Flesh and Spirit

Paperback, 512 pages

English language

Published Jan. 2, 2008 by Roc.

ISBN:
978-0-451-46156-8
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4 stars (3 reviews)

The rebellious son of a long line of pureblood cartographers and diviners, Valen has spent most of his life trying to escape what society—and his family—have ordained for him. His own mother has predicted that he will meet his doom in water, blood, and ice. Her divination seems fulfilled when a comrade abandons Valen in a rainy wilderness half-dead, addicted to an enchantment that converts pain to pleasure, and possessing only a stolen book of maps.

Offered sanctuary in a nearby monastery, Valen discovers that his book—rumored to lead men into the realm of angels—gains him entry into a world of secret societies, doomsayers, monks, princes, and madmen, all seeking to unlock the mystery of a coming dark age. To his dismay, Valen must face what he fled so long ago, for the key to Navronne's doom is buried in half-forgotten myth and the secrets of his own past...

2 editions

Review of 'Flesh and Spirit' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I picked up this book because I remembered very much enjoying Berg's writing in her first trilogy, and was not disappointed, EXCEPT that this book ended on a cliffhanger, which was VERY disappointing since I had not bought the sequel (a problem now fixed - sequel is on order).

Berg's output is impressive and I'm surprised she's not a name I see more of, because everything I've read of hers has been well-written and had interesting characters. This book features Magnus Valentia de Cartamandua-Celestine, aka Valen, a pureborn sorceror who has rebelled against his abusive family, renounced his magic, and fled to live in poverty and anonymity. Taking shelter in a monastery with his only remaining possession, a book of maps that the dyslexic Valen can't even read, he finds himself unexpectedly caught up in the battle between the recently deceased King Eodward's would-be successors and the mysterious fairy-like lands …

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4 stars
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5 stars

Subjects

  • Fantasy - General
  • Fiction / Fantasy / General
  • Fiction
  • Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction
  • Fantasy