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The Curse of Chalion cover art

The Curse of Chalion

Written by: Lois McMaster Bujold
Narrated by: Lloyd James
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Publisher's Summary

Lord Cazaril has been, in turn, courtier, castle-warder, and captain; now he is but a crippled ex-galley slave seeking nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, the noble patroness of his youth. But Cazaril finds himself promoted to the exalted and dangerous position of tutor to Iselle, the beautiful, fiery sister of the heir to Chalion's throne.

Amidst the decaying splendor and poisonous intrigue of Chalion's ancient capital, Cazaril is forced to confront not only powerful enemies but also the malignant curse that clings to the royal household, trapping him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the five-fold pathway of the gods.

©2004 Lois McMaster Bujold (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

What the critics say

"Bujold weaves a convincing and captivating fantasy world, well researched, with magic that works and gods that live without destroying the balance of this medieval society....A finely balanced mixture of adventure, swordplay, court intrigue, romance, magic, and religion makes this book a delightful read." (School Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Curse of Chalion

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one of my favorite books

this is of my favorite books to listen to over and over again. I can't praise it enough.

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GOATED Audiobook

First of all, there are not enough words in the English dictionary to describe how excellent Lloyd James' narration was. He is the best narrator I've ever heard.

The book itself is excellent too. It mixes humor and theology together in an excellent mix, along with a truly unique main character in Cazilar. The side characters are all really damn good too, from the young but strong Iselle to the slimy asses that are the DiJironal brothers to the absolute GOAT, Umegat.

This book is a masterful display of how an audiobook can elevate a story.

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Loved it!

I love this storyline. it was entertaining, engaging and Lloyd James did a fantastic job of all the characters. Highly recommend it.

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Lois McMaster Bujold’s “The Curse of Chalion”

Captures your attention from the beginning and has you hoping that the curse of Chalion will not eventually fall upon the returned soldier weary from the wars and undeserved slavery in the galleys. Excellent read.

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Good fantasy story

This is a good fantasy story aimed at a more mature audience. Somewhat like Game of Thrones but less violent and a bit more magic.

The narrator was generally good and gave the different characters different voices but I found it a bit jarring and to have an American narrate a fantasy story and give most of the characters different American. For some reason I always expect characters in fantasy stories to have British accents but maybe that’s just me.

#Audible1

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This book changed my thinking completely

Speculative theology embedded in a fantastic story with an incredible audio performance.

I now consider myself a Lay Dedicat of the Bastard. The God of Chaos and disasters out of season has clearly been around in my life. :)

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