THE CURSE OF CHALION by Lois McMaster Bujold

[SelenaT]

OK, I'll participate by posting a rather personal review of a book I just read.

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I just finished Lois McMaster Bujold's "The Curse of Chalion" and I hardly know where to begin with my praise.

About halfway through the book I realized that I should be noting my favorite parts so that I could easily find them again. So, I grabbed a stack of Post-Its and began bookmarking pages for future reference. I ended up having to rip the Post-Its in half to increase their number. Now the book has this disorderly mass of tiny pieces of blue paper sticking out from its pages.

I don't usually go in for the "lords and ladies" type of fantasy. Court politics just seems oh so boring. But not in Bujold's hands.

What appeals to me most about this book, and the other of hers set in this world ("Paladin of Souls"), is the complex and fascinating religion that permeates the story. It's polytheistic (five gods in most of the world, four in part of it) but is still strongly Christian in many ways. I am perhaps more enamored of world building than most readers, but I was captivated by the rituals and beliefs of this made-up religion.

That's not to say that the intricate plot and compelling characters did not also hold my interest and provide much enjoyment.

The book spoke to me in so many places (as "Paladin of Souls" did). I hate that I have to return the book to the library. I must buy a copy of my own since this book bears re-reading. Already I think I could stand to read it again from the beginning.

The book is also very quotable. Here are a few choice passages:

[Mirtika]

OMIGOSH. This is next on my reading list (of fiction, that is). It's right on the coffee table as I type.

I'm so excited. YAY!

Mir
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[SelenaT]

Of course, with my luck, you won't like it as much as I did. I'm looking forward to hearing your perspective anyway.

The book was already on your reading list, right? I think I saw an ad for it on your website.
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Selena Thomason
Managing Editor
MindFlights magazine

[Mirtika]

Yeah, I bought it several months ago (along with Paladin of Souls).

And if anyone is planning to buy it, please use my link at Mirathon. It earns me wee points toward free books at amazon. So I can keep posting reviews. hah.

http://mirathon.blogspot.com

Mir
_________________
"I believe in what I cannot see."
Mir is said like the historic Space Station.
Mirtika=meer-TEE-kah (with an Hispanic accent)
Visit Mirathon

[Mirtika]

This is the best fantasy I've read in a while. It's amazing. I'm not going to post a long review here at the moment (not the time), but I add my recommendation to all who like fantasy. The hero is immensely sympathetic (I was nearly in tears for him barely a few dozen pages into the novel), the religion is amazingly fascinating, the Pseudo-Spain world is hugely well-done, the court intrigue is spell-binding, and the romance is sweet and touching.

The climax is one of the absolute best I've read in fantasy. I was just carried off by the pleasure of it.

A+ and Five STars!

I've already dipped into the first pages of the sequel, PALADIN OF SOULS.


Mir
_________________
"I believe in what I cannot see."
Mir is said like the historic Space Station.
Mirtika=meer-TEE-kah (with an Hispanic accent)
Visit Mirathon

[Mirtika]

I've had THE CURSE OF CHALION sitting in one of my many to-be-read piles for more than a year. I knew McMaster Bujold could write very well from her Vorkosigan books. I simply am easily distracted by something new.

I regret not reading it sooner. This is a truly marvelous novel of one man's journey through tremendous difficulties and how those woes are redeemed, ultimately, for the good of many. And if you are tired of SF novels not dealing with matters of spirituality in any depth--a lack that is shameful given how very religious humankind has always been and likely always will be--you will find this a truly satisfying exploration of faith, loss of faith, prayer, curses, blessings, fate, free will and divine intervention. It's also a novel that, while dealing with religion, doesn't sneer or cast ministers or saints in an sarcastic or demeaning light. It takes the subject quite seriously and explores it without the arrogance that a secular elite can cast on it. It takes the "what if" of this religion being truly existent and says, "Now, how does this work out in a cursed kingdom with a man who's suffered about as much as he can humanly take?"

Whom the gods choose is not always a happy camper. (Think of all the martyrs of various religions.)

The fantasy setting: A medievalish, fortress and castle filled world akin to Spain/Portugal several hundred years ago, where reilgion is part of civil and royal life, where saints are acknowledged as god-touched, and where a curse has come upon a royal line due to a cataclysmic event during a previous time of warfare.

The protagonist: Lupe dy Cazaril, an honorable man and brave soldier of gentlemanly lineage who had been betrayed in warfare, resulting in a tour of galley slavery (think Ben Hur-ish oaring for one's enemies). He is damaged in body and humbled, but his nobility of spirit and wisdom and unselfishness and wits are intact. You will root for this character, and perhaps, like me, weep for him, too.

The situation: Through a chain of events, Cazaril comes back to his home town and is engaged as tutor to the royesse (a princess), whose brother is heir to the throne. Terrible events have fallen and continue to befall this cursed family, and Cazaril, who feels great loyalty and comes to love his charges and his patrons, becomes inextricably entangled in the intrigue and plots (supernatural and human), while himself a target of those who originally wished him dead and caused his slavery, the two most powerful men in the land of Chalion, barring the ruler himself. Court intrigue abounds. Cazaril must use all his powers of observation and intelligence, and all his courage and endurance, to seek and accomplish the liberation of his beloved charges from dangers of curse and plotters.

I don't want to say much beyond that, since the pleasure of the novel is in the reading and the roads taken. I"ll let you walk those roads unspoiled.

What I will say is that as a devout Christian, I thoroughly enjoyed the spiritual world McMaster Bujold has created. You get a sense of a religion drenched, god-observed world, and how that can bring great dangers (heresies are punished in just as cruel ways as history records), and obedience and selflessness are as powerful as a Christian would expect. The religion is certainly not Christianity (five gods of both attributed genders, various sexual preferences acceptable), but the echoes of a Roman Catholic religion is there in the sanctuaries, devouts, pilgrimages, saints, miracles, etc.

And the idea of the chosen ones of God/the gods is there: One person's virtue can make a huge difference to his circle of influence, as it does here. And the climactic scene is so beautifully and simply depicted (no excess of prose, no over-the-top language pyrotechnics), that it allows us to feel the lightning-fast and world-altering moment as participants, without clutter, with just wonder. It's magnificently achieved.

Cazaril is one of my fave characters ever. A man we'd all like to know, a man we'd all love to see in the corridors of power-someone who puts the good of others above his own good, someone who acts with total purity of heart, wise and generous and humble.

I'm already a third of the way into the second and Hugo-winning book in this series, PALADIN OF SOULS, which follows the adventures of one of the cursed and redemption-needy characters from this novel. The religous exploration remains, and Ista, the protagonist, will have to take a journey similar to Cazaril's in order to help her people, it seems. However, so far, I'd rate THE CURSE OF CHALION higher. We'll see how that turns out once I complete the story.

THE CURSE OF CHALION was nominated for a World Fantasy (lost to LeGuin's THE OTHER WIND) and a Hugo (lost to Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS), and it won a Mythopoeic Award.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. A novel that rewards the reader who is patient and observant during the slower-paced opening.
_________________
"I believe in what I cannot see."
Mir is said like the historic Space Station.
Mirtika=meer-TEE-kah (with an Hispanic accent)
Visit Mirathon

[pixydust]

I just bought it last night and I hope to crack into it this weekend.
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[SelenaT]

Let us know what you think.
_________________
Selena Thomason
Managing Editor
MindFlights magazine

[pixydust]

I'm halfway through right now and I really like it. I'm not as thrilled with her writing as I thought I would be, though. She has a good way of describing things and I like her use of humor. I think I'm just a little partial to deeper POVs and more "in-the-moment" action. But now that the plot is going in this one I'm very pleased with it. It was just the first 100pgs or so that didn't keep my interest very well. I think what bothered me was that I didn't really know who this man was for several pages even though I was in his POV. Mystery is one thing, but I always think it's better to just let the reader in on what's up and what's a stake so they can get excited about it.

That's just my opinion, though. I plan on reading the other books in series. But Robin Hobb is still the master in my book. And Fiona McIntosh is a new writer that's apeared on scene that's amazing. I'll do a review of her book, Myrran's Gift, here if you gals want.
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[Mirtika]

The start is slow, which is why I say this book rewards the patient reader. I think she keeps enough good characterization and questions going that the reader can enjoy, but it's not until he gets to court that it starts moving along.

LMB keeps a certain formality in her voice that won't appeal to all readers, but it fits this world and this particular character's position.

Post all the reviews you wish.

Mir
_________________
"I believe in what I cannot see."
Mir is said like the historic Space Station.
Mirtika=meer-TEE-kah (with an Hispanic accent)
Visit Mirathon