Ms. Bujold is quite the study in contrasts. Her four Hugo awards for best science fiction of the year put her next to Robert A. Heinlein for the most ever awarded to one author. And yet Ms. Bujold has written more uninspired claptrap than I've ever encountered from a single author. How the masterful Chalion series and the pitiful Sharing Knife series can be produced by the same intelligence boggles the mind. Different audiences? Perhaps. And yet, the intended recipient of the content shouldn't have any bearing on the quality of the storytelling which is starkly different indeed.
The curse of Chalion is a tightly written, gripping novel about a wronged knight serendipitously offered a second chance in a realm long cursed. Inspired by the medieval history of the Iberian peninsula, Chalion is a landlocked kingdom forced to maneuver against numerous enemies while being hamstrung by a royal curse which has long-shadowed and corrupted its leading lights. Though gods and spirits and prophecies play parts here, the story is refreshingly light on deus-ex-machina magic and Tolkien-inspired wizardry. Dark, yes, but livened by fatalistic humor as sharp as the sword-blades which spill so much blood. This is work of rare quality and a must for appreciaters of dark fantasy. (4/5 Stars)
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