Transformation by Carol Berg

[cheri]

I don't think it's possible for me to convey how much I love this book. There isn't really a rating system to do it justice. Transformation is the first book of a trilogy ... the other books are ok, but I would actually recommend this one as a stand alone. It's the story of a slave who has to decide whether to risk his life to save the sanity of the man who holds his chains ... a man who will someday rule over a brutal empire. I don't really even know how to describe it more fully without giving things away. The characters are compelling, the writing is superlative, and the story is emotionally gripping. The relationship between the two main characters is beautifully developed ... a moving depiction of a friendship that confounds social expectations. I've read it four or five times and I still consider it one of the five best books I've ever read. It's serious fantasy, and contains some subjects that might be inappropriate for younger teens. No explicit scenes, but explicit language and vivid descriptions of the horrors of slavery.