Search - Paladin of Souls (Chalion, Bk 2)

This sequel to ‘Curse of Chalion’ takes place soon after the events of that book, but follows the character of Ista. No longer under the curse that made her seem depressed/deranged, the widow chafes at the confines of palace life. She decides to take a pilgrimage – after her disastrous brush with the deities in the past, she doesn’t have any interest in the gods, but religion seems a good excuse to freely wander through the countryside on a bit of a vacation. Unfortunately, the gods take an interest in her. After a few disturbing incidents involving demon-possessed animals, and the ever-present threat of Roknari invaders, soon, Ista finds herself at a castle headed by a handsome lord and his beautiful and loving young wife… however, not all may be as it seems. What mysterious ailment has stricken the lord’s brother? And what do the gods want Ista to do about it all?
The book works as a stand-alone novel, still, I was glad that I had previously read the first one, for the deeper knowledge of past events and awareness of various characters…
I have to admit, I slightly preferred ‘Curse of Chalion’ to this one, just because I found the protagonist in that book, Cazaril, to be such an engaging character. However, this was still an excellent book, and one I’d recommend.

What a great second book in this trilogy. This is the follow up to the Curse of Chalion and if possible, this book is even better than the first. Writing is first rate. Characters become great friends - or enemies - story is unexpected and well plotted. Excellent book and highly recommended along with Curse of Chalion!

Well told wonderful characters. A pleasure to read.

This is the second in a series but is completely autonomous. Full of remarkable characters, a very detailed world, and an intricate plot shows why this book won a Hugo. Highly recommended.

This is the second book in the Chalion trilogy. It is also a stand-alone novel, but you really need to read The Curse of Chalion first to understand everything within this book in its proper context.

This book takes place shortly after The Curse of Chalion ends, and follows the character of Ista as she embarks upon a pilgrimage.

This book was good, but it wasn't great. Bujold had something going when she created the character of Cazaril. I was disappointed to see his character tossed to the absolute fringes of the storyline, to hear his name mentioned only in passing.

If you liked The Curse of Chalion, then you should like this book as well. While it took some time for me to adjust to the new story arc and cast of characters, I warmed up to them eventually. It was a good story and the plight of the brothers that Ista meets is really quite fascinating. That alone is worth the read.

Overall, I thought that The Curse of Chalion was the better book. But Paladin of Souls is still worthy of your time.