This year, I vowed to read more current and classic science fiction and fantasy, in order to up my familiarity with the speculative fiction genre. I’ve read pretty extensively in S.F., though not as much in recent years. But fantasy? As my September rant indicates, I’ve been turned off by the genre for a while. While working at Ye Olde Major Chain Store last year, one of my fellow booksellers raved about Bujold. I was skeptical because her covers look very much like your average sword & sorcery feudal society fantasy. But I’m nothing if not open-minded (no really! I swear it!) so I decided to buy one of her books and try it. I picked Paladin of Souls because it won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. I figure it’s got to be decent at least.
Well, now I’ve finished the book. And I was right. It is decent. I wouldn’t vote Paladin of Souls as best of the year as the S.F.W.A. and the con-goers have, but pretty good. Still too heavy into the swords and sorcery for my tastes. But a decent read.
The synopsis is that Royina (e.g., royal mother) Ista dy Chalion decides to throw off her social chains and head west on a pilgrimage from her prison-of-sorts, the court of Valenda. However, while on the road her party encounters a demon possessed bear. One of her attendants, Foix, kills the bear, thus inheriting the demon. Meaning to ensure his recovery, the group heads toward a major city with a temple that might be able to cure him. But… along the way a raiding party from the border princedom Jokona, escaping from it’s own defeat, takes Ista and others hostage. Thus, her entire pilgrimage is detoured to the border town of Porifors when she’s freed and captured several times. The Jokonans have a plot involving demons, but the gods have a use for Ista.
I really like Ista. She’s the kind of protagonist that makes sense. She hates being forced into her society role, and has the strength of character to lead a party even if it contains other strong characters. She has doubts about her ability, but doesn’t shirk from danger because of it. She’s someone who will fight the good fight, even if she doesn’t like the role being thrust on her. In fact, most of the female characters are strong, capable people. At least that’s an improvement on the feudal society they inhabit.
I think the book could have been shorter. The story had a fast/slow/fast/slow alternating pace to it throughout. After every encounter where something happened, everyone would stop, ponder, and discuss the ramifications. Then they would make plans for their next move, however ill-fated or unseeing of the future they might be. When they moved again, the action would commence and it would always have some sort of wrench thrown into the cogs. Start. Stop. Start. Stop.
Title: Paladin of souls
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Award: Hugo award
Award: Nebula award
Imprint / publisher: HarperTorch / HarperCollins
Format: Mass market paperback
Length: 470 p.
Publication date: May 2005
ISBN-10: 0-380-81861-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-380-81861-7
Subject: Queens — Fiction
LC classification: PS3552.U397 P355 2003
