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Book Review

Margaret Carr

Craft Model Author

The publisher's site also lists several electronic versions to be released on 08/01/01; $19.95; $30.95(CAN)

Most writing craft books tell you how to do something. Some include examples and explanations of how the author achieved the results desired, or missed the target. If you are lucky the focus will be on what you want to learn and the explanation won't confuse you too much.

Another approach is to read authors who do what you want to do, and do it supremely well. While the explanations may be lacking the reading pleasure involved is ample compensation. Any book by Lois McMaster Bujold (Four Hugos, two Nebulas) is a good choice for that approach. Character, plot, description and theme are all strong points.

Curse of Chalion follows Cazaril, a former courtier, former soldier freed from Galleys slavery broken in body and mind with little hope for the future except a menial place in his boyhood home. He has been gone for years and presumes he is forgotten.

There is more in store for Cazaril than his modest hopes. There are those who do remember the boy he was and will help. Soon he has much to lose and must make choices that will endanger his gains.

Choices and consequences are tightly tied in all of Bujold's books. She is a master of the art of allowing her characters to forge themselves. She is also master of ignoring pre-conceptions. Critics may insist that genre literature is plot based in contrast to main-stream or literary which is character based but they miss the hunger many readers have for characters who do and struggle and win. (Of course, what they win may not be what they expected. In Cetaganda, one of Bujold's Vorkosigan books, Miles 'saves the Empire' but not the Empire he dreamed of saving in boyhood dreams!)

Officially, Curse of Chalion is fantasy. There is, limited, magic and there are gods who can intervene in the mortal world but it is the characters who determine the story.

Eos has been posting sample chapters, starting on March 1st, at three week intervals. Click on Features to get to the sample chapters portal.

For more about Lois McMaster Bujold, The Bujold Nexus has FAQs, covers and a link to her very active mailing list.

Note: the date of July 12th for release is from the Eos site. Earlier dates given were the first part of August.