A reading ride: The Hallowed Hunt is a beautiful and fast-paced fantasy and sci-fi story filled with action, adventure and mystery. Like Heart Stroke, Irresistible Forces, Usurper and Others, The Shadow of Saganami, the reader gets thrilled until the last page.

Summary: Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff, a minor noble retainer and swordarm to one of the powerful Earls of Easthome, has been dispatched on an unpleasant mission. The heir apparent, Prince Boleso, has been killed by a young noblewoman he was trying to rape, and Ingrey must bring the body and the accused Lady Ijada from the distant keep back to Easthome. But there's more to the case than simple self-defense: Boleso was engaged in secret, ancient, and heretical sorceries, and Ijada is the unwilling recipient of a by-product of the ritual in which she was meant to be used as a sacrifice. When he learns this, Ingrey begins to wonder about the forces that sent him on this mission, for he too bears a burden of the old magic - one that will link him to Ijada, and throw them both onto a path where they must confront the legacy of a terrible history, in a place where not even the gods can help them.

Review: Bujold's books are dense, in the best sense of the word. Or maybe "rich" would be a better term - they're packed full of history, intricate theology, complicated political maneuvering, and a sense of power. Because of this, they are not particularly quick reads; requiring a fair bit of attention and careful reading - no skimming, here. In The Hallowed Hunt in particular, every time you fit together one piece of the story, Bujold throws another wrinkle at you, unfolds another detail of the plot that you hadn't seen coming, and forces you to constantly re-evaluate what's come before. It's mature, rich, well-developed, and lavishly-written fantasy, reminiscent of Guy Gavriel Kay's work, that steadfastly refuses to fit into the mold of any fantasy novel that's come before.

The Hallowed Hunt is set in the same world as The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls, albeit in a different country, with different people, and arguably some unspecified number of years earlier. Although the theology makes more sense for having read the earlier books, The Hallowed Hunt would absolutely work as a stand-alone novel. Speaking of the theology, Bujold creates in this series one of the most detailed, internally consistent, and, well, sensical theologies I've encountered in fantasy. Each of the books focuses around one of the five gods (Chalion was the Daughter's, Paladin the Bastard's, and Hallowed Hunt is the Son's), making me suspect that the Mother's and the Father's books may be forthcoming. While The Hallowed Hunt wasn't perfect - some of the emotional power was compromised by the convoluted plot, and many of the secondary characters didn't get the development they deserved - I'm still hoping for more books in this series, and I'm still going to check out Bujold's other works. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you're in the mood for rich, mature, original fantasy novels (or have run out of Guy Gavriel Kay books to read), Bujold is a good place to turn. I didn't like The Hallowed Hunt quite as much as I did the other two Chalion books, but they're all well-written and quite satisfying. ( )

(mild, mild spoilers)

The Hallowed Hunt comprises the third novel set in the same world as 'Curse of Chalion' and 'Paladin of Souls', but in a different locale, with a new set of characters and at a different time. For these reasons, the book can be read easily as a standalone novel. In any event, it feels completely unconnected both in style and story, to the first two novels.

The book is slow to start. Perhaps detrimentally so. I realised that I was genuinely excited by events when there were 70 pages left out of 400. The story is told through the eyes of Lord Ingrey, who carries a magic he does not understand. The villain, Wencel, carries a similar magic and is using it for ill purpose, and again Lord Ingrey is in the dark to his intentions or the truth of the magic.

Consequently, most of the book is a foray into Lord Ingrey's mind as he soul-searches, thinks and asks many, many questions about what is happening, what could happen and what he might do about it.

Given that I did become enthralled by the last few chapters I realised that somewhere along the slow journey I had come to care about the characters and their fates. But, perhaps, things could have started happening earlier.

Bujold's writing lacked a certain spark that brought the previous Chalion novels to rich life. In 'The Hallowed Hunt' the writing was dry, bordering on dull. The love story is stale, predictable and didn't feel particularly genuine either. In fact, it felt like a means to an end, which is a crushing judgment on any love story in a novel.

So, while by the end of the book, I enjoyed 'The Hallowed Hunt', I can understand if others throw the book aside early on out of sheer boredom, as I nearly did.

Good, but not nearly as good as its predecessors. What makes the first two Chalion books is the amazing and unconventional world-building as well as the unusual pantheon. This story takes place in a much more conventional and familiar northwestern Europesque world (though it's south of Chalion and Ibra), and the pantheon plays a smaller role here than it does in the other two books. I'd clasify this book with The Spirit Ring; absolutely worth reading, but not up to top standards. ( )

I did not enjoy this as must as the two other Chalion novels, but it's still a very good read. It's not set in Chalion, but in a northern country more like a mix of England and Germany, and has engaging characters, even the minor ones. ( )