The Spirit Lens

by Carol Berg

Overview

As a kingdom hangs in the balance, a librarian investigates an attempted murder in this quasi-Renaissance epic fantasy trilogy debut.

The power of magic is declining in Sabria. Natural science is overtaking sorcery, placing the kingdom on the verge of a renaissance and stirring up potential for a bloody rivalry . . . 

Portier de Savin-Duplais once dreamed of being a great mage, but not having any talent for magic forced him to consider a different option. As a librarian at Sabria’s last Collegia Magica, he is at least able to find solace in scholarship. And now, thanks to his studies, the chance for greatness may be at hand—the King of Sabria needs Portier’s help. 

Someone tried to kill the king, and evidence implicates ties to magic. Portier is tasked with rooting out the mysterious enemy. But to do so, he must team up with a foolish dandy from the royal court and a brilliant, yet dangerously irascible, mage. Together the trio must navigate a treacherous landscape of conspiracy, betrayal, unholy magic, and murder if they hope to save the king and prevent an even bloodier war . . .

“[A] superbly realized leadoff to Berg’s quasi-Renaissance fantasy trilogy. . . . Berg shapes the well-worn elements of epic fantasy into a lush, absorbing narrative. Even her minor characters, caught up in fiendish plots and deathly secrets, ring regally true, and Portier oscillates between rueful, reluctant, ethics-bending service and painful but necessary revelations while his old world collapses and a new one struggles to be born.” —Publishers Weekly(starred review)

“An infectiously enjoyable series opener that fans of thought-provoking fantasy and intriguing mystery should appreciate.” —Library Journal

“An archetypal mystery and a genuine page-turner that should please both mystery and fantasy fans.” —Booklist 

“Berg is a master world builder that novice fantasy authors would do well to study. Her characters are well rounded, and her created environment becomes as familiar as one’s own backyard. The fantastic elements of the story are normal—not ordinary, just a natural part of the world. Plus, the plot is nuanced and detailed. This first installment . . . is a winner.” —RT Book Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504096522
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	08/27/2024
Series:	The Collegia Magica
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	250
Sales rank:	241,305
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Carol Berg has lived a large portion of her life in realms of mystery and adventure - Middle Earth, Camelot, Amber, Wonderland, Harry Dresden's Chicago, Jim Chee's New Mexico, Cheltenham race track and the colleges of Oxford, Cold War Berlin, the Welsh borderlands, River Heights, and Marvel's version of Hell's Kitchen. Though she earned a degree in mathematics at Rice University, in part so she wouldn't have to write papers, she took every English course that listed novels on the syllabus, just so she would have time to keep reading. Somewhere in the midst of earning a second degree in computer science at the University of Colorado, a software engineering career, and raising three sons, a friend teased her into exchanging letters written "in character." Once Carol started writing fiction, she couldn't stop. Carol's epic fantasy novels, and those written by her alter ego, Cate Glass, eighteen in all, have earned national and international acclaim, including the Geffen Award, the Prism Award, multiple Colorado Book Awards, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. Carol lives in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her Exceptional Spouse, camping, hiking, biking, binge-watching good stuff, and reading.

Editorial Reviews

In this superbly realized leadoff to Berg’s quasi-Renaissance fantasy trilogy, natural science, backed by Sabria’s King Philippe, is gaining popularity, leading some magicians to attempt his assassination. Failed mage and self-doubting librarian Portier de Savin-Duplais is chosen by Philippe, his distant cousin, to secretly probe a treacherous plot that involves his beloved queen. With fellow “agents confides” Ilario, an inane chevalier, and Dante, a ferocious renegade sorcerer, Portier embarks on an intricate quest to save king and kingdom. As in her widely praised Breath and Bone, Berg shapes the well-worn elements of epic fantasy into a lush, absorbing narrative. Even her minor characters, caught up in fiendish plots and deathly secrets, ring regally true, and Portier oscillates between rueful, reluctant, ethics-bending service and painful but necessary revelations while his old world collapses and a new one struggles to be born. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

A strong supporter of science over magic, the King of Sabria appoints a failed wizard, a flamboyant knight-courtier, and a brooding rogue magus to investigate his own near murder. Is his wife behind the attack? Set in a world in which the implacable laws of science war with the resonances of magical power for supremacy, Berg's novel is rich with vivid characters and unforgettable places. VERDICT The author of the "Lighthouse" series (Flesh and Spirit; Breath and Bone) and the Rai-Kirah series (Transformation; Restoration; Revelation) spins an infectiously enjoyable series opener that fans of thought-provoking fantasy and intriguing mystery should appreciate.

Library Journal