Paladin of Souls

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Three years have passed since the widowed Dowager Royina Ista found release from the curse of madness that kept her imprisoned in her family's castle of Valenda. Her newfound freedom is costly, bittersweet with memories, regrets, and guilty secrets, for she knows the truth of what brought her land to the brink of destruction. And now the road, escape, beckons...A simple pilgrimage, perhaps. Quite fitting for the Dowager Royina of Chalion.

Yet something else is free, too, something beyond deadly. To the north lies the vital border fortress of Porifors. Memories linger there as well, of wars and invasions and the mighty Golden General of Jokona. And someone, something, watches from across that border: humans, demons, gods.

Ista thinks her little party of pilgrims wanders at will, but whose? When Ista's retinue is unexpectedly set upon not long into its travels, a mysterious ally appears, a warrior nobleman who fights like a berserker. The temporary safety of her enigmatic champion's castle cannot ease Ista's mounting dread, however, when she finds his dark secrets are entangled with hers in a net of the gods' own weaving.

In her dreams, the threads are already drawing her to unforseen chances, fateful meetings, fearsome choices. What the inscrutable gods commanded of her in the past brought her land to the brink of devastation. Now, once again, they have chosen Ista as their instrument. And again, for good or for ill, she must comply.

Don't miss Lois McMaster Bujold's first book about Chalion, The Curse of Chalion.

©2003 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Romantic Times Award Winner - Best Fantasy Novel, 2003
• Hugo Award Winner, Best Novel, 2004
• Nebula Award Winner, Best Novel, 2004

" "Rich in sumptuous detail and speculative theology....This engaging installment of Chalion's mythical history whets the appetite for new marvels yet to come." (Publishers Weekly)
"Bujold couldn't characterize badly if threatened with a firing squad, and what really keeps one turning the pages is the fascinating cast of characters, not that the plot is anything to sneeze at." (Booklist)

Ista Goes on Pilgrimage!

LMB's beautiful prose shines throughout this fantasy of a 40 year old noblewoman who finds she yet has purpose in life. After years of seeming madness -- the result of being god-touched in her youth -- Ista shakes her cosseting caregivers off and finds a new path for herself. Fans of The Curse of Chalion will meet other secondary characters from the first book. Newcomers can read this as a stand alone -- but will benefit from reading Curse of Chalion too. I like how crusty and un-nice Ista is; yet always a lady and true to the inner good in others. Listeners will enjoy her wry observations about human motivation. On a level of pure plot, have faith, the story begins slow in order for you to appreciate the cost to Ista of change and action.

Best audio book yet!

I've listened to hundreds of audio books, but I think this was the best so far. I loved the first book, Curse of Chalion, and this was even better! I wound up taking a 3 hour bath in cold water because I didn't want to stop listening. I'm sorry it's over.

I hope we hear more from Ista and Di Cazirel!

Master Crafting

This book is an excellent blend of a good tale, witty characters, and with suspenseful presentation.

Kate Reading's awesome narration is wonderfully master crafting.

A wonderful combination.

Kate Reading + Great Novel = Brilliant!!

If you could sum up Paladin of Souls in three words, what would they be?

Outstanding
Exciting
Masterful

What did you like best about this story?

I love how this novel takes an out-of-shape middle-aged woman who feels like a failure, and makes her a hero. She saves the world and finds redemption for a past horrific sin. And she finds true love too! What could be better?

The character of Ista is anything but a cliche, or a stock character, or an archetype. She is no longer young, pretty, or sweet; but in the end her victory could never have been won by young-pretty-sweet.

What does Kate Reading bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I've read it at least five times in print. I was a little worried that the audio-book version might not live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have worried.

Kate Reading is brilliant, bringing Ista and every character to life in as pitch-perfect a performance as I could have imagined. Her absolutely mastery of accents and pitch clearly differentiates characters by class, age, and gender. Well done!

To be honest I preferred "The Curse of the Chalion

This book is very enjoyable, our main character is fantastic, the gods return with a joyful vengeance and all around this is a delightful read. To be honest, the plot was a bit transparent and left me a wanting a little more mystery in comparison to "The Curse of the Chalion". Pick this up for the character and world development, not the plot. :)

Good book

The book did start with a stupid woman moment, but after that it picked up and moved on to the real story. I enjoyed the many characters and I got caught up in the story. The book was not predictable. Very good - just get past the first bit at the beginning.

A on character development and story

The kind of spin off (as it's not quite a sequel) that really does a series and a world justice.

The characters are deep and human, with a story not built from momentous and wholly inhuman events (like the descent of a dark lord or what have you, though the book has such events, driven as they are by humanity).

It's a thought provoking piece as well, steeped in metaphor beyond those called out and used by the story as a set piece. I encourage readers to watch for more than what the author calls out, and perhaps remember this book when you're faced with those who dislike the fantasy genre for its bland characters or it's too-fantastic stories.

terrific narrative of a great story

LM Bujold tells a great story of a woman coming to terms with her difficult past. narration top notch. Great world building as well.

This is one of my favorite books.

The characters are very well-drawn and consistent, and the theology is as well. The relationship between the gods and the people is a well-drawn fictionalized allegory to our human relationship and responsibility to the One God of our theology. I could say more in conversation.

Can I give this SIX stars?

I've listened to this multiple times, as I have its predecessor The Curse of Chalion. Although it's not necessary to have read Chalion to follow the plot of Paladin of Souls, I think it adds more depth to the story if you're familiar with it. Kate Reading's narration clearly delineates the various characters and makes them very real, but it's her performance as Ista that really stands out for me. I loved listening to Ista unintentionally embarking on an entirely new life, and both her internal and external voices were brilliantly captured. Bujold is a favorite author in our household for good reason. Paladin won a Hugo award for Best Novel, and the World of the Five Gods series took the second-ever Best Series Hugo; the first went to her Vorkosigan Saga.