Breath and Bone

October 15, 2007
Replete with magic-powered machinations, secret societies and doomsday divinations, the emotionally intense second volume of Berg’s intrigue-laden Lighthouse Duet (after 2007’s Flesh and Spirit
) concludes the story of Valen, a sorcerer who finds himself at the center of a looming conflict that could cast the realms of both humankind and the feylike Danae into a nightmarish dark age. Caught between the maneuverings of the enigmatic Osriel, bastard prince of Evanore, and apocalypse priestess Sila Diaglou, Valen must determine which perceived villain is less evil. Although billed as an epic fantasy, this duology is more accurately an intimate, character-driven journey of redemption and self-discovery. Valen’s heroic quest to unlock the secrets of his heritage and save a world from destruction suffers from languorous pacing throughout and may discourage readers who like their fantasy fast and furious, but fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Avalon sequence and Sharon Shinn will be rewarded.

December 15, 2007
As rival princes grow closer to open war over the succession to an empty throne, a rogue sorcerer's powers may hold the key to saving a dying land. Wanted by almost every figure of power, from an ambitious priestess to a bastard prince, Valen tries to fight an addiction to an enchantment that transforms pain and pleasure in order to save his world and redeem his shattered soul. The sequel to "Flesh and Spirit" builds upon the first book's events and illuminates the complex intrigues that mark the land of Navronne. Berg's lush, evocative storytelling and fully developed characters add up to a first-rate purchase for most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
When Navronne descends into war between the late king's heirs and invasion by a mad priestess, Valen, the renegade sorcerer of Flesh and Spirit (2007), is obliged by the kind of contract he had fled to Navronne to avoid. Because of it, though he wants to rescue an abducted child, destroy the abductor, and help the monks who saved his life, he's bound to serve the sadistic Prince Osriel, whose machinations make Valen crucial to much of the fate of Navronne. With powerful plotting and characters, Berg brings her two-volume yarn to a satisfying conclusion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)