Bujold, Lois McMaster - Paladin of Souls

[oyceter]

And now, I confess to my flist that I think Bujold is just Not For Me. I read The Curse of Chalion a couple of years ago and wasn't too impressed. I've read most of Komarr and Cordelia's Honor, largely because people have told me that Cordelia's Honor is one of her earliest and therefore not best works. Both of the Miles books I ended up putting down when I was smackdab in the middle of the climactic plot moments, and I've never felt the need to pick them back up again.

Bujold being Not For Me is not just "I admire it technically but don't quite understand and maybe a reread will convince me otherwise." I think it's something about her prose or her characters that slides right off me.

Anyway. Ista is the middle-aged mother of the queen; her life has previously been torn apart by the will of the gods, and she's really not all that open to them anymore. She embarks on a pilgrimage, largely to get away from court life, but ends up entangled in a mess of demons and conspiracies in which the gods are trying to guide her to do something.

I like that Ista is a middle-aged heroine and that she's allowed to have second chances and love again. Other than that, I was mostly bored by the book. Despite Ista's horrific past and the presence of demons in this book, I never felt that she or any of the other characters were really in any danger. And I could have put this down at the giant climactic moment and not felt any need to pick it back up again, which is never a good sign.

I'm really not sure what it is. Part of me wants to say that Bujold's characters feel too well adjusted to me; I know people will come in and talk about Miles and how much angst he goes through, but there's something about the prose or the way it's written that doesn't make the angst feel real to me. Ah well.

Links:
- coffeeandink's review
- truepenny's review (spoilery)
- rilina's review

Comments

[estara.livejournal.com]

I've been checking this thread (just returned from four days at the parents) to see if anyone has already recommended for you to try a Civil Campaign - which is the romantic comedy book that the previous commenter didn't like.

I think that might be more to your taste, because it IS almost like a Gorgette Heyer, except for galleons of bug butter (one of my favourite scifi comedy bits ever - although you can see it coming). And it has multiple romances, so there you go.

Not too many new characters introduced, however there's one gender-swap you may have a hard time with, but in terms of Barrayaran society it's a coup-de-grace well delivered.

If you can get it from the library, that one might be to your taste.

It's my favourite Bujold, however so far I have more or less enjoyed most of her books.

[oyceter]

I think I may skip out on A Civil Campaign, though rachelmanija previously recced it to me as well... I suspect I won't like the characters or the writing enough to make it through =(. But thanks for the suggestion!