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A review by lizshayne
Knot of shadows by Lois McMaster Bujold
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I have this extensive essay that I keep poking at in my head on religion in fiction—both a critical analysis of exceptional texts and a personal essay on the books that shape my relationship with God—and Bujold's Five Gods are hanging out right in the middle.
She doesn't talk about grace, although it's in the background, but what she's doing here fits better (to my Jewish brain) with the idea of "chen", which is often translated as grace, but is also like the "find favor in your eyes" sense—the thing that happens when her gods SEE their devotees and...okay, NOT writing the essay here.
Either this one is godd-ier or this essay has been percolating for too long (Por qué no los dos), but the interplay between grace and responsibility, between god and human, and between the face of the divine and "no hands but ours" is just a lot. It's also just time to reread the rest of the Five Gods (I reread Chalion and Paladin last year...and I just noticed the name Paladin of Souls thinking about one of the other two authors who writes...sexy paladin romances but also about the divine with such richness).
Oh, also, the book was good. Enjoyed the mystery and the time spend with these characters. (Book good! Ale foamy.)
She doesn't talk about grace, although it's in the background, but what she's doing here fits better (to my Jewish brain) with the idea of "chen", which is often translated as grace, but is also like the "find favor in your eyes" sense—the thing that happens when her gods SEE their devotees and...okay, NOT writing the essay here.
Either this one is godd-ier or this essay has been percolating for too long (Por qué no los dos), but the interplay between grace and responsibility, between god and human, and between the face of the divine and "no hands but ours" is just a lot. It's also just time to reread the rest of the Five Gods (I reread Chalion and Paladin last year...and I just noticed the name Paladin of Souls thinking about one of the other two authors who writes...sexy paladin romances but also about the divine with such richness).
Oh, also, the book was good. Enjoyed the mystery and the time spend with these characters. (Book good! Ale foamy.)