Curse of Chalion – Lois McMaster Bujold

Category:Fantasy

This is the first novel by this author that I have read, and it was a pleasure to do so.

Cazaril has been many things in his life, the latest being a slave. Now he returns to the castle in which he was a page as a child, a broken man. He returns in the hope that the lady will remember him and grant him some small position within the household so he can live out his days in quiet and comfort.

The Lady does indeed remember him and appoints him to be the personal secretary-tutor to the Royesse Iselle, her granddaughter and the sister to the present heir to the throne of Chalion.

When Iselle and her brother are summoned to Chalion he finds himself thrown into conflict with the very men who conspired to make him a slave, the men who now conspire to gain a kingdom. However the gods of Chalion also have an interest in the royal house and in Cazaril himslef.

I found this to be a well paced tale set in a world with credable secular and religious characters and beliefs.

The religion of Chalion plays a large role in the story and is well presented with interesting detail about the five gods and their roles within the pantheon.

With well written characters, a lot of political intrigue and the whims of the gods this is a story that captures the imagination and carries it all the way to the final full stop.

Rating: 7/10

The series:
Curse of Chalion
Paladin of Souls