Sequel's so rarely outshine their progenitors and yet Paladin of Souls breaks that mold and more by not just burning brighter than its progenitor, Curse of Chalion, it does so while following a character only briefly touched on in the first novel. Set in the same kingdom as Curse, and opening three years after its conclusion, Paladin of Souls chronicles the fake pilgrimage of mad Ista, mother to a daughter who has outstripped her, and a restless woman who has too long been cooped up in her ancestral home. To escape her so-called friends, who are more her keepers than allies, Ista plots a breakout from her suffocating non-life and, in doing so, finds herself flung headlong into divine events which have grave implications for both Chalion and her daughter.
Paladin of Souls is a kind of yin to Curse of Chalion's yang, the female to its male, and it is this clever juxtaposition that gives Paladin much of its punch. If this is as far as the main sequence of the Chalion books go, we may be disappointed by its paucity, but only the most miserly will claim not to have been entertained. (5/5 Stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment