Flesh and Spirit

Flesh and Spirit, by Carol Berg

This book was given to me in the form of an uncorrected proof by an editor who did not have time to read all the stuff his publishers were sending to him. It then sat on my shelf until long after the book's sequel had been published, because I also do not have the time to read all the books I own. I finally guilted myself into reading it, and found a treasure.

In general, I tend to avoid books that talk about casting spells and using magic, simply because I feel I can't relate to the character when they use magic, because I don't know what its like. However, the main character, Valen, had forsaken his "magical" heritage and tried to live as an ordinary man, with the exception of a few spells now and then to make his life easier. After a near-death experience, he finds himself living in hiding as a monk, and uncovering secrets about the end of the world. I am all about characters being undercover, and being undercover in a medieval magic novel is even better.

The book ends without resolving the major problem (impending disaster and the end of the world) but that is to be expected since it is, after all, a series and not a stand-alone book. As far as medieval fantasy novels go, this one is pretty good and I would recommend it to anyone who likes that genre.