The Curse of Chalion

World of the Five Gods, #1

by Lois McMaster Bujold

paperback, 416 pages

Published Jan. 31, 2003 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.

ISBN:: 978-0-00-713361-1

View on OpenLibrary

(47 reviews)

2 editions

Noisy Deadlines reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

A review from Goodreads

5 stars

This was an unexpected book for me! When I read the book description, I confess I was not so excited about it.

However, I was not disappointed! It is a very elegantly written tale, and the world building is amazing! I thought it had a slow start at the beginning. At 30% of the book I was feeling nothing was going to happen, the pace was slower than I would have enjoyed. The main character, Cazaril, is presented as a broken man, escaped from slavery, and returned to his Kingdom (Royacy) searching for shelter. At these introductory chapters, I wrongly suspected there would be no magic or fantastic events in the story.

This was an unexpected book for me! When I read the book description, I confess I was not so excited about it.

The author slowly builds the characters and unravels the magical and religious background of the kindgdom of Chalion. After it is clear that there is a dark curse going on and that Cazaril is the “hero” who takes action to solve the mystery (and gets deeply involved with it), the pace of the book increases greatly. From this point forward, I could not let the book down. I ended up loving Cazaril’s integrity, objectivity and sarcastic observations, and could not help but keep my fingers crossed for him. I really enjoyed the writing style of the book. It is classy but not over the top. The dialogues are great too, and the characters feel real and authentic.

All I can say without being “spoilery” is that it was a very pleasant read and I loved the ending, even though it may sound foreseeable for some. It is a great fantasy novel, very well balanced and with the right amount of magic in it.

Wetdryvac reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Well, that was a grimness I somehow wasn't expecting, but very well done indeed.

the_lirazel reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

4.0 stars

This book didn't overcome me with strong emotions that I sobbed or love the characters so much it makes my heart ache. But there's such a satisfaction in a book that does exactly what it needs to do and is so well-constructed. This is like the quintessential Good Fantasy Novel. Bonus points for actually having interesting things to say about religion and faith.

K (Purpose) reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

As usual, Bujold's characters and situations are wonderfully created and get to you in a progressive and solid manner. I just love the way she writes.

matt reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Exceptional!

I was already sold on Bujold after Shards of Honor, but this sealed it. Cazaril is a wonderful character, but more importantly this book is a case study in escalating the plot. Even divine intervention never felt forced but fit in neatly with where Bujold was taking the story.

Geekess reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Very elegant and gentle writing. However, she knows how to pluck those heartstrings somewhat fierce ;-)
One thing I didn't like, and that was because it was repetative from the Vorkosigan saga: The stomach/belly problems for the main character. Miles had something like that as well. It is sloppy writing to reuse that idea.
The book was a delight to read. The take on religion as a kind of magic well worked out.

state_electrician reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A very good book by the author of the Vorkosigan saga. It's a fresh, new universe and Bujold does an excellent job of not explaining too much. The societal structure and, most importantly, the theology of this world are revealed throughout the entire book.

Theology and broken people are the focus of this book. The hero, Cazaril, is a broken man at the start of the book and through his ponderings we learn about the gods of this realm and the role they play in the society. Especially towards the end I felt the explanations were a bit vague, but this didn't hurt my overall impression of the book, which was very good.

unicorndeburgh reviewed The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold (World of the Five Gods, #1)

Review of 'The Curse of Chalion' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I'm a huge fan of the Verkosigan series. Chalion doesn't hold me in its thrall to the same degree. It's still well written, fast paced, and often funny. I think that it's not as often funny. The protagonist is as smart, honorable, and competent as Cordelia Verkosigan. Perhaps my reservations are due to the gods? This world has 5 of them, and they meddle in the lives of mortals quite a bit. That messes with a plot a bit, to my mind.