Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Book Rec: The Daemon Prism (Carol Berg)


This week’s rec is for The Daemon Prism, released last month, the third (and final) novel in Carol Berg’s wonderful Collegia Magica series.  So hey, all you epic fantasy fans who are leery of reading series until the final book’s out, run go buy all three Collegia Magica books: The Spirit Lens, The Soul Mirror, and The Daemon Prism.  

I could rave all day about the twisty plots and wonderfully detailed worldbuilding, but really, it’s Berg's characters that truly hook me.  She does such a stellar job of writing characters that feel utterly real – and then putting them through hell to explore the deepest parts of their psyche.  Each of the Collegia Magica books is told from a different primary first-person narrator’s perspective (though in this third novel, the primary perspective is mixed with perspectives from previous narrators as well).  The narrators are hugely different people, both in personality and background, and Berg handles their different voices with aplomb.  

I was particularly excited for The Daemon Prism since it’s largely told from the POV of a character who’s been a bit of an enigma in the preceding two novels.   It’s a terrific conclusion to the series, full of adventure and tension and pitch-perfect emotional moments.  It kills me that Berg doesn’t have a wider readership in fantasy circles, especially given her steady output of excellent novels like this one.  If you like fantasy and you haven’t read her novels, you simply must give them a try.  

3 comments:

  1. I am so excited about this. A little more work to do then diving in.

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  2. I hadn't heard of these books before I saw your blog post, but now I feel like I've really been missing out! I'm going to have to track down this series and give it a read; it sounds quite interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  3. Maz - yay! The Daemon Prism will make a great reward. :)

    Ria - oh gosh, yes, you've been missing out if you haven't read any Berg novels! My absolute favorites of hers are the Lighthouse Duet books (Flesh & Spirit/ Breath & Bone), but her Rai-Kirah series (Transformation / Revelation / Restoration) are all excellent, just like the Collegia Magica books, and her Bridge of D'Arnath quartet is also great...oh heck, I love pretty much everything she's written. If my blog post inspires you to read any of her novels, then this whole blogging thing is totally worth it. :)

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