Restoration (Rai Kirah Trilogy: Book 3)

A Fantasy Series Book Review

By Carol Berg

Genre: Epic Fantasy series, Hero, Sorcerers, Adult
ISBN: 0451458907
Publisher: Roc (August 6, 2002)
Paperback: 480 pages
Excerpt

Author's Blurb:

In the Third Book of the Rai-kirah, Seyonne is besieged by doubt, madness, and visions that insist that he will destroy the world. Even his steadfast hope, that somehow Prince Aleksander is destined for greatness, seems doomed. For a royal murder sends Aleksander on the run as the Derzhi Empire crumbles around him. Faith, friendship, gods and demons drive sorcerer and prince to the final battle of the demon war--each man facing an opponent he could never have imagined.

I have a love/hate relationship going on with this book. I loved the premise behind the origins of the demons. I hated the pacing of the story. I also found myself missing the connections I had felt to the secondary characters in the previous books. Aleksander has a very important role to play in this story but I could not seem to care about anything he did. Fiona, Seyonne's shadow, is relegated to a small role, we barely get a few glimpses of Seyonne's son, and even Blaise seemed less real. Being as I am more of a character loving reader then a plot one, I was very disappointed by this. The other thing that bugged me was how events would happen; closing a chapter in a dramatic way, then that was it. It was like watching a cliffhanger scene right before a commercial, then after the commercial, the scene completely changes and you are left going "what?" I will give you a vague example so I do not give anything away. Seyonne causes the death of a compatriot during a battle due to a huge misjudgment on his part. The chapter ends with a very poignant and touching display of grief, but leaves you wondering how the events turned out, who else died, who else survived, whether or not the battle was successful or failed, how did his friends react to his mistake. In terms of well-written drama, it is one of the best scenes in the book, but it left out too much information in the process. (Note: you do find out some of the answers but much much later and they are treated as a minor part of an unrelated discussion long after you stop even wondering about that part of the story.)

OK, enough with the gripes. The good stuff. Carol Berg does a great job with writing in first person, something that takes true talent to pull off. Her imaginative way of dealing with demons is delightful and I equally loved the challenges she puts in Seyonne's path. She successfully explores the pitfalls of absolute power and pushes the boundaries of loyalty and trust. She is a master of surprise, that is one of my greatest joys in this story, you know that nothing is ever exactly as it appears. That knowledge keeps you turning pages, wanting to know more, waiting to see what revelation will occur next. Then Carol Berg wraps everything up in a heartwarming and satisfactory way. She excels in making evil not so evil and good not so clear-cut either. Her heroes do bad things for good reasons, make mistakes and reap the consequences, and celebrate triumphs tempered by tragedy.

The characters are adults dealing with adult issues; the violence at times is over the top. For this reason, I have tagged this as an adult read. However, aside from the graphic torture and bloody battle scenes, there is no teen objectionable material to be found. If sporadic graphic violence does not bother you, I recommend this series for almost anyone who loves fantasy, especially if you like reading something that is different. Definitely an author who will be worth watching for many years to come.

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Shelfari Rating 4+/5 Librarything Rating 4.1/5 Amazon Rating 4+ out of 5 stars (34 Customer Reviews) What Should I Read Next?

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Read the interview Phase 5 did with Carol Berg about the Rai Kirah Trilogy