The Curse of Chalion

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Narrated by: Lloyd James

Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Lord Cazaril has been, in turn, courtier, castle-warder, and captain; now he is but a crippled ex-galley slave seeking nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, the noble patroness of his youth. But Cazaril finds himself promoted to the exalted and dangerous position of tutor to Iselle, the beautiful, fiery sister of the heir to Chalion's throne.

Amidst the decaying splendor and poisonous intrigue of Chalion's ancient capital, Cazaril is forced to confront not only powerful enemies but also the malignant curse that clings to the royal household, trapping him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the five-fold pathway of the gods.

©2004 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Bujold weaves a convincing and captivating fantasy world, well researched, with magic that works and gods that live without destroying the balance of this medieval society....A finely balanced mixture of adventure, swordplay, court intrigue, romance, magic, and religion makes this book a delightful read." (School Library Journal)

The Curse of Chalion

This is the first time I've ever listened to this author, but she's quickly become one of my favorites. With this wonderful fantasy which is part mystery and part thrilling political tale, she has created an entertaining and masterful story replete with characters you will come to love. Caz, the star of the tale, is multifaceted. He will make you laugh, smile, chuckle and wonder. His wry humor and ironic narration make the story even more fascinating than all the action, setting and plot can do; and they are as finely wrought as any of her characters. Fully drawn, you come to believe that Caz is a living, breathing man, and at the end, you wish you might continue your relationship with him even longer. Beautifully written, read aloud by a narrator who sounds just as you would expect Caz to sound, this intriguing story will make you wish it would never end.

Worth getting into

This was my first book by LMB and I am not disappointed. In fact I am currently getting ready to listen to the next book, Paladin of Souls. I have to admit there is a reason I have rated it only 4 stars and if I knew how to do half stars I would give it another half star. My reason for this is because I had a hard time getting into the story at first. I found it a bit dificult to understand who is what and what the religion or superstitions of the culture are. I had to start it over a few times in the begining until it just didn't matter to me the who's and what fors. After getting along to the next cd I finally kept it going and got caught into what really matters in this story - the characters themselves. I loved the narrator's voices. He did a fantastic job on Cazaril....I nearly fell in love with him. I really don't want to get into describing what the story was about. I just want to say....its worth getting into but just be patient in the begining...it may take a few tries.

You will love this audio book.

Everything about it was wonderful except the narrator who was a bit amateurish. But that blimish was easily overlooked and was corrected in the next book in this series, Paladin of Souls which was perfection itself.

A lucky find

I had read Cordelia's Honor and was looking for more Bujold. The Curse of Chalion was exciting. I sat in the driveway just to listen to the next few lines and now I want the next in the series on Audible as soon as possible.

Excellent Narrator

This is a great book. Highly recommended.
It is full of life, romance, suspense. It will keep you gripped to your seat throughout the whole book. The Narrator is also excellent, a well read and thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Great book

This book was very good if you enjoy fantasy. Set in a middle ages plagued by sorcery and gods a strong willed man trys to soldier on against all odds. This along with the paladin of souls and the Hallowed Hunt are amazing books.

Bravo

This has not been my usual genre, but this is an exceptional book. I seldom give five stars, but this gets five from me. The story was well woven, the religious aspect not overwhelming and the narration was performance art. Well worth your time and money!

An amazing hero, an even more amazing heroine!

I couldnt stop listening to this book! The characters were compelling. I have never seen character growth done as well as how Iselle developed over the course of the story. Wonderful work!

I just finished my listen...

About 5 mins ago I finished this audio book. Overall, I truly enjoyed the listen with a few complaints. Lord Caz, the protagonist, is well read but his stammering, and sometimes limp, personality is a bit overdone at times to the point of annoyance. Also, the sound engineering of the voice actor could have used some work. I was terribly annoyed by the wet swallowing sounds that were made by the actor, and the sentences were broken in inappropriate places enough to distract me from the story at times. Being patient, however, I got used to most of this and eventually my ear smoothed over these imperfections. I will say of McMaster Bujolds story that, after making the journey with her, I am smiling and filled with a fantastic feeling of completion and happiness. I am left desiring more story, but not needing it to finish my experience. I am going to download her next novel directly, and I am excited to do so. If I have any other negative issues with the tale, it would be that it feels like it finishes too quickly. The "end game" of the story is extremely short. The inevitable defeat of the evil forces happens all of a sudden, where it might have been expounded on a bit, and suspended us a bit more, before resolution. Perhaps that is a personal function of my enjoyment of the tale though. Maybe it just finished too quickly for me...
In summary, if you enjoy fantasy and feeling good...have a listen.

Excellent story

I must admit I had never read anything by Bujold. This is a great story. It takes a good while to lay out where the story is going which makes it even better. The characters were well developed and moves along very quickly. I read this book to get to the second book (one of the Hugo Award Winners). I am looking forward to the second book.