The Hallowed Hunt

I've been rereading through the Chalion Trilogy, and just finished this one. As are the other books in the series, this is a story of bloodlines, inheritance, both mystical and concrete, heroism and romance. As are the other books, it is well-written, moves at a well-judged pace, and winds in to a satisfying conclusion.
Although the Five Gods figure in the story - Bujold's favourite, the Bastard - playing his usual tricks - they have here some difficulty in absorbing an older order, animistic and shamanic. The people of this tradition have welcomed into their souls the animae of various creatures : wolf, horse, deer and so on. Our hero has, in his boyhood, been possessed by a wolf, and the woman he comes to love has been invested by a big cat. Together - and with a little help from their friends - they must thwart the plans of a man who is, in his person, a repository of kings : or properly, The King. The Hallowed Hunt, a reference to an old belief found throughout Northern Europe and beyond, is here reduced to a three-day race across the country involving three of the main characters, and ending up at an ancient necropolis, where rite and counter-rite play out to a finale willed by the gods.

Bujold's use of her anthropological material is deft. The romance is somewhat perfunctory and under-motivated. I found it difficult to understand what attraction the hero could exercise over the young woman - or, indeed vice versa, but this may be because I found the illusion of character to be quite sketchily achieved in the present volume. Other relationships are also unconvincing. But the story and the mythology both draw the reader in. A fair book to read in these dreadful times.

This is an okay story. It is very slow to get going, which is tough when I've already recently read two books in this world. I cannot place the time of the story. It seems to me it must be centuries before the other novels. I also cannot place the place of this story. It seems to be a country not or only briefly mentioned in the Chalion books. Chalion is briefly mentioned in this one. Darthaca, familiar, is mentioned many times with King Audar the star from there. I don't recall if Audar was ever mentioned in the other books. I don't like floundering in the setting of a book when the time and place should be familiar. The problem seems to be that Ms. Bujold had this great idea that expanded upon her religion of 5 gods that she liked, but could not incorporate it into her Chalion novels well, so went on a tangent that is not well enough connected.

One has to have read the Chalion books before this one to have the basis knowledge of the 5 god religion, Temple sorcerers, and world's magic before reading this book, or you would be lost. Unfortunately, I was lost for other reasons.

The main character grows on you, but I'm beginning to think her male main characters tend to be the same. Ijada was a little difficult to swallow at first as she seemed more icon than actual character. The puzzle was easy to see when given all the pieces, but Ms. Bujold often withheld pieces until she wanted to reveal the puzzle which made the story a bit too pat.

For some reason the story seems already told to me, that there were few new elements other than it was being re-told in this world of Bujold's. Bujold is suffering from many author's failing that their main characters must get more and more powerful. Some have a single character following a series where their powers get more deft and strong as the series progress. Bujold has new characters only with stronger powers than her previous characters. I don't think I will be recommending this book to others the way I usually recommend books.