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Rahvin's Grammy
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2006
- Messages
- 405
I was pleasantly surprised to see a new book by my favorite author, Lois McMaster Bujold, in my local Barney store this weekend, which I didn't realize was in the works. Entitled, Beguilement, part of a series (two parts maybe--according to Amazon?) called The Sharing Knife, this tells the story of a young farmer girl, Fawn Bluefield, who got herself In Trouble and is running away to the city to look for work. She encounters Dag, a Lakewalker Patroller, a weary veteran of a ranger-type group who hunt and destroy evil magical entities called malices, left over from an ancient sorcerous war.
Bujold's writing is delightful, as always. I would categorize the story as a fantasy romance, because most of the emphasis is on the growing romance between Fawn and Dag, a May-December relationship fraught with problems due to a clash of cultures.
I have seen reviews comparing this book unfavorably to "A Civil Campaign," which also has a romance in it, but which is a much more complex book, with many more characters and subplots. I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. A Civil Campaign has a rich, multi-volume backstory, as well as what is, in my opinion, the most well-developed, complex, and engaging character ever created in Science Fiction, Miles Vorkosigan. The characters in Beguilement just don't have that weight to them, so it's a much simpler book.
I admit to being a little thrown because there's a minor character called Dag in the Vorkosigan books. Nevertheless, "Beguilement" was very enjoyable, and I look forward to its sequel, which will surely develop the story a bit more.
Bujold's writing is delightful, as always. I would categorize the story as a fantasy romance, because most of the emphasis is on the growing romance between Fawn and Dag, a May-December relationship fraught with problems due to a clash of cultures.
I have seen reviews comparing this book unfavorably to "A Civil Campaign," which also has a romance in it, but which is a much more complex book, with many more characters and subplots. I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. A Civil Campaign has a rich, multi-volume backstory, as well as what is, in my opinion, the most well-developed, complex, and engaging character ever created in Science Fiction, Miles Vorkosigan. The characters in Beguilement just don't have that weight to them, so it's a much simpler book.
I admit to being a little thrown because there's a minor character called Dag in the Vorkosigan books. Nevertheless, "Beguilement" was very enjoyable, and I look forward to its sequel, which will surely develop the story a bit more.