The Curse of Chalion Audiobook By Lois McMaster Bujold cover art

The Curse of Chalion

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The Curse of Chalion

By: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Lloyd James
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About this listen

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
Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Romance
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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)

What listeners say about The Curse of Chalion

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Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,427
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    367
  • 2 Stars
    109
  • 1 Stars
    67
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,750
  • 4 Stars
    608
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    206
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    59
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    39

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't stop listening --- great fantasy novel

This book was extremely refreshing for me, especially after some so-so books. The narrator did an excellent job. And the story itself is wonderful. It starts off at a nice pace at the beginning. But towards the end, I found myself sitting in my car not wanting to stop listening. I think I listened to the last 6 hours in just two days. I kind of hated to finish it, though. I'm sure this is a book I'll return to in the future.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a satisfying read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and didn't want it to end. Don't be put off by the little bit of magic in the story. The fantasy is a fairly minor element, and the characters are delightful and well drawn. One can almost imagine that the magic is merely the medical innocence of a long ago age. The gentle humor keeps the story lively. I will look forward to reading another book by this author if it becomes available.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Curse of Chalion (Unabridged)

This book was a lot of fun for me to read after I got into the story, it was hard to stop listening. I thought the characters were well defined. I certainly hope the author goes on with this storyline and that audible will have them on their side. There is nothing more fun than wanting more of a good story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I thought when it started it would be slow because of the way he was reading it but you come to realize the character is exhausted and broken and thats why. the story is fantastic! Must listen to it then Paladin of Souls was great also (but definately after this one!) Magic, desperation, laughter, intrigue, a splash of romance. I loved it

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

So-So

It was OK overall, good if there is nothing else to listen to. But nothing great... some boring parts, some good parts, lots of cliche's.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Quite entertaining

This is one of those books where the heros are noble and the villains are evil. And there is a real pleasure in listening to them each get their due. I found myself staying up much later than I intended to keep listening. A great listen for a long car ride. It is perhaps a chapter or two long (I got the feeling the author liked the characters so much that she did not want to let them go just yet) though you too will probably not want to see the book end either.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

The Curse of Chalion is an excellent, slow-building medieval-type fantasy set in an alternate world full of political intrigue, with a fascinating religion based on a pantheon of five gods--the Holy Family, each associated with different seasons. There are also demons and various forms of magic, one of which, death magic, is technically illegal. Because religion and spirituality, curses and blessings, spirit and matter, are important part of the story, there are lots of interesting philosophical discussions.

The protagonist, Cazaril, is a world-weary, reluctant hero. A nobleman and knight of the realm, he was the commander of a fortress but was betrayed and sold into slavery. He's only thirty five but after 19 months in the slave galley, he looks twice that age, mostly because of his prematurely grey beard and worn out body. The slaves on his ship are all rescued by a neighboring country's navy, and after recovering from a severe beating, Cazaril makes the trek to the castle of the Dowager Provencera, where he's served as a page as a boy, hoping for work.

Cazaril is very diffident, and doesn't believe in his own bravery because he's thoughtful and cautious instead of heedlessly valiant.He's also very kind, which stupid people see as a weakness, but is really a strength, and he understands the political dances necessary to survive in the courtly world. He has great perception and integrity. Cazaril is made the tutor of the Dowager's headstrong and idealistic granddaughter, the nineteen year old Iselle, and her lady in waiting, Betriz. When Iselle and her fourteen year old brother are called to the capitol to be made the official heirs of their older half-brother, the king of Chalion, who is child-less, Cazaril goes with them. And discovers the royal family of Chalion seems to be cursed.

Political alliance marriages are a thing in this medieval world, and the story explores variations on this situation, ranging from happy and well-balanced to fraught with turmoil. Many of the marriages have age differences, and it was nice to have a balanced depiction of this dynamic. Iselle's widowed mother was lovingly married to the much older former king, and Iselle is contemplating political alliances with princes in the surrounding kingdoms, who range in age from 70 to 7. She's being pursued by a scuzzy forty year old adviser to the king, who seems to be jockeying to be the power behind the throne, or perhaps, to stage a coup. Cazaril himself falls in love with Betriz, who is fifteen years his junior, and feels totally unworthy of her because of this. Happily, she doesn't agree. There are also queer characters in the story, one of whom is very important, and they are presented in a matter of fact way. It's not a "Look, there's queer characters, isn't this a diverse book" kind of thing, this actually is a diverse book.

Despite being overlooked and denigrated by the younger, testosterone-ridden noblemen, Cazaril expertly helps Iselle and Betriz navigate the dangerous political undercurrent of the court, and even attempts death magic to save Iselle from the scuzzy older man. This doesn't go exactly as expected and Cazaril ends up with a tumor in his gut enclosing both a ghost and a demon, as well as now having second sight. The gods, mainly the Lady and the Bastard, have chosen Cazaril to break the curse of Chalion. Despite the fact that this terrifies him, he does his stalwart best, with help from his friends.

There is medieval warfare, political intrigue, ambushes, assassinations, death of supporting characters, skirmishes, torture, siege, magic involving sacrifice, sexual misconduct, rape, bandits and jerks with swords, all described enough to give a taste for what is happening without being overwhelming. It also has one of the most realistic depictions of a brain injury I've yet to read. It is totally worth your time and I highly recommend it. I really enjoyed the narration by Lloyd James, who did an excellent job.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Novel, Flawed Narrator

I'm a fan of Lois McMaster Bujold and really enjoyed the novel, but Lloyd James' narration made the recording very difficult to get through. (He does not narrate the sequel, which is in much more capable hands.) While handling a number of characters is a challenge, good narrators know that cartoon voices are a poor way to handle a novel. The cartoonish voices are especially problematic because they are so random: at one point, though the novel is set in culture explicitly inspired by medieval Spain, a servant randomly develops a southern U.S. accent. They're also inconsistent, both with each other (at one point a character may have a distinctive vocal tick for an extended period, then dropping that tick several chapters later) and with the text (making perfectly serious and important characters sound like they stepped out of a Bug Bunny cartoon). Grover Gardner, Bernadette Dunne and Kate Reading have done Bujold's other novels, and it'd be great if one of them re-recorded this one.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story, Well-Told

A smooth blend of fantasy world-building, character and plot developments, everything moving at an adequate pace. It's told from the point of view of the main character, our reluctant but steadfast hero. The narrator did a great job with the voices, even the women. A pleasure.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very satisfying story

I enjoyed reading this. The ending was very satisfying. The characters were interesting and believable.

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