The Curse of Chalion
Jan. 30th, 2007 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsThe Curse of Chalion is, understandably, not Lois McMaster Bujold's most popular work. The book is certainly not her best work; she is far too habituated to science fiction, and phrases from that genre keep creeping into her language. The one that leapt out at me most was "emotionally toxic," which while apt for the scene seemed out of place in Extruded Fantasy Product.
It is undoubtably some of the best Extruded Fantasy Product I've read in a while. And I have been refamiliarizing myself with the art of scene and sequel, so it is with joy and pleasure that I note the little scars scattered throughout this book where Bujold has sliced away everything inconsequential, every extraneous detail, leaving our hero with a stable world followed by crisis, response, widening crisis, emotion, decision, action, crisis... lather, rinse, repeat. Not a single moment to spare throughout the book, and it all leads to a satisfying if somewhat predictable ending.
It is understandable why Bujold is as beloved as she is: there are two Lois McMaster Bujolds. Lois #1 loves Miles and Cazaril and everyone in her books with a passion, and writes about them with that kind of dedicated fury all writers wish they had. Lois #2 is utterly without sentiment, and takes what Lois #1 writes and cuts and cleans and trims and rewrites until there is nothing left but something breathtakingly readable.
And, sigh, saleable.
It is undoubtably some of the best Extruded Fantasy Product I've read in a while. And I have been refamiliarizing myself with the art of scene and sequel, so it is with joy and pleasure that I note the little scars scattered throughout this book where Bujold has sliced away everything inconsequential, every extraneous detail, leaving our hero with a stable world followed by crisis, response, widening crisis, emotion, decision, action, crisis... lather, rinse, repeat. Not a single moment to spare throughout the book, and it all leads to a satisfying if somewhat predictable ending.
It is understandable why Bujold is as beloved as she is: there are two Lois McMaster Bujolds. Lois #1 loves Miles and Cazaril and everyone in her books with a passion, and writes about them with that kind of dedicated fury all writers wish they had. Lois #2 is utterly without sentiment, and takes what Lois #1 writes and cuts and cleans and trims and rewrites until there is nothing left but something breathtakingly readable.
And, sigh, saleable.
