Restoration

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and well written fantasy
Review: I had enjoyed both 'Transformation' and 'Revelation' immensely, and have been waiting for 'Restoration' for months. I have to say, I'm not disappointed.
Yet again, Carol Berg has taken her world, shaken it up, and watched the contents settle into something entirely new. It's easy with fantasy, to get into a familiar groove, and stick with it, but these books don't fall into that category for a minute.

We return to the 'hero' of the previous books, Seyonne, as our narrator. He is living with the results of the culmination of 'Revelation', but it's proving difficult, and he has to find a way to accept his new 'shared consciousness'. Unfortunately, his friend, Prince Aleksander, is having his own problems, and Seyonne feels that his place is at his prince's side, even if it means his own sanity must suffer.

I found this book completely captivating, and couldn't leave it alone until I'd finished it. My only sadness is that this is the end of the line for Seyonne and Aleksander, as I know the author doesn't plan any further stories in this universe.
I do, however, look forward to any further stories she might share with us.

A highly recommended read.

Rating:
Summary: Complex and entertaining
Review: I loved the first two books in this series. Berg's ability to create two strong, fascinating protagonists is impressive in and of itself, but the fact that she places Seyonne, a former slave and current sorcerer, and Aleksander, conflicted heir to the empire's throne, in such a strong setting and plotline is quite an achievement. The reader is swept along in an epic saga following the mental and physical battles of these two heroes as they struggle to change the world while determining their places in it.

This conclusion to the highly acclaimed trilogy is, as always with Berg, well-written, and it continues to develop the characters even as it ties up many loose ends. The reason I gave it four stars out of five is because the ending is too open considering the fact that the author does not intend to write any more novels about these characters. Without saying too much, Seyonne suffers a misfortune that the reader gets the feeling he may eventually overcome, but we will never know. I enjoy many ambiguous endings, but I must admit this is not one of them. Still, the book is excellent, and should please most current and future readers of the series. I look forward to more books by this intriguing author.

Rating:
Summary: A Splendid epic !
Review: I practically devoured this brilliant series in a week and I have just finished Restoration. Restoration does not disappoint. It is a worthy ending to this magnificent series. So much so that I feel somewhat empty towards the last sentence simply because the series has ended and I will no longer have the pleasure of reading about Seyonne. But I am grateful that I have discovered Berg and her world and look forward to this must read writer's next effort. Restoration does not stand on its own and must be read after the first 2 in the series to really appreciate it and the whole series. I am lucky to have read all 3 continuously with no long waiting in between. I always feel that no writer should attempt the narration of his tale in the first person unless he is a gifted writer who writes from the heart. Berg is just such a writer. Her brilliant writing in first person just sweeps me along as I become enmeshed in Seyonne's world and struggles. In Seyonne Berg has created a wonderful hero whom I will always remember. Thank you Berg for such an amazing series and please do not let us wait too long for your next story!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic read...of course!
Review: In baseball terms Carol Berg has scored a triple with Restoration. This is the final installment of the Rai-Kirah trilogy and she does not disappoint. This book will make you cheer, it will make you cry, it will keep you thinking and caring about the characters Alexander and Seyonne long after you finish it. If you haven't read Transformation and Revelation yet, then by all means do so and prepare to be in thrall to one of the best new writers in the world of Fantasy. I don't want to keep retelling the plot line but suffice to say Seyonne has to confront his inner demon (literally!) and Alexander confronts more than a few outer ones. Can't wait for her next book, Song of the Beast

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for the series as a whole
Review: It's possible that I'm giving this particular series installment four stars because I'm cranky that it's going to be the last.

Seriously, the whole Seyonne/Aleksander series is a rare jewel at a time where the genre feels increasingly moribund. _Restoration_ is, unfortunately, my least favorite in the trilogy, but still worth the read for all of that.

In _Restoration_ Seyonne learns the fate of his former wife and comes to terms with the demon now a part of him. Aleksander is removed from his throne and Seyonne must once again come to his aid.

In the first book of the trilogy, Aleksander's great destiny was the reason Seyonne was drawn to protect him. Berg seemed to have lost the plot a bit on that aspect and the revelations about Aleksander that appear in the last book don't seem to really fit the bill. I wondered how Berg was going to bring that thread together with the thread about Seyonne as the potential destroyer of his race and it was too bad that the answer was that she really didn't. I also didn't quite believe in Aleksander's fall-- not the same way that I did in Seyonne's slavery. Somehow Aleksander didn't suffer enough.

Still, with whatever flaws, it's a decent ending to what it certainly one of the best new fantasy trilogies in a while. Hope to see more of Berg in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Please don't let this be the last!
Review: My God! What a wonderful series. I've devoured every book the moment they hit the shelf. All the questions you could possible have reading the first and second in the series will be answered in Restoration. Seyonne faces his greatest challenge yet against the caged monster. Will his friends stand by him when he becomes what they all fear?

Rating:
Summary: <-- exteme Carol Berg fan, RIGHT HERE!
Review: OMG! Ok peps, listen up, I havn't actually read this book, but Carol Berg is completely the most amazing author I've ever read. Better than Tolkein. Well, it's just her style that makes her so unique and different. Her characters are just...amazing. And the plot is twisty. OH...her writing is undescribable. Her other two books were SO good, alright, *points* I'm going. Must go buy book NOW. And if you're an intellegent person, you'll do the same! But seriously, this book is worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: superlative
Review: One should never judge a book by its cover, but I must admit it was the cover that attracted my attention as I was sailing past the Fantasy section and on my way to my usual haunt in Science Fiction. I picked it up and randomly selected a page. Excellent writing, well crafted dialogue and complex characters appeared as I started to read this book right there in the store. I devoured this book in a few short days, somewhat at a loss at first because I was reading the last of a trilogy and had not read the prior installments. However, the book was so well written and so compelling in its characters and their conflicts, internal and external, that I could not put it down. I do not usually care for Fantasy but I am now a fan of Carol Berg, who has written a superlative story here. I have now ordered the two earlier episodes of this trilogy and I'm counting the days until they arrive.

Rating:
Summary: Strong outer space tale
Review: Seyonne is an Ezzarian, a race of people who acknowledge that some of them possess mylydda or sorcery and those who do are obligated to fight the demons. Those that have the magic are called Wardens but Seyonne is outlawed from his own kind because he allowed the demon Denas into his own body, for he senses the demon war his people have been fighting is wrong.

As a slave for sixteen years in the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne became acquainted and saved the life of Prince Aleksander, heir to the throne. As a result of his actions, the Prince freed Seyonne from his bondage and a friendship was struck. He now learns of a threat to unseat the Prince and rushes to his side to save him even though Aleksander lost his kingdom. While the Prince seeks to regain what he has lost, Seyonne must make a long physical and spiritual journey to confront what he fears most.

RESTORATION answers all the questions from the first two books in the series (TRANSFORMATION and REVELATION) to the readers' satisfaction. The protagonist is a true hero, one who does what is right even when he is very scared that he will come to great harm. The world Carol Berg has invented is a very complex orb that fans will enjoy visiting.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Series
Review: This is Book Three in a three book series. I loved this series and read the last page with a deep sigh and half a tear. I don't usually like such moody, melodramatic, tortured-soul writing, but Carol Berg does it extremely well and I was captivated. I highly recommend the series.