I’d advise against reading this while pregnant.
Written: Jan 04 '05 (Updated Sep 06 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Caz’s timidity. The court intrigue. The religion. And oh so much more.
Cons: It’s certainly not perfect. But there’s nothing damning.
The Bottom Line: Yummy yummy yummy I’ve got demons in my tummy!
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| panguitch's Full Review: Curse of Chalion Books |
Fate brought me and Lois together this Christmas, to the delight of friends who knew we’d match up well. It was almost two years ago Dave first spoke so highly of her. I was preoccupied at the time, but for some reason his words stuck with me. It wasn’t her past accomplishments that Dave enumerated so much as the thoughtfulness he attributed to her, especially her spiritual-mindedness, something very important to me. Still, it wasn’t until a couple weeks ago as I was out running errands that I happened to catch a glimpse of her and, on impulse, decided to see if we might not be right for each other.
THE STORY
I’ll admit the first few chapters of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Curse of Chalion left me underawed. The protagonist is just so whiny! I understand Cazaril has been through a traumatic experience. No, I wouldn’t enjoy spending a year chained to a galley oar. I know he had given himself up for dead and has no clue why the gods spared him. And I know all he wants, the best he feels he can hope for, is to become an anonymous servant in the home where he served as a page in his youth. So when the Dowager Provincara recognizes him after all these years and instead treats him as an honored guest—in fact she makes him her granddaughter Iselle’s tutor—his being overwhelmed is to be expected. But as the ‘hero’ of this novel, who is nearly reduced to hysterical weeping by every other chance word spoken, is brought to tears at the thought of lying on an actual bed, I found myself wondering, is this what I signed up for? Sure I like atypical protagonists, but if Cazaril can’t get a grip soon, I’m afraid I’ll have to look elsewhere. I am a man, after all. I have to have at least a little testosterone in my characters.
At the same time, Cazaril intrigued me. There was clearly more to his past than Bujold had revealed so far. And there was that matter of the mysterious murderer Cazaril happened upon—the man who tapped dark magic, sacrificing his own life to kill another. Soon enough, Bujold unravels these questions. When Cazaril tells his story to an old friend who thought him dead, we learn that the enemies who sent Cazaril to the galleys may not be finished with him.
Suddenly I realize I’m beginning to care about Cazaril. What’s more, I’m sharing his appreciation for Iselle and her companion Betriz’s youthful levity and vigor. When Iselle, second in line for the throne, is called to court, I’m torn between reactions. Like Cazaril, I fear they’re walking into an adder’s nest. But like Iselle and Betriz, I’m excited to go to court, whatever adventure may await.
In fact, the dangers at court reach beyond even Cazaril’s expectations. Intrigue surrounds Iselle, since her royal half-brother is ailing and heirless. Being her tutor suddenly becomes a prominent position, and Cazaril must face his enemies. But arching over all is the black hand of an old curse which grinds at the entire royal family, turning all their strengths and allies into traps. The gods have chosen Cazaril to end this curse. To save Iselle he must employ the most unholy means, and sacrifice his own life as well.
THE REVIEW
The slow start isn’t Chalion’s only flaw. Palliar reminds me of an overeager puppy. The denouement is long and borders on cloying. The Fox of Ibra is less than he was cracked up to be. It took me a while to get the hang of the nobles’ titles (I’m a bit slow digesting Latin roots). And despite the medievalish setting, Bujold’s characters all seem to speak Canadian, eh.
In all, if someone didn’t like this book I wouldn’t consider it a flaw in their character the way I do for a short list of favorite books. Yet Bujold has crafted a remarkable fantasy. Cazaril, as Dave puts it, is the ultimate reluctant hero. More than that, he’s embarrassingly timid when we meet him. Those used to heroic or at least antiheroic protagonists will find in him something quite different, something I’m not sure a male author could achieve with such nuance. We don’t expect much of Cazaril. But we like him. And when he’s forced to take dangerous action he does so selflessly and we admire him.
Chalion fits nicely within the recently popular subgenre that combines palace intrigue with a lower-presence for the fantastic. The machinations at court reward with each new convolution. The villains prove cunning when we thought them boorish, hapless pawns of the curse when we thought them masterminds.
There are battles, chases, elopements, sacrifices, brutality, and best of all, there’s religion. The world Bujold has created is most striking for its religions, and I can think of few fantasies that develop this aspect of their characters and setting as well as Chalion (Orson Scott Card’s Hart’s Hope is one). The gods are a family, the Father rules winter, the Mother summer, the Daughter spring and the Son autumn. There is also the Bastard, who rules all things out of season. An interesting concept, the Bastard is both the god of murder with an army of demons at his beck, and the god of orphans, whose followers maintain orphanages. The people of Chalion are thus Quintarians, while the Roknari to the north are Quadrenians, denying the Bastard and especially his patronage of homosexuality.
While this belief system is interestingly detailed, what puts it above the usual mythology of fantasy literature is the extent to which it is integrated with the world. Religion has affected history, it affects the events of the plot, and it affects each and every character. For me, the even greater accomplishment is the truthfulness of religion in this book. What I mean is that the way religion affects this world, and the way the characters relate to their religion is true to the reality of human experience. The gods feel remote. Some characters make fervent prayers in total faith. Others, observing their world, reason that the gods, if they exist, are unconcerned with mankind. The play of faith and doubt in characters’ minds is extraordinarily fine. Even when they experience their gods in undeniable manner, there is still a veil that prevents confident understanding of the divine will. Miracles are just as miraculous in the characters’ eyes as they would be to ours, and because of their sincerity we share some of their feeling for the holiness of their experiences. The mysteriousness of the miraculous is never lost. This is all written with the subtlety of truth, an undercurrent to the story that grows until it drives all things.
I’m enjoying my honeymoon with Lois. She never takes on airs in her writing, and neither do her characters. More than once Cazaril’s soft sarcasm let me smile when I needed it. There may be cause for thought here, but Chalion is first and foremost a good story. One that impressed me beyond the high expectations I set for it. One I recommend enthusiastically.
Other Lois McMaster Bujold novels set in the same world:
• "I am the Mouth of Hell" - Paladin of Souls: http://www.epinions.com/content_170295398020
• "Lust For a Woman Who Bludgeons Her Lovers to Death" - The Hallowed Hunt: http://www.epinions.com/content_225526910596
Also, see my Vorkosigan Saga Concordance for an overview of Bujold’s famous science fiction series: http://www.epinions.com/content_4838039684
SOME FURTHER COMMENTS
For those who have already read the book
(Here be spoilers)
• Bujold employs foreshadowing deftly, with Cazaril putting on the robes of the death magic practitioner right from the beginning. There are times when she is not shy about being predictable when there’s no call for surprise. When Cazaril makes Palliar swear secrecy, we’ve no doubt the secret will get out one way or another. When the smallest hope for Betriz’s affection steals into Cazaril’s heart, we’ve no doubt she will be his—predictability is just another way Bujold handles this romance with a light hand, keeping it in its place as a peripheral element. She is resourceful enough to reward us in more ways than just through surprise.
• Speaking of that romance, it stuck me that Cazaril was overly smitten with youth. His affections for Betriz are on the one hand very sweet. On the other hand, being a modern creature I can’t help but partly feel he’s a dirty old man. The admiration for the wit, vitality, and eagerness of young women is perhaps a shining through of Bujold’s own spirit.
• Chalion is a happy book. It certainly does not fit among the darker fantasies that predominate these days. Despite the brutality it sometimes shows, things come together almost too easily, too nicely at times. Still, the eucatastrophic climax is handled superbly, even if some of the happily-ever-after is drawn out.
• The saints in the book are all interesting characters and very much embody what I have tried to express above regarding religion in the novel.
• The honest treatment of homosexuality impressed me. While the Roknari torture homosexuals, the people of Chalion accept them. In principle. On an individual level, matters are more complex. Cazaril hides his surprise when he learns Umegat is gay. He is understanding of what Umegat must have experienced among the Roknari. But when they’re sitting alone, together, and Umegat makes some motion, Cazaril finds himself absurdly fearing a caress. He is accepting of Umegat’s homosexuality, but nevertheless fleetingly uncomfortable. It is a small moment between two who become close friends, and no great attention is drawn to it by Bujold’s restrained hand.
• There is no simple villain in this novel. Sure, it’s easy to hate Dondo. He’s the coward who put Cazaril in the galleys and he’s corrupting the young heir to the Royacy. He deserves exactly what Cazaril gives him. But after his death, with his plan already in motion, he must grudgingly be admitted to have possessed a certain cunning. Martou makes a strong case for himself as the villain, as he maneuvers to guarantee his power over Chalion. But we learn the curse may have made him what he is. And he and Cazaril almost work together to resolve the mess Dondo leaves behind. In the end, the heroes may be racing against Martou dy Jironal, but it’s obvious what they’re fighting against is the curse.
• I suspect a team of feminist critics could dazzle us with treatises on Cazaril’s monstrous ‘pregnancy.’ The imagery Cazaril’s doctor provides definitely disturbed me. But what struck me most were the Christian motifs. Cazaril is an interesting melding of the Virign Mary and Jesus Christ. The seed he bears was placed within him by god, and when it is ripe he will give birth to Chalion’s salvation. At that moment in the story, his arms are being held outstretched as if on a cross, and when his side is pierced water and blood gush forth. His role as a martyr who redeems Chalion by his threefold death is fully messianic, complete with a prophecy from Ista.
• Finally, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons throughout the novel to Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice (recommended highly: http://www.epinions.com/content_191961140868). There are distinct similarities between the cast-off heroes Cazaril and Fitz, from their enjoying the succor of a patroness (the Provincara and Lady Patience), to their suffering great things to save a nation and its rulers. Their sacrifice is personal, born of love for Iselle and Verity. Both belong in the fantasy sub-category of court intrigue, where the presence of the fantastic is toned down for most of the story. I’m not suggesting overt influence. Just that these books are similar. If you like one, you’ll probably like the other. Though their final tone varies widely—Hobb never allows herself the indulgence of rewarding Fitz. Again, Chalion is a happy book.
– Panguitch
Recommended:
Yes
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