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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold. I enjoy her writing, her stories and characters. They are not all masterpieces, most aren’t that “great” per se, but they strike a chord I enjoy. They are well paced, delightful to read, with often a fair amount of subtext for the conscientious reader.
Her prose is very clear, to the point, quite beautiful at times, even if she can be a bit repetitive, especially in her dialogues.
The Curse of Chalion is no exception. It’s very readable, with good and consistent pacing, well drawn (if a bit shallow) characters, a compelling plot and some nice humour. I will say that the hero, Cazaril, is a bit boring. He’s too “perfect” and that makes him uninteresting in my book, at least in part.
That being said, his storyline is quite good and his relationship with other characters keeps making me want to learn more about him. So it’s not all bad at all, let’s just say I’d wished he was more flawed. He does have one big flaw, he’s a 35 year old man lusting on a far younger woman, but this aspect is evoked only once and doesn’t really play into the story, plus he doesn’t act on it at all. I guess Bujold wanted to humanize her perfect knight but wasn’t sure how to go about it.
Her world building is effortless, and I’m usually someone who dislikes world building in fantasy novels. I often find it detrimental to the story, although I recognize it’s actually what many readers find appealing in those novels. Here, it’s done in a very clever way, alongside the story, without ever interfering or slowing it down. Great job Lois!
The book serves as a very good, if not perfect, introduction to the World of the Five Gods. Apparently, the sequel Paladin of Souls is quite superior to Chalion so I’m going to read that right after this novel.
To conclude: an easy reading fantasy novel, with some darker themes mixed with stark humour and good characters. I do recommend it and look forward to reading the next one in the series.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I may like the Chalion books better than the Miles books, especially after just rereading them. Just...so good, on all fronts.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Chalion, like all Bujold novels I've read, focused strongly on the actions and choices of extremely well made characters. Lupe dy Cazaril is one of my favorite protagonists of recent times, simultaneously fearful and brave, calculating and caring, noble and utilitarian, and hopeful and realistic. At every turn, his actions were consistent and very human, while demonstrating the best humanity could have to offer. In a world not friendly or forgiving to people without a sense of ruthlessness, he acts nobly and cares for those in his charge. He shows anger and derision where it is deserved, is afraid deeply of the people who are capable of hurting him, and willing to do anything for the people he cares about.
For the most part, the plot points flow very naturally out of the actions of the characters and everything makes an immense amount of sense. Occasional pieces that interact with the mythology feel like deus ex machina a bit.
My other big qualm was with Martou's actions in the end. He seemed to have acted too rashly and emotionally for the characteristics otherwise established for him when he stormed the city and stabbed dy Cazaril.
A small qualm was that early text in the book implied in my mind that dy Cazaril would be tried for his possession of the demon book, which I thought was a bad way to go with the plot. I was incorrect, and it may just have been my own impression, derived from experience with other stories. At any rate, either way, I'm not sure how I feel about the foreshadowing.
For the most part, the plot points flow very naturally out of the actions of the characters and everything makes an immense amount of sense. Occasional pieces that interact with the mythology feel like deus ex machina a bit.
Spoiler
This is strangely fitting, and in particular it did not seem clear what the mechanism the Lady of Spring used to save dy Cazaril from the flogging was. That his situation had been partially orchestrated by the gods seemed clear, but it was necessary strictly that he died then. The other deaths had a mythos explanation for his survival or revival, but not that one.My other big qualm was with Martou's actions in the end. He seemed to have acted too rashly and emotionally for the characteristics otherwise established for him when he stormed the city and stabbed dy Cazaril.
A small qualm was that early text in the book implied in my mind that dy Cazaril would be tried for his possession of the demon book, which I thought was a bad way to go with the plot. I was incorrect, and it may just have been my own impression, derived from experience with other stories. At any rate, either way, I'm not sure how I feel about the foreshadowing.
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Esta es la fantasía adulta que, por desgracia, ya no se publica. La fantasía adulta que ya no se lee. Lo cual es una pena, porque hay vida más allá del catálogo de Puck y convendría recordarlo.
McMaster Bujold utiliza esta historia para mostrarnos el lento camino de un héroe atípico (asustado, poco dado a la violencia) hacia la aceptación de sí mismo y su entorno, incluyendo el amor de semejantes que no cree merecer. Aquí hay magia, hay politeísmo y hay intrigas políticas, pero, sobre todo, hay introspección. Es un libro lento, con una prosa rica como ya rara vez podemos ver en las miles de novedades anuales en el género, con poca acción hasta la segunda mitad del libro y con abundantes monólogos interiores de un hombre, Cazaril, atormentado por sus demonios (literalmente) y sus temores. Junto a él, Iselle, el segundo personaje en importancia, completa un magnífico arco evolutivo, desde una joven impulsiva y poco paciente a una mujer decidida y fuerte. Es, para mí, el mejor personaje del libro.
Cazaril, por otro lado, me ha recordado por momentos al Traspié de Robin Hobb. Ambas deciden escoger como protagonistas, no a dos jóvenes y hermosos fae/guardias/príncipes/inserteaquípersonajemasculinoarquetípicoactual, sino a dos hombres rotos y maltratados que siguen adelante a duras penas, rodeados de amigos que les quieren y que ambos no creen merecer. En el caso de Traspié, quizá, su personaje impacta más al conocerlo desde que es un niño pequeño; Cazaril es la versión adulta de ese Traspié adolescente, triste y perdido del final de la trilogía del Vatídico.
Lo malo de leer esto siendo española es que, a grandes rasgos y en cuanto a su trama política...ya te sabes el final. Porque esta es una interpretación en clave fantástica del ascenso al trono de Isabel la Católica, por lo que poca sorpresa hay cuando, efectivamente, Iselle se convierte en reina. Tampoco hay tensión ni sorpresa cuando se decide su matrimonio secreto con Bergon, el heredero de Ibra (Fernando de Aragón). Gran parte de los puntos políticos de la novela que pretendían crear expectación...para un lector español se quedan flojos por previsibles. Supongo que para un señor de Kansas fue toda una sorpresa. Lo envidio.
Con todo, esta es una novela fantástica, en todos los sentidos, por su introspección, su magnífica prosa y su excelente contrucción de personajes. Ya no se escriben novelas así.
McMaster Bujold utiliza esta historia para mostrarnos el lento camino de un héroe atípico (asustado, poco dado a la violencia) hacia la aceptación de sí mismo y su entorno, incluyendo el amor de semejantes que no cree merecer. Aquí hay magia, hay politeísmo y hay intrigas políticas, pero, sobre todo, hay introspección. Es un libro lento, con una prosa rica como ya rara vez podemos ver en las miles de novedades anuales en el género, con poca acción hasta la segunda mitad del libro y con abundantes monólogos interiores de un hombre, Cazaril, atormentado por sus demonios (literalmente) y sus temores. Junto a él, Iselle, el segundo personaje en importancia, completa un magnífico arco evolutivo, desde una joven impulsiva y poco paciente a una mujer decidida y fuerte. Es, para mí, el mejor personaje del libro.
Cazaril, por otro lado, me ha recordado por momentos al Traspié de Robin Hobb. Ambas deciden escoger como protagonistas, no a dos jóvenes y hermosos fae/guardias/príncipes/inserteaquípersonajemasculinoarquetípicoactual, sino a dos hombres rotos y maltratados que siguen adelante a duras penas, rodeados de amigos que les quieren y que ambos no creen merecer. En el caso de Traspié, quizá, su personaje impacta más al conocerlo desde que es un niño pequeño; Cazaril es la versión adulta de ese Traspié adolescente, triste y perdido del final de la trilogía del Vatídico.
Lo malo de leer esto siendo española es que, a grandes rasgos y en cuanto a su trama política...ya te sabes el final. Porque esta es una interpretación en clave fantástica del ascenso al trono de Isabel la Católica, por lo que poca sorpresa hay cuando, efectivamente, Iselle se convierte en reina. Tampoco hay tensión ni sorpresa cuando se decide su matrimonio secreto con Bergon, el heredero de Ibra (Fernando de Aragón). Gran parte de los puntos políticos de la novela que pretendían crear expectación...para un lector español se quedan flojos por previsibles. Supongo que para un señor de Kansas fue toda una sorpresa. Lo envidio.
Con todo, esta es una novela fantástica, en todos los sentidos, por su introspección, su magnífica prosa y su excelente contrucción de personajes. Ya no se escriben novelas así.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes