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The Sharing Knife, Volume 1  By  cover art

The Sharing Knife, Volume 1

By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
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Publisher's summary

Young, pregnant Fawn Bluefield has just fled her family's farm to the city of Glassforge, where she encounters a patrol of the enigmatic soldier-sorcerers known as Lakewalkers. Fawn has heard stories about the Lakewalkers, who are wandering necromancers with no permanent homes and no possessions except the clothes they wear and the mysterious knives they carry. What she does not know is that the Lakewalkers are engaged in a perilous campaign against inhuman and immortal magical entities known as "malices".

When Fawn is kidnapped by one of these creatures, it is up to Dag, an older Lakewalker, heavy with sorrows and responsibilities, to rescue her. But in the ensuing struggle, it is not Dag but Fawn who kills the creature, at dire cost. And an uncanny accident befalls Dag's sharing knife, which unexpectedly binds their two fates together.

Don't miss the second volume, Legacy.
©2007 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Bujold develops the characters and their relationship skillfully enough to please romance as well as fantasy fans." ( Booklist)
"[A] saga of daring deeds and unlikely romance. Bujold quickly develops unforgettable characters as she crafts a world filled with unique monsters and an original approach to magic." ( Library Journal)
"Compelling characters lift this first of a two-book romantic fantasy from Hugo-winner Bujold....Bujold hints at an epic past of mighty kingdoms and ancient sorceries, a past that will hopefully be fully detailed in the sequel." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Sharing Knife, Volume 1

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love love

Sweet and comfortable love story and I am cutting this review short to go buy the next one now!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Would you like romance with your fantasy?

This is a fairly solid, even standard fantasy story. It is also, unabashedly, a romance novel. I'm not usually a fan of romance novels, but it was tastefully done and the fantasy bits were likely enough to keep me involved. Overall it is a great tale if you don't mind mixing the genres.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Weird World

I love weird and interesting worlds. This one fits the weird category. I loved the series and have listened to it three or four times. #funlisten #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

it made me thoughtful on the way we interact with the world around us. Beautiful

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A truly wonderful series for women!

Any additional comments?

I've loved listening to this entire series! I enjoyed it even more than Bujold's other fantasy works. All four books are great, but definitely start with this one, as the series is essentially one long story broken up into 4 books. Book 1 introduces the wonderful romantic relationship that runs through the series, between two thoroughly memorable characters Fawn and Dag, and sets up everything that they will be working for and fighting for in the later books.

The world of the story is very rich, and the ideas it explores are actually more sophisticated than many fantasy novels. There is less "sword and sorcery" in it than in the more male-oriented fantasy volumes. I think that women listeners will really love this series. It is about relationships and love, about different paradigms and world views, and how to harmonise people's differences.

There is so much love and joy in this book! It is very gripping, yet nothing too terrible happens in it, and all the characters learn and grow, which is very satisfying. It is a very uplifting story and I always felt happy when listening to it.

Re the narrator: The characters in this series are wonderful and really come to life in this reading by Bernadette Dunne. Every single character is immediately recognisable as soon as they speak - I don't know how she does it! It is one of the best narrations I have experienced so far on Audible. Five stars!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad for a Romance Novel, but not her best work

While I enjoyed the story it wasn’t what I was expecting.
I was expecting more of an in depth story line with action and some romance (like the Challion series). Instead this is a romance novel with a sprinkling of magic and some action.

Book 1 & 2 are both good stories but again they are not fantasy/action novels – they are love stories.

If I had purchased these as romance novels I would have given them a 4 but I was expecting more out of Bujold.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

NIce enough but I felt un-fulfilled.

I reached the end of this novel and said "But it nothing's really happened yet, It can't be over." The characters were nice, the story was nice, but I felt like this was definitely a prelude, not a novel in itself. But it didn't interest me enough to read the second one.
Bujold novels are at the top of my reading list, but this one didn't make the grade. As an average romance fantasy written by an average fantasy author, it's fine.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

This is a must read series. I can't wait until the next book comes out. This storyline is well written and the chacter detail is just amazing. This author did an outstanding job.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not a Vorkosigan series

A nice fantacy novel with her usual social observations, nomad warrior/ agrarian differences in this case. An effort at explanatin of the magic, a good one i think. Plenty for the female reader.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing world building, storyline and characters.

I meant to provide a review ages ago, and decided I’m ready for my regular reread of the series. I think I’m on round 6; maybe more...
Love the world building, creativity, and intelligent characters that LMB creates.
Dag and Fawn are opposites on so many levels: background, age, etc. They find each other on the road when she is kidnapped by the evil robbers and mudmen controlled by the Malice aka Blight Boggle. As a Lakewalker, Dag is committed to seek out and destroy any Malice that hatches and eats the life force of the land and its’ people.
In this installment, Dag rescues Fawn twice; they kill the deadly Malice; and they face down negative reactions from his patrol leader and her family.
Dunne does an excellent job with narration. Great character differentiation and expression of emotions.
Recommend on all levels!

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