"Fabulous sequel to THE CURSE OF CHALION"

No longer suffering from the God-induced madness, but still reeling from guilt and mourning the loss of much of her family, Dowager Royina of Chalion Lady Ista dy Baocia seeks to find atonement. She feels a pilgrimage might provide some solace to her tortured soul so Lady Ista sets forth on a journey.

However, her search for inner peace ends when she becomes embroiled in a devious plot that makes her ponder whether the five ruling Gods still manipulate her? Still Lady Ista cannot ignore the threat from Chalion's neighbor Porifors. The Roknari and the evil ones from the Fifth God place Chalion and Ista's ruling daughter in jeopardy with only Arhys dy Lutez and his half brother Illvin struggling to contain the assault. Ista joins the dy Lutez siblings though she may pay the ultimate price with her entrance into the fray.

The sequel to THE CURSE OF CHALION (one of the all time great fantasy tales), PALADIN OF SOULS, is a fabulous stand- alone story. The story line focuses on a major but not the prime character from the first book as Lady Ista tries to find solace for the trouble she caused though logically she understands she was a puppet of the Gods. As in the first novel, Lois McMaster Bujold imbues the story line with deep depth that makes her realm see genuine though the non-stop action crowd will feel that slows the pace. Still sword and sorcery readers who relish a world that appears real will appreciate the heroine's quest and demand returns to this magical land from a writer who lives up to her middle name.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted September 4, 2003