Last week on Twitter, a bunch of us got to talking about our favorite childhood books.* Several of the books mentioned, like The Ordinary Princess or Dealing with Dragons, had fantasy settings and unusual, clever princesses.
If you’re looking for the adult version of those delightful princess books, may I humbly recommend the works of sci-fi/fantasy author Lois McMaster Bujold?
My husband introduced me to Bujold about a year ago, and I can’t believe I never knew about her books before then. The woman has four Hugos and two Nebulas, for pete’s sake. Her books are so good that I almost feel embarrassed writing about them because every time I try, I’m reduced to a near-incoherent stream of superlatives.
So instead of selling you on her general merits as a writer, I’ll just tell you a bit about my favorite Bujold novel so far: Paladin of Souls.
Image from BN.com
The middle-aged Dowager Royina Ista has spent her life being ignored and underestimated, valued only for her beauty and her womb.** A series of cruel betrayals placed her under a curse of madness that stole nearly two decades of her life; now recovered, and subject to a never-ending stream of “you shouldn’t” and “you mustn’t” from her well-meaning attendants, she wonders what she will do with herself. Desperate to get away from her usual routine, she embarks on a sacred pilgrimage that doesn’t quite go according to plan. I won’t spoil what happens, but I will say that through it all, Ista is brave, sad, honest, cranky, no-nonsense, and utterly heroic. She’s an almost painfully sympathetic and compelling protagonist, and she’s unlike any other heroine in any of the fantasy novels I’ve read.
So if you were a fan of Amy the Ordinary Princess or Cimorene the spell-casting librarian-princess, go read Paladin of Souls. You should also read its prequel The Curse of Chalion, which has been keeping me up far too late at night this past week. And then join me in reading everything Lois McMaster Bujold has ever written.
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* OK, I admit it. Twitter is fun. I’m a convert.
** Royina = Queen in the Bujold fantasy world.
Awesome; will put it on my to-read list now!
Ooooo, princess books, can Mother Hen play too?
Favorite picture book:
The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch turns the old conventions right around, which, MH would argue, needed turning.
Favorite chapter book:
The Princess and the Goblin by George Mcdonald, which is an oldie, but nevertheless Mother maintains it is a goodie (and an inspiration to C.S. Lewis when writing his Narnia series).
Now if someone woud only write about a chicken princess…sounds like a Mother Hen blog in the making!
Royally yours,
Mother Hen
http://motherhensnest.wordpress.com
I gave into peer pressure and picked up a couple of her books from the library, but they didn’t have Curse of Chalion. Do I need to read it before Paladin?
Nah, I read Paladin first and I didn’t feel like I was missing any major parts of the story. Paladin stands on its own beautifully.
When I read Chalion, I was a bit spoiled for some of the plot developments (a character’s death, the end of Ista’s madness) because I’d read Paladin first. It didn’t ruin my enjoyment of Chalion at all, but if you’re someone who hates spoilers, you might feel differently.
[...] Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold (The Sharing Knife, Book 1) – After hearing all about the loveliness of Bujold online lately, I had to give her a try. I know, I know. For someone who as recent as 2 years ago [...]
[...] Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold – Read this one based on a strong recommendation and wasn’t disappointed. This is the sequel to The Curse of Chalion, but I read it without [...]