The Curse of Chalion Review: Political Intrigue in a Thoughtful, Methodically Paced Fantasy
The Curse of Chalion is a 2001 fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. While it’s officially the first novel in the author’s World of the Five Gods fantasy series, this 442-page book stands completely on its own and tells a complete story.
The story in question centers on a former noble and soldier named Cazaril. To say that Cazaril has fallen on hard times at the start of the novel is putting it lightly. Prior to the start of the tale, he’d been betrayed and sold into slavery. At the start of the book, he’s reclaimed his freedom but is left without much else.
So, Cazaril travels to the regional court where he once worked in search of employment. Once there, he’s hired as the tutor of Iselle, a teenage girl who’s second in line to the throne of Chalion, the land where the book is set.
As far as fantasy elements go, there isn’t really magic in this universe or anything like that. Chalion’s religious system, which centers on five gods, is what’s important. These gods do have the power to impact the world in very real ways and that becomes important to the story later on.
The book moves at a methodical pace. Of course, events keep happening to progress the plot, but The Curse of Chalion is a work more concerned with just Cazaril’s development, as well as the progression of characters around him like Iselle. There really isn’t a lot of action at all.
If you enjoy political maneuvering, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. If you want a fast-paced story, however, you should certainly look elsewhere.
Bujold, who wrote several acclaimed science fiction novels prior to The Curse of Chalion, has an excellent voice for fantasy. Her writing style is easy to read and flows nicely, which results in the book being a page-turner. I was reminded a little bit of Robin Hobb’s writing style, though, Bujold’s is maybe a little less flowery. The slower pacing of the book also reminded me of the more deliberately paced parts of some of Hobb’s books.
I did find myself wishing the story picked up a tad more than it ultimately did. It’s a fast, easy read, but not a riveting one. While I can enjoy a more introspective, less action-oriented book, even I would’ve liked more excitement.
The book’s overall pacing, too, feels a little bit off. When I neared the end of the book, I felt as though I still had a lot more of the story to go, but then everything wraps up rather quickly.
Overall, though, I still found The Curse of Chalion to be a very enjoyable read. It was just such an easy book to get through and I appreciated that. If you’re looking for a not super stressful fantasy book that has more political elements, The Curse of Chalion is a novel I’d recommend.
Grade: 7.5/10