REVELATION
Book II of The Rai-Kirah
by Carol Berg
(Orbit) Little, Brown - August 2001
ISBN 1841490768 - Paperback
Adult / Fantasy
Some violence

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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When I first opened this book I couldn't believe that it would be the equal of the excellent and gripping Transformation. I feared that it would suffer from what I call "Book Two Syndrome" which is when the middle novel of a trilogy treads water, rehashinig a lot of what has gone before in the first book and keeping the story warm before the grand finale at the end of the final tome. But I was very wrong - it wasn't merely the equal of the first part it was actually BETTER! Seyonne is now free and living in Ezzaria but he still isn't trusted and has been appointed a guard, a young woman called Fiona who hates him and is waiting for him to let slip that he is possessed by a demon. During one confrontation with a possessed subject Seyonne is amazed to find that instead of the usual ravening beast he encounters a pleasant, friendly being who merely wants to experience what having a human body is like. Have the Ezzarians been wrong all these years, and why are there no records existing from before about a thousand years ago with not even a folktale to illuminate what happened prior to that? Seyonne will have to befriend enemies, make enemies of friends and a whole lot more before he comes to the final shattering answer.now read on!

Strong characters, most of the clichés of fantasy fiction broken and a barrage of thrilling adventures and nail-biting edge-of-the-seat escapades tumble over each other in the pages of this book. If Carol Berg is going to keep up this high standard then move over David Eddings and Tad Williams. If you are tired of dungeons and dragons this may feature their close cousins but a whole lot more besides. When is the third part coming out?

Don't keep us poor readers waiting too long!