Interview with Carol Berg

Ezzarian life was very much in the background of TRANSFORMATION. Will Seyonne's people feature more prominently in the new book?
A great deal more. Seyonne has come home to Ezzaria, ready to take up the life he dared not dream of when he was a slave -- a life of duty and honour and family in the land that he loves. But as so many of us discover, you can't go back. His experiences in the world cause him to view his people and their life from a new perspective, and he begins to question their rigid beliefs. He has become an outsider in some sense, and though he still has faith in the work they do, he believes they need to reexamine their ways. This isn't very popular with the Ezzarian traditionalists. When events keep pointing out their glaring ignorance as to their own history, Seyonne embarks upon his journey of discovery. REVELATION is really the Ezzarians' story.

The history of Seyonne's race isn't a particularly happy one. Were the trials of the Ezzarians based on the sufferings of any particular real-world nation?
No. Not any particular nation. But examples abound throughout history of complacent, isolated countries being overrun by tyrants.

Your portrayal of Seyonne in TRANSFORMATION was incredibly convincing. Was there anything you found difficult about writing from a male perspective?
It is very gratifying to hear that readers, especially male readers, feel this way about Seyonne. I tried to sketch his character in my mind -- intelligent, compassionate, a natural introvert with great self-confidence -- and then I worked very hard at considering how such a person would react to the circumstances of Seyonne's history. I suppose the most difficult part was to avoid male cliches and stereotypes, especially of the "action hero" figure, without going too far in the other direction and having an "anti-action-hero", like the negative of a photograph. Seyonne is a warrior, after all, and very good at what he does, so I couldn't have him be a "sensitive new-age guy". And he is not a natural rebel, which makes things even harder in REVELATION. Keeping him in balance was important.
Here's an example. Someone challenged me that "a man would never notice the beautiful scenery". I answered that Seyonne grew up in a country of great natural beauty. His father, a scholarly man who had no melydda, worked outdoors and was content with it. He took Seyonne to the fields with him every day before Seyonne started school. It is not unlikely that such a man would instill the love of beauty and nature in his son. Plus Seyonne's warrior's training required him to be observant. (That's one reason he makes a good narrator.)

Seyonne and Aleksander are such contrasting characters, though both have extraordinarily strong wills. Are there aspects of Carol Berg in both characters? Wow, this is a loaded question. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that there are aspects of both characters that I aspire to. I am probably more naturally akin to Seyonne's introverted nature, and his proclivity to think things through -- sometimes too much. I've never been known to be particularly strong-willed, though perhaps I'm developing it as the years pass!

How long will we have to wait for the final book in the trilogy? Can you give us any clues as to the content (without giving too much away about Revelation!)?
RESTORATION should be on schedule for publication in Autumn 2002.
In RESTORATION, both Aleksander and Seyonne find themselves in trouble (what else?). Aleksander still has a lot to learn about people and kingship. Drastic changes occur in the Derzhi Empire, and Aleksander must find his destiny, the promise of the feadnach that Seyonne has seen in him. For his part, besides helping Aleksander cope with disaster, Seyonne will have to confront the consequences of his decision made at the end of REVELATION and the meaning of his visions, as well as the true threat behind the history of the rai-kirah. War, visions, assassins, oracles, dreams, a prison fortress, storms, narrow escapes, a ghostly woman in green, madness, gods, myths, and even a bit of romance... Is that enough clues?

Will you stay in the world of the Rai-Kirah for future books, or are you hoping to explore new territories?
I have a totally different world in mind for my next books. But I am also considering an idea for another story set in the world of the Rai-kirah, taking place long before the events of these three, even before the demon war and the Derzhi Empire.