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)

Beautifully written, excellent on audio

Lois McMaster Bujold has long been esteemed in the science fiction genre, so I expected great things from The Curse of Chalion, and I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. This is an excellent piece of work! Bujold's story is completely fresh, and the world-building and magic system are unique, too. I was hooked from page one and it proceeds at a pleasant pace with plenty of surprises and plot twists. Characterization is deep and somehow Bujold made me really like the main character, Cazaril, right from the start, even though he is not the type of hero I thought I preferred. As a psychologist, I especially appreciate how the characters realistically maintained their natural personalities throughout the story while maturing (or becoming more immature) as they grew from their experiences.

And, so importantly, The Curse of Chalion is beautifully written. I'd like to especially mention the dialogue, which I think is so hard for an author to get just right. Some authors make their characters so annoyingly quick-witted and perfect in speech that it's completely unbelievable. Lois McMaster Bujold characters pause, hem and haw, and say "um" just like I do. And they occasionally have conversations that provide a dry comic relief (I laughed out loud many times).

Lloyd James is an excellent reader who has a nice voice and uses different voices and speaking styles for each character. It is very easy to follow and pleasant to listen to. I highly recommend this format for Curse of Chalion.

Curse of Chalion is the first in a series of books which are set in the same world and have some of the same characters, but which can be read independently. So, Curse can stand alone if you like, but I think you'll want to go on to Paladin of Souls because it's highly decorated (see above) and it tells a story which you'll want to hear after reading Curse.

Loved the Hero

Several other reviewers have mentioned that Cazaril, the middle aged and battered protagonist, made for a fascinating read. I concur. Given the originality of the hero, perhaps Cazaril's love interest could have been less hackneyed: she's 18, wise beyond her years and beautiful. Yawn. Oh, well, the story held my interest all the way through, it's well-paced, suspenseful and not overly predictable, which is a lot to say for a fantasy yarn. The workings of a society based on a religion where the gods are visibly involved in the day-to-day business of the people is coherently described, but well-integrated into the tale. The narrator does a superb job with the different voices of the characters, making them very believable. This is the first book I've read by Bujold; I definitely plan on reading more.

Fully realized and fascinating

I loved every minute of this book. It has a multidimensional world, a protagonist who is flawed but completely sympathetic and relatable, and an interesting examination of fate and free will. The narrator did a great job portraying Caz’s wry perspective, and I found it refreshing that in this Reconquista-ish story, the author chose not to follow the Isabella or Ferdinand analogue, but instead followed the loyal retainer. I know there are other layers which I’ve missed...so I will absolutely revisit this book again to pick up on more details, and I am already looking forward to it.

what a reading!

Having listened to hundreds of books, many by some of my favorite readers, I think I have never listened to a reader to top this reading by Lloyd James. I'll look for other books performed by him. It will be the first time I ever sought out another book just because of the reader. The story is engaging, another worthy chapter in the Lois McMaster Bujold world of magic among royals (and bless the soul at audible who chose to call this kind of book a "romance"). You don't have to hide this from your children.

Awesome

I really enjoyed this book. It was captivating from the beginning. The characters are flawed, but they draw you in. I couldn't give a better endorsement. Also, the reader was wonderful.

Great listen!

A captivating story that takes a lot of traditional fantasy archetypes (curses, gods, and unwilling protagonists) and makes them new. The reader is also a superb voice actor.

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book, the story started out slowly but built up momentum until the final few chapters where I couldn't 'put it down'. But the one let down was the narration, although the narrator did an excellent job of the voices, for both men and women, the narration often paused in odd parts of sentences that made it feel jilted. Apart from that, it was a wonderful story and I highly recommend it!

Terrible Narrator

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Lloyd James?

Anyone. He's terrible. He pauses in strange places. I can hear him swallowing. He reads as if he's not really paying attention to the meaning of the words. Wooden. I cannot enjoy a book when the narration is bad.

I love the spirituality of this book

This book is one I return to, again and again. It fills me up. This is the most spiritual and sophisticated of Bujold's work. The narration is excellent as well.

In my top 5 fave books, top 3 fave narrators

This is an amazing book and may change your world view forever, for the better. And Lloyd James is a narrator I use to convince people who don’t like audiobooks that they will like really well done audiobooks. Nothing but awesome, all the way around.