| The Curse of Chalion | |
 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
|
| Author | Lois McMaster Bujold |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Doug Beekman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Eos (HarperCollins) |
| Publication date | August 2001 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback), E-book |
| Pages | 442 pp (hardcover) 512 pp (mass-market paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-380-97901-2 |
| Followed by | Paladin of Souls |
The Curse of Chalion is a 2001 fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. Lois McMaster Bujold (born November 2, 1949, Columbus, Ohio) is an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. An e-book (for electronic book: also ebook) is the Digital media equivalent of a conventional printed Book. Paladin of Souls is a 2003 Fantasy Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Lois McMaster Bujold (born November 2, 1949, Columbus, Ohio) is an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy In 2002 it won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth fantasy and the scholarly The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best Science fiction or Fantasy works and achievements of the previous year Winners of the Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy Novel, along with all the nominees are presented here The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. This World Fantasy Award is given to the Fantasy Novel or novels voted best by a panel of judges and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention
Both The Curse of Chalion and its sequel Paladin of Souls (2003) are set in the landlocked medieval kingdom of Chalion. Paladin of Souls is a 2003 Fantasy Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Hallowed Hunt (2005) is a prequel taking place in Darthaca, a land to the south of Chalion, several hundred years before. The Hallowed Hunt is a Fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 2005
Contents |
Plot introduction
The novel centers on Lupe dy Cazaril, a castillar (knight or minor baron) who returns home to the Royacy (Kingdom) of Chalion a broken man, after being betrayed and spending more than a year as a galley slave in a nearby land. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber A galley (from Greek γαλέα - galea is an ancient Ship which can be propelled entirely by human oarsmen, used for Warfare As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another His old noble patroness finds a use for him as a tutor for her granddaughter, the Royesse (Princess) Iselle, sister to the king. Despite his ardent desire to live a safely low-profile life, Caz finds himself drawn into a strange journey of dangers both spiritual and temporal as he seeks to dispel the debilitating curse that hangs over the royal family of Chalion.
Major themes
The Curse of Chalion is noted for its focus on religion and metaphysics. This is not only a novel about self-sacrifice and redemption, but also a piece of speculative theological fiction which closely examines the relationship between free will, fate, and divine intervention. The question of free will Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events It may be conceived as a predetermined future whether in general or of an individual
The Five Gods of the Chalion world are developed original characters that follow strict rules rather than abstract entities with nebulous powers. The Fivefold Pathway of the Soul, written by Ordol is one of the (fictional primary religious texts for the southern cultures in Lois McMaster Bujold's fantasy novels Because the Gods can work only through the will of a consenting human there is a complex consideration of the problems of free will.
Allusions/references to actual history and geography
Chalion is a looking-glass version of the kingdom of Castile and Leon, and the novel is loosely based on the lives of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, the unifiers of Spain. The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile Ferdinand II of Aragon the Catholic (Fernando II de Aragón y V de Castilla "el Católico" Ferran II d'Aragó "el Catòlic" Ferrando II d'Aragón Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the story of The Curse of Chalion is not simply a retelling of the lives of Isabella and Ferdinand, and Chalion is not simply Castile. The story takes quite a different path from the historical one, and the major characters are distinct personalities, not simply versions of historical people.
Iselle's mother Ista, heroine of the sequel Paladin of Souls, is based on Isabella of Portugal. Paladin of Souls is a 2003 Fantasy Novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. The Infanta Isabel, commonly referred to in English as Isabel of Portugal ( October 23, 1503 &ndash May 1, 1539) was the Iselle's father Roya (King) Ias is based on John II of Castile, whose favorite Alvaro de Luna inspired Bujold's Arvol dy Lutez. John II ( March 6 1405 &ndash July 20 1454) was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454 Álvaro de Luna y Jarana (b between 1388 and 1390 died June 2, 1453) Constable of Castile, Grand Master of the Military order Iselle's half-brother Orico represents Henry IV of Castile, who was called "the Impotent", and her full brother Teidez corresponds to Alfonso de las Asturias. Enrique IV (5 January 1425 - 11 December 1474 King of Castile, nicknamed the Impotent (ruled 1454-1474 was the last of the weak late medieval kings of Castile The geography is likewise based on that of the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century—but flipped north for south. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Chalion is Castile; Ibra is Aragon and Valencia; South Ibra is Catalonia; Brajar is Portugal; the Roknari princedoms are Moorish Andalusia; and Darthaca is France [1]. The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.
Notes
- ^ as shown on the map: http://www.dendarii.com/map.html
External links
- Publisher's page for The Curse of Chalion
- Bujold Nexus's Chalion index; includes link to map of Ibran Peninsula
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic