Several different people in my book sphere—including ones with wildly disparate tastes—recommend Lois McMaster Bujold’s Curse of Chalion to me some years ago now. I was a slow adopter because the back blurb didn’t grab me. But so many people had good things to say—including people who weren’t really into high fantasy—that I did eventually give it a try.
At first, I thought it was a little slow. I was in my 20s, relatively new to the world of fiction by living authors not published for the Christian market, and Cazaril was not a protagonist with whom I really expected to resonate.
I think it sounded stuffy to me, so it just wasn’t a high priority. But I did eventually buy it and I have exactly zero regrets.
Here is the Goodreads Blurb:
A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril, has returned to the noble household he once served as page, and is named, to his great surprise, as the secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule.
It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it will ultimately lead him to the place he fears most, the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies, who once placed him in chains, now occupy lofty positions. In addition to the traitorous intrigues of villains, Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle, are faced with a sinister curse that hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion and all who stand in their circle. Only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics, can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge—an act that will mark the loyal, damaged servant as a tool of the miraculous, and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death.
Scarred, spent from years as an officer at war and then a galley slave, Cazaril is nearly penniless and slowly making his way—on foot—to the household where he got his start as a page. His dream is now a life of peaceful drudgery where he is fed and clothed.
In my 20s, I didn’t relate nearly so hard to Cazaril’s world weariness, but I do now. Caz is dry, likable, and wants more than anything in the world to do his job in peace and quiet while having a roof over his head and food to eat. He’s so relatable, in fact, that it really takes the other characters describing his deeds for you to realize what a badass he is.
The story itself is complex, it moves faster than you think, and involves deep ponderings of theology and morality that isn’t afraid to grapple with the ramifications of the divine being REAL.
Because there ARE ramifications for the divine being real. And uncomfortable questions about free will and why bad things happen when the gods are good.
Caz’s story is complex, exciting, compassionate, and joyful.
Demons, curses, saints, lies, half truths, political intrigue, daring exploits, and divine intervention!
I was very excited when I discovered that there was a book about Ista de Chalion, the Queen Mother, called Paladin of Souls. She was an interesting and important side character to Caz’s story. Ista is even more dry than Caz, and has a much more jaded relationship with the gods. Ista is another character who is tired—but she is tried of sitting still, being in a cage, and of mourning. She is bitter, too. Her story, though, is warm-hearted, funny, mysterious, just a bit romantic, and full of healing and redemption. I re-read it regularly.
The Goodreads blurb is so barebones!
In a land threatened by treacherous war and beset by demons, royal dowager Ista, released from the curse of madness and manipulated by an untrustworthy god, is plunged into a desperate struggle to preserve the endangered souls of a realm.
But believe me when I say there is true love, revenge, sword fighting, horse races, demons, sieges, mystery, and humor. You don’t want to miss these books.
Bujold also writes novellas in this same world following a young priest of the Bastard, named Penric. These are fun, short, stories, centering on Penric and his Temple Demon, Desdemona and their adventures serving their god wherever they find themselves. I know, that sounds super weird but believe me it makes perfect sense within the rules of the world.
Bujold is actually much better known for her sci-fi—and her Vorkosigan Saga is, indeed, positively expansive. It’s more space fantasy than sci-fi, which I find a huge pro, personally.
I’ve read a couple of them, and return to the series whenever I start to miss Miles Vorkosigan and wonder what he’s up to now. Miles is a rare thing in art and literature—he is a short, handicapped, un-handsome protagonist. Miles is also intellectually brilliant, and solidly good. He always figures out how to save the day. Thus far, he also never gets the girl. Which is not played for laughs, but also makes perfect sense to me because he’s still very young. Miles is such a lovely human being, I hope he does find love eventually. Miles’s stories are laced with intrigue, action, and humor. Some of the adjacent stories in the same world deal more openly with the dark themes and subject matter that Miles only brushes against. I’m pretty choosey about which short stories I embark on, as a result. Even though Bujold is not gratuitous and doesn’t dwell on things.1
So, if you haven’t yet picked up a book by Lois McMaster Bujold, I encourage you to do so. You’ll be swept into a world that feels as real as our own—be it the sun soaked fields of Chalion or the expanse of space, you’ll want to return over and over again. Also, if you’re into audio books, the audiobooks for all of Bujold’s works are excellent. Truly. 10/10 recommend. They translate really well to audio and the narrators do an incredible job.
Her works generally fall 1-2 on the spice-o-meter and PG-13 for violence/peril. I’m only a few books into the Vorkosigan saga but there is some on-page sexual peril in Shards of Honor (which is a very good book, but that scene is hard to read, edging toward 3 although no sex is had).