The Sharing Knife, Vol 1
Lois McMaster Bujold
Harper Voyager, an imprint
of HarperCollins Publishers
October 2011/ ISBN: 978-0-06-113907-9
Epic Fantasy
Amazon
Reviewed
by P.L. Blair
Beguilement Lives Up to Its Name
One of the great pleasures for a reader is to find a book that
captures you, draws you in and doesn't let go until the end of the
very last page.
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement is one of those books.
Lois McMaster Bujold weaves a tale that's rich in details, filled
with magic – as all good fantasy should be – and …
Compelling.
All of this without the usual wizards, elves, dwarves, halflings
or any of the other beings that have become the usual fare of this
genre. Don't get me wrong; I love wizards, elves, dwarves, etc.
But Bujold proves they aren't necessary ingredients, and the result
is a tale that's refreshingly different.
In Bujold's world, humanity seems to take two roles: There are
the farmers – which include those who dwell in small towns
– who tend their fields and crops and conduct their business.
And there are the Lakewalkers, nomadic soldier-sorcerers, who protect
the world from creatures they call “malices” (known
to the farmers as “blight bogles”). The malices are
immortal entities that draw life from the land itself, enslaving
humans and animals – and able to turn animals into human-appearing
creatures the Lakewalkers know as “mud-men.”
Fawn Bluefield, daughter of a farmer, is escaping a troubled past
when she's captured by a mud-man – and taken to a malice who
wants her unborn child. Dag, a Lakewalker patroller weighed down
by responsibilities and a past he cannot change, comes to her rescue
– and the impossible happens … They become bound together
on a journey, their fates intertwined by cords neither one can break
…Assuming either of them wants to …
Beguilement contains imagery that could be disturbing
to younger children – Fawn miscarries after the malice kills
her unborn child, and Bujold deals with the aftermath in a straightforwardly
graphic manner.
But older teens and adults of any age will find much to enjoy in
the book's 361 pages, and the imagery Bujold weaves with her words
evokes wonder at the world she's created. She introduces characters
and situations with a pacing that neither overwhelms the reader
with too much at once, nor bores the reader with inaction.
Her word choices are rich in poetry – yet there is economy
in her writing. Everything serves to move the plot and/or reveal
more about Dag and Fawn as – against odds that include age
difference and the disparity of their lives – they becoming
increasingly attracted to one another.
Bujold, a recognized master of plot, characterization, and emotion,
once again deftly demonstrates that mastery in Beguilement.
It's the first book of The Sharing Knife series, and it does end
on just a bit of a cliffhanger.
This is normally something I avoid in books. But Beguilement
ends on a satisfactory note, with just enough unfinished business
to leave me wanting more. Good news: I already have the next book
in the series.
I can hardly wait to start reading.
Beguilement,
No 1
Legacy, No 2
Passage, No 3 [review]
Horizon, No 4 [review
1 ] [review
2]
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