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The Lighthouse Duet #1-2
Cartamandua Legacy
Discover tales of star-crossed adventures and grand destinies, swirling with creative magic and arcane knowledge, secret societies and supernatural creatures, war, intrigue and betrayal, and more, in the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winning Lighthouse Duet.
Flesh and Spirit: In Navronne, a land torn apart by civil war, sorcerers are bound by strict rules and contracted servitude. Yet not all pureblood accept such lives. For 12 years, Valen, the son of cartographers and diviners, had escaped what had been ordained for him . . . only to wind up half-dead in an obscure sanctuary, addicted to a spell that turns pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps. It is that book—rumored to lead men into the realm of angels—that will thrust Valen into a world of conspirators, monks, princes and madmen . . . and the secrets of his own past.
Breath and Bone: Everyone in Navronne seems to be after Valen. There's the mad Harrower priestess, Sila Diaglou, intent on restoring the world to a primeval state. The Bastard Prince Osriel, who steals dead men's eyes. And the Registry, determined to keep every pureblood sorcerer in thrall. Even the Danae guardians, beings out of myth whose dancing nurtures the earth, may be stalking him. Yet no one is who he seems, and Valen's search for healing grace leads him from Harrower dungeons to a land of legend, where he discovers the truth of the coming dark age and the astonishing price of the land's redemption . . . and his own.
Flesh and Spirit: In Navronne, a land torn apart by civil war, sorcerers are bound by strict rules and contracted servitude. Yet not all pureblood accept such lives. For 12 years, Valen, the son of cartographers and diviners, had escaped what had been ordained for him . . . only to wind up half-dead in an obscure sanctuary, addicted to a spell that turns pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps. It is that book—rumored to lead men into the realm of angels—that will thrust Valen into a world of conspirators, monks, princes and madmen . . . and the secrets of his own past.
Breath and Bone: Everyone in Navronne seems to be after Valen. There's the mad Harrower priestess, Sila Diaglou, intent on restoring the world to a primeval state. The Bastard Prince Osriel, who steals dead men's eyes. And the Registry, determined to keep every pureblood sorcerer in thrall. Even the Danae guardians, beings out of myth whose dancing nurtures the earth, may be stalking him. Yet no one is who he seems, and Valen's search for healing grace leads him from Harrower dungeons to a land of legend, where he discovers the truth of the coming dark age and the astonishing price of the land's redemption . . . and his own.
- GenresFantasy
857 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Carol Berg
33 books1,128 followersCarol 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 4, 2012
Comprised of two books, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone, both must be read to get the full story.
I never heard of Carol Berg before, so I had no expectations. What a lovely surprise I found within these pages. The best book I read this year.
Superior world building, wonderfully alive characters, enthralling story which was well written.
I will surely read more Carol Berg in the future.
I never heard of Carol Berg before, so I had no expectations. What a lovely surprise I found within these pages. The best book I read this year.
Superior world building, wonderfully alive characters, enthralling story which was well written.
I will surely read more Carol Berg in the future.
September 10, 2010
Terrific fantasy with really well-developed world building. Lots of political and religious intrigue. Marvelous characters - none of whom are 'perfect'. This is the only book I've *ever* read twice in a row - with nothing read in between readings.
July 30, 2017
I thought this an historical fiction about the warrior queen of the Brigantes, Cartimandua of Celtic Britain. It is not. Notice the spelling difference. This is an engrossing epic fantasy about the interaction between being from our world and an otherworld.
7 of 10 stars
7 of 10 stars
May 19, 2020
Valen is an addict. He is also a traitor. A good-for-nothing son. A sex-crazed, leering person that uttered the dreaded words "it's your own fault". An abused child turned abuser, socially inept. He also has one of the most profound character arcs I had the privilege of reading in fantasy, and a place in a very interesting story of end of times in a civil-war torn lands where fey are dying, doomsayers are ravaging the land, and monks are apocalypse-prepping.
Carol Berg was on my TBR forever, somehow. Maybe the covers are to blame, or my unwillingness to read about an addict (I tend to have problems with them in fiction). I am, however, very glad that in the end I read these books. They are a slow burn, mysterious, character driven (my fave) - with lush prose, and lore. They are also quite a page-turner once they get going. It is a single-person POV (again, my fave!), but abundant with nicely developed characters.
The magic was mysterious and unknowable, the races a bit poorly explored (more!), it did touch upon some of the social problems of the world. Valen is really a handful, and almost turned me off the book in first 50 pages or so - but he gets punished for his (mis)deeds. Berg is a harsh mistress. I feel Valen's POV brought us a very limited vision of the world: he is a very self-preoccupied man. Also, he is preoccupied with his prick - the passage when it somehow gets adorned with feathers left me aghast. He reminded me of Robert Sheehan's characters - Nathan from Misfits and Klaus from Umbrella Academy. If they are not your cup of tea, avoid the book.
The ending was a bit of a disappointment, the naivette of some of the characters (Juliann!) a bit much after their ordeals, and Valen was a slow learner in some things, but I recommend this to everyone who enjoys mysterious, slow burn books with interesting take on fantasy.
Carol Berg was on my TBR forever, somehow. Maybe the covers are to blame, or my unwillingness to read about an addict (I tend to have problems with them in fiction). I am, however, very glad that in the end I read these books. They are a slow burn, mysterious, character driven (my fave) - with lush prose, and lore. They are also quite a page-turner once they get going. It is a single-person POV (again, my fave!), but abundant with nicely developed characters.
The magic was mysterious and unknowable, the races a bit poorly explored (more!), it did touch upon some of the social problems of the world. Valen is really a handful, and almost turned me off the book in first 50 pages or so - but he gets punished for his (mis)deeds. Berg is a harsh mistress. I feel Valen's POV brought us a very limited vision of the world: he is a very self-preoccupied man. Also, he is preoccupied with his prick - the passage when it somehow gets adorned with feathers left me aghast. He reminded me of Robert Sheehan's characters - Nathan from Misfits and Klaus from Umbrella Academy. If they are not your cup of tea, avoid the book.
The ending was a bit of a disappointment, the naivette of some of the characters (Juliann!) a bit much after their ordeals, and Valen was a slow learner in some things, but I recommend this to everyone who enjoys mysterious, slow burn books with interesting take on fantasy.
September 28, 2015
The duology Cartamandua Legacy (Flesh and Spirit; Breath and Bone) was a slow burner for me, but totally worth it in the long run. The main character Valen is very flawed, but with an engaging voice. At the beginning of book 1, I had a love-hate relationship with Valen; I had a hard time deciding whether he was a lying coward-scumbag or likable, caring, fun-loving guy. The truth of the matter is that he was both, and that's one of the things I loved about this book.
There were a lot of tropes that I've seen before, and could see coming. But that didn't bother me. There were plenty of the twists that surprised me, and there was a lot of fresh ideas and concepts where it balanced itself out.
Like I said, the beginning was slow moving (slow does not necessarily equal bad though), but my patience paid off, and by the time I reached the halfway point, my desire to find out what would happen next sucked me in and had me flipping the pages at lightning speed.
I went in somewhat blind on this book, not knowing what it really was about and never having read anything by Berg before. A very pleasant surprise. I will definitely be looking into Berg's other books.
There were a lot of tropes that I've seen before, and could see coming. But that didn't bother me. There were plenty of the twists that surprised me, and there was a lot of fresh ideas and concepts where it balanced itself out.
Like I said, the beginning was slow moving (slow does not necessarily equal bad though), but my patience paid off, and by the time I reached the halfway point, my desire to find out what would happen next sucked me in and had me flipping the pages at lightning speed.
I went in somewhat blind on this book, not knowing what it really was about and never having read anything by Berg before. A very pleasant surprise. I will definitely be looking into Berg's other books.
May 22, 2012
Sci-fi club - This was previously published as FLESH AND SPIRIT (2007), and BREATH AND BONE (2008), and follows a central character as he learns of his magical abilities and his role in a world with two parallel realities linked together. The hero is a reluctant one, not that likeable or knowledgeable, a failure at many things in life, an addict, rejected by his family, using his few skills to carouse and battle through life. We read the first few chapter wondering when the real hero was going to step forward – as did he I think. This does give the hero ample room for improvement through the story, as he learns to develop these skills into magical abilities, and explore the links between this world and a more magical realm, and his role in both of them. Our hero finally does decide to get a grip – and a life – and takes control of things. Find both books, as the first ends abruptly, with many problems unresolved.
April 14, 2012
Loved this book it was a page turner!!!
October 3, 2010
Not bad at all. Interesting plot twists which were mostly unexpected.
November 9, 2024
One of my favourite series of all times
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews