Transformation (2000)

a solid 3.5 stars. fun worldbuilding, an interesting magic system, evil demons, battles, adventure, and the angst of an epic bromance that would do Guy Gavriel Kay proud, well worth picking up. the ending, though, is just a little too perfectly neat and tidy. I always complain about annoying cliffhangers, so it's either a little ironic or a little hypocritical, but the total resolution of all tensions means I'm not sure if I'll get around to picking up the next 2 in the series. ( )

http://tinyurl.com/753yn3o

Compared to Berg's prior book that I just read, this one is about 1 million times better: more intriguing, better written, characters who matter, just everything works in this one. It makes me wonder about first novels sometimes. The author has so much more time to spend on a first novel than on any following ones-- does that often make a first novel more robust and fleshed out?

I adored this world. It's too bad I've been told that the next two in this series are really not as good as the first (yeah, well, see above paragraph). I can't decide whether I want to "ruin" the vision she gave me here. I think she's a fantastic writer, and I imagine that any misstep will already rise head over heels above the rest of the genre, but... I'll give it some time.

I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with our two main characters: Aleksander and Seyonne. They are beautifully described, as flawed as any of Berg's characters, and they almost never do the right thing in their quest to save the worlds they love. Oh, and those worlds? So flawed.

Berg is also not perfect in her plotting. There were a few, relatively minor, plot constructions that almost shouted that they were put there for the purpose of making the story work towards its end. I forgive her. Clearly the moral of all her stories is: nobody's perfect. ( )

A agree with so many other reviewers of this novel. The first half is a non-stop, can't put down story. The second half is a let down and less interesting. Almost formulaic. I would still give the book 4 stars as it is above the normal run of the mill fantasy novel. Nice first novel and a quick read on an airplane or a city bus. ( )

The characters of Transformation sucked me in from the start: the calm but spunky slave, and the spoilt but (very secretly) honourable prince. Their interaction was great, the voice in which it was told even better.

This is a story told by Seyonne, a slave since the age of 16, but he doesn't give away his past easily, it slowly unravels, depending on the will of the character to revisit it. He is bought by Zander, the prince of the Derzhi empire, and it doesn't take long to get himself in trouble.

Even though this is fantasy, there aren't elves and dwarves (and hobbits) all around. Sure there are different "races", but they are mostly different tribes. Some are different in appearance, but mostly human. Some can do magic, some can't. I liked that these different races had personality and culture of their own; their differences not a result of different physique, but of having a different history.

The central point in this story are the demons, the way they possess people and how the main character gets rid of them. I actually liked this, despite being a bit afraid at first. It isn't The Exorcist, and even if there is a lot of religion in the story as part of the cultural background, it never becomes more than that.

But, because there is always a but, the ending didn't quite work out for me. It seemed pretty tame and easy compared to all the rest, and the tying of loose threads seemed unnecessarily long. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I think it should have had a bit more of a bang to it. Despite that, it was still a pretty decent ending, just not to the level of the rest of the book

This book reads like a standalone, although it is the first in a series. I imagine that the other books take place in the same universe, but not with the same characters.

Still, it was a very enjoyable book and a keeper, even if the ending was a bit of a let down. I liked the writing a lot and will definitely check out other books by this author.

Also at Spoilers and Nuts ( )

A strong first half is somewhat let down by a more tepid second half. The writing is strong, fluid and engaging and the two main characters excellent. Again the supporting cast in the first half of the book is better than that in the second. Overall this is a good book and one certainly goes away with the desire to give the next in the trilogy a look in. Still, one does feel that it could have been a stronger book overall. ( )