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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.
You can purchase this book at Fatbrain. Want to see your own review here? Read the book review guidelines, then submit using Slashdot's web-submission page :)
I suppose that it is her "first" fantasy novel, if you choose to ignore her other first fantasy novel, The Smoke Ring, first published in about 1992.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Ah, the writings of an author who writes upon the works of other prior authors ... for there are indeed many SF and Fantasy precedents for such (anti?) heroes as Bujold's Vorkosigan. In fact, Retief is the first that comes to mind, and Zelazny and Poul Anderson (rip) come strikingly to mind.
Back in the first days of large-scale network computer gaming, I used the Corps Diplomatic Terran (CDT) of Retief as the genesis for many of my subculture archons in a number of empires - including those played within Cluster I, Cluster II, and some of my own play-by-mail role-playing games.
Now that's not to say I haven't enjoyed Bujold's works - they've always been a good read.
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--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
The URL's right, though!
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
All of the Baen reprints of Bujold's stuff (there are three: _Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem_, _Young Miles_, and _Coredila's Honor_) are clearly marked in big letters on the back cover that they are compiliations. In fact, Baen has lots and lots of compiliations like this, and they do a good job of marking them as such. Admittedly, its not on the front cover, but anyone who buys a book without even _glancing_ at the back deserves to get the wrong book :). So anyone buying books as they were meant to be bought, in bookstores, would have noticed this :).
Despite that, Amazon.com also had quite an obvious note that it was a compiliation (under Book Information, right before the reviews). Baen's website had a similar note, as does Bujold's website. Just because fatbrain.com didn't happen to mention it doesn't mean you should blame the publisher or the author.
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?
I suppose it might be "sneaky" if you headed to Amazon, saw it was a new title, failed to bother to check the reviews, which conspicuously mention that it's a "retread," and just bought it on virtue of title and author making no attempt to see what's inside.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
That's because you don't know your sci-fi too well. She got the Nebula in 1989 and 1990, and the Hugo in 1990 and 1994:
award list
book list
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.
Lois has been putting books (and novellas) out regularly for almost two decades now. A complete bibliography is available at The Bujold Nexus. There is a large and vibrant fan community based out of that web site as well.
To the extent to which plots are archetypal, you're certainly going to see the same archetypal elements over and over, because they're inherent to the medium.
It's fair to say that there can only be a very few "best works;" if you run though vast numbers of sub-par fantasy books, it seems unremarkable that this could get tiresome. LOTR is certainly one of the best, and readily arguable to be the best. (It's the only fantasy book I have in hardcover, on acid-free paper. Interpret that as you will. :-).)
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
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.
If you are interested in reading some of the book before deciding to buy it, the first eight chapters are available here:
r se .asp
http://www.harpercollins.com/hc/features/eos/cu
Zelazny's "Chronicals of Amber" (available in a bundled edition, or starting with "Nine Princes in Amber."
Moorcock has several good series revolving around his "Eternal Champion", and most of his stuff is very good, and undercut with a lot of that 70's style trippiness and sexuality. The Elric series is good, Hawkmoon, etc... and most have been recently reissued in collected sets.
"the best safety of the frontier...will be secured by total annihilation of the few remaining indians" L Frank Baum 1890
One thing to note about tired plots (cribbed from some wiser person than I): There are basically only a few basic plots in the world to begin with, so similarities are to be expected. What makes the story interesting or not is good or bad storytelling and a fresh and original approach...
Ms. Bujold definitely has these; she tells an EXCELLENT story! I was particularly impressed with A Civil Affair, which is basically a romantic comedy in the space armor of a classic space opera (or at least in the Barrayar setting). See also The Spirit Ring for an original take on the ghosts-and-summoning-spirits-of-the-dead novel.
"My strength is as the strength of ten men, for I am wired to the eyeballs on espresso."
Young [lad/lass] was born with a great power, but hardly knows how to use it. When [lad/lass]'s village is overrun by [evil bad guys], hero must rise to his/her potential to defeat them.
But hasn't the body to accomplish it all. Part of his brain thinks he ought to be a strapping big fellow six feet tall, which is what he'd have grown up to, save for his "difficulties."
But runs into the dilemma that he works for a pretty "imperial" intelligence service that sometimes has some dirty work that must be done.
And runs into the problem that his family has been "doing politics" for generations, and the given is that political situations always get pretty dirty.
There's a whole lot of "necessary evil" there.
Frankly, the only sort-of-antihero part is the bit of "realism" that gets thrown in concerning the dirt of politics and the messiness of real life.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
Since nobody else is going to say this, I guess I have to: Bujold's stories are the ultimate fantasy for us pencil-necked geeks. How do you identify with Conan the Barbarian when you weigh less than his sword arm? But Miles is in much worse shape than us...
Baen once more accused of a sleazy trick.
The author obviously did not read the Miles, Mystery, and Mayhem information that was available. There are sample chapters that have the cover blurb included which clearly states:
Publisher's Note: Miles, Mystery & Mayhem was previously published in parts as Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, and "Labyrinth." This is the first unified edition.
As well as the Table of Contents which shows:
Miles, Mystery and Mayhem
Table of Contents
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Labyrinth
Afterword
Baen probably puts more information on-line about their books than anyone, with sample chapters, cover blurbs and you can read them on the cheap as un-encrypted e-books through their WebScriptions. But if you don't read the information, it won't do you much good.
That said, skip the new hardcover collection. "Cetaganda" is one of the lesser works in the series, and "Ethan of Athos" is generally considered the worst. Start with "The Warrior Apprentice".
The books in the series vary widely in genre. "The Warrior Apprentice" is space opera. "Memory" is a detective story. "Cetaganda" is a spy novel. "Komarr" is a gadget story. "A Civil Campaign" is a comedy of manners. No other author in SF has shown a range like that in a single series.
Don't the workers of that small company realize that the true path to prosperity lies not with simply attacking the enemy head-on, but rather applying the `distributed intelligence' of free markets? The small company could, for instance, seek a loan from one of America's fine banks, or perhaps find an 'angel' willing to invest in their bold scheme. Capitalism, after all, is more powerful than even a dozen vorpal swords --- and is the true source of prosperity in this great nation! For it is the virtue and cooperation everyday men (and yes, even women!) like yourselves, working hand-in-hand with investors and managers to increase production and cut costs, that will win this battle with Communism. To all the men (and yes, even women!) on the front lines with the Red Menace, to all the small companies out there 'chomping at the bit' to fight evil with affluence, America says: Thank you, and say No to Unions!
- undoware.ca