This dual Hugo/Nebula Award winning fantasy novel is a sequel to Curse of Chalion. In my effort to read all dual award winners, I felt it best to read Curse of Chalion prior to Paladin of Souls. I was so underwhelmed by the first novel in the series, that I delayed tackling the sequel for several months. Simply put, medieval fantasy, with a Spanish twist is not my cup of tea.

That having been said, I found this to be an improvement over Curse of Chalion. The story revolves around a peripheral character in Curse of Chalion, the Dowager Royina Ista. There is abundant mysticism and theology in addition to demons, sorcery and direct involvement of Gods (there are five gods in Chalion). These things all detract from my enjoyment of what actually became quite a good story. From a slow start, the book built into a fine read in which various plot lines were pulled together quite well.

I cut my teeth on Lord of the Rings as a junior high school student. As a result, at a young age, I read tons of fantasy, only to be disappointed by the numerous cheap ripoffs of LOTR. I dropped fantasy altogether for almost 20 years before reading George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Subsequent forays into the fantasy realm have been largely disappointing, however. I cannot abide stories involving dwarves, elves, ogres, goblins, sorcerers or “otherworldly” beings or happenings. While this novel contains healthy doses of some of these, the underlying story makes it palatable.

In summary, if you relish medieval fantasy, read J.R.R Martin’s Song of Fire and Ice series (up through book three). Bujold’s series simply doesn’t measure up, though adherents of this style of fantasy will certainly find it to their liking. ( )

Another great Bujold book: From some of the early reviews mentioning that this diverted from most of the characters in "The Curse of Chalion" I was prepared to be a little disappointed since I enjoyed "The Curse of Chalion" so much... however, this has the same quality of writing, characters and plot twists as the other. One thing I enjoy about her writing is that they're never predictable. You can't guess where the plot will be going next. (though it works - she doesn't go off in the weeds just to be unpredictable) I really enjoyed it and I'd highly recommend it to others who enjoy Bujold books.

http://tinyurl.com/lqojns

The title doesn't work: a paladin is a warrior, albeit one without armor. Ista is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but a warrior? Nah.

Bujold takes a somewhat minor character from "The Curse of Chalion" and creates a story around her. It's not a stupid thing to do: Ista was enigmatic in the first book, and with a long history of madness and guilt, who could resist using her in another book? I disliked how down in the dumps Bujold made her-- didn't think it quite fit with the guilt she felt over her ancient murder/accident. She has a lot of guilt, you'd think she'd welcome any effort on the part of the gods to change that. To change anything about her current, ultra-boring life.

All the browbeating and general grumping about are finally done away with in the last 50 pages, but geez, it's just too late. 450 pages, lady! You could have done this story in 250 pages with no problem. It shocks me that it won the Hugo and the Nebula. "The Curse of Chalion" was so much the better book. I suppose that's like Whoopi Goldberg winning for "Ghost" instead of "The Long Walk Home."

I found the humor in the last 50 pages welcome, although I know others who were irritated by making a harsh situation comedic. Well, that's the Bastard for you, no? ( )

Dowager Royina (Queen Mother) Ista is a prisoner of her position and past. Driven mad by desperation and the Gods, Ista regained herself as the result of events in a previous book. There are only subtle indications that there is a whole other novel preceding this one - the exposition of the necessary events is handled very, very well.

Ista seizes her chance at a semblance of freedom by traveling under the guise of a pilgrimage, though she's not fooling everyone. On the way, she once again finds her situation being manipulated by the Divine. Now, she must choose between the good of her people and her desire to get out of the affairs of gods. It turns out to not be that hard a decision, just a hard one to live with.

Ista is a very engaging protagonist, with her rage at the gods, rage at not being able to control her own destiny, and intense desire to just live her life damn-it. She moves from her sense of imprisonment to her sense of unwelcome destiny, to peace with herself in a bumpy, contentious, organic fashion.

Ista's story functions within an occult and geopolitical plot, weaving the whole into a more-complex-than-usual quest/adventure fantasy, as her pilgrimage is interrupted by a raid from a neighboring country, in which she is captured, and an increase in demonic presence. The usual magic powers, fate-of-the-kingdom fantasy plot is rendered something more layered than that by the fully-fleshed characters, interesting sub-plots (doomed!romance, and not Ista's), the divinity in question (or several of them), and the interaction of all these.

The cast of Divine characters is particularly interesting, especially with the creation of The Bastard. He walks on, He walks off, He laughs and enjoys Ista's rage at Him and His interference. Besides playing an active role in the primary plot, The Bastard acts as thematic touchstone and bratty superior.

And besides, how many middle-aged, female, adventure protagonists do we usually get? And one that has agency,besides? Ista is fed-up, not gonna take it anymore, and she's a joy to read. ( )

This is as good or even better than curse of chalion. The story follows a character from the first book and the story it weaves is full of humour, suspense and adventure. The characters develop throughout the book and it is joy to read. ( )

The book creates a pretty credible universe with five gods, demons, sorcerers and armies. I liked the idea that the gods could not actually affect the material world, but instead they would need to convince humans to do their will. by sending disturibing dreams for example. ( )

Not as gripping as "The Curse of Chalion" but a good exploration of the psyche of a middle-aged woman recovering her true self after traumatic events. ( )

When Curse of Chalion came out, I thought, "You know, I adore Bujold's old and disabled heroes, but can we have an old and/or disabled heroine for once? And maybe a heroine who's not the youn, beautiful consort to the unconventionally apealling hero?"

Oh, Lois. *hearts*

This book, is, unbelievably, better than its predecessor. Ista's relationship with The Bastard is so believable, and so much *funnier* than Cazaril's with The Daughter.

The Canterbury Tales theme is brief but amusing. ( )

A sequel of sorts to "The Curse of Chalion", with Royina Ista this time the central character. Now the curse has been lifted, Ista can begin to live her life but finds herself still labelled as 'mad' so she goes on a pilgrimage - which has unexpected occurrences.
The writing is as strong as ever, with this minor character fleshed out and made into a realistic woman. Quite a complex plot involving demons and the Gods entwine around what is essentially a love story. If you loved the first book this one will appeal just as much. It would also work as a standalone read. ( )

The second novel in the Chalion series. Not as compelling as the 'Curse of Chalion', but just as thought provoking as 'Curse'. Bujold ties up a few loose ends and provides a reconciliation to Royina Ista's story. The ability to see spirits is rare and the gods of Chalion are particular about the people they choose to 'bless', if you will, with the ability. Ista is determined to distance herself from the capital and the ghosts, both literal and figurative, that plague her life there. Her hopes to leave the gods behind and live her own life are foiled and, of course, she must save the Empire even if she doesn't want to. ( )

I liked this even more than 'Curse of Chalion'. It takes a fairly minor character and damaged character from that book, one that I didn't even like much, and makes her the centre of this one. I especially like that Ista is middle-aged and one might think that her life is over, but she leaves her stifling home and sets off and has adventures. Her personal god in Chalion's intriguing theology is the Bastard, and she travels with one of his priests, a character I grew to love almost as much as Ista. ( )

Slightly better than The Curse of Chalion: Weaker main character, more interesting plot. Very slow - could have been cut by about 200 pages.

Full review: http://www.fascinationplace.org/2008/... ( )

This is the second book Lois McMaster Bujold has set in this world. The protagonist in this one having a minor role in the last. I found that I had forgotten the events of the first but The author was skill full in providing just enough background without retelling 5the tale.
Our Heroine recently recovered from twenty years of guilt induced madness after a disasterous and deadly, god-inspired attempt to lift a curse. pretends a pious wish for pilgrimage to escape her anxious guardians. In truth She has had enough of gods.
They however have not had enough of her. They start encountering the demon possessed. What exactly do they want her to do about it and will she.

I like the limited, somewhat Loa like, nature of the gods in this High Feudal fantasy world.Its easily differentiated, likabe characters. and slow building but original plotting. but it lacks the emotional involvement she is capasble of in her best work. ( )

Wow, well, Ista wasn't my favorite character from the first book in this increasingly excellent series, but I adore her now. I love her irreverent attitude toward the gods, as well as the contrast between her and Joen, who both have lived constrained lives but responded very differently in their quest to take control of their destiny. In this book, the curse has been lifted but Ista's life is still bogged down. She escapes her suffocating life in Valenda by going on a fake pillgrammage. Her plans are violently interrupted as she finds herself in the middle of a war and a very strange demon-ridden palace. Ista solves the mystery of two brothers who are sharing the same life force, discovers her destiny, and finds she is much better suited to serve the Bastard than the Mother. ( )

It is decent. I wouldn’t vote Paladin of Souls as best of the year as the S.F.W.A. and the con-goers have, but pretty good. Still too heavy into the swords and sorcery for my tastes. But a decent read.

(Full review at my blog) ( )

Weakest story in this series, in my opiniion. Somewhat enlivened by some divine humor at the end.

I think I liked this even more than The Curse of Chalion. Ista works for me as a heroine; older, resentful of the gods and trying to find a place in her life that feels less uncomfortable. Alas for her the gods have very definite plans and aren’t shy about letting her know.

Heroic deeds! Sorcery! Saddle sores! Attractive men with [cough] drawbacks!

I've seen things saying this is a standalone. Kind of...I could see someone enjoying this who came to it cold. But the setup and some of the motivations are pretty firmly rooted in Curse of Chalion - I found it a very good follow-on. Different main character (very different), but firmly linked to Curse. I enjoyed it. ( )

A loose sequel to The Curse of Chalion. In this volume, the Doawager Royina Ista embarks on a fake pilgrimage in order to escape the oppressive life in Valenda castle. On the way, she becomes involved with the schemes of The Bastard, one of the Chalionese gods, who ends up leading her to Castle Porifors where demons and sorcery are creating numerous complications.

As is typical of Bujold, this is a fast-paced, very enjoyable story with a strong focus on the characters. The magical elements are a lot more overt in this book than in the previous one, which does change the tone to be a little more like typical epic fantasy. I did feel like the characters who gained magical powers adapted to them almost too easily. Still, the overall story kept me very interested, and I an looking forward to reading the next book. ( )

The first book in the series [Curse of Chalion] grows more and more on me each time I read it. Paladin had me hooked from the beginning and continues to delight, its now becoming one of favourite comfort reads.

Ista is an unwilling agent of the gods, they have already cost her the life she once had, her husband and son, and nearly destroyed the kingdom. She wants only to be left alone and learn to be herself again. Towards this end she goes on pilgramige, ostensibly to pray for a male heir to the kingdom, but really, as a 40+ widow left alone in the world, its really about finding herself.

Except, she finds a lot more than she bargains for, by running across a group of enemy soldiers in the wrong place at the wrong time, finds a dead man alive, and an alive man dead, and a demon embedded in a wife who is causing the problem.

And the fifth god (known as The Bastard) comes knocking, asking for her help in the mortal plane... ( )

Another deeply satisfying read from Bujold, featuring another completely atypical fantasy protagonist, in this case a forty year old widow who for years has been thought crazy by everyone around her. Ista undertakes a journey thinking only of escape, but gradually sees and finally accepts a calling to serve.

Like the first book of the series, this is very much character driven fantasy, which is not to say that it doesn’t feature plenty of action, moments of tension alternating with moments of humor, and an understated but compelling romantic angle. The gods of the world of Chalion seem a bit less enigmatic than in the first book. And the supporting cast seemed a bit better fleshed out (with many sympathetic and likable characters).

I found it marginally less enjoyable that The Curse of Chalion, but still a refreshing and satisfying book. I look forward to picking up The Hallowed Hunt to finish off the series. ( )

Bujold never fails to please, and this fantasy novel does its job well.

Link to a review on my personal website (might be in Swedish). ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/26474.html...

Bujold's third fantasy novel, and her second in the world of "The Curse of Chalion", the action is set in a much smaller scale than the continent-spanning action of its predecessor; the characters are beautifully drawn, in a world where theology is an applied science; and it's nice to have an adventure and romance story whose character is actually middle-aged. ( )

Plot: A more small-scale plot than in Curse of Chalion that is less about threats to a realm - though those are there too - and more about individuals' problems and developments. Well-paced, with a good ending and a surprisingly quick beginning.

Characters: You just have to appreciate an author who dares to make the heroine a 40-year-old reluctant widow with plenty of imperfections. Side characters are well-drawn, with lots of character development overall. Motives are usually clear, and occasionally work in interesting ways.

Style: Very readable prose, with pinches of humour. Occasionally dialogue gets a little stilted, but it's still within acceptable levels. Good theological ideas that work out quite well; the politics and geography are a bit trickier and could have used a little more space. Not a problem if you've read Curse of Chalion, though.

Plus: It's a book about big and small problems, with the small problems sometimes being the more important ones. Great central character.

Minus: Dialogue is formal enough to throw you a little a few times, without apparent reason. Not quite a standalone, too much repetition for a series.

Summary: A very satisfying read, with some aspects that are rare to find in fantasy. ( )