The Curse of Chalion

This would be over 4 stars if I didn???t hate every man in the story drooling over 16 year olds.

I know it's medieval fantasy but the age gap between the hero and the object of his affection really creeped me out, considering she was also kind of his charge. Couldn't finish it.

It's been a while since I've read this and, from reading the reviews, I don't remember it as well as I thought. I remember liking it overall, but not being interested enough to continue the series. I'll probably re-read this at some point.

Lupe dy Cazaril, Royesse Iselle dy Chalion, and Betriz dy Ferrej are up against a powerful curse that plagues the land and the Chalion royal line, as well as corruption that rules the land in the name of Iselle's half brother Orico. The curse has driven Iselle's mother Ista mad, rendered Orico incapable of rule, and is coming for Iselle next. With little but their wits and strength of will to guide them, they must clear the curse and cleanse the land.

In terms of review, I'm going to copy paste this part across all three five gods books I've read. The theology and magic are excellent. The characters are strong, and, while in desperate circumstances and compelled to take impossible risks, do so in bold and interesting ways. There's some setup to get into the action, but Bujold weaves the stories together in a way that keeps the action flowing while making it impossible to predict what will happens next, in a way that never feels forced or unearned.

13th January 2023:

This was unexpectedly a great read to start off my year. The story follows the tutor of a royal family member navigating the court to help himself and his charge. That said the book doesn't pick up until at least 30% and actually gets going at the half way point.

So while the slow pace maybe a boon it certainly isn't without its enjoyment. There are gritty bits and the setting to explore. A very interesting magic system and equally interesting cast of characters.

Cazaril, the protag, is frankly the exact type of character I like reading about. Cautious to a fault and having his wits about him as much as possible while staying humble. His character is a big part of why this book was as enjoyable for me as it was. The way he's written, he doesn't read like a typical fantasy protagonist. Which works here because then the story sheds light on other characters who feel real and important, and not just there to drive the plot along.

The plot has some spectacular moments and really catches one off guard in the least expected places. Especially towards the end. Everything comes around full circle in a rewarding manner.

The writing style itself is a bit complicated for those like myself who don't have a higher degree of comprehension and native fluency in English but nevertheless it isn't unreadable. Just requires a slower reading pace I would say.

The unsettling parts I would say are the age differences in this book which are admittedly not that great at all. And some queasy descriptions about rape situation and not the act itself.

Other than that I would say it wasn't a half bad read.

Final Rating: 4.25/5.0 

4.5 stars for this one! OK, so this one was a really slow start and I almost DNFed at less than 10%. I went back to the reviews page and kinda convinced myself (reluctantly) to continue pushing through. I'm so glad I did! Things really got going around the 30-40% mark and I was so pulled in to the world by then.

One thing that really stood out to me in this book was just how well the female characters in this one stand up until today. It doesn't seem so in the first half, but I felt like by the end, there was a burgeoning sense of female characters wielding agency and being very adept at playing the game of politics, even more so than their male counterparts.

The writing in this one was quite smooth, although I would've wished for shorter chapters. The names take a while to get used to but it's not too bad compared to others I've read. I think the reason for the slow start is because there's so much to set up. The overarching plot isn't super complex but there are a lot of details intricately woven and hints dropped right from the very beginning to make for a very satisfying ending with some twists here and there.

I love the World of the Five Gods and how the magical part of this works. There isn't a magical system to speak of, simply people who are dealing with living in a world where they are the tools or vessels of any one of the five gods. Some of them are granted a temporary “second sight” where they might see auras flaring around certain people, indicating if they have been god-touched or cursed. This whole thing takes a good long while to be established in the book, but I feel like the book really improves after that happens.

Cazaril starts off being a broken and beaten ex-slave into having some deep insights about the gods, and that journey was just such a ride to be on. The book was really about how someone who has already been betrayed to hell and back can still cling on to his morality and hope, and how that still serves as enough of driftwood to buoy him back. I won't say much else for fear of spoilers.

There was also one point where I almost DNFed because it was just too horrifying to contemplate if the book had really gone down that direction. I searched up for spoilers on that plot point and was sufficiently satisfied to continue. Spoiler: This was when Dondo almost had his way with marrying Iselle and had been threatening to rape her after their marriage if she wasn't willing to consummate it. If that had really happened - and I wouldn't have put it past this book - I certainly would've DNFed. Thank goodness things took a much better turn.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy with a good mix of politics and religion, although be warned that the first half might be slow and might be tempting to DNF.

First, I need to pat myself on the back for my extremely precise triangulation of this book. I was in the mood for EXACTLY THIS, after re-watching some Lord of the Rings –> reading some trashy LOTR fanfiction –> and then wanting some more respectable high fantasy fanfiction. This delivered. In fact, it delivered too much!

This is book 1 in a high fantasy series Lois McMaster Bujold. I have apparently read the sequel to this, Paladin of Souls, which won both the Hugo and Nebula (double winner!!). I have largely forgotten that book, though I do remember it featured a middle-aged lady hero. And I will never forget when that happens. Now I think I should re-read it?

Anyway, the setting is a Renaissance southern Europe-feeling high fantasy world, infused with a strong religious fervor for either 4 (if you're Roknari) or 5 (if you're anybody else) gods. Our protagonist is Lord Cazaril, a lesser landed gentleman lord/courtier dude who has spent the last 20 years suffering various slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. He is a galley slave at one point. This is all just part and parcel of living in this fantasy-Mediterranean (those damn Roknari!), and the story opens with a humbled, traumatized and ailing Cazaril dragging himself back to this one castle he used to be a page for. Since is a super noble, righteous dude - and smart! - the elderly “Provincara” (lady regent?) (played by Judi Dench in my head) enlists him to be the secretary/tutor/Chief of Staff for her daughter, a smart, sensible, 15-year-old princess named Iselle.

Then shit gets cray!

The great and ennobling

So I generally really enjoyed this book, it featured much pulpy entertainment. Some things I particularly regarded well were:

- The setting. I like LOTR but LORDDDDD am I tired of Anglo or Nordic high fantasies. Even though Bujold slips in some Celtic and Gaelic words here and there (according to my ebook dictionary), the tactile feel of this world - to me, at least - was very Mediterranean. All the various competing kingdoms - Chalion, Ibra, Roknar (KHAAAAAAAN), etc - felt like Italian city-states to me: Venice, Genoa, Rome. The Roknari, I assumed, were meant to be the Ottomans since they worshiped 4 gods instead of 5. And the whole kidnapping noblemen and making them row around the sea.

- The religion. This world is super-imbued with its religion; indeed, the religion becomes central to the plot and Cazaril's adventures. In short, there are 5 gods we hear about: the Mother, Father, Son, Daughter, and Bastard (this is the one the Roknari exclude, I guess?). The gods seem to be tied to the seasons? And to some activities? Like the Son is all about military stuff? And lots of the noblemen seem to be aligned with one or other god. Anyway, apart from the general interest of this pantheon, I really enjoyed how LMB portrayed religion both in practical terms (believers, skeptics, rituals, etc) and in its SUPER NIRVANA SPIRITUALITY moments (boy, I highlighted so many great passages - she had a great way of describing peak experiences!). So that was fun.

- The humane humor. The characters are almost all believable people, and there were some laugh-out-loud moments of wit. Cazaril, in particular, had many moments of wry observation that were fun. Likewise, LMB embraced the occasional absurdity of the human experience: there was awkwardness and clumsiness and (understandable) stupidity.

The trashy

This book, however, is kinda pulpy fanfiction-y. Namely, here are the things I didn't love:

- The hurt/comfort. OOOOH BOY. So there is a popular fanfic genre, hurt/comfort, which, like all things fandom, was pioneered by Trekkies and basically means your favorite character suffers a lot and is periodically comforted. In this case, that character is Cazaril. He spends about 90% of the book suffering various physical problems, with much noble righteousness and wry wit. He is tired, sore, wounded, sick, etc etc etc. And on and on. I mean, I can deal with a couple tablespoons of character angst, but this was gallons.

- The slapstick. While I admired LMB's handling of humor, things did edge into slapstick once or twice. Various crows peck at Cazaril's head. If that amuses you, well, that joke is repeated.

- Well, I guess that's it.

This book was fine. It was fun. It was a little ridiculous. But it also had some really inspired moments. I can see why it's popular!

What an absolutely exceptional novel! It was my first real taste of Bujold (I've read two or three of the Penric novella's, which I liked, but they weren't anything like this) and I'm very happy that I have so much more of her work to discover. All the praise is deserved!

I'm usually somewhat reluctant to reread this book, because I know that the characters we're invited to sympathize with are doomed to suffer at length in the course of it—and I sympathize with them in their ordeals. The curse mentioned in the title hangs over them throughout most of the book.However, when I persuade myself to reread it, the story is both well written and gripping, and I find I can tolerate the ordeals in the knowledge of a happy ending to come. So the experience turns out better than I anticipated.There are some aspects of the plot that I find unconvincing, but any mention of them involves spoilers.1. The curse is eventually lifted, not through the clever actions of any characters, but through divine intervention. I like a happy ending, but this is not my preferred way of getting one. 2. According to the goddess, the curse can be lifted “only through the will of a man who would lay down his life three times for the House of Chalion.” This sounds impossible: how can a man die three times? It turns out that three near-death experiences are sufficient, which means that the goddess's statement was unhelpfully worded and misleading. Furthermore, why is this necessary to lift the curse? The trouble with fantasy as a genre is that such things are not felt to need an explanation: it's necessary because the goddess says so, and that's that.3. Cazaril deliberately “lays down his life for the House of Chalion” only once, when he attempts death magic. His action in protecting Danni on the galley is an unpremeditated response to the situation, involving no will to lay down his life; and he has no idea at the time that it has anything to do with the House of Chalion. The attempt to murder him near the end of the book is not by his own will at all: he doesn't lay down his life, someone tries to kill him against his will.4. Princess Iselle has a political need to get married, and looks for a suitably royal husband who's not old, too young, or too repulsive. She finds exactly one candidate, who turns out to be her perfect husband. This is romantic and nice, but extremely unlikely.5. Cazaril is attracted to Betriz throughout the book, and wants to marry her. He's almost twice her age and looks older; he has some permanent physical damage; and he's ill and apparently dying for much of the story. However, it turns out that she wants him as much as he wants her. This is romantic and nice, and I suppose some such romances have happened in the real world, but it seems a little improbable. Admittedly, while Cazaril's body has defects, his mind seems to have none.This is a great novel in some ways: the writing, the characterization, the world-building, and the pacing of the story are excellent. I deduct a star for the unconvincing aspects of the plot, and because a story in which the main characters labour under a curse is unlikely to become one of my personal favourites.I like the book's scenario, known as the World of the Five Gods. If you want to read about this world, there are three sensible entry points into it:1. This story, which was the first to be written.2. [b:The Hallowed Hunt 61887 The Hallowed Hunt (World of the Five Gods, #3) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431214831l/61887.SY75.jpg 3036421], the first in chronological order.3. [b:Penric's Demon 25791216 Penric's Demon (Penric and Desdemona, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436108514l/25791216.SX50.jpg 45642232], the first of the Penric stories.

4.0 out of 5 stars

The Curse of Chalion is beautifully written high fantasy novel with court intrigue, an interesting religious structure, and a varied cast of likable characters. The story follows a former castillar named Cazaril who attempts to put his life back together after being wronged by a rival. Cazaril is incredibly easy to root for and his story arc is very satisfying.

This book has done a nice job of filling the Robin Hobb-less void in my life and I look forward to reading the other novels and novellas set in this world.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Ik heb al veel boeken van veel mensen gelezen, maar ik had nog geen enkel boek van Lois McMaster Bujold gelezen. En mensen vertellen mij dat dat de moeite waard is. Meer dan dat heb ik niet nodig.

De moeilijkheid is dan wel: waar beginnen? Er zijn heelder discussies of haar boeken in volgorde van interne chronologie moeten gelezen worden, of in publicatievolgorde, of nog iets anders. Ik weet niet meer waar ik het vandaan haalde, maar ergens op het internet had iets of iemand mij overtuigd om met Curse of Chalion te beginnen.

Ik wist niet waar mij aan te verwachten, en ik was aangenaam verrast. Een niet al te clichématige wereld, meer geïnspireerd op een reconquista-achtig Spanje dan de gewoonlijke standaard-fantasywereld met een systeem van vijf goden (vader, moeder, zoon, dochter, bastaard) die ook ‘echt' bestaan.

Hoofdpersonage Cazaril is in eht begin van het boek een gebroken man na jaren als galeislaaf, komt toe in het kasteel waar hij ooit page was, en wordt aangesteld als secretaris-slash-leraar van Iselle, de zus van de troonopvolger van het land. Er is ook nog de krankzinnige vrouw van de koning, de zieke koning zelf, slechte raadgevers, hofintriges, internationale diplomatie, liefde, afgunst, avontuur, magie, vervloekingen, het kan niet op.

Er is wel actie en zo, maar het centrale ding in het boek blijft wel Cazaril, en hoe hij met zichzelf worstelt. Een bedachtzaam en rustig boek. Fijn om lezen.

Fantastic.

I read very little fantasy. I have read all the Vorkosigan stories by Bujold. So I thought to try this fantasy book. It starts out slowly, telling about Caz looking for a way to stay alive. But, The characters drew my attention more and more until I could not put the book down and tried to finish it without sleep.

One aspect that is important to me is the minimal inclusion of magic. While particular magical influences are integral to the plot, the story can be enjoyed for how the characters handle the challenges they face.

While the central character is a 35 year old male, there are multiple strong women characters in the story. The story follows an arc of increasing conflict, danger and complexity from beginning to end. The world building and and completeness of story is impressive.

This story seems to me to be likely entertaining to almost all readers. I am not normally a fan of fantasy, but enjoyed almost every minute of it. There are small but important romance subplots. There are a few small unit conflicts spread through the book. If you are a super animal lover, be warned, some animals are harmed in the making of the book. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to everyone.

5 out of 5 starsI actually thoroughly enjoyed this book, which took me a bit by surprise because it started off kind of slow for me. Once I got pass all the fancy names, I was able to warp my head around this world and it was smooth sailing from there. The characters, the world, the story, and the writing were all very compelling. The ending itself was a little too nicely wrapped up, but it did leave me with a really satisfying feeling, so I decided not to take points off for that.I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series, [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (Chalion, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348894979s/61904.jpg 819610]. It should be noted that The Curse of Chalion is a great standalone novel, and so if you aren't looking to get into another fantasy series, then this is still something you can pick up. I definitely recommend this one to fantasy lovers out there (especially if you are looking for a light read).

This book really surprised me with it's theology so well integrated into all of it's character's lives. It was a wonderful set-piece revolving around the themes of loyalty, duty, and love. I recommend this book to anyone who has grown tired of the usual over-wrought drama of today's fantasy best-sellers.

What a delightful world. The work that went into researching medieval Spain sows, as does theincrediblemimagination that went into turning the story into its own consistent telling rather than just a metaphor. Now layer on top of that a deep theological debate nested in an other-worldly system where the debate is not between monotheistic beliefs and their prophets, but polytheistic beliefs and the acceptance or rejection of a lucifer-like god as a force for good or ill. Top it all off with strong likable characters prevailing against the odds to save a kingdom a family and a world and you have a masterwork.

Lois McMaster Bujold is a treasure. She is best known for her Vorkosigan Saga, but her Chalion fantasy series is also very good indeed.[b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (Chalion, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322571773s/61886.jpg 1129349] is a high fantasy; however, it doesn't have normal fantastical elements such as elves, fairies, and dragons. The only supernatural effects are due to divine intervention.The main protagonist, Cazaril, has had a hard life. A former high-ranking commander, he was betrayed and sold into slavery. After suffering for years as an oar slave aboard an enemy galley, he finally regained his freedom. As the book opens, Cazaril is struggling to return home and hopes only to find some peace after his brutal ordeal. However, that is not to be, for he is God touched. He doesn't know it yet, but he is literally on a mission from a God. It won't be easy.Good book to add a little intrigue, adventure, action, and romance to the reading diet. Recommended even for those who think they don't like fantasy.

The character of Cazaril grabbed me immediately, something that has been missing in several books I've read recently. The plot was well paced and kept the momentum going. This feels like a solid stand-alone to me not sure I want to see more of this universe in case it doesn't live up to its beginning

I really really really really liked this book. It gets for really's. For real, guys.

It's surprising because I expected this one to be something on the mid to lower end of my fantasy scale. The summaries I read made it seem like a story I've read before. A rambunctious young princess (or Royesse) shoved into the care of a returning soldier/scholar... oh the shenanigans! But her house is cursed and political drama ensues. I am notably bored with political drama and rambunctious young princesses. I only decided to read it because I'm compulsive about lists, and this is next on the book club list.

Lois McMaster Bujold makes politics interesting. She makes theology interesting. She makes everything interesting. I read this book thinking, “A lesser author would have x,” but Bujold always goes to y or q or all the way back to b.

A couple examples. A lesser author would have made Iselle into a terror. He would have spent chapters with Cazaril calming Iselle instead of a couple odd sentences where he helps shape her character while he has a chance. Iselle is not perfect, but she is not conventional either. She is as righteous as any sixteen year old, but she is also politically ruthless, which makes sense considering her upbringing. She plots out her marriage contract to her political advantage, not her romantic inclinations, and her anger at her betrothal to Dondo is rooted more in the fact that Chalion gains nothing by it than that he's a repulsive person. Maybe Bujold plays it a little safe with her relationship with Bergon, but I don't mind Iselle getting a little slack because the rest of her life is so very awful. A lesser author would have made Iselle fall for Cazaril instead of pragmatically planning her future.

A lesser author would have used magic. Bujold uses Theology. Capital T theology. By the end of the book, I thought I understood the basic premise of Quintarianism, the characters of the five gods, and their peculiar version of scale when it came to witnessing human events. There is no magic in this book, but a series of miracles and men attempting to perform miracles to the gods' displeasure. I've never read a book (outside of mythology) where the gods' presence is just a fact of life. This is a fascinating look into a world where theology is a practical study in addition to a philosophical one, and the conversation about tumors with the physician was particularly unique and entertaining.

A lesser author would have made Cazaril dull. Someone once called Caz “too perfect.” Normally, that is my first criticism of high fantasy heroes. They are flawless, or their flaw is a virtuous one like stubbornness or pride. Cazaril is just a good guy. He's a grown-up, and he's thrown his childish tantrums behind him. He has seen evil in the world, and now he just wants to stay away from it and die quietly in bed of old age. The gods don't let him do this, but that's his whole motivation. He has a strong moral code, but that doesn't mean he throws himself at danger when there are other options, only when those are all used up.

A lesser author would have bogged this book in politics. Obviously, there's a ton of it, but never at the expense of story. I'd be just as caught up in the acts of political sabotage as the violent ones. It's extremely well plotted, and the villains well-cast and diverse if a bit mustache-twirly. I would have liked a little background into who dy Jironal was before the curse started working him, but I'm satisfied with the explanations Bujold gives.

My only real criticism is the ending. It's a little too pat for me. All the virtuous get their happily ever after and Caz starts 'leaking poetry.' I get that he's god-touched now and his character has grown amazingly, but everything at the end is still a bit too perfect to be believable. Then again, there are two more books in this series, so things can't stay perfect forever, and this cast has earned some peace.

I'm definitely continuing this series, though it'll be a bit because I don't have the whole thing. Highly recommended for people who like a few gods and demons in their heroic quest.

One of the books in the very short list of “titles that bored me utterly for the first hundred pages, but became favourites by the end”. The cast and the world building are as fully realized as you would expect from Bujold, and there is lots of political and social intrigue that, once it get its hooks in you, becomes absolutely fascinating.

Executive Summary: It took me a little bit to warm up to, but in the end I found this an enjoyable read.Full ReviewI read this as the August pick for Sword & Laser. Despite considering myself more Sword than Laser (or maybe because I do?), I think overall I've been mostly disappointed with the Sword picks, especially the last two.This one however, did not disapoint. It starts a bit slow. The pacing reminded me a bit of [b:Assassin's Apprentice 45107 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) Robin Hobb http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320339497s/45107.jpg 171715], so you if you enjoyed those books, you may enjoy this as well.Cazaril is not your typical fantasy protagonist. He's in his mid 30s for one. In fact this book doesn't feel like a fantasy book at all for most of it. There are no dragons, or wizards, or (insert your favorite fantasy race) to speak of. There does end up being magic however. And Gods of great power.Mostly however, this is a political story with a medieval setting. The characters are well written and interesting. Large parts of the plot are rather predictable, but that's not always a bad thing. It's the characters that make this book enjoyable.It's also nice to get away from all the grimdark fantasy I've been reading with something lighter. There are certainly some awful things that happen/described in this book, but nothing to the level of Song of Ice and Fire, Malazen, etc.Despite being listed as Chalion, #1 by good reads, this is a stand alone story. My understanding is it is actually 3 stand alone stories set in the same world. That is both a nice change from most fantasy these days, and a little sad, because I've grown attached to her characters and would like to see how they make out after the story ends.This is my first book by Ms. McMaster Bujold, but won't be my last. I at least plan to check out [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (Chalion, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348894979s/61904.jpg 819610].