If you like sexy, tormented, demon-possessed men, then this series is for you.
I'd read the first two (Transformation and Revelation) quite a few years ago, so it took me a little bit to get into it, as it all came back to me.
The book follows the same protagonist, Seyonne, as he struggles to integrate the man he is with the demon inside him. Meanwhile, he supports his friend and king, Aleksander, through a political coup that deposes him...
I remembered absolutely loving the first two books. I liked this one as well (as I've liked everything I've read by Carol Berg), but it wasn't without flaws. Seyonne has absolute faith that Aleksander is a great leader, destined for great things. But in this book, seriously, he seems rather dumb and shortsighted, constantly letting emotion (and his short temper) rather than logic guide his decisions. I didn't see him as a potentially great king, or worthy of Seyonne's total loyalty.
This is a very unusual thing for me to say, but I also wished there was more romance throughout the book. I feel like it would have fit in. Instead, it's got a romantic interest just tacked on to the end, with absolutely no emotional build-up to it. I felt it was a missed opportunity. Instead, the main focus is on Seyonne's personal struggle to make decisions between power and human concerns, which are largely symbolized by his infant son, who isn't even realized as a character - he's just a 'baby.' Babies don't interest me much, so I felt a lack of involvement there. It's nice to see a man in a 'father' role, but even if there are reasons given, he's a pretty crappy dad. So yeah, I could have used more romance than a couple of lines bewailing the loss of the wife who tried to murder him.
This was another excellent book by Carol Berg. It is the last book in the Rai Kirah Trilogy following Seyonne and Prince Aleksander (1st- Transformation, 2nd- Revelation). In every one of her series she has such amazing character development and vivid descriptions of settings and cultures that you can really picture a day in life of their world as well as the adventures presented. You should be able to do this with any good fantasy novel, but few authors achieve it to the depth and ease that Carol Berg does. I would also highly recommend her Collegia Magica series, Lighthouse Duet, and Bridge of D'Arnath series).
This is the third book of Berg's sword and sorcery trilogy, preceded by TRANSFORMATION and REVELATION. There are all kinds of twists and turns in this plot, and it seems as if nothing is what it appears to be. And the questions the hero has to cope with---What are the proper uses of power? If it's offered to you, should you always take it? What if you can save the world but lose own your mind or soul?
From back cover: By the time Seyonne survived 16 years of slavery, reclaimed his life, and watched it slip away again, he had undeniable efidence of the gods. Now, exiled from his homeland, he is left to face the demon inside his soul. Meanwhile, the Hamraschi (clan) have sworn to destroy Prince Aleksander and anyone who shelters the deposed Prince. Assassins abound. And when Seyonne journeys across the borders of the world to finally confront his own haunted dreams and put them to rest, he discovers instead something both unreservedly terrifying and thrilling. Soon he will become all that he ever feared . . .
