The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Lloyd James

Complex and believable characters and an intricate religious system lie at the heart of The Curse of Chalion. The people of Chalion practice a “Quintarian” philosophy; that is, they worship the five gods: the Father, the Mother, the Son, the Daughter, and the Bastard. To the north of Chalion lies Roknar, whose people deny the Bastard his divine status. This religious schism leads to war, with Chalion victorious, but at a great cost: the heirs of the royal household are cursed thereafter, dooming them to torment and ruin.

Lupe dy Cazaril, a former page, castle-warder, and soldier, returns to Chalion after a harrowing ordeal as a Roknari galley slave and acquires the position of tutor to Iselle, sister to the heir of Chalion. Cazaril soon finds himself in the middle of the political machinations of the royal court, and to save his pupil from an unpleasant marriage, he realizes that he must be willing to sacrifice his own life to protect Iselle’s future. But Cazaril’s service to Iselle does not end there, for he must also find a way to break the Golden General’s curse that’s plagued her family for generations.

One of benefits of hearing, rather than reading, a high fantasy novel like this one is that the actor handles all of those tricky fantasy-world pronunciations for you; in this, and every other aspect of this recording, narrator Lloyd James excels. Subtle tonal shifts distinguish James’s characters, enabling him to voice males and females of all ages, of upper or lower castes—all with equal acumen. Different accents succeed in making foreigners indeed seem foreign, including a wonderful Roknari dialect spoken by the groom Umegat.

Bujold’s science fiction has always adapted well to audio; I present as evidence, the Miles Vorkosigan novella “Borders of Infinity” (download it free at www.dendarii.co.uk/MP3). Now, with The Curse of Chalion, Bujold proves that her fantasy does as well.

Originally appeared in Amazing Stories