The Hallowed Hunt

Odotukset olivat korkealla, kiitos edeltäjien, oivallisen The Curse of Chalionin ja vielä paremman Paladin of Soulsin. The Hallowed Hunt sijoittuu samaan maailmaan, mutta Chalionin kanssa sillä ei ole mitään tekemistä, vaan tapahtumapaikkana on aikaisemmissa kirjoissa lähissä sivulauseessa mainittu Weald. The Hallowed Hunt onkin täysin itsenäinen, siinä missä edeltäjänsä liittyivät löyhästi yhteen.

Lordi Ingrey on saanut käskyn ottaa huostaansa korkeasukuinen Lady Ijada, joka valitettavasti on murhannut kruununperillisen. Vanha kuningas on vieläpä suunnilleen kuolinvuoteellaan, joten poliittinen tilanne valtakunnassa on epävakaa. Kruununperillistä ei sinänsä moni kaipaa, sillä prinssi Boleson tavoista on kiirinyt varsin kamalia huhuja ja mies vaikutti umpihullulta muutenkin.

Sinänsä tehtävä — nouda Ijada, vartioi matkalla ja toimita viranomaisille — kuulostaa yksinkertaiselta, mutta eihän se niin helposti käy. Sen kummemmin juonta paljastamatta mainittakoon, että Ingrey kantaa kirousta, jonka pakottamana hän yrittää muutaman kerran murhata suojattinsa. Niin, ja vuosia sitten Ingreyn sieluun on istutettu suden henki, joka on pysynyt vuosikaudet kiltisti hiljaa, mutta nousee nyt pintaan yllättävin seurauksin.

The Hallowed Hunt alkaa hitaasti, mutta lopulta tarina saa sellaista vetoa, ettei kirjaa malttaisi laskea kädestään. Bujold on erinomainen tarinankertoja. Chalionin maailma on edelleen erikoisen teologiansa johdosta kiinnostava ja The Hallowed Huntin lisäykset henkieläimineen ja muine kiekuroineen tekevät siitä vieläkin värikkäämmän.

Mukana on luonnollisesti myös romantiikkaa (arvatkaapa kaksi kertaa, rakastuuko pääpari toisiinsa), joka on kenties hivenen väkinäistä, ja Bujoldille tyypillistä huumoria, joka on huomattavasti luontevampaa. Edeltäjiensä veroinen The Hallowed Hunt ei ole, mutta oikein mainio kirja sittenkin. (30.12.2010)

This is set in the same world as Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls, but a different era in a different part of it.

Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff has been sent to investigate the death of Prince Boleso, and bring his killer, Lady Ijada dy Castos, back to the capital to face judgement. There is no real mystery about the circumstances, as she killed him in self defense during his attempt to sacrifice her as part of a forbidden ritual, however, the tense politics and corruption around the pending succession of the throne of the dying Hallowed King make the path to a just ruling very much in question. Additionally, the interruption of the ritual has released strange, poorly understood magic.

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.

I came to this book by a probably unusual route, first reading Bujold's series of novellas starting with [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], set in the same world but in a later time period, and with a very different mood to them. Penric is young and has a sunny disposition, while Ingrey, the hero of this novel, is also young in years but seems middle-aged throughout: he's dour, world-weary, mature, hard-bitten.This is a gripping novel that's hard to put down, with a variety of characters, a complex and interesting story, and a satisfactory conclusion. Although the sorcerers seen in the other stories are present, the emphasis here is on shamans, who use a darker source of magical power that is gradually dying out over the course of time.The world of the Five Gods has the usual fantasy setting: a fictionalized version of our own world, with different countries and languages, and a mediæval pre-gunpowder level of technology, all carefully and vividly described in some detail.This is chronologically the earliest story set in this world—about 150 years before [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], and about 250 years before [b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322571773l/61886.SY75.jpg 1129349]. So it might seem reasonable to read this one first, before the others. I don't think the author particularly intends you to do that, but I don't know of any reason why you shouldn't.Compared with the accompanying novels set in this world, [b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1322571773l/61886.SY75.jpg 1129349] and [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (World of the Five Gods, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388350884l/61904.SY75.jpg 819610], in some ways I like this one best; but its emphasis on shamans is a slight disadvantage. I seem to prefer reading about sorcerers, so it's pleasant to encounter a sorcerer in this story, although unfortunately she has only a minor role and isn't on stage much.Although the ending is satisfactory in the way it brings the plot to a conclusion, and it's not unhappy, it is nevertheless macabre, and not one of my favourite endings. However, it would be hard to change, because the rest of the book leads up to it. I've decided in the end that the rest of the book is worth five stars, and I can live with the ending.I didn't immediately warm to the characters of this story; but after repeated rereadings I've grown to like them. Ingrey is all over the story, it's told from his point of view, but there's a diverse array of other characters that are sufficiently well drawn to make an impression. Some of them are likeable and even amusing, although the story is mostly serious.

A lot of the reviews of this are along the lines of Chalion, but not. That's exactly what this book is. It is closer to [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (Chalion, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350884s/61904.jpg 819610] than [b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (Chalion, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322571773s/61886.jpg 1129349] in feel, focusing more on theology than politics, and the meshing of old tribal theology with the Quintarian gods. Of course there's also a bit of romance chucked in for good measure and a happily ever after (mostly). Of the three it is my least favourite, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good read in it's own right - especially if you enjoyed the previous Chalion books.

Zo. Af van [a:Robert J Sawyer 15320352 Robert J Sawyer https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] en zijn kartonnen personages. Terug bij McMaster Bujold en de wereld van de vijf goden.Het boek begint als een detectiveverhaal naar wie de prins heeft vermoord, en zonder spoilers is er niet veel over te vertellen maar het was meer van hetzelfde als de vorige twee, en op een goede manier. Geen vervolg en geen prequel, maar deze keer een volledig nieuw verhaal.Chronologisch speelt het zich af ergens vóór [b:The Curse of Chalion 61886 The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1322571773s/61886.jpg 1129349] en [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (World of the Five Gods, #3) Lois McMaster Bujold https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388350884s/61904.jpg 819610], en geografisch op een andere plaats — niet meer in een soort Spaansachtig aandoend koninkrijk, maar in een meer Angelsaksisch aandoend koninkrijk, met antecedenten in een nog ouder tijdperk, waar mensen dierengeesten in zich hadden.Fijn verhaal, fijne personages, proper afgesloten, zelfs al zou er waarschijnlijk nog heel veel uit te melken zijn.En dan nu Vorkosigan.

The Hallowed Hunt continues on in the same world as Curse of Chalion and Paladin of souls, a world that Lois McMaster Bujold has crafted with a skill that makes me seethe with jealousy. While Chalion investigated the Gods of this realm and Paladin focused on the demons, Hunt delves into the theology of tribal shamans who existed before the “modern” times of the story. Just being able to use the words “delves into the theology of tribal shamans” kinda makes me feel like I'm back in a religious studies course only far more interesting.

If you love Bujold's worldsmithship, you really need to continue this series. That said, I was a little sad that none of the characters from previous books, not even Ista or Cazaril make so much as an appearance. Indeed, this book is set outside of Chalion in a completely different province. I can't really find fault in the characters, but for some reason I just didn't bond with them as easily as I did the other two leads. I think if Hallana's character had been replaced by Ista, I would have enjoyed the book a lot more. We would have had to shift some of the other character's godly alignments, but it would have been completely worth it to have Ista back.

Hunt is still a better book than many I've read this year, but in the end, I'd sooner return to the earlier novels for my love of their protagonists. Still, I don't think I'll ever get sick of Bujold's intricately detailed worlds, and for that alone it deserves four stars.