The Curse of Chalion

Executive Summary: It took me a little bit to warm up to, but in the end I found this an enjoyable read.Full ReviewI read this as the August pick for Sword & Laser. Despite considering myself more Sword than Laser (or maybe because I do?), I think overall I've been mostly disappointed with the Sword picks, especially the last two.This one however, did not disapoint. It starts a bit slow. The pacing reminded me a bit of [b:Assassin's Apprentice 45107 Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) Robin Hobb http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320339497s/45107.jpg 171715], so you if you enjoyed those books, you may enjoy this as well.Cazaril is not your typical fantasy protagonist. He's in his mid 30s for one. In fact this book doesn't feel like a fantasy book at all for most of it. There are no dragons, or wizards, or (insert your favorite fantasy race) to speak of. There does end up being magic however. And Gods of great power.Mostly however, this is a political story with a medieval setting. The characters are well written and interesting. Large parts of the plot are rather predictable, but that's not always a bad thing. It's the characters that make this book enjoyable.It's also nice to get away from all the grimdark fantasy I've been reading with something lighter. There are certainly some awful things that happen/described in this book, but nothing to the level of Song of Ice and Fire, Malazen, etc.Despite being listed as Chalion, #1 by good reads, this is a stand alone story. My understanding is it is actually 3 stand alone stories set in the same world. That is both a nice change from most fantasy these days, and a little sad, because I've grown attached to her characters and would like to see how they make out after the story ends.This is my first book by Ms. McMaster Bujold, but won't be my last. I at least plan to check out [b:Paladin of Souls 61904 Paladin of Souls (Chalion, #2) Lois McMaster Bujold http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348894979s/61904.jpg 819610].