From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Iselle, the royesse (princess) of Chalion, and her lady-in-waiting, Bertriz, need a new tutor. Cazaril, the man chosen for the job, has been scarred, physically and mentally, from secret betrayals by the very people who now rule Chalion through Iselle's uncle, and who seek to control her younger brother, the heir, as well. To rescue the royesse, and save Chalion, Cazaril must play matchmaker between Iselle and the prince of another realm, fight off assassins, lift a century-old curse, and risk everything-learning not to run from his own love for Bertriz-along the way. 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. Cazaril's life is rich with detail, and plays a part in the conclusion. The villains are believably motivated. The young heroines are deeply sympathetic characters as well. Readers will find themselves rooting for the good guys, while still uncertain that all can end without at least one of them suffering a dire fate. A finely balanced mixture of adventure, swordplay, court intrigue, romance, magic, and religion makes this book a delightful read.Paul Brink, Fairfax County Public Library System, VACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Betrayed by an unknown enemy into slavery, former soldier and courtier Lupe dy Cazaril escapes his bondage and returns to the royal household he once served. Entrusted with the teaching of the sister to the heir to the throne of Chalion, Cazaril finds himself drawn into a tangled web of politics and dark magic as he battles a curse that threatens the lives and souls of a family he has come to love. The author of the "Vorkosigan" series of dynastic sf turns her hand as competently and engagingly to the fantasy genre in a tale of quiet heroism and self-sacrifice. Compelling characters and richly detailed world building make this a strong addition to fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In a nicely detailed and wittily accented (see the anecdote of the prince and the young sow) medieval world, Cazaril, a crippled soldier, is appointed tutor to the sister of the royal heir, thanks to the influence of the royal grandmother. The honor flings him head foremost into a cesspool of court intrigue, in which he encounters adolescent royals with wills (and won'ts) of iron, scheming courtiers (even the ones on his side have so few scruples that with friends like these...), and enemies from the past as well as new ones. To that predicament and the tension of wondering whether his physical ailments can be cured, add a magic-tainted evil with a historic pedigree, and Cazaril becomes another of Bujold's up-to-his-posterior-in-alligators heroes posthaste. The most negative thing to be said of the book is that others have done this kind of thing before. Few of those, however, have done it half as well, and any fan not fixated on Bujold for her Vorkosigan saga should thoroughly enjoy it. Indeed, here's hoping it launches a series of tales as well told as the Vorkosigan volumes. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


ALA Booklist (starred review)
"Nicely detailed and wittily accented...Here's hoping it launches a series of tales as well told as teh Vorkosigan volumes."


Robert Jordan, New York Times best selling author of The Wheel of Time Series
Fresh, intriguing, and as always from Lois McMaster Bujold, superb.


Science Fiction Chronicle
"This is one of the great ones."


Book Description

A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril has returned to the noble household he once served as page, and is named, to his great surprise, secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is as assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions. but it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion and all who stand in their circle. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge -- an act that will mark the loyal, damaged servant as a tool of the miraculous ... and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death.


About the Author
Lois McMaster Bujold burst upon the science fiction world in 1986 with the first of the Miles Vorkosigan Saga novels, Shards of Honor. She has won the Hugo award four times, and the Nebula award twice.Her short story, Labyrinth won first place in Analog Magazine's annual awards.Having already created a classic hero in the form of Miles Vorkosigan, and captured a cult following the process, Lois McMaster Bujold now takes up her prolific pen to produce an epic of the most fantastic magnitude. A brilliant and detailed landscape populated with illustrious and demonic characters, ushers the arrival of a hero for the twenty-first century.

FROM OUR EDITORS

One of military science fiction's most honored practitioners, Lois McMaster Bujold embarks in a new direction. This full-throttled epic fantasy shows that the master of the Miles Vorkosigan novels can shift authorial gears with grace and ease.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"On the eve of the Daughter's Day - the grand celebration that will honor the Lady of Spring, one of the five reigning deities - a man broken in body and spirit makes his way slowly down the road to Valenda. A former courtier and soldier, Cazaril has survived indignity and horrific torture as a slave aboard an enemy galley. Now he seeks nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, in the noble household where he served as page in his youth." "But the gods have greater plans for this humbled man. Welcomed warmly, clothed and fed, he is named, to his great surprise, secretary-tutor to the Royesse Iselle - the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is destined to be the next ruler of the land. But the assignment must ultimately carry Cazaril to the one place he fears even more than the sea: to the royal court of Cardegoss, rife with intrigues and lethal treacheries." In Cardegoss, the powerful enemies who once placed Cazaril in chains and bound him to a Roknari oar now occupy the most lofty positions in the realm, beneath only the Roya himself. Yet something far more sinister than their scheming hangs like a sword over the royal family: a curse of the blood that taints not only those who would rule, but those who stand in their circle. The life and future of both Iselle and her entire blighted House of Chalion lie in dire peril. The only recourse left to her loyal, damaged servant is the employment of the darkest and most forbidden of magics - a choice that will indelibly mark Cazaril as a tool of the miraculous... and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the fivefold pathway of the gods.

SYNOPSIS

On the eve of the Daughter's Day-the grand celebration that will honor the Lady of Spring, one of the five reigning deities-a man broken in body and spirit makes his way slowly down the road to Valenda. A former courtier and soldier, Cazaril has survived indignity and horrific torture as a slave aboard an enemy galley.

FROM THE CRITICS

Robert Jordan

Fresh, intriguing, and as always from Lois McMaster Bujold, superb.

Science Fiction Chronicle

This is one of the great ones.

VOYA

As a former courtier and soldier, the man on the road to Valenda is almost unrecognizable. Broken and scarred, Cazaril has survived the torturous life of a slave in the enemy galleys only to find himself without a home and with only the hope that someone might recognize him and give him shelter in the castle where he once worked as a page. He is taken in and given a job, not in the kitchen or the stables as he had hoped but rather as the personal secretary of the Royesse Iselle, the sister of the next ruler of the land. His hopes of quietly living out the rest of his days are dashed when he becomes inextricably involved in the political intrigue and magical curses that surround the royal family. Cazaril finds himself drawn between the will of the gods and the wills of the men around him as he struggles to assure that the throne will go to a just heir and that the crown will not be thrown to the very men who schemed to enslave him many years before. Subtle yet powerful language raises this fantasy above most others in its genre, making it impossible to put down. The interplay of will and destiny creates a thoughtful novel, while the crashing swords and the dark magical powers make it an exciting read. With its challenging vocabulary and artful writing style, Bujold's latest novel might just be what older Harry Potter fans are yearning for. VOYA CODES:5Q 5P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written;Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday;Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12;Adult and Young Adult). 2001, EOS/HarperCollins, 442p, $25. Ages 15 to Adult. Reviewer:Heather Hepler—VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5)

Library Journal

Betrayed by an unknown enemy into slavery, former soldier and courtier Lupe dy Cazaril escapes his bondage and returns to the royal household he once served. Entrusted with the teaching of the sister to the heir to the throne of Chalion, Cazaril finds himself drawn into a tangled web of politics and dark magic as he battles a curse that threatens the lives and souls of a family he has come to love. The author of the "Vorkosigan" series of dynastic sf turns her hand as competently and engagingly to the fantasy genre in a tale of quiet heroism and self-sacrifice. Compelling characters and richly detailed world building make this a strong addition to fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal