The Curse of Chalion

Rating:
Summary: Her best book in years
Review: If you are wondering about whether to buy it because it isn't SF and it isn't Miles, stop wondering--buy it now. The Curse of Challion is head and shoulders above Bujold's other fantasy novel, Spirit Ring. The Curse of Challion is well worth the price in hardcover. This is the best book Lois McMaster Bujold has written in several years. Unlike some SF/fantasy authors (Anthony, Norton, McCaffrey), her writing continues to improve with experience.

The Curse of Challion is more realistic than most fantasies. Her world-building has matured greatly since she started the Vorkosian series. And Bujold did a much better job of including a god as a character than David Weber did in his most recent fantasy, The War God's Own.

This book will earn Bujold a Hugo nomination, and she just might win. I read dozens of books a year, mostly Fantasy and Science Fiction. This is the best book I've read this year. Heinlein was my favorite author and this book is as good as anything he ever wrote. Plot, characterization, pace, dialog--all are terrific. Although dark in places, The Curse of Challion is ultimately uplifting.

Cazaril is a much different hero than Miles Vorkosian. Where Miles is young and incredibly irrepressible, Cazaril is old and more cautious. The mapcap early adventures of Vorkosian/Naismith, while vastly entertaining, are much less realistic than the plot in this book.

Although the first in a series, the book ends happily without any significant loose ends. The entire book is deftly woven together--all the threads come together very satisfyingly at the end. My only complaint about the Curse of Challion is that the promised sequel is not yet in print.

Rating:
Summary: Not Miles, but still worth reading
Review: Its not Miles and its not Science Fiction. It is another Bujold book to read and enjoy and it does show that she is able to write other than Science Fiction. A thoroughly enjoyable book with a new hero set in an entirely different universe. I expected to be disappointed in this book as I am not really a Fantasy reader but I found that once I had started it I couldn't put it down. There were no fairies or elves, but there was a well thought out religion and environment. Cazaril our hero is a man who has seen a lot of life and just wants to find somewhere to sit quietly and hide. Instead he finds himself in the spotlight - the only man willing to try to save Iselle from the curse that hangs over her family. Read the book. I guarantee that you will enjoy it. It's a well written powerful story. As I said it's not Miles but it will certainly fill the gap until the next Vorkosigan novel arrives.

Rating:
Summary: Another great book by a great author
Review: This novel, somewhat different than her Miles books, is a stunning display of fantasy talent.

The book not only contains all the right elements, but weaves them together well to provide an immensely entertaining, and sometimes thought-provoking, read.