The Curse of Chalion

Rating:
Summary: This book is like Festivus -- it's for the rest of us
Review: I've read a whole lot of speculative/fantasy fiction in my life. All too often, the hero/ine is a person I can't really relate to. I'm not dashing at all. But Cazaril is a hero who's a lot more human. He's met with failure, he's down and out, he's older and wiser and whole lot sadder. I can relate to that.
And maybe it's just me, but the little prophecy/blessing on the last page always moves me to tears.



Rating:
Summary: An excellent fantasy
Review: This book would be a stand-ou t among pseudo-mediaeval fantasy novels if only for the fact that it has a believable and well-thought-out religion that actually matters, not only to the plot, but to the characters as well. This is not a fantasy where no one but the gullible believes in the gods, and the clergy are all either dupes or villains. (That the gods are, in the context of the novel, quite real, and take a meaningful role in the personal and especially the political conflicts, has its effect here.) The rest of the background is also fairly well thought out, and while what we see is the portion of the world that the characters, limited to the speed of foot and horse and sailing ship, can reach, it has the feel of extending well beyond that.

Chalion is a kingdom at about a 15th century level of technology, with some resemblances in its culture and situation to Spain of about that time--dash and also, of course, a great many differences. The Spanish monarchy, for instance, was probably not actually under a curse, however tempting an explanation that may seem.

The Castillar Lupe dy Cazaril walks home to Chalion after enduring many months of captivity as a galley slave aboard an enemy ship, and months of illness in a neighboring kingdom after being rescued. Still far too weak to do most of the things he did before his captivity, he is appointed secretary and tutor to the Royesse Iselle, half-sister of the Roya of Chalion. His life at court is enlivened by the fact that the enemies whose treachery let to his being sold rather than ransomed have become the Roya's most powerful advisors, in some ways more powerful than the roya himself.

Gradually he discovers that the royal family is under a curse, a curse that is slowly destroying the family and the kingdom. Desperate circumstances lead to equally desperate measures, and Cazaril learns more about Chalion's history, the gods, and what passes for domestic and international politics in a 15th century setting than he ever wanted to know.

Very much worth reading, even if there is one glaring coincidence buried in the plot.


Rating:
Summary: A good story!
Review: The book has an absolutely terrific beginning with this poor broken man tottering across a wintry wilderness, hoping to get to a manor where he can beg a sheltered position, perhaps as a scullion. At first you picture him as an aging beggar. Gradually you realize he has a much more complicated past. Once a battle commander, he was betrayed and sold into slavery. He becomes a tutor to a princess, and must follow her to the royal court where he fears to encounter the evil lords that betrayed him. Soon those lords are threatening the princess, which compels him to take great risks in her defense. The fantasy world is Mediterranean, as in Spain or Italy, and is late-medieval or early-Renaissance. Our hero is very resourceful but also exceedingly humble. His complex character and the strong plotting stand in the book's favor. (The sequel is not nearly as good.)

Rating:
Summary: 100 pages in.... and not seeing it....
Review: At 100+ pages in, this title has not held up to all of its 5 star ratings. I have seen many praising the world/plot building. Well, in my opinion, at where I am in the book, the plot is completely uninteresting. The world, while not that bad, totally flies by you with a whole lot of names and NO map. George Martin flies many names through his series, but he simply writes them in so its not a problem, you always know what he is talking about. Bujold, in the first 20 pages will spit out all kinds what I suppose are countries, or city states. Its not to big of a deal, but truly its not very solid. The plot is just boring. Its not broad, its based almost entirely on Caz, who is a very well fleshed out character, but simple dialouge with him is overdone.

Someone went off on Martin for not liking some of his characters? And since he doesnt like his characters and feel for them, he is completely unrealistic in terms of character design? He can craft characters, worlds, plots, and goverments better then almost anyone. Just because he puts all the places in piece for something truly great, doesnt mean his has to specifically care for any of them at all. And you really wouldnt know if he cared for any of them without asking him, if you wanted to be absolutely sure.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I got this book yesterday; finished it today. I couldn't put it down. It's a truly excellent fantasy story, complete in one book, and a welcome change from the tired epic fantasy format that so often turns out to be a variant on the Series that Does Not End. Unlike writers such as Martin or Jordan, Bujold constructs characters that feel like actual people instead of artificial bundles of traits stapled together for dramatic effect--for those Martin fans out there, for example, Iselle is what the character of Sansa should be and probably actually would be in real life, as opposed to the way Martin is portraying her: someone who has known from birth what her fate and marriage will be like and who has been trained to occupy the political role she will someday fill. Bujold's characters feel *four*-dimensional, they're so well rounded; Cazaril, the Provincara, Lady Ista, Teidez, Iselle and Betriz all feel like actual people. Michelle West is the only fantasy author I've seen come close to her skill in characterization. Bujold's world-building is excellent too; I could actually see the Provincara's household in my mind, and the way she slowly reveals Cazaril's history over the course of the book is extremely effective. Her cosmology is interesting and used to full effect to reinforce her narrative. I plan to get Paladin of Souls as soon as possible