Customer Reviews

Paladin of Souls

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This pleasant sequel to The Curse of Chalion contains all the hallmarks of the Lois McMaster Bujold style -- an underdog protagonist with unexpected strength, extremely engaging characters, three-dimensional villains, witty and epigram-laced writing so good you want to read it aloud to somebody, and clearly written action concerning a situation that starts out fairly complicated and gets a lot worse, and more complex, before it gets any better. As usual, Bujold is compulsively readable. I think if she wrote VCR owner's manuals, I'd stay up past midnight turning their pages.

However, this is a lesser work than her previous novel in the same setting. I think this is the nature of the setting she picked. Readers of the past book have gotten the message, which was well-hidden until the end, that if you trust Chalion's gods and do what you know you ought to do, the gods will make sure things turn out okay in the end. Curse of Chalion contained mixed blessings that made the gods seem mysterious and mercurial, but here, the gods speak to the protagonist face to face and whenever she gets into too much trouble, they give her another superpower that can get her out. Also, readers of the previous book, knowing you get into more trouble ignoring the gods than taking their (admittedly oblique) advice, may be as miffed as I was at the protagonist for her perverse insistence on doing things the hard way no matter how many others suffer.

Okay, I got that out of my system. Now, don't let it stop you from reading the book. This isn't the VCR manual I said I'd read if Bujold wrote it. It's a fine novel, one of the best you're likely to read this year, and a welcome return to a vivid and fascinating world. Just because it's not flawless (as Curse of Chalion is, or very nearly) doesn't make it not a gem.

I have read everything she has ever written, enjoyed most, loved many, but this is the one that stands out to me. Maybe because of the older female protagonist, but most likely because of Bujold's fantastic writing. I loved Curse of Chalion, and was initially disappointed that this wasn't about those characters, but that lasted for about three pages. She imbues every word with love for her characters, as flawed as they are. A compassionate, passionate, and thrilling story in every way. Wonderful

Lois McMaster Bujold amazes me with her ability to write about such unique and unexpected characters. At first, the character of Royina Ista didn't strike me as someone I would want to read about. However, as I learnt more of her character throughout the novel, I became intrigued and quite drawn to the story.

This is the second book, after the Curse of Chalion. However, I believe it would make a fine stand alone novel as well.

The basic plotline is about the 40-some-year-old Royina Ista, who curses the gods for her misfortunes, escaping the restrictions of her home (where people mistake her for mad, and even suicidal) under the impression she is on a pilgrimage. However, on her journey, she is swept up by an unexpected invasion from the Roknari Isles. After that, she will find herself tightly woven into a puzzle she was sent to solve by the very gods she curses...

The good:
-The characters guarantee a unique read.
-The novel itself is very satisfying.
-The use of language is excellent; although I found myself hunting for a dictionary occasionally, it was a good experience!
-An interesting and flowing plotline.
-A great ending.

The bad:
To be honest, I can't really think of anything to put here... unless you have an aversion to long words or older characters, there's little you would dislike.

Lois McMaster Bujold is already fairly famous in the science fiction genre, but has recently begun writing fantasy as well. This is obviously a gift, for her writing is some of the best I've had a chance to read.

Paladin of Souls is in the rare sub-genre of fantasy that deals with personal faith. The gods of her worlds are invented, but the simple faith and the miracles that come from it are not; Christians and non-Christians alike should have no problem identifying with the characters in it, their doubts and their faith.

Paladin of Souls does not disappoint. It is the sequel to "Curse of Chalion", but one does not have to read the original to understand or enjoy any of it. The book takes a secondary character from that original and makes her into the protagonist, giving her a chance to redeem herself. It makes a delightful sequel but an even more impressive stand-alone novel which I read before I discovered Curse of Chalion.

Having failed to lift the curse on her line and thought insane by her own mother, the main character seizes a chance to escape her prison of well-meaning relatives by beginning a spiritual pilgrimage that is interrupted by war. A middle-aged woman who believes her best years are already past, she learns that the gods care only about her soul, not her aging body. She must reconcile her bitter rage with the gods who failed to answer her prayers with the grace and faith she needs to stop a similar tragedy from occuring.

As always, Bujold's characters are human, full of depth that is rare in fantasy. They have hopes, dreams, doubts and fears, they bear scars, they are not superhuman nor young and untried, but rather the kind of ordinary person that rises to greatness with modesty and the same sense of ethics that drove them from the beginning. Although her worlds are realistic and sometimes gritty, her books are deeply satisfying, with heroes and villains all receiving their just rewards without seeming far-fetched. Her world is imaginative and rich, filled with original ideas, cosmologies and people, and just begging to be explored in more depth in the future!

After so much praise, I do not mean to damn this book by saying I liked Curse of Chalion even more. Paladin of Souls was a great read and well worth my time.

Sigh...It's so *nice* to finally come across some decent single fantasy books, in these days when so many authors seem to be writing the Series that Does Not End. While set in the same world, this book is *not* in the strict sense a sequel to CURSE OF CHALION; it is a stand-alone work.

Bujold here expands and deepens her world, as well as expanding the theology of her Five Gods in a creative and interesting way. Like in the previous book, Bujold's characterization is fully-integrated and developed--it's so nice also to see a fantasy writer who is not concentrating on children or adolescents; Ista is a middle-aged woman, who has already experienced tragedy and loss, and in a way this book is a story of her healing as much as CURSE OF CHALION was of Cazaril's. Liss is wonderful and I would love to see more of her, as well as Ferda and Foix. Even the young and seemingly frivolous Lady Cattilara demonstrates unexpected depths, as she is shown to be hanging onto her dead husband solely by force of will. Keep up the good work, Bujold, I would not at all mind seeing another book written in this world.

From some of the early reviews mentioning that this diverted from most of the characters in "The Curse of Chalion" I was prepared to be a little disappointed since I enjoyed "The Curse of Chalion" so much... however, this has the same quality of writing, characters and plot twists as the other.

One thing I enjoy about her writing is that they're never predictable. You can't guess where the plot will be going next. (though it works - she doesn't go off in the weeds just to be unpredictable)

I really enjoyed it and I'd highly recommend it to others who enjoy Bujold books.

I adore Lois's Vorkosigan books and thought the first Chalion book was a good read, but I just couldn't get into this one. I'm sure there's a fine story in there for those tenacious fans willing to get past the opening chapters, but I don't have the time or patience for something that doesn't grab me early on. If your hero (heroine) is bored in the beginning, your reader will be, too.

To be honest I thought that I would hate this book, and honestly avoided picking it up for months. I found the cover art beautiful but it wasn't until I picked up the first book, The Curse of Chalion (which also looked stupid to me) that I really grew to appreciate the characters and the story. I despise reviews that tell an entire story and leave the reader nothing to look forward to so I won't and in any case the editorial review give you the gist. The story is well written although slow in some parts with too many minor characters, however when Ms. Bujold regains her footing the story is a rich and rewarding read.

I was disappointed to realize that this book would not be about Cazaril but the Royina Ista. Then I began reading it, and my dissatisfaction evaporated as I became quite attached to Ista and her entourage-Liss, dy Cabon, and all the others. My only regret about Paladin of Souls is that I cannot unread it to have the pleasure of reading it again for the first time. That misfortune is somewhat mitigated, however, by the fact that I am about to begin reading the Vorkosigan series. I can't wait.

This is one of those books with so much subtext it could float a battleship. There's a straight story on the top, very plain and not at all simple. Then under that, there's Lois McMaster Bujold with her literary stick stirring up your brain, getting all these odd thoughts to come floating out. As she always does.

On the straightforeward bit, this is the story of a woman who was a minor character from The Curse of Chalion. She's spent the past many years of her life in a deep despair, a depression and suicidal misery caused by a curse and exacerbated once the curse was lifted by the death of her son. She's watched over by kind, loving people who give her no freedom, no privacy and no trust. She has no love; even her daughter is far away and almost a stranger to her, and no prospects of friendship in her situation.

So she goes on a pilgramage, to get out and get away; an excuse but also an invocation of the Gods of Chalion. And as the Curse proved, the Gods of Chalion are listening... The Bastard God answers her with some very interesting problems.

So that's the straightforeward bit. It's how she does it that you have to see, because her writing is so amazing.