Book: Paladin of Souls
January 18th 2005
Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold. 464 pages.
I loved the first book in this series, but for some reason I had a hard time getting around to reading this one. I will be very precise and say that the reluctance and foot-dragging only persisted until I read the first sentence, because from then on I was hooked.
This book focused most on the character of Ista, who is more of a side character in the first book. I found the religious system in this book fascinating, and would love to read more books involving the 5 gods and what their domains and roles are. Ista is a refreshing change from the “usual” type of female fantasy character. She is older, 40 years old, and she has been through a lot. She is very well-realised in this book, with a clear mental presence and voice. She’s not impossibly beautiful, she is rather ascerbic, and she knows her faults well.
I wish there were 30 more books in this series already so I could have them to look forwards to because I loved this book, and I love the universe they are situated in, and I would love to spend hours and hours with these characters.
It’s definitely a book to re-read. I gulped it down this time, but I definitely will be reading it again because there are all sorts of hidden little plot subleties that once you know the end, you can enjoy discovering the clues the second (or third or fourth or millionth) time around.
Write faster! I want Book 3 now!