ISBN: 0-380-97901-2 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
An excellent, at times touching, fantasy of likable characters in an interesting world full of intrigue, courage, distress and happiness.
Reviewed by David on January 10, 2002
Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy, Intrigue, Romance)
Synopsis: Castillar dy Cazaril was once a young courtier, poor but of good family. In his youth he served in many capacity, from page to courier, to envoy and garrison commander. The wars of his native Chalion have used Cazaril up, and spit him up.
Penniless, scarred, shaky from a punishing imprisonment and weak from fevers, he slowly comes to the castle of his youth, looking for scraps of food, clothing and some menial occupation.
Instead, he gets a job infinitely more dangerous, if more comfortable: teaching the impetuous and bright princess Iselle. While not in direct line of inheritance, Cazaril's student is close enough to power to enmesh him in deadly intrigue and deadlier curse that afflicts the royal family.
Full Review: The author is better known for her science fiction than fantasy, but here Bujold brings her rightfully respected skill with human interaction to the imaginary world of Chalion. A somewhat unusual system of gods surve as a background to the more typical political intrigue.
The main characters are extremely likable, and Cazaril himself proves much stronger than his physical exhaustion imply. As his qualities are revealed, always in distress and frequently in desperation, the reader's sympathy is firmly engaged by this vulnerable and courageous hero. Even the villains, deadly and ruthless as they are, are drawn with detail and even some sympathy. As in many other Bujold's books, the villains inspire some pity along with terror.
Despite the atmosphere of constant peril, real danger and pain, the book turns out to be full of hope and happiness, suitable to its romantic motif.
In all, this is a very enjoyable, solidly built fantasy full of intersting, sympathetic characters.
Overall: 7.5; Plot: 6.5; Characters: 7.5; Style: 7; World-building: 7; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 2001, HarperCollins (Eos), August 2001, Cloth, 442 pages
ISBN: 0-380-97901-2 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com