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The Curse of Chalion
Cazaril has had a bit of a hard life. He's a competent military captain - perhaps too competent - who has fought in every significant war of the past 20 years. And been on the losing side each time. In his most recent campaign, he held a fortress against besiegers for many months, till he and his men were reduced to eating rats and the besieging army was thoroughly annoyed with him. At the conclusion of that campaign, he was sold off as a galley slave - chained to his oar, being whipped for the slightest disobedience. The experience has left him a bit the worse for wear, but with a selection of good stories which he recounts throughout the book. When asked if he knows the local geography, he replies, "What I haven't ridden over, I've walked, what I haven't walked, I've been dragged across. Or through. I've had geography ground into my skin. And I've rowed round half the Archipelago at least." This could have been a really good book with a few more stories from Cazaril.
There's more than a bit of humor in the book. Miles' disability was such that it couldn't be laughed at, but Cazaril has the necessary self-humor about the hard times he's had.
At a loss as to where to go after his miraculous rescue from the galley, Cazaril returns to his boyhood haunts, where he is promptly employed as a tutor to a reckless young noblewoman. They are promptly thrust into a political mess, which turns out to be deeper and darker (of course) than either suspected. Cazaril has to safeguard his charge while unraveling the mess, saving the kingdom, battling evil, and all the usual troubles that a protagonist must contend with.
One highpoint of the book is a complex yet self-consistent religious system. Most western fantasy authors tend to use poorly camouflaged versions of christianity, or gloss over religion. The religious system in Chalion is nothing like any real religion that I know of, but well done - it's probably more consistent than most real religions.
If you enjoy the Vorkosigan books, you'll probably like this one. If not, probably not. Well, I guess there are some people who adore science fiction and hate fantasy or vice-versa, but aside from them... I had solved most of the plot by about half-way through, but one key detail eluded me until the very end. Although looking back, there were enough hints for me to have gotten it.
While I'm at it, I ought to mention another Bujold "book" recently released - Miles, Mystery and Mayhem. You might expect from the title that this would be a new Vorkosigan book. You would be wrong. This is one of those sneaky publishers' tricks, a book consisting entirely of several previously published works about Miles. One novel, one novella, and one short story, if I remember the word counts correctly. All of which I've read before. There was no indication of this on the online site where I purchased this book. There is no indication of it in the brief blurb from the publisher which most places use to describe the book. There is no indication of it on the cover of the book itself - ensuring that scans of the cover won't give away the ruse. I'm sorely tempted to return it, though I probably won't - I'll just read the next few Bujold books in paperback or from the library, until my irritation with this trick fades. Bujold and/or her publisher did all her readers a great disservice with this sleazy trick.
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I just reread the Fellowship of the ring, in preparation for the movie next week, and it struck me how most of the fantasy I've read since last reading FotR is so similar to it. Even if it doesn't contain the tolkien versions of elves, dwarves and hobbits. Most fantasy usually starts like this:
[protaganists] pulled from their village by [druid, sorcerers, other heros] just before [ultimate bad guy's servants] arrive to get [protagonist or whatever item he possesses]. A chase ensues, the [bad guys servants] chasing the [protagonist] trying to [kill / steal item from] him. Throughout the chase the [protagonist] discovers his [powers] just in the nick of time to [kill very lethal enemies] until arriving at [his destination].
So much fantasy I've read starts off that way, it may change later in the novel/series, but a lot of it owes the first few chapters/books to tolkien.
Anyone know any good fantasy that doesn't start off this way?
This review glossed over what was for me the most fascinating theme of the book: faith and loyalty. Yes, there is a well-developed religious system, but more importantly the book portrays this system's effect (or, on occasion, lack thereof) on the characters.
What does it mean to give yourself totally to a higher power or cause? What are the ramifications of such a dangerous promise, whether given to a physical instantiation (a queen or lord) or spiritual one (a god)? Cazaril in particular is forced to deal with these questions. Given how many fantasy books treat religion either as a source of hot-and-cold-running spells or as a system divorced from the everyday life of a world's inhabitants, I found the approach Bujold took in Curse of Chalion to be a refreshing change.
I thought "The Curse of Chalion" was quite orginal and well written, and I am a BIG fan of the Vorkosigan series...
But if you people think there isn't any good or
original fantasy nowadays, you just need to pick
up George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga, made out of three books so far: "A Game of Thrones", "A Clash of Kings" and "A Storm of Swords". Amazing characters, incredible plot with millions of subplots. Best fantasy I've ever read since LOTR, and it is comparable. Yes, comparable to LOTR. It is that good.
You guys may know George R.R. Martin already from his science fiction, "Tuf Voyaging" or "Fevre Dream". Read this. Believe me.