to-friends kind of book. In fact, the focus on them drawing so close to each other, their unwillingness to leave each other, and having Prince Aleksander’s wife to be (whom he has no interest in) exclaiming to Seyonnne, “You love him like I do!” it’s baffling that Carol Berg didn’t make them go that extra centimeter and made them lovers. It’s such a perfectly slashy setup that it’s plain weird nothing comes of it. Like, did Berg not notice what her characters were doing all this time?!

Anyway, it’s well written, and an interesting world, although it felt like every scene could have been shorter and a little sharper. I wouldn’t be averse to reading the sequels.

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's been a lot of complaint about the artwork on the cover - clearly by readers too young and/or trend-based to recall a time when all the covers in the genre looked exactly the same. Back when fantasy was tightly tucked into the category of science fiction. Back in the era of tribbles, red planets, flying saucers, time machines...and a much more methodical approach to the craft of storytelling. The cover of Transformation was actually a draw for me. A hope that the retro sensibility might extend beyond the casing. A hope well-placed, as things turned out.

Seyonne was once a Warden, which in this realm is an exorcist of sorts. He would enter into an internal conflict with demons, defeat them and send them on their way. But that was long ago, before his people were conquered and enslaved. He no longer thinks of his old work or his gift for it. He's come to concentrate only on pleasing his current owners and getting through his day - until he's purchased by the heir to the empire and finds something in this reckless man that is worthy of note; worthy of guidance, sacrifice and protection.

While it takes a great deal of foundation building to set her themes in motion, Berg has done some fine work here on the subject of denial; of painful truths that are kept at bay, the paralysis this causes - the hibernation of skills and abilities; the cost of dreams held in restraint. Seyonne's resistance to re-engage is palpable. His ordeal, through Berg's careful ministrations, is flush with an interior resonance few modern-day writers can achieve. The conclusion stumbles in places; this was her first novel and climactic actions scenes are tough to master. Yet it is a story thoughtfully structured by an author who earns her reader's trust. I look forward to reading the second in the series.

[Tamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

For 16 years Seyonne is a slave, with no hope for the future and lives from day to day and from hour to hour, his motto is "what come, comes"
He is beaten and constantly hungry, humiliated and always cold.
One day Prince Alexander, the prince of the empire who conquered almost the entire continent and killed many of his people, acquires him because he can read and write.
So when Akexander is possesed by demons only Seyonne can help him, for his people fauth for many years to defende humanaty from the demons. and together they run-away to the only people who can save the prince.

A stunning story intertwined with it: betrayal, cruelty, a lot of heartache and true friendship

[Lym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Even though Transformation is the first book of a trilogy, it also works extremely well as a standalone. If I hadn't known before that it's part of a series, I probably wouldn't have gone looking for sequels.

We begin our story, and please don't roll your eyes or run away yet, when our protagonist Seyonne is sold as a slave to our other protagonist, Aleksander, prince of the mighty Derzhi Empire. Zander is what you might expect: A spoiled, arrogant brat who doesn't value Seyonne as anything more than a tool bought mainly for one purpose: To write.

The Derzhi are a warrior race who consider writing beneath them, who say it's a thing done only by barbarians or slaves (or ideally barbarian slaves). Doesn't mean that a scribe isn't useful every once in a while, and so Seyonne soon hears more about the going-ons in the realm than he wishes to know.
Which isn't terribly difficult, one might add, because Seyonne is determined not to think beyond the moment, afraid of the ruins of his life that he might see if he does: He's been a slave for sixteen years - half his life - and it has damn near broken him. Robbed of his magic as well as his freedom and knowing his people dead or in chains, he has little reason left to live. Until...

And you just knew there would be an "until". I don't want to go into any more detail, so let me just add that it's Aleksander whose life is suddenly endangered by something he doesn't even believe in, and there is but one person in the entire empire who has once held the power to save him. No, you're still not allowed to roll your eyes or run. I know it might sound clichéd and not as if this story has terribly much to offer. But it has.

For one, the book offers one of the best uses of a first-person narrator (Seyonne) that I've ever seen: He has a way of imprinting his view of the world on the reader without us realising it until much later, and he is not always right. (No first-person narrator should be, of course, but I mention it here because in far too many books, everything such a narrator tells us is treated as fact by the rest of the story when it should be the most subjective kind of narration.) It also helps a lot that Seyonne, even as a severely abused slave, is never a character written to be pitied. We feel for him, sure, and cringe at what's being done to him, but it never comes across as authorial manipulation (like "The poor, poor character, he suffers so much and therefore you must love him!"); he has other characteristics that make him grow on the reader.

The development of the major characters is extremely well-done: We know right from the start that Aleksander has a lot to learn, but so has Seyonne, and don't you forget that. The plot goes in quite a different direction after a while and could be divided into three "parts", but saying more would obviously be running straight into spoiler territory and I am trying to get you read the book yourself. ^.~

Other strengths of the book include the world building (the two cultures that we hear most about, the Derzhi and the Ezzarians, are well done and believable, even if it takes a while to see that due to our obviously not terribly reliable (or impartial) narrator), the pacing and the language (Seyonne's narrative voice is quite distinctive).
If I have to find something I disliked, well... There are "demons" (the titular Rai-Kirah) in this book who stay very one-dimensional, though I hear that gets better in later books. However, they do serve their purpose here and it never distracted me from the main plot: The story of two remarkable men and the transformations, both literally and figuratively speaking, they undergo to save themselves - and maybe more than that.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down and I had tears in my eyes before I had turned the hundredth page—that’s how compelling the characters were, right from the outset.

Simply, Transformation is the story of two men separated by about a decade, age-wise, and a much greater gap in experience. Seyonne is a slave and Zander is his lord. Seyonne has been a slave for sixteen years, his people captured by Zander’s. He is worn by time and experience, but is still himself—to a degree. Beneath his apparent resignation, he has a core of strength one can only admire. Seyonne is also intelligent and canny, which isn’t all unusual for a character in his role, but the reader gains the sense he was destined for greater things, even if he believes otherwise. The question is: will he go on to achieve a greater purpose, or remain a slave? Zander is Seyonne’s opposite in every way. Prince and only heir to the emperor, he is young, spoilt, arrogant and cruel. He is smart, however, almost frighteningly so, and even without the clues given in the blurb, the reader quickly realizes there is more to him than a title and future crown. Zander has enormous depth and substance.

Once introduced to Seyonne and Zander, this story could have taken me anywhere and I would have followed avidly. Both characters were so well drawn; more than caricatures of good and evil or ‘opposites’. When it became obvious their fates were entwined, I cheered for them both—for Zander to discover himself, for Seyonne to rediscover himself.

Less simply, Transformation is the story of a world at war with demons. Layered above and below the tale of Seyonne and Zander is one of political intrigue, ambition and the classic themes of good versus evil, might against right.

Transformation does not read like a first novel. Carol Berg’s writing is clear and the characters’ voices well formed. I did not once frown at a description or scene. There is a great deal of emotion packed into the story, explored through varied and complicated relationships. As mentioned earlier, I came to care for the central characters—even Zander—rather quickly and they, themselves, kept me turning the pages. The plotting works from end to end and the pacing just right. All in all, this book was as close to perfect as I have read in a long time. Another aspect that pleased me greatly was the fact the story felt complete at the end. Transformation is the first novel of a trilogy, but though I am interested in continuing to follow the story of Seyonne and Zander and their world, I am content with the end of the first chapter. I hope the other books feel as complete.

That being said, I have already ordered Revelation (Rai-Kirah, book two) and look forward to reading it.

[Phoenixfalls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book the likes of which I have not come across in some time. It grabbed me within the first few pages and did not let go until I finished it. It hasn't quite let go of me yet, actually -- it was almost physically painful to stop myself from immediately picking up the next book in the series to instead come to the computer and write this review.

It was such an all-encompassing experience, as a matter of fact, that it's hard for me to summon up the distance to write a good review. Trying to think about it objectively, I don't think it was anywhere near a perfect book. The pacing was uneven, and the ancillary characters were no more than cardboard cutouts moving the plot along. Some of the more important ancillary characters' motivations were terribly unclear, and I didn't buy the small romance subplots for either Seyonne or Aleksander.

But none of that matters to me, because the heart and soul of the novel is Seyonne and Aleksander's relationship, and that is realized pitch-perfectly. They are both complex men with everything in the world working against any potential relationship they might develop and the fate of the world resting on the fact that they must learn to trust each other and work together. And wonderfully, they manage to do this, with neither useless angst nor unrealistic protestations of affection. Berg summoned some significant magic into this novel, and I am greatly looking forward to reading its sequel.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book, which has a very slashy master/slave set up. Amazingly, considering the extreme slashiness of them (at one point he is drinking from his fountain of joy), I was never sure if Carol Berg was actually aware of it. At times I was really expecting things to kick off between them.

She certainly doesn't mention it or resolve it, apart from letting it fizzle out. Everyone is resolutely heterosexual, although homosexuality is mentioned, but only in terms of sexual abuse of the slaves.

The slave half of the equation has a grim life. His master is an absolute brute and treats him horribly, but eventually they become something like equals, in a mystical sort of way.

I found myself wanting some more details about the magic they used and where it came from. Some of the worldbuilding felt a bit generic and flat. The plotting was okay and kept me on my toes most of the time. I'm not incredibly tempted to get the next one, but I might.

One thing I really didn't like were the names and the made up language as it also felt too generic. Seeing as how I have a name fetish, this was quite an important factor for me.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. WOW, Carol Berg, just… I have no words. Geez, it's like I have to drop every other book I've given 5 stars to down a notch just because they can't even come close to comparing to the power of this book...! I've just finished TRANSFORMATION and, as you can probably guess, was left utterly floored and overflowing with emotion. I don't think I've ever been so thoroughly transported by a book, and so *completely* too. Despite its length (not extreme, but it is substantial--and won't you be thankful there's plenty of it once you get a taste of how great it is!), Carol Berg's writing--no, Seyonne's writing (our main character/narrator--his voice is so solid, I can't believe anyone other than he wrote his tale!) is so solid, so transporting and flowing and filled with a unique and oddly likable blend of compassion, wry wit and the harsh bluntness necessary for conveying the horrors of his experiences, that I couldn't bear to be apart from the book for more than a few hours at a time while I was reading it. Even when I was stuck at work, I had to carry the book in with me and leave it in my desk. ^^ That's the kind of emotional death grip this book and its characters get on you.

And speaking of our hero... seriously, what a hero! Seyonne, Seyonne... here's one "old friend" I'll never forget, that's for sure. Not only is his voice kind of indelibly etched in my head now, the mental/emotional journey he makes over the course of this book is just... I've never seen the equal of it. When I think back to where he was at the beginning of the story—a numb, broken-spirited slave who’d been all but destroyed in mind, spirit and body by the 16 years of cruel bondage he’d endured—and where he ends up at the end--and not only that, but how thoroughly and *believably* he made his metamorphosis… wow. I am just in awe that Carol Berg was able to fathom this story and bring it so believably to life. I don't think I've ever read such emotional truth and consistency in fictional characters before, especially when they grow and change *that much* over the course of the book.

The same incredible feat of enormous yet completely authentic/believable character growth/change is worked on our other hero, Prince Aleksander, who goes the more classical way (from spoiled, tyrannical warlord to Awesome Good Guy), and all of that woven together with the unlikely (actually, it was down near “unthinkable” at the start) and breathtakingly moving friendship that grows between these two characters from diametrically opposed ends of the social ladder—this is PURE LITERARY GOLD. You pray to experience a relationship like that, or at least, vicariously experience a relationship like through literature, etc, and so seldom does someone actually pull it off right, so that it rings completely true and lingers with you and utterly floors you with how unbelievably kind a small gesture or word can be.

All this PLUS some truly rich, authentic-feeling world-building that is so complete you really understand *why* certain characters end up doing things no one in their right mind in such a situation would ever do—that is some seriously powerful writing. Like, you can’t just read this book, you kind of *live* it, it’s so lush and visceral. The main appeal is definitely the human drama and the transformation of the two main characters and the against-all-odds trust and affection that slowly grows between them, but the world around it is solid and is the perfect framework for pushing these characters to the wild extremes the start in or must endure over the course of the story—a truly excellent and luminous use of the “speculative fiction” aspect of the SFF genre. This story could not have happened anywhere else… and I’m so thankful to have read it.
Sorry, this isn’t the most coherent of reviews. I literally just finished the book before sitting down to write this, and I’m sure not much is making sense from within this haze of wonderment and emotion I was left in. But I hope at least that I can convey how much this book affected me, how thorough the spell of story it wove was, and how dear these characters have become to me. As amazingly fleshed out as they are, as intimately as I’ve been allowed to peep into their souls, I almost can’t imagine that these people don’t really exist, and that the extraordinary events I’ve just read—no, *experienced*—aren’t real. But that’s the power of this book.
Anyway, don’t take my word for it—read Transformation, give its extremely unusual but ultimately unendingly worthy main character a chance, and you WILL be glad you did. I especially recommend this book to fans of Patrick Rothfuss’s THE NAME OF THE WIND—if you liked Kvothe, you’ll *never* forget Seyonne!

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transformation has been on my to-read list for almost two decades, and I'm glad to have finally focused on it. It is one of Carol Berg first novels, and she is still cooking up new fantasy (pen name Cate Glass, An Illusion of Thieves).

Transformation is epic, but feels fresh, and is very engrossing. It is highly recommended for fantasy readers. Here's why:

- Perspective: It is written in first-person perspective, and at 450 pages it's a decent size. Yet it reads fast. Most fantasy epics are omniscient third person. Inherently, first-person indicates the narrator will always survive, but Seyonne and his friends, family, etc. are always in peril.

- Complex, fun story: There are tons of plot twists, betrayals... so it is tough to share a summary without spoiling (the official Book Blurb is a good overview). Somehow every story arc is concluded in a satisfying way, but that doesn't mean you'll stop at this first installment.

- Atypical, angelic warfare: The overriding conflict is essentially "~angels/humans vs. ~demons" but none of those categories match religious cliches or fantasy tropes. There are several humanoid cultures, but not the trope elves, dwarves etc.. The sorcerers are the "angelic" ones, but are far from perfect.

- Exorcism/magic: A key magic system has several types of sorcerers/sorceresses that need to work together as team: i.e., one can find possessed victims, another can open doors into mental-battlegrounds, and another can enter and fight/exorcise demons. Other fantasy may have different flavors of mages (druids, illusionists, etc.) but they aren't dependent on each other--here we have Searchers, Aifes, Wardens that truly rely on one another.

- The Books of the Rai-kirah trilogy: Transformation starts the series, then Revelation, then Restoration


- The Author's website has excerpts, reviews, glossaries, maps, and more.

- Official Book Blurb:

"Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for sixteen years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone. But from the moment he is sold to the arrogant, careless Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne's uneasy peace begins to crumble. And when he discovers a demon lurking in the Derzhi court, he must find hope and strength in a most unlikely place..."

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept to develop a story and characters through the eyes of the lowest form of life in a mystical world. The life of a slave. Belligerence, betrayal, kindness and demons. What one sees may not be what is truly there. A mix of cultures all who think their way is the only way. Needless to say such a mix leads to conflict and attitudes. Eventually, the evil can only be defeated by working together.

Entertaining.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review is here, on my blog.

I’ve had this one in my audible library for a long while. It was recommended to me by someone on reddit with the caveat that you should absolutely not let its cover deter you from reading it, and I ended up finding it on audible for a not-ridiculous amount of money (thanks whispersync!) and couldn’t resist.

It was an interesting and quite amazing listen. Seyonne is a slave, recently purchased by the prince of the Derzhi. He is of a race that was pretty much overthrown sixteen years previously and he has been a slave ever since, but he was once a Warden, known for their ability to fight demons. He finds that there is a demon hiding in the court of Prince Aleksander, and when the prince himself starts suffering from maladies that demons are known to cause, Seyonne takes a risk to himself and tells the prince what’s happening. Then he finds out that the prince has within him, something special. Something he’s sworn to protect. And they become… friends, of a sort.

I really liked this one. I don’t think I was expecting to latch onto it quite as easily as I did. Most audiobooks take at least an hour to get into, but this one caught my attention right from the beginning. I ordered the following two audiobooks in the series before I was even halfway through this one.

We get the story from Seyonne’s point of view, which is often heart wrenching, especially at first, because the Derzhi are not at all nice to their slaves. He is routinely beaten and half-starved and so on. It was a really interesting view to see this story unfold though, and I really enjoyed it. It was well written, and the story unfolds in an interesting way. There’s not a great deal of action in the beginning, but the story gets where it is going. It gets there quite well! There are quite a few transformations in this book, so it has quite an appropriate title.

The narrator, Kevin Stillwell did a great job. I like the sound of his voice, and so I think he gave Seyonne a good voice for his story. There were accents peppered throughout, and he did them well, but there are little things here that make this one special. For instance, when Seyonne is reading Aleksander a letter, the cadence that he gives him sounds like a student reciting something from a book. Little things like that really immersed me in this book.

It was great! Can't wait to see what happens next!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, new favorite author! It kills me that I don't have the next book sitting on my shelf waiting for me!

It's ironic that I also received this for Christmas, that it's a woman author's first novel, fantasy, and told in first-person narration, just like _Magic Lost, Trouble Found_ by Lisa Shearin. But *this* effort is superb.

The narrator is believable as a male Ezzarian slave, trying to live in the moment and just survive, until he is forced by his own nature and long-ignored oaths to act in his master's best interest. We learn about his past only when he can't ignore it. We learn about his master only in ways that a slave would learn. We learn of the Empire he lives in and its political intrigues when he encounters them and they step in his way. It's a unique enough world to feel like something new, which is always nice in fantasy. (Not just another Middle Ages with elves kind of story.)

I asked Scott how he found this one, and he said, "You put it on your Christmas list after you found a strong recommendation by Patrick Rothfuss(of _The Name of the Wind_)'s blog." Rothfuss was right. This one should be high on your list if you like fantasy (and even pretty high if you don't).

[Jon]

5 stars

[Kogiopsis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read as part of my ongoing shelf audit. Verdict: I honestly can't say at this point; I think I need to finish the trilogy before deciding.

I enjoyed a lot about this book but returning to it nine years from first reading, I am even more struck by the feeling that it could and might have been a romance, and a really good one, if published maybe a decade later than it was. It feels like a fanfic, in that the premise requires these characters tolerate each other much more than is logical until they can develop an emotional connection, and the effect they have on each other is outsized relative to their relationships with anyone else in the cast. Having just recently read The Spirit Lens, which was another Carol Berg book written in the first-person POV of a man intently fixated on another man, I am finding it hard to shake the thought that maybe Berg wanted to make these characters bisexual, but couldn't due to the publishing industry at the time.

Less than 200 pages into this book, Seyonne trusts his tenuous relationship with Aleksander enough to talk him down while he's in the throes of a demon curse - a curse under which he's already killed one person. And Aleksander, multiple times, talks passionately about how much Seyonne has changed him. You can't tell me this would be out of place in a fanfic:

Aleksander put his hand under my chin and forced me to look at him. Even in the dark his eyes burned. "Do you have the least bit of an idea of what you've done to me, Seyonne? I can't take a piss without you watching me, forcing me to look through your eyes at what I do, judging my ridiculous temper, daring me to be better than I am."

I mean. That's romance novel dialogue. And then Seyonne uses Aleksander as his anchor to undergo magical trials, and tends to him when he's ill, and then this which is just insane:

Something extraordinary had come about between Aleksander and me. Something beyond oaths, beyond duty, beyond necessity and desperation. If the Prince unlocked my chains, I would not walk away. But until Aleksander believed it, I had no name for him but master, and no name for myself but slave.

Fan. Fic. Tion.

It goes on and on. They both risk their lives for each other and panic at the idea of the other being in danger. Seyonne calls him 'my prince' and swears he'll never be alone. Aleksander waits at his sickbed for a week straight. When given the choice to stay with his people or his prince, Seyonne picks his prince. Aleksander describes Seyonne as "lighting the darkness inside me like the moon and the sun together" and that's sort of literal but also. gay.. On the last page, we get a letter where it's revealed that Aleksander asked his father to give him rule over Seyonne's conquered homeland as "a sanctuary where I can take my bride", and then the prince tells Seyonne the land is his. SO WHO IS YOUR BRIDE ACTUALLY, YOUR HIGHNESS?

Yes, they both have heterosexual love interests, though frankly I don't think much of one of them. (Lady Lydia, Aleksander's betrothed, is interesting for the amount of time she appears, but doesn't get much attention.) It just... it feels like compulsory heterosexuality. It feels so much like I'm reading an m/m romance with key sentences deleted and it's disorienting I'd honestly love to read the actually queer version of this book - I love some high-quality pining and there's no way they'd actually get together in one volume so that would be delicious - and I spent a good part of my reading time wishing it was something else.

It's still a well-constructed story. But it could be more.

Original 2016 review in spoiler tags - does not contain actual spoilers:
Transformation was simultaneously wonderful and very, very frustrating. To its credit, it is by far the most compellingly readable thing I’ve picked up in several months. On a technical level, it’s fantastic, and easily merits five stars. However, there was one major drawback for me and that… was that it felt like the central relationship of the book was a hair shy of being romantic, and would have been if the two main characters hadn’t both been male.

(The plus side is that both of these things make it a great first entry for this blog.)

At its heart, Transformation is a truly character-driven story: the entire plot turns on the slow growth and increasing open-mindedness of its two main characters. Aleksander changes faster than Seyonne, which neatly avoids the potential grossness of a slave coming to easily sympathize with a cruel master. Indeed, much of the first 200 pages focuses on Aleksander’s slowly-growing respect for Seyonne; when he realizes that he cannot control Seyonne with fear or cruelty, he begins to seek approval, though he’s resentful of it the whole time. For his part, Seyonne is caught between anger (at Aleksander and the empire he represents) and duty to a much larger cause. Duty wins out, but grudgingly, and neither of the two are at all enthusiastic about working together – at first.

The stakes that they’re playing for, however, cannot be ignored. Berg gives the main conflict of the book both personal and abstract weight: Aleksander’s life and sanity are on the line, and so is the future of the world, via the future of the Derzhi Empire. There is a prophecy involved, which is a little cheesey, but its resolution has a neat (if not unexpected) twist, and it serves more as additional motivation than the central driving force of the story. The identity of one of the antagonists is also presented as a twist, and while it’s not a particularly innovative one, it does add emotional weight to the plot and makes the conflict feel a little more complicated. (Overall, humans vs. demons is still pretty morally simplistic, but the book is crafted well enough that I’m inclined to let that slide.)

The worldbuilding isn’t wildly original or otherworldly, but it hung together well. The Derzhi Empire includes or deals with numerous different cultures, all of which are distinct and have their own religious beliefs, standards of dress and behavior, and attitudes towards magic. The Ezzarian people, to whom Seyonne belongs, may be meant to be non-white (though it’s not particularly clear). The Derzhi, who are otherwise a pretty straightforward Proud Desert Warrior Race, seem to be comparably light-skinned, which is an interesting twist on the stereotypes. Berg also shows some cultural diversity in attitudes towards gender roles: the Ezzarians are mocked by other nations for being ruled by a queen (a title which is not hereditary, but passed down via apprenticeship), and give women significant political power. At the same time, however, the tasks given to the magically gifted are rigidly divided on gender lines, with women consistently in a position of support and anything involving combat reserved for men.

On the topic of gender, however… I finished the book with little doubt in my mind that, had either Aleksander or Seyonne been female, they would have had a romantic relationship. They have incredible chemistry, which is a testament to Berg’s skilled characterization and something not generally afforded to same-gender friendships. Their relation to each other is far more intense, detailed, and significant to the plot than either of their female love interests, and hits so many notes that could have been romantic – they care for each other’s wounds, break laws and cultural boundaries for one another, prize the other’s safety and health far above their own, share intimately small spaces and touch a great deal, and grow and change together in parallel. That they are somewhat emotionally dependent on one another is clear: Seyonne kick-starts Aleksander’s conscience, and Aleksander stands by Seyonne when no one else will, placing inestimable value on the life of a former slave.

They read almost like queerplatonic partners, at the end, which I find myself of two minds about. On the one hand, there is a lack of representation of this kind of close, emotional friendship, especially as the most important relationship in a character’s life. While this is reality for many actual people, popular media tends to treat romantic relationships as the most central and important, and in a way this book offers a counter to that trend. On the other hand… when Aleksander sits day and night next to Seyonne’s bedside, or Seyonne swears to protect his prince at any cost, it’s hard not to regret the romance that might have been. I found myself simultaneously enjoying Transformation for its queer undertones and wishing that it had a cousin, of sorts, with a similar fantasy adventure plot and just a dash of romance, but without the obligatory heterosexuality.

Despite that, for sheer enjoyment I can’t rate this book lower than five stars, and if you’re looking for an enjoyable, well-crafted fantasy, this is a good bet. I’ve already started the sequel, Revelation, and I look forward to finishing the series and exploring Berg’s other work.