Rating: 
Summary: Great sequel
Review: To be honest I thought that I would hate this book, and honestly avoided picking it up for months. I found the cover art beautiful but it wasn't until I picked up the first book, The Curse of Chalion (which also looked stupid to me) that I really grew to appreciate the characters and the story. I despise reviews that tell an entire story and leave the reader nothing to look forward to so I won't and in any case the editorial review give you the gist. The story is well written although slow in some parts with too many minor characters, however when Ms. Bujold regains her footing the story is a rich and rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: Fiercely good read
Review: Unlike the Vorkosigan novels, which allow LMB all manner of shortcuts due to the number of books in the series, here you see a superb writer practicing every facet of her craft with all her considerable skills. Characters, world-bulding, plot, everything is done with supreme mastery. On a par with C.J. Cherryh's best work.Not a simple read, but a deep and intriguing one. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst book I ever read
Review: Waste of time. Dumb. Made me dumber. Sloppy. Stupid. Worthless.
Rating: 
Summary: Not nearly as good as Curse of Chalion
Review: We're carrying on with the most boring minor character from Curse: Ista, the queen-mother who is only 40 but seems far older. Desperate to break free from her stifling country estate, Ista decides to go on pilgrimage and gathers some fun young people for her retinue: a spirited girl courier, two warrior brothers, and a fat lusty priest. Off they go, creaking from inn to inn for about 70 pages while Ista feels bitter about life. A little much-needed tension is interjected when she starts having visions of a handsome 40ish nobleman under a sleeping-beauty-type enchantment. I should reveal no more, but when the plot-twist comes that explains the enchantment, it is giggle-inducingly over-the-top. There are also periodic barbarian invasions from across the border that cause the most interesting characters (including the priest) to drop out for most of the book. I greatly enjoyed Curse (and Bujold's science fiction novels) so I tried to keep reading, but around page 300 I got tired of Ista bossing everyone around.
Rating:
Summary: How does one put down this book?
Review: What a wonderfully written fantasy. I must ask, though, how does anyone put this book down? I stayed up to two, three, o'clock three night in a row and then unwantonly fell asleep. Bujold creates a vivid fantasy world. This is the first novel of hers I have read. I understand that this is a continuation of a previous novel, but I was not confused or felt lacking in any way, so that it can be a stand alone novel. Ista feels she must escape the confines of her home and jailers (love ones). She plans a retreat that she must ask permission to go on and barely makes it out of her home with her choice of retinue. After only a few days on the roads, she discovers that the gods have plans for her (or more specifically, one particular god). An unwanted gift is returned to her and she discovers an attraction for a man (men?) that she didn't believe she still had in her. Wow! The action in the novel does not end and you will find it difficult to stop turning pages. I loved the ending, I loved the romance, I loved the witty Ista, and I can't wait to pick up another book by bujold!
Rating: 
Summary: not quite Curse Of Chalion, but still very good
Review: [Background info -- I am a big Bujold fan, and unlike most of them I thought Curse Of Chalion (the first book in this sequence) was the best she had ever written. I am only about 2/3 through Paladin Of Souls as I write this review.] Is this book good? Of course it is, Bujold wrote it. She's one of the best authors writing today, and not just in this genre. But is it good Bujold? Well, it is better than Diplomatic Immunity, and Bujold is clearly at the top of her style game, but it does not reach the heights of inspiration that she hit with Curse Of Chalion or A Civil Campaign. The story does not seem forced, but it does seem a bit constrained. In Curse Of Chalion, we discovered the Chalion-world (and especially their gods) as Cazaril discovered it, while in Paladin we are only rediscovering it as Ista rediscovers it. Her "here we go again" misgivings are faintly echoed by the reader's same thoughts. The issues, while not the same, are similar enough to feel slightly retreaded. And the main new topic introduced (demon sorcery) is disappointing. While at least it is not traditional fantasy magic, the most brilliant thing about Curse Of Chalion is that it was a medieval fantasy novel which was "swords and theology" rather than "swords and sorcery". This new demon magic is still a theological problem rather than a magical one, but it cuts much closer to more traditional magical stories (like Bujold's unrelated The Spirit Ring). On the other hand, Bujold's characters are as brilliantly drawn as ever, and her skill at anchoring them in a real world (even if it is not THE real world) has only grown with her biliography. She is still an artist improving her mastery with every work, and it shows clearly. You feel like you are there, from the descriptions of the landscape down to details like painful saddle sores and ignoble chamber pots residing under the most noble of beds. The book is only slightly disappointing by the standards I have come to expect from Bujold -- it is still one of the best novels I have read this year. [Dec 2003 update: I have recently reread the book, and liked it even better than before. My major concern -- the similarity in theme and subject to Curse Of Chalion -- seemed less of a problem the second time around. Being free to not worry about the plot allowed me to recognize some of the more subtle differences between the two books. It's still not quite the gem of perfection that CoC is, but this is a darn fine novel.]
| 
