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Beguilement
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]

Reviewer's Note: Adult themes
Reviewer & Columnist P.L. Blair is the author of a series (Portals) of fantasy/detective novels set in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Reviewed 2012
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