The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1) in Beyond Reality

Oct 22, 2011 Candace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book. Here's why:

1. Court Intrigue - No one says what they mean. People will do anything to gain the favor of the people of a higher rank than them. There are a ton of rules of etiquette that must be followed. All of the above gives an author so many opportunities (with both subtle and not so subtle humour) to show the various shades of human nature. Bujold was an absolute master with both the characters who set out to master all things courtly and even better at showing the people I loved this book. Here's why:

1. Court Intrigue - No one says what they mean. People will do anything to gain the favor of the people of a higher rank than them. There are a ton of rules of etiquette that must be followed. All of the above gives an author so many opportunities (with both subtle and not so subtle humour) to show the various shades of human nature. Bujold was an absolute master with both the characters who set out to master all things courtly and even better at showing the people (Yes, they seemed so real) who refused to bend. These characters are unforgettable. Although book 2 is not a continuation, I do hope to see some of them again.

2.A little romance - And I do mean a little. Its not necessary to name names here (spoilers), but I thought Bujold added just the right amount of romance to her fantasy.

3. Expert Plotting - At the beginning, I thought that there was a lot of backstory/foreground and that things didn't really start until later. However, a main theme of the book is how much of our lives is free will versus the gods leading us as puppets. Pieces of the plot keep coming together and fitting nicely into this complex plot and you realize that everything she wrote was necessary for Cazaril's story - every scene, every bit of dialog.

4. the Quintarian religion - I can't remember reading a fantasy where the main magical part was as heavy a religious system as this. I thought she did a good job with developing the religion, the festivals, and the 5 gods. the book does get heavy with discussion into this religion in the latter half of the book. It made for slower reading as I followed everyone's arguments on where they thought the soul went after death, etc etc.because it is tightly tied to the plot.

I had one qualm.

My one qualm (SPOILER) - and it is kind of a big one in that it is necessary to Bujold's plotline. Once Cazaril learned of the curse and determined his purpose as a saint was to remove the curse from Iselle, his plan was to marry her Out of the curse. What? That doesn't make any sense and I was upset that he worked on that for a huge part of the book. It was uncharacteristic of him as he was very intelligent and a reasonable person. Ias and Orico had both married and their spouses had taken On the curse so why did he think Iselle would be different? Because she's female? There's no indication that sex should make a difference to a curse. Because he's removing her from the heart of the curse (location)? It's been clear the curse has run in the family's bloodline. Moving locations doesn't change her blood. I was at least happy that the ill-thought out plan didn't work.

OVERALL: The book was written beautifully. I loved the humor, court life and touch of romance. Cazaril is one of my favorite characters. ...more

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May 20, 2011 Maggie K rated it really liked it

Shelves: mytheopeic

What a wonderful gem!
I don't usually care a lot for the standard epic fantasies--I like a little grit and realism mixed in--but this book was a definite treat!

Cazaril has been a slave since being captured during a battle, and not ransomed. He was able to find out that his name had been kept off the list of POWs, and thus realizes the blame is not with his royal house, but rather the man who is now chancellor. So instead of heading to the capitol, he returns to the province where he originally wo ...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Sandra rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 12, 2010 Shel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, print-owned, calico-reaction-reads, read-in-2011

This book grabbed me from the very start and didn't let me go until I finished the last word on the last page. I've loved Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books, so had high expectations for her fantasy, and was not disappointed. I'd previously read one of her earlier fantasies, The Spirit Ring, and liked but didn't love it - that one was set in medieval Italy, so perhaps Bujold is stronger when she can invent her own world. Because the world-building was one of my favorite aspects here. I loved the re ...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Richelle added it

Shelves: bookclub

Writing more fleshed out than some of the SF I've read by the same author. Nice having a fantasy protagonist who isn't the typical coming of age, destined to be a hero, hidden power, etc type. Some may find it difficult to get into because the main conflict doesn't really show up until halfway through the book. ...more

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Aug 18, 2012 ♥ Unaeve ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Not enough magic and a little bit to much court drama ,the main protagonist is mail and so not my thing-acting like he is 60 not 35,allays tired,slow and sick,not your usual hero...
romance is almost none existing and yet..i likeeeeeeeed it!
And I am reading the next part.Right now.So bye :D.

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Feb 02, 2024 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is actually a reread for me, I first read the book around 2002 - so it has been quite a while and I didn't remember much of the story. What a shame that I have waited so long for a reread. Bujold is a master writer. ...more

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