The Curse of Chalion [Hardcover]

Adult/High School-Iselle, the royesse (princess) of Chalion, and her lady-in-waiting, Bertriz, need a new tutor. Cazaril, the man chosen for the job, has been scarred, physically and mentally, from secret betrayals by the very people who now rule Chalion through Iselle's uncle, and who seek to control her younger brother, the heir, as well. To rescue the royesse, and save Chalion, Cazaril must play matchmaker between Iselle and the prince of another realm, fight off assassins, lift a century-old curse, and risk everything-learning not to run from his own love for Bertriz-along the way. Bujold weaves a convincing and captivating fantasy world, well researched, with magic that works and gods that live without destroying the balance of this medieval society. Cazaril's life is rich with detail, and plays a part in the conclusion. The villains are believably motivated. The young heroines are deeply sympathetic characters as well. Readers will find themselves rooting for the good guys, while still uncertain that all can end without at least one of them suffering a dire fate. A finely balanced mixture of adventure, swordplay, court intrigue, romance, magic, and religion makes this book a delightful read.

Paul Brink, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Betrayed by an unknown enemy into slavery, former soldier and courtier Lupe dy Cazaril escapes his bondage and returns to the royal household he once served. Entrusted with the teaching of the sister to the heir to the throne of Chalion, Cazaril finds himself drawn into a tangled web of politics and dark magic as he battles a curse that threatens the lives and souls of a family he has come to love. The author of the "Vorkosigan" series of dynastic sf turns her hand as competently and engagingly to the fantasy genre in a tale of quiet heroism and self-sacrifice. Compelling characters and richly detailed world building make this a strong addition to fantasy collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In a nicely detailed and wittily accented (see the anecdote of the prince and the young sow) medieval world, Cazaril, a crippled soldier, is appointed tutor to the sister of the royal heir, thanks to the influence of the royal grandmother. The honor flings him head foremost into a cesspool of court intrigue, in which he encounters adolescent royals with wills (and won'ts) of iron, scheming courtiers (even the ones on his side have so few scruples that with friends like these...), and enemies from the past as well as new ones. To that predicament and the tension of wondering whether his physical ailments can be cured, add a magic-tainted evil with a historic pedigree, and Cazaril becomes another of Bujold's up-to-his-posterior-in-alligators heroes posthaste. The most negative thing to be said of the book is that others have done this kind of thing before. Few of those, however, have done it half as well, and any fan not fixated on Bujold for her Vorkosigan saga should thoroughly enjoy it. Indeed, here's hoping it launches a series of tales as well told as the Vorkosigan volumes. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

"Fresh, intriguing, and as always from Lois McMaster Bujold, superb." -- Robert Jordan, New York Times best selling author of The Wheel of Time Series

"This is one of the great ones." -- Science Fiction Chronicle

“First-rate . . . this is space opera at its dramatic best.” -- Publishers Weekly on Memory

In a dazzling display of invention and storytelling, the incomparable Lois McMaster Bujold offers us the razor-keen edge of a very different sword...

The Curse of Chalion

On the eve of the Daughter's Day -- the grand celebration that will honor the Lady of Spring, one of the five reigning deities -- a man broken in body and spirit makes his way slowly down the road to Valenda. A former courtier and soldier, Cazaril has survived indignity and horrific torture as a slave aboard an enemy galley. Now he seeks nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, in the noble household where he served as page in his youth.

But the gods have greater plans for this humbled man. Welcomed warmly, clothed and fed, he is named, to his great surprise, secretary tutor to the Royesse Iselle -- the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is destined to be the next ruler of the land. But the assignment must ultimately carry Cazaril to the one place he fears even more than the sea: to the royal court of Cardegoss, rife with intrigues and lethal treacheries.

In Cardegoss, the powerful enemies who once placed Cozoril in chains and bound him to a Roknori oar now occupy the most lofty positions in the realm, beneath only the Roya himself. Yet something for more sinister than their scheming hangs like a sword over the royal family: a curse of the blood that taints not only those who would rule, but those who stand in their circle. The life and future of both Iselle and her entire blighted House of Cholion lie in dire peril. The only recourse left to her loyal, damaged servant is the employment of the darkest and most forbidden of magics -- a choice that Will indelibly mark Cazaril as a tool of the miraculous ... and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the five-fold pathway of the gods.

Only Robert A. Heinlein has won more Hugo Awards for Best Novel than Lois McMaster Bujold, a singularly lauded author whose work has been compared to Jane Austen's. Now channeling her remarkable storytelling genius in an exciting new direction, she creates a riveting tale rich in atmosphere, magic, character, and consequence that twists and turns in unanticipated ways. Much more than simply the next eagerly awaited tour de force by Lois McMaster Bujold, The Curse of Chalion is a stunning masterwork of fantastic invention that demonstrates the vast range of her astonishing tolents -- and elevates her into the pantheon of premier contemporary fantasists.

One of the most respected writers in the field of speculative fiction, Lois McMaster Bujold burst on to the scene in 1986 with Shards of Honor, the first of her tremendously popular Vorkosigan Saga novels. She has received numerous accolades and prizes, including the Nebula Award for Falling Free and three Hugo Awards for Best Novel The Vor Game, Barrayar, and Mirror Dance, as well as the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her novella Mountains of Mourning -- she has, in fact, won more Hugo Awards for Best Novel than any other author with the exception of Robert A. Heinlein. Her previous novel, The Curse of Chalion, was on the final ballot for both the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel and it won the Mythopoeic Award. The mother of two, Bujold lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.