Berg - The Lighthouse Duet review

The Lighthouse Duet by Carol Berg consists of the two novels Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone. The pair of novels won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 2009.

The land of Navronne is in the midst of a civil war. King Eodward is dead, and two of his sons (Bayard and Perryn) are fighting for control while the third son (Osriel, a sorcerer thought to be at least half-demon) remains neutral. To make things worse, a former priestess (Sila Diaglou) is leading a band known as the Harrowers who want to destroy human society and return to a state of wild nature.

The main character is a 'pureblood' Aurellian man named Valen. As a pureblood, Valen should be a talented sorcerer, but his talents are meagre. He has talent in his magical-mapping family's tradition. He can find his way through the world and find lost places and people, but he can do little else. Valen is afflicted by a mysterious disease that causes pain and madness. For the previous 13 years, he has controlled the disease through a dangerous, magical drug and has become an addict. To complicate matters more, he has been on the run for that entire time, avoiding the slave-like (though elevated) role that purebloods play in society. The story is written in first-person through Valen's eyes.

When the tale begins, Valen is seriously injured and in danger of dying. His companion, Boreas, leaves him in a ditch near an abbey claiming the monks are Valen's only hope for life. Boreas takes everything of value the pair has, except for a book of maps created by Valen's grandfather, Janus de Cartamandua. The monks find Valen and take him inside the abbey of Gillarine.

While in Gillarine, Valen discovers some very strange goings-on. Some of the monks seemed to be involved in a secret cabal that includes one of the demon-prince Osriel's main noblemen. They are very interested in Valen's book and how it can be used. Slowly, the cabal brings Valen ino their order.

The first book started very slowly. I actually started reading it last autumn and put it down to read some things that captured my interest more easily. I picked it up again just before the new year and almost immediately became absorbed in the story.

Considering this is a fantasy in which maps and location play such a central role, it greatly amused me that this book did not contain a map!


/ [Viking]

   More book reviews