Review: The Curse of Chalion

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Curse of Chalion is the story of a noble, broken man who has just managed to escape from slavery. Once a soldier and a lord, Cazaril is now almost to the end of his rope, destitute, friendless, and betrayed. The first part of the book is the story of how he rebuilds his life, and how his sense of honor brings him to continue giving his life and loyalty to Chalion even when he feels he has nothing left to give.

It's a slow start - I didn't see what the point of it all was for quite a while. Cazaril is a noble sort of hero with some middle-aged wisdom to give in the role of mentor and adviser, and he is also humble. He really doesn't have any flaws, and I liked him for it - it's kind of refreshing these days. But aside from him getting sucked back into politics, it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere.

There's a lot of groundwork-laying until about 180 pages in when something significant finally happens. From that point on, it doesn't slow down at all. It turns out to be really great fantasy with plenty of political intrigue, action, and interesting magic. Suddenly I was completely in its grip! The ending is completely satisfying, bringing together pieces that I didn't even know were part of the puzzle.

The reason I can only give this 4 stars is that there are some gruesome parts that turned me off. Gruesome more in the lingering medical condition sense than the fleeting battle blood-and-guts sense (which I'm fine with). I'm kind of squeamish on the medical stuff though, and I really couldn't get past it, even though the rest of the story was fantastic. The slow start is something I can deal with because it pays off in the second half of the book - but give me too many medical details and I'm just not happy. That's me, though.

This is the first book in a trilogy, but it really feels complete to me as it is. I don't feel any lingering questions forcing me to pick up the next book. It can totally stand alone if you're not in the mood for a series. From what I've read, the next book moves to one of the minor characters, so it's almost more of a companion novel. I do intend to read on.



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