The Curse of Chalion

The best description of sainthood I have ever found. In The Curse of Chalion, Bujold starts from a world of visceral reality with a new religion based on family archetypes. 

In her world, these gods are real and play very specific roles within the society, and well-constructed prayer opens up a space for the gods to use one for their purposes. As the main character learns what it means to be a saint, to allow miracles to flow through him (as he says, “like a mule being whipped up the mountain pass”), we see the difference between supportive and unsupportive… show more.

The Curse of Chalion may be the best work of fiction I have ever read. Bujold is a phenomenal writer—her prose grips from the first pages, and her construction of character, theme and plot is astounding. I have never read a novel where the outcome seemed more hopeless, and one in which I knew that the author would not pull off some cheap Deus ex machina trick. Caz, Iselle and Betriz appear to be completely and totally doomed in this well thought out novel. But Bujold pulls off an ending that not only pulls together the character and thematic arcs… show more.

This is an oldie but a goodie. I listened to it on Audible and the voice actor was amazing. This is a fantasy in one book (although there are related books) and again depth of world building, characters, and magic are all so well done. I have read quite a lot of Bujold, who writes SF and fantasy. The Curse of Chalion took hold of me and didn’t let me go until the very end. The main character Cazaril, has many physical and mental wounds to overcome and I just loved him to bits. 

I love the slow, deep delving into the mind and heart of Cazaril. Despite all the abuse and injustice in his life, he faithfully fulfills his duties. Even as he patiently abides by the actions of the gods in his life, he isn’t passively waiting, but instead using his wit and wisdom to do all he can. His example of balancing patient humility and courageous action inspires me.