SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi all. I've been trying to remember a fantasy series I read back in 2008, but both the author and the titles have slipped my mind! I hate feeling old age creeping ever closer, its presence only revealed by moments like this...

I know it was a trilogy, and I am fairly certain it was a female writer. The first book opens from the point of view of a slave. He is the last member of his race, which was a race capable of magic and was slaughtered out of fear. He is sold to a prince, (or some similar type of lord), and the slave tender does not approve. To express his disapproval, he brands the slave on the face instead of the shoulder. The resulting damage leads to an illness that almost costs the slave his life, and wins him a good deal of sympathy from the prince. Later on in the story, the prince has need of the slave's arcane knowledge, especially after he falls under a curse that transforms him into a bloodthirsty beast.

So, ring any bells? I've tried doing some searches, but without a unique word from the story I haven't been having any luck.

Thanks in advance! - Damien Lake (Chronicles of the Crimson Kings)

Is it the Transformation trilogy by Carol Berg?

(awful cover, wonderful book)

For sure Transformation - I just reread it last month.

yup-sounds like Carol Berg's Rai-Kirah series

Ah, bingo! For some reason I was convinced I found those books deeper into the fantasy shelves at B&N, so the last name starting with a "B" didn't seem right. If I could have just remembered the name Rai-Kirah, that would have done the trick. Now I can finally re-buy a copy of the trilogy since the old ones got accidentally included in a few shopping bags full of books being donated. Thanks everyone!
-Damien Lake (Chronicles of the Crimson Kings)

That is an awful cover and I never would have picked it up on my own. The description sounds awesome though. I must try it.

Sarah wrote: "That is an awful cover and I never would have picked it up on my own. The description sounds awesome though. I must try it."

Sarah, the cover of my Aus/NZ paper copies were even worse!

Kerry wrote: . "Sarah, the cover of my Aus/NZ paper copies were even w..."

Haha! You're so much at the mercy of the publisher! There are some terrible ones out there.

Sarah wrote: "That is an awful cover and I never would have picked it up on my own. The description sounds awesome though. I must try it."

The covers of the other two books in the series are much better.


I think maybe Transformation was her first published work so they were testing, and when the cover didn't kill the book they decided to keep her on contract and start giving her better covers :-P just kidding, I have no idea, but it's the only possible explanation for that cover.

Amazing series, definitely on my read-again list. I love all of Carol Berg's work.

Of course. my library has the second book but not 1 and 3. What are they teaching librarians these days? Thriftbooks, here I come.

Well, I hope my simple question led to you finding a new enjoyable series. I certainly want to read it again some day. As for the cover designs, without checking a lot of facts I don't much feel like looking up, I suspect that what happened is an art director at the publisher left the company or was fired after the first book, and a new art director handled the others. - Damien Lake (Chronicles of the Crimson Kings)