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Book Summary and Reviews of Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold

Paladin of Souls

A Novel

by Lois McMaster Bujold

  • Published:
  • Sep 2003, 464 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

One of the most honored authors in the field of fantasy and science fiction, Lois McMaster Bujold transports us once more to a dark and troubled land and embroils us in a desperate struggle to preserve the endangered souls of a realm.

Three years have passed since the widowed Dowager Royina Ista found release from the curse of madness that kept her imprisoned in her family's castle of Valenda. Her newfound freedom is costly, bittersweet with memories, regrets, and guilty secrets -- for she knows the truth of what brought her land to the brink of destruction. And now the road -- escape -- beckons... . A simple pilgrimage, perhaps. Quite fitting for the Dowager Royina of all Chalion.

Yet something else is free, too -- something beyond deadly. To the north lies the vital border fortress of Porifors. Memories linger there as well, of wars and invasions and the mighty Golden General of Jokona. And someone, something, watches from across that border -- humans, demons, gods.

Ista thinks her little party of pilgrims wanders at will. But whose? When Ista's retinue is unexpectedly set upon not long into its travels, a mysterious ally appears -- a warrior nobleman who fights like a berserker. The temporary safety of her enigmatic champion's castle cannot ease Ista's mounting dread, however, when she finds his dark secrets are entangled with hers in a net of the gods' own weaving.

In her dreams the threads are already drawing her to unforeseen chances, fateful meetings, fearsome choices. What the inscrutable gods commanded of her in the past brought her land to the brink of devastation. Now, once again, they have chosen Ista as their instrument. And again, for good or for ill, she must comply.

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Book Awards

  • award image Hugo Awards, 2004

Reviews

Media Reviews

"A well-paced and exciting book, Paladin [of Souls] is a perfect blend of might, magic, and character development." —Library Journal

This information about Paladin of Souls was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Lois McMaster Bujold Author Biography

Lois McMaster Bujold was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1949. She attended the Ohio State University from 1968 to 1972, drifting from English to biology before eventually turning to writing.

Bujold is one of the most acclaimed authors of science fiction and fantasy, having been awarded multiple Hugo and Nebula awards throughout her career. She is best known for her Miles Vorkosigan series.

She resided in Marion, Ohio, from 1980 to 1995, and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1995. Bujold has two children.

Link to Lois McMaster Bujold's Website

Name Pronunciation
Lois McMaster Bujold: booZHOLD (first syllable rhymes approximately with rouge)

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