Carol Berg Books In Order

Publication Order of Books of the Rai-kirah Books

Publication Order of The Bridge of D'Arnath Books

Publication Order of Chimera Books

Publication Order of Valen Books

Publication Order of Collegia Magica Books

Publication Order of The Sanctuary Duet Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Carol Berg is an American author of fantasy and science fiction books. She is a Rice University graduate in mathematics and computer science graduate from the University of Colorado. Before switching to full-time writing, Berg worked as a software engineer. She now lives in Colorado.

Transformation

Transformation is the first book in Rai-Kirah series. The Derzhi Empire conquered all the countries around them, enslaved all the people and did every villainous thing they could. Derzhi is a race of warriors which rules for many years and has been successful and expanding their territories, considering that their main home is a desert. Being a warrior race, all that they care about is battles, conquering new territories, and ruling them. Other things that we consider important in the modern world such as literacy and anything related are considered as an embarrassment, and so they give such tasks to their slaves.

However, the Derzhi are not the evilest people in the world. A couple of years ago, they conquered Ezzaria, a country of wizards who were the only people capable of fighting a more serious evil than the Derzhi. Many of their people have been murdered or enslaved, their powers suppressed, and the only remaining of their race is now hidden in a new location, fighting the demons that will conquer the whole world if their plan succeeds. The story is narrated by Seyonne, a slave who has lost everything close to him and spent more than a decade in slavery. The other main character in the story is Prince Aleksander, Seyonne’s master. The prince is the hair to the Derzhi Empire, who is introduced to the reader through the eyes of Seyonne.

The story opens up with the Prince purchasing Seyonne from an auction because he is literate and would be useful to write on behalf of the slave. Seyonne has spent most of his life in slavery such that he wanted only to live in the present, forgetting all the memories of his past at the hands of cruel masters. One point in his life, he was a warrior magician and a demon hunter, but after he was taken to captivity, he was stripped off his powers. The memories of his life only bring him more pain and do whatever he can to forget everything. The prince is a cruel master; he’s selfish and short-tempered meaning he can go into an anger spree unleashing his anger to Seyonne.

However, one day, a Khelid delegate from the nation which had their king executed for them to join the Derzhi comes to the court and Seyonne luckily notices the presence of a demon in the emissary. To Seyonne’s horror, the Prince is the target of the demon and at the same time the person who Seyonne’s country has been searching for. Therefore, Seyonne must prevent the prince from becoming the demon’s victim. But how can he protect the man who has hurt him on so many occasions, a man who doesn’t believe in the existence of demons? But if he lets the demon achieve what it wanted, the entire world may be destroyed.
Carol Berg has done a fantastic job in creating engaging main and secondary characters. It’s through the eyes of the main character, Seyonne that the reader learns about everything about Derzhi. The narrator is the kind of man who struggles in a world full of cruelty. But after he makes a decision, he tries to follow the course of his decision until the very end. But when his archenemy appears close to him, his sense of duty revives. His nation fought the demon years ago and let the demon get what it wants is crueler than any sort of punishment he’s received before — his acts of saving the prince result in more than he had bargained for.

Aleksander is also the main character in this book. He’s as evil as his father. Something grabs his attention- he discovers that Seyonne isn’t afraid of him despite having unleashed his anger on him previously. His interest in Seyonne spikes up and soon finds himself wanting to know how Seyonne’s mind works. The prince is a callous and ruthless to people. He is the type of person who acts first and thinks later, always makes rushed decisions.

Son of Avonar

Son of Avonar is the first book in The Bridge of D’Arnath series by Carol Berg. Lady Seriana exiles herself from everything she knows and accustomed to for a good reason without hesitation. Her husband was tortured and killed for allegations of being a sorcerer and their friends as well. The only reason she wasn’t killed was that her brother Tomas saved her life. However, he did kill her newborn baby. After all the suffering, getting far away from the city is the only option left for her.

After a decade living in a cottage upcountry, wearing the same clothes every day and eating what she can grow, her quiet and peaceful living is soon interrupted after a man shows up at her home. The man is naked, injured, and doesn’t remember anything. He’s fleeing from fleeing from Darzid and Zhid people from another world. Reluctantly, she helps the man, investing that he isn’t a horse thief, she soon steps over from getting rid of him to choosing to help him, determined that the man would not follow the same path as her husband. But what she soon learns about the man past sparks a whole new list of endless question and sparks deep in her a cruel hope.

Son of Avonar is narrated from Seri’s perspective and often jumps from the present to the past as the narrator explains her current self and her former self. Through her narration, the reader is able to get a better understanding of Seri’s life, learn more about her husband and how he was murdered. The world Carol Berg has created is real and cruel as the world we live in too. The story is fast paced, with plenty of action to the very end.