The Curse of Chalion

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• The Curse of Chalion

  Desert Isle Keeper Review The Curse of Chalion When we meet Lupe dy Cazaril, he is impoverished, nearly-crippled, emotionally broken, and mistaken for a beggar. Several years before, during a disastrous military campaign, he was betrayed by his comma ... (read full critics)

  likesbooks published on Tue, 31 Aug 2010

5 Reviews

• 

  These two books could be reduced to a very slim one if we removed all the dreadfully uninteresting parts where the respective families disapprove of the wedding because of tradition. The only time this book shines is in the few chapters dedicated to the malice and Dag's ghost hand.
  It's a real pity ... (continue)

  These two books could be reduced to a very slim one if we removed all the dreadfully uninteresting parts where the respective families disapprove of the wedding because of tradition. The only time this book shines is in the few chapters dedicated to the malice and Dag's ghost hand.
  It's a real pity because, being a Bujold, even the boring bits are still exquisitely well written.

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  Ian Atrus said on Apr 30, 2012 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  A little more disjointed and less intimate than the second book, but it is to be expected, as the cast and scope of this story is far wider, going from bildungsroman to political intrigue, diplomacy, travel and adventure... and applied theology, of course, this being the book of the Daughter.
  If the ... (continue)

  A little more disjointed and less intimate than the second book, but it is to be expected, as the cast and scope of this story is far wider, going from bildungsroman to political intrigue, diplomacy, travel and adventure... and applied theology, of course, this being the book of the Daughter.
  If there is a fault I can find is that, with so many things happening in the plot, there is little time to explore all of the characters, some of which remain little more than cardboard cut-outs. It goes to Bujold's favour, though, that some of those characters, like the dy Gura brothers, will find more space and growth in the following book.
  In any case, The Curse of Chalion is a good gripping book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

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  Ian Atrus said on Aug 26, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  More romance novel than fantasy. Honestly, I finished it because it didn't irritate me enough to not finish it. I'm not planning on reading any more from this particular author.

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  oleander said on Oct 30, 2007 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Wonderful story with great heros and heroines. Cazaril is one of the best ever written about. This is the third time I read it.

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  jackie said on Jul 25, 2007 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Review

  Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the big names in SFF, but I’ve only recently come to read her books. A few months ago I read Paladin of Souls, which is the second in the Chalion series. But although there are reoccuring characters and shared history I don’t think you have to have the first one in ord ... (continue)

  Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the big names in SFF, but I’ve only recently come to read her books. A few months ago I read Paladin of Souls, which is the second in the Chalion series. But although there are reoccuring characters and shared history I don’t think you have to have the first one in order to read that. I hadn’t, but I’m sure that if I now reread it after reading The Curse of Chalion it would make a lot more sense.

  The main hero of this novel is Cazaril, a man who has only recently escaped from life as a slave, chained to an oar. Now he returns to a former home where he once served as page, looking for somewhere to call home. Where he can rest and recuperate. Instead he finds himself appointed secretary-tutor to the Royesse Iselle, the sister to the heir to the throne of Chalion. And in the process becomes caught up in political intrigue, as well as theological debates and the work of the gods.

  In some ways Chalion stands in for Castile, with Royina (Princess) Iselle standing in for Isabella of Castile, but it is not a historical novel tinged with fantasy elements, rather a fantasy novel inspired by history.

  Throughout the book religion plays a large role, as does discussion on the nature of free will and the role of the gods. But in an entertaining, though serious, way. Cazaril’s story is one of sacrifice, redemption and divine intervention.
  The curse of the title happened before the novel’s beginning, but its effects, and the attempts to lift it are what drive the plot of the novel.

  A good read, Caz is an entertaining and likeable character, and the plot itself will keep you reading.

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  Dee said on Oct 27, 2006 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Mass Market Paperback 512 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0380818604
• ISBN-13: 9780380818600
• Publisher: HarperTorch
• Pub date: Oct 01, 2002
• Dimensions: 1097 mm x 710 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, School & Library Binding and Others
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, Livres Français, Libros en Español, Libri Italiani

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