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The Curse of Chalion

The Curse of Chalion

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Curse of Bujold
Review: Unfortunately, I have been struck by the Curse of Bujold, and so my fate is now that I must buy her books in hardcover, rather than wait for them to come out in paperback.

I've read the whole Miles saga, and loved it. Bujold has again created a fascinating world, with believable characters that you can care about. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One word description - wow!
Review: Lois McMaster has always been good - The entire Vorkosigan saga deserves no less attention then this book. It is however a completely different style, from SCI-FI to Fantacy McMaster yet once again demostrated the skill of writing. As with all the previous books, it is easy to read, and the paragraphs simply flows one after another. One thing that I have found difficult - was the beginning. Characters have long names and their relationships are not apparent, yet come to 1/3 of the book everything begins to take shape and becomes apparent why one things leads to another. The concept of "shaping" is very similar to the story line in the book where in the beginning caracters do not know what is where and just follow the path with no understanding. It is wierd how the writing style matched the storyline (whether on purpose or otherwise). As characters' view of the world becomes clearer, reader begins to understand the relationship between different characters and the "mess" begins to clear up.

On the personal note, I was glad I was finishing reading on Sartuday morning as I know I would have called in sick otherwise. Last 170 pages I read in one shot. It is good and undoubtetly I will recommend it to anyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another great book...
Review: Curse of Chalion is brilliantly written with believable characters, witty writing, intelligent plots, and like all great Lois books, has a message which, when you hear it, leaves you breathless.

The plot and the characters have an element of realism to them; Lois herself has said that this book was inspired by a course in Spanish history which she took; Royesse Iselle, one of the heroines, is styled after Queen Isabella.

Many people who are interested in this book may have already read other books in the Vorkosigan series. Curse of Chalion has some fast-paced action--fights with ruffians, tactical maneuvers of armies, a night escape by horseback--but if you're really interested in a climax which is solved by physical or tactical means, you'll probably be disappointed.

The characters are not as developed as those in, say, Mirror Dance, Memory, or Komarr (some of my favorite Bujold); but then she's only had one book to develop them so far. I, for one, am curious to see where Lois will take them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An astonishingly fine fantasy from a queen of SF
Review: This is an astonishingly fine fantasy with depth. I admire Bujold's SF, but I never would have guessed that she could write fantasy at this level. The Spirit Ring was a good demonstration that she can write good fantasy, but this book is vastly better.
The structure of reality in this book is beautifully built: the mundane and the divine are tied together in a way that reminds me of the very best of Diana Wynne Jones. Anyone can write a fantasy which uses "magic" merely as another technology, but this book has integrity in its imagination, in a way which is going to make it hard to read lesser authors! There is even a mystic vision here, as good as that in Perelandra (though decidedly non-Christian).
The writing style is quite different from Bujold's SF - more moody, less repartee and smart (...) - but our author still seems more interested in relations and interactions than in pure action or pure character. (The book is not so much about character, I would say, as about the intrusion of the divine into human reality.)
When I finished this book, I immediately read it again; and I expect to reread it again, from time to time, for years to come.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nothing out of ordinary
Review: This is a reasonably well-crafted book, but without any trace of the originality I was hoping for. The setting is undistinguishable from a number of other fantasies. There are some memorable and well-written characters in the book (for one, Iselle, a strong-minded princess and Cazaril, a stoic noble), but they do not make up for the hype. I was glad I waited for the library copy to get to me, and did not buy it, as I intended.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disapointing
Review: I love the Miles Vorkosigan books, but was actually looking forward to something new and totally different from Ms. Bujold, but this book is lacking in some undefinable quality. Undefinable being by definition undefinable, it's not so easy to point out what exactly!

I will try to avoid spoilers, and mention some It was much less funny and unexpected than the Vorkosigan books, and the politics described were sophisticated in details but naive in their essence - a reunification of two countries presented that matter-of-factly? Why were those countries separate, how will they react to each other, what are the differences between those? Other events did not make much sense, why wait 48 hours for a certain big public event, why not do it in 24 hours, when it might save some trouble?

The titles and names used seem to be loosely based on spanish ones, and I can not understand why use titles like roya (for a king!) or royesse, instead of king or princess, when lord and lady are used. It felt pretentious and pointless. And the Spanish-derived names can sometimes feel very strange for a reader who knows spanish, for example Lupe for a male name. But these are just tiny details, symptoms of something wrong with this book, but not the cause.

This book was a disapointment. If you love the Vorkosigan books, give this a try. If you would like to read a fantasy novel with some interesting details and characters, give this a try also. But my advice would be to wait for the paperback.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Prime Bujold!
Review: I want to read more about this world! (Assuming it's written by LMB!) Stayed up several hours past my usual bedtime devouring the last third because I couldn't put it down. Political intrigue, mystery, great characters, a believable religion, writing as good as any of her other books...True, there's no single character as fascinating as Miles Vorkosigan, but I found the five gods an equivalent interest, and Cazaril is very likeable and interesting. And I liked the titles of the rulers--they were clearly appropriate, while avoiding the associative baggage carried by "prince," "princess," etc. I highly recommend this!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Who Cares if it's Not Miles?
Review: I just have to start by saying that this story is a rich one. Like most Vorkosiverse fans, I was not very interested in this book, and I only picked it up because I figured that any book by Lois had to be worth at least a few chapters of my time. WOW- it was worth way more than that!!! It has wonderful characters, and what a plot!! It may not be vorkosiverse, and if this is your first Bujold book, you should give Miles a try, for sure, but I love the Chalion universe, and this story is in no way handicapped by the fact that Miles is not in it.
mandi

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Lois McMaster Bujold Fantasy
Review: I was a little reluctant to read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold that didn't have Miles Vorkosigan in it (if you haven't read this series, you must), but decided to give her a chance. Wow.

Ex-soldier Cazaril seeks nothing but the lowest possible job to live out the rest of his prematurely aged life. Instead, he becomes tutor and secretary to a young princess. The royal family has been cursed and is slowly failing as the legal ruler abdicates all of his responsibilities to a corrupt Chancellor. Somehow, Cazaril must keep his charge alive and find a way to break the ancient curse.

The best thing about any Bujold novel is the characters and she certainly doesn't disapoint here. Cazaril, in particular, is finely drawn and emotionally compelling. In THE CURSE OF CHALION, Bujold adds powerful world-building. I found the religion, legends, and history of her fantasy world completely compelling.

Unlike a slash and march adventure, THE CURSE is remarkable for its intelligence. Cazaril might not be at his physical peak, but he uses is intelligence and a ton of faith to change his world.

Another Bujold winner--fabulous.

BooksForABuck

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This is a surprisingly good fantasy novel. Many aspects are not original. The plot is another retelling of the Grail legend with the wounded monarch, the corresponding cursed land, and rescue by a virtuous knight. The quasi-Medieval setting, inspired by pre-Reconquest Spain, is also not original. What places this novel above the average is Bujold's craftmanship. She is a good and careful writer who creates likeable characters. While the ideas of this book are not original, she had devoted considerable care to creating her fictional world and its inhabitants. For example, there is some medical detail in this book. While not described perfectly, Bujold made a real effort to get the facts straight. This kind of detail will be lost on the great majority of readers but indicates the careful way she approaches her work.


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