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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
The book is much better with the new narrator, but I found it difficult to relate to the characters. The story felt forced.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Grover Gardner reading Bujold is always a delight. Interesting to see Bujold exploring ideas that get developed and more fully realized in the World of the Five Gods. Great read for fans of that genre of Bujold’s work.
Another great read from my favorite author! I love how magic is put into this world, and the interaction of magic and the church. There's also all the adventure, sword fights, and romance one might look for in a story.
Solid and enjoyable! Amazing world building as always.
This noblebright fantasy, set in Renaissance Italy, opens with a young woman, Fiametta, assisting her father, Prospero Beneforte, master craftsman and mage, in putting the final touches on a magical poison-detecting salt cellar. Their richly decorated creation is intended as a gift from their duke to the duke’s daughter’s husband-to-be, Lord Ferrante. But when the betrothal party goes bad, with their duke murdered and their city of Montefoglio overrun by Ferrante’s men, Fiametta and her father flee. Ferrante’s men track them, murder Master Beneforte, and take his body away to be used in black magic enslaving the powerful mage’s unshriven spirit.
Fiametta, naturally, is horrified. With the assistance of Thur Ochs, a young Swiss metalworker, she returns to Montefoglio determined to free her father’s spirit and see justice done.
On first dipping into The Spirit Ring, I wasn’t thrilled with Fiametta, who seemed like a flighty teenage girl with her mind on romance and an overly generous assessment of her own abilities, but she grew on me as the book progressed. She is a bit naive but brave, and the author shows us that she is talented, as she steps up to accomplish things her older and wiser advisors say can’t be done.
This isn’t a story with great depth, but it is a fun read, with kobolds, ghosts, and asides into mining and metalworking. There is also a gentle romance, but the love-at-first-sight trope is subverted, at least on Fiametta’s side. Thur does fall for her immediately, but when her magic tells her he is her one true love, she is aghast. A big, stupid Swiss lout is not at all what she had in mind. But of course he’s not as much of a lout as he appears.
There are other appealing characters in this story, including an abbott who is competent, caring, and a voice of moral authority, and a maybe mad, maybe not castellan. Even the power-hungry Ferrante is brave and in some ways likeable. Only the evil magician working for him is irredeemable, despite the abbott’s valiant efforts to redeem him.
And finally, when the story is over, you’ll never be able to view Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze statue of Perseus in quite same way, ever again.
Audience: teens and up. Violence, but no sex or bad language.
This review was first published on This Need to Read.
Fiametta, naturally, is horrified. With the assistance of Thur Ochs, a young Swiss metalworker, she returns to Montefoglio determined to free her father’s spirit and see justice done.
On first dipping into The Spirit Ring, I wasn’t thrilled with Fiametta, who seemed like a flighty teenage girl with her mind on romance and an overly generous assessment of her own abilities, but she grew on me as the book progressed. She is a bit naive but brave, and the author shows us that she is talented, as she steps up to accomplish things her older and wiser advisors say can’t be done.
This isn’t a story with great depth, but it is a fun read, with kobolds, ghosts, and asides into mining and metalworking. There is also a gentle romance, but the love-at-first-sight trope is subverted, at least on Fiametta’s side. Thur does fall for her immediately, but when her magic tells her he is her one true love, she is aghast. A big, stupid Swiss lout is not at all what she had in mind. But of course he’s not as much of a lout as he appears.
There are other appealing characters in this story, including an abbott who is competent, caring, and a voice of moral authority, and a maybe mad, maybe not castellan. Even the power-hungry Ferrante is brave and in some ways likeable. Only the evil magician working for him is irredeemable, despite the abbott’s valiant efforts to redeem him.
And finally, when the story is over, you’ll never be able to view Benvenuto Cellini’s bronze statue of Perseus in quite same way, ever again.
Audience: teens and up. Violence, but no sex or bad language.
This review was first published on This Need to Read.
I was dubious -- my experience of fantasy written by my favorite SF authors is not good. This one, though, is worthwhile, in part because the fantasy is grounded in some interesting history and the lead character brings a fiery personality and serious skills to the table.
For some odd reason I thought this was the start to Bujold's fantasy series. It wasn't. And I am pretty sure I already read it. The book was, however, lots of fun. The magic was good, the conflicts were interesting and all turned out right in the end. What more could I ask for?
I will say, that I still like Miles best of all Bujold's characters.
I will say, that I still like Miles best of all Bujold's characters.
Snagged the original '93 paperback at the library book sale. 50 cents well spent!
Bujold is the author I most want to write like. Her novels always unfold at this amazing breakneck pace without sacrificing character. So: a very entertaining read filled with believable, well-drawn characters that I both liked and cared about. I loved the magic system, and the idea of having magic coexisting with the medieval (or maybe Renaissance? I dunno) church is something I haven't seen before and really enjoyed. (Especially intriguing--the idea that certain church rituals have actual magical implications.)
And I especially liked the fact that we got a great story that was complete before page 400. This is all too rare in fantasy, where book bloat and series bloat are serious concerns. Not here. Great fantasy to pick up without feeling like you're risking a commitment to tens of thousands of pages.
Bujold is the author I most want to write like. Her novels always unfold at this amazing breakneck pace without sacrificing character. So: a very entertaining read filled with believable, well-drawn characters that I both liked and cared about. I loved the magic system, and the idea of having magic coexisting with the medieval (or maybe Renaissance? I dunno) church is something I haven't seen before and really enjoyed. (Especially intriguing--the idea that certain church rituals have actual magical implications.)
And I especially liked the fact that we got a great story that was complete before page 400. This is all too rare in fantasy, where book bloat and series bloat are serious concerns. Not here. Great fantasy to pick up without feeling like you're risking a commitment to tens of thousands of pages.
Not Bujold's best, I fear, but not her worst either, which means it's pretty good. This was Bujold's first venture outside the realm of SF into fantasy, in this case historical fantasy.