This classic coming-of-age fantasy is told with a twist -- and it's already gathering praise for its unique voice and imagination...
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reviews
Dec 16, 2009
Punk
rated it: 
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 pr More...
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 pr More...
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Sep 26, 2007
Louise
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
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Jun 04, 2007
Trin
rated it: 
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, an
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(3 people liked it)
Dec 28, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
Given how much I loved this book when I first read it, I wonder why it's taken me until now to do another read of it. This book is essentially a fantasy version of Alexander the Great's life, told from his slave's perspective. In many ways, I wish that Berg had either deviated more from the Alexander story or made it even more apparent, rather than thinly veiling that it's Alexander's story.
In Transformation, Seyonne battles his own hopeless situation-- his slavery, his people who woul More...
In Transformation, Seyonne battles his own hopeless situation-- his slavery, his people who woul More...
Oct 16, 2011
Megan
rated it:
(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 More...
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 More...
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Jan 08, 2011
Sueij
rated it:
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 o More...
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 o More...
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Sep 26, 2010
Natalie
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 25, 2010
Lynn
rated it:
Everything starts somewhere and Carol Berg's novels start with Transformation. Despite being 438 pages long (in the Roc mass market) and the first volume of a trilogy that promises to a world-changing confrontation of good v. evil, Transformation's really an intimate story of an evolving friendship between a silver-spoon prince (bearing the requisite hidden, unexpected mark of greatness) and a slave so consumed by survival, cynicism, and despair that he no longer recalls his own past. There's
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May 18, 2010
Kelley
rated it:
It's been years since I read this book. I was still in high school. I remember reading it straight through lunch and then under my desk during class. I remember getting close to the climax during my ride home from school and rushing from the bus to my bedroom so I could lock myself in and finish reading the book undisturbed.
It stand out in my mind as a book I was caught completely off guard by. Something I bought at random that ended up sucking me in wholly and had me flipping pages More...
It stand out in my mind as a book I was caught completely off guard by. Something I bought at random that ended up sucking me in wholly and had me flipping pages More...
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Mar 24, 2010
Lymsleia
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
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Mar 12, 2010
Phoenixfalls
rated it:
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 revie More...
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 revie More...
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 07, 2009
Andreea
rated it:
After reading "Flesh and Spirit" and "Breath and Bone" by the same author, I decided Carol Berg was a genius of the English language and that I would read every single one of her books. The list is by no means short, considering also that each book is roughly 500 pages, but that only makes me happier. Her writing is just THAT fascinating.
I was so happy to find that the unique writing wasn't just for the previous series I read. After the first few sentences, I thou More...
I was so happy to find that the unique writing wasn't just for the previous series I read. After the first few sentences, I thou More...
Jun 08, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
When I was at Mysterious Galaxy buying another book, Kate recognized me from one of my UCSD classes. We got to talking about character driven fiction and she recommended Transformation. Going into it, it had two strikes against it. 1)The cover is terrible. It looks like an angel book which makes me want to barf. 2)Kate told me it was "thinly veiled 'other world' Alexander the Great." Ugh. Someone who wanted to write historical fiction but got lazy and didn't want to rewrite. However, K
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 04, 2011
Leah
rated it:
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 rel More...
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 rel More...
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Jan 30, 2010
Petra
rated it:
I loved this book, perhaps from page one. I began reading it an evening and at the afternoon the day after I had finished it, it was simply impossible for me to put it down. This is the first book by Carol Berg that I have read, and I'm suprised about how much I loved it. Her name is one that has been following me around, but I have never come around to by one of her books, but I'm so glad I finally did!
I felt it was really thoroughly written, but perhaps the parts about magic needed s More...
I felt it was really thoroughly written, but perhaps the parts about magic needed s More...
Feb 24, 2009
Rebecca
rated it:
I'd say the best reason to read this is for its characters. The protagonist is Seyonne, a man who was once a magical-warrior prodigy and the shining star of his demon-hunting people before they got their butts kicked and he was captured on the battlefield, stripped of his magic, and sold into slavery for sixteen long years. Seyonne thinks that he's pretty much crushed all hope of being anything more than a slave and is just trying to survive as many days as he can, though he has a bare few poi
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 10, 2011
Stuart
rated it:
This is a great book! For some reason, I read the second book in the series (Revelation) first. In an unusual turn-up for trilogies, it did not spoil this first book for me at all.
Strangely, by having already explained how the hero (Seyonne) fights demons, it may even have helped with the understanding of this first book, because when we first meet Seyonne, he has lost all his magic demon-fighting power. Because I had read the second book, I could feel what that meant to him. I’ More...
Strangely, by having already explained how the hero (Seyonne) fights demons, it may even have helped with the understanding of this first book, because when we first meet Seyonne, he has lost all his magic demon-fighting power. Because I had read the second book, I could feel what that meant to him. I’ More...
Aug 03, 2011
Joey
rated it:
I finished up Carol Berg's Transformation this morning. I found it to be a very good read. It's 1st person, secondary world fantasy. The first half of the book centers around the relationship between a slave and the arrogant, nasty, abusive prince that owns him. The title is apt in that many things transform over the course of the novel, from the relationship between the two men to the core of the characters themselves. There are also other sorts of changes going around that I won't mention in s
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Apr 14, 2010
Lynne
rated it:
Again, Berg's plotting and pacing are superb. We get just enough of Seyonne's past to know what a gifted Warden he was; the flashbacks serve as a stark contrast to his life as a slave, as well as explaining Ezzarian magic and culture. This is the fifth of her books that I've read, and I am still impressed by how well she sets up her story. I'm in the middle of the book thinking, "okay, this can go any one of ten ways and any of them would be awesome and/or logical." I'm picky and not
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Jul 15, 2011
Cecile
rated it:
I didn't think much of this book when I picked it up on sale in a book store. But when I started to read it, I couldn't put it down, except to eat or sleep. And now that I've already finished it, I can't believe it's been less than two days. I hope I can find the following books, even if this one can stand on its own.
Seyonne, the main character, who's also the narrator, has been a slave for years when he is bought by the Derzhi Prince for his reading and writing skills. A learned yet s More...
Seyonne, the main character, who's also the narrator, has been a slave for years when he is bought by the Derzhi Prince for his reading and writing skills. A learned yet s More...
Jun 30, 2010
Kayleigh
rated it:
I love Berg's characterizations. Rather than using the "blank slate" technique (found in so many other works of fantasy) of introducing a young, handsome and untried hero whose character and personality are formed by the quest they undertake, Berg's protagonists always have a past, along with the knowledge and the scars (both physical and mental) gained through life's experiences. They are not perfect, nor are they necessarily faster, stronger, or more talented than the other characte
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Aug 11, 2011
Karen
rated it:
A good friend gifted this e-book to me. It's not one that I would have picked out for myself -- but I'm very glad it came my way!
Carol Berg is a very lovely writer, evoking character and scene very well. This is fantasy fiction, but not of the 'life on other planets' sort. I consider it more like a parallel universe novel, taking place at an indeterminate time in Earth-like environments and cultures. The plotline contains an additional parallel world where spiritually/magically trained More...
Carol Berg is a very lovely writer, evoking character and scene very well. This is fantasy fiction, but not of the 'life on other planets' sort. I consider it more like a parallel universe novel, taking place at an indeterminate time in Earth-like environments and cultures. The plotline contains an additional parallel world where spiritually/magically trained More...
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Jan 21, 2009
Ricky
rated it:
I really liked this series from the start. It had an interesting character and some intriguing ideas and settings. While the cover put me off a bit, it wasn't too bad so long as I read it where others wouldn't catch me reading it.
The first book in this series was pretty good, it's just sad that the 2nd and 3rd books didn't live up to their potential.
Basically you have a slave who serves a harsh bastard master, but for some reason believes the asshole is destined to be g More...
The first book in this series was pretty good, it's just sad that the 2nd and 3rd books didn't live up to their potential.
Basically you have a slave who serves a harsh bastard master, but for some reason believes the asshole is destined to be g More...
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Sep 27, 2011
Sarah
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This was one of those books I kind of started with, 'Well, it's all right...' and then grew to like it much more. I liked the characters, although it seems that a lot of the books I like have male-centred characters. I'm not sure why that is... I seem to prefer first-person male characters to female characters.
Ahem. Anyway. I don't want to give too much away of this story for those who haven't read it, but I liked the characters. They didn't seem one-dimensional to me and there were More...
Ahem. Anyway. I don't want to give too much away of this story for those who haven't read it, but I liked the characters. They didn't seem one-dimensional to me and there were More...
Apr 15, 2007
Barbara
rated it:
I think because I'd read the second of this trilogy first, I didn't enjoy this first one as much, b/c I had a good idea what was going to happen to the protagonist. Still incredibly well-written and worth reading.
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Nov 10, 2011
Maurielle
rated it:
This is one of those books that just grabbed me from the first line and didn't let go until it was over. The world created in "Transformation" is fresh, original, and dark. The relationships are complicated and interesting and I loved reading the progressing character arcs of Aleksander and Seyonne. They were real people with hopes and dreams, faults and flaws.
Usually I need space after reading a book before I can read it again. Most of the time this space involves years, More...
Usually I need space after reading a book before I can read it again. Most of the time this space involves years, More...
May 05, 2009
Nathan
rated it:
I picked this book (and the next two in the series) up on a whim from the local bookstore as a "dinner read". I was hooked enough that I stayed longer than I usually would at dinner. I also took it to bed with me and stayed up way too late to finish it.
Gripping characters, interesting plot, and a well developed world that actually makes sense. I like the battle between good and evil premise of the book, especially the (admittedly small) parts about needing to maintain a More...
Gripping characters, interesting plot, and a well developed world that actually makes sense. I like the battle between good and evil premise of the book, especially the (admittedly small) parts about needing to maintain a More...
Aug 18, 2011
Stéphanie
rated it:
Une excellente surprise ! Je ne pensais pas que ce livre me plairait autant ! Les personnages sont très attachants et l'univers est intéressant et bien décrit. Mon seul regret concerne la relation entre Alksander et Seyonne. Celle-ci est vraiment intense et bien développée, mais il n'y a qu'à voir leurs gestes et leurs paroles pour comprendre qu'il s'agit d'amour !! Alors pourquoi l'auteure ne franchit-elle jamais le pas ? Elle essaye plutôt de développer une intrigue amoureuse avec des person
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Feb 23, 2010
Jenn
rated it: 
At the beginning this book felt like a bad fantasy rehash of Mary Renault's The Persian Boy. Then Berg wandered off into her own territory and it got more interesting. None of the characters are as sympathetic as those in her Lighthouse Duet, and the book suffers from the comparisson. I'll read the next two in the trilogy because I got the whole thing for free, but I'm glad that the bookstore I checked didn't have them in stock when I went looking. I hope the next two novels explore the more int
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