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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
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,159
  • 4 Stars
    546
  • 3 Stars
    248
  • 2 Stars
    80
  • 1 Stars
    45
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    926
  • 4 Stars
    323
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    99
  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    844
  • 4 Stars
    331
  • 3 Stars
    137
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    34

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Not really my thing

I really enjoyed Curse of Chalion and wanted to try out more Bujold, but this one didn't work out the way I had hoped. Perhaps I am not the target audience. I finished the book, but I'm afraid I walked away disappointed.

It's not that this book is badly written, but all the action and heavy world-building are in the first few chapters. After that the world-building is told entirely through dialogue, and the plot turns into a straightforward love story with decent character building but little dramatic tension.

I'm not a big fan of the unnecessary age gap, but it's the substantial power differential (from "I'll teach you how the world works" to "I'll teach you how to make love") that makes the relationship creepy in my eyes.

Clearly a lot of other reviewers enjoyed this book a lot more than I did, but for my part I think I'll go back to Chalion or pick up one of Bujold's books about this Miles character I've heard so much about.

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64 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not your average McMaster Bujold

I found this story line to be a little different than what I had come to expect from 5 of her previous titles I have read. Though it started out in a similar fashion with danger and life and limb in peril it shifted away from that format and unlike her other books didn't return. If I had known that was how the story would run it's course I would have stayed clear of this novel. If I had I would have made a big mistake.

This was a wonderful story of a warrior and a commoner/farmers daughter and their adventure in a land of a pre industrial society. Ms Bujold’s writing style is once again top notch and her story telling is captivating. If she can keep someone that usually reads Asimov, Bova, Card, Herbert and Richard Morgan with a novel like this then it has to be extremely well written, and it was. Highly recommended. Don't miss this one it's very very good.

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39 people found this helpful

  • 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
    2 out of 5 stars

It's a romance not a fantasy

It is not science fiction. It is barely fantasy... sure, it's a fantastical world with some "magical" skills, but really... it's a romance novel. And not a very good one at that.

The PLOT:
Girl (20 yr old) meets man (40ish). She's infatuated. He knows better - and is told by his female mentor that he should leave the girl alone - but he can't help himself so they "fall in love" and he teaches her the "ways of love". Then they meet her family and get married.

Yup, that's the story. The first couple hours are interesting and gives the sense that there might be a story in here (the world is well-developed and the Malices seem like an intriguing "bad guy"), but... after the halfway point absolutely nothing happens other than they have sex (flowery, not graphic), they meet her family and they get married.

Gag.

At least the narrator is okay, though she makes Fawn sound even younger than 20 which makes the romance with a man twice her age a little more creepy.

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20 people found this helpful

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

Twice Told

I started reading this book before my eyes started to go, so I was full aware of the text before listening. It is a wonderful tale written by a master story-teller. The characters are immediately recognizable and easy to identify with. The story line is complex, coming to a climax at least three different times in the telling of the story.

All that is what I alread knew. What I didn't know was that the reader was a master at her craft. Each voice was distinctly different and identifiable as if it were really another person speaking the lines. The male protagonist, Dag, is hard for a soprano voice to manage but she does a reasonable job.

Even if you've read this book, you'll enjoy hearing it again as a Twice Told Tale.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful Book

This is my first book experience of anything written by Bujold. I'm not a big Romance novel fan, but I truly enjoyed how the book began with a shy, misguided, under appreciated farm girl who ran away from home to hide her poor judgement and shame. During her traveling adventure, she quickly came across fearful situations that brought forth fearless strengths and determination that quickly caught the interest of a living legend lake walker and malice slayer, named Dag. Absolutely lovely book, and I'm downloading Book 2 now, as I want to know what happens when Spark meets Dags' (the lakewalker) family and kin, and how their lives together will grow. Great book with just the right amount of romance, adventure, and peril, etc.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

More Romance Novel Than Fantasy, But I Like It

I waited to read Parts 1 through 3 before sharing my opinion of "The Sharing Knife" series. While it was more romance novel than my usual liking, I found the characters engaging. The descriptive narrative in that regard was very good (you could cast the movie in your head by reading/listening to the book). The premise of the sharing knife was well thought out, as were the stark differences (and newfound similarities) between the farmers and the lake walkers. The present-day relative class/race/religion struggles are more than subtly entwined in the chasm that separates farmers and lake walkers. I like a story with a moral, and this series has several: we all do better when we work together; don't judge a book by its cover; and try to see the world through another's eyes if you wonder what you have been overlooking...and that's just a few of them.

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11 people found this helpful

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

✫✫ 3 Stars ✫✫

Disclaimer: Fantasy is not my genre of choice.

I listened to this book because of a book club. I don't think I would have ever read this on my own because I am not a fantasy fan. I know this is a romance too but the fantasy element was what I noticed most when listening to this story. I will say I did like it better than I thought I would when it started. The beginning was very slow because of world building which I know is a must in fantasy so I expected that. I found it a little hard to get into the characters because I was trying to remember and understand all of the creatures, weapons & tales that were introduced. Once the two main characters were together and I knew what the plot would be then it picked up. I liked how you get to see his world and her world so you can see how different they live. I also liked the sarcasm with these characters, i snickered many times. The love story felt a little insta-love like which I'm not a fan of but I can get on with the 2 wounded hearts finding each other thing so that helped. In the end, I didn't love it & I didn't hate it.

The narration on this audiobook was great!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

May not be liked

I truly loved This authors books the hallowed hunt and paladin of souls. If you are expecting a book like those this is not it. I purchased this book and the sequel expecting great things. I found I got with in the last hour and could not even make my self finish. This is odd as I finish all my books at least 30 a year and I just could not get into this world or the Main characters. This was little house on the Prairie meets odd but not interesting monsters.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Another fantasy

Another new universe from Bujold. Half the fun is figuring out the laws of magic. But people are people regardless of the universe they are in, and Bujold writes well about people, the way they act and interact.

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8 people found this helpful