Beguilement (The Sharing Knife, Book 1)

Beguilement has the potential to create new Bujold fans, especially from among those readers who enjoy thoughtful romances. But those of us who value her world-building skills and plotting abilities have much to love, as well. This new Sharing Knife universe is a fascinating one, with deep political and spiritual themes. The relationship between the Lakewalker patrollers and the common villagers they protect is a complex one, and the concept of the "malices," embodiments of an evil that can be temporarily thwarted but never completely vanquished, provides a dark and compelling backdrop to the work. The two protagonists are both imperfect, wounded heroes who bring their own experiences of pain and loss to the fight. The "sharing knife," which teaches mortality to the malices by sharing an individual's death, is a remarkably powerful and poignant symbol that lies at the heart of the entire plot. Beguilement is different than Bujold's past works, in that it offers only half of the story (completed in Legacy), but that should not dissuade anyone from enjoying this work. It is well worth reading and savoring on its own before following up with its sequel. Once you read it, you'll want to return to this universe and delve deeper into its mysteries.

A great writer can develop characters and tell stories that seem more real than the life around you. Lois McMaster Bujold is a great writer. This book stuck with me so much for two days that I finally had to force myself to listen to music and read another book, just to get back into my "real life." I suppose I am surprised by the mixture of reviews here, but not everyone is willing to go in new directions with a writer. I loved the Miles Vorkosigan books and was reluctant to jump into the Chalion books; but they turned out to be terrific, creative, and original on their own. Now Bujold has gone in a different direction. I waited a month before starting Beguilement, then read it in one big gulp. I was disappointed only in that I wanted more -- NOW. Yes, it's different from her other books. There is less physical action and more romance (including one of the best love-making scenes I have ever read -- romantic without leaning toward either pornography or silliness). I am not a man who reads romance books. But Bujold's characters are as compelling as ever and there is plenty of internal action and clever interaction between characters. Bujold does not need space battles to create interest. Her characters' unique and fascinating reactions to their dilemmas has always been the reason that kept me re-reading her earlier books and following her in whatever new directions she wishes to try. It's too soon to give a real judgment on this book alone, because so much will depend on the second half to come. But I have great expectations, and Bujold has rarely disappointed me.

Lois McMaster Bujold has become one of my favorite authors. She has all the skill of worldbuilding of, say, CJ Cherryh, an unrivaled ability to combine humor and unstoppable action, and the ability to draw believeable characters about whom I care desperately. She also knows how to write a romantic love story. Beguilement draws upon all those strengths -- but it's somewhat different than Chalion and the Vor universes. This is a much simpler tale. For example, it doesn't have the history that the Vor universe has... a history that slowly dawns on you as you figure out the reasons each society adopts given attitudes, and the reasons that Miles Vorkosigan is unlikely to discover simple answers. The books in the Chalion series are built on the premise of gods who can, indirectly at least, interact with the world they created. In Beguilement, the world in which Dag and Fawn live has a history, some of which the author has not yet revealed to us, but the world doesn't draw your attention away from the story. Most of the time, anyway. It also doesn't have the non-stop action that characterizes several of the Vor books (which makes me think of James Bond in Space). As a result, you don't have to have your brain in operation full-time; Beguilement is a book to relax with rather than to cause you to think deep thoughts. Some of the reviewers here are disappointed that this is just another love story, but I think they may be missing the clues that Bujold leaves all over the place; you just know that the newlyweds will have more to cope with in the next book than convincing Dag's family to accept Fawn. It's obvious that Dag and Fawn will encounter something far more dangerous than the cultural clash that forms the tension through much of this book. Personally, I love the "grounding," the special ability of Lakewalkers to connect to living things, which serves as the "indistinguishable from magic" skill to the mundane "farmers" who populate most of the world. This is a quick read, but Bujold painted a lot more in the background than fluffy white clouds in a clear blue sky. I think you'll appreciate this book most if you come to it with an easy expectation: think of it as a summer beach read. It's more than that, I think, but it doesn't have the action or emotional density of her earlier novels. That's fine with me, because I thought this was plain good fun.

[My bias: Lois Bujold is my favorite fiction author and I have read all of her novels.] Beguilement is one of those "neither fish nor foul" novels which is either going to really work for you or is going to fall flat. It's so well-written that I doubt anyone could find it bad, but if you don't buy in to the premise then you will probably be wondering why such a good writer was wasting her time on such an uninteresting story. But if you do buy into the premise, you'll flat-out love it. What is this mysterious premise? The typical romantic fantasy novel falls into a standard pattern where the lead characters meet, get exposed to some horrible danger, fall in love, defeat the horrible danger, marry, and live happily ever after. But what if the danger part (including the vanquishing) happens before the characters fall in love and well before most of the plot? Fawn and Dag are thrown together by accident and bound together by a "sharing knife", something which resonates with past tragedies and broken up lives for each of them. Out of this wreckage of their previous lives, they find themselves drawn into a genuine love for each other, even though both of their separate cultures will disapprove of the match. Beguilement is primarily a book about real-world consequences to romantic fantasy ideals. For instance, it opens with a young girl dealing with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. And throughout the novel Bujold keeps bringing our romantic images back down to earth. Her Aragorn-like Lakewalkers have to deal with dirty clothes, bad smelling comrades, nagging wounds, and a sense of futility about their somewhat thankless and never-ending task. Her farmers live a fairly comfortable but definitely rustic life, where a trip to the town twenty miles away is a once-a-year venture. In fact, Dag is something of a walking consequence all by himself, since he has lost a hand in a battle in which his patrol was defeated by an overwhelming force. Be aware, this is only the first part of a two-part story. It does work reasonably well as a stand-alone book, because it ends at a very natural break-point in the plot. In essence, Beguilement tells the story of the consequences of their meeting and love affair within Fawn's farmer world. Volume 2 promises to continue the story into the alternate society of Dag's Lakewalkers. I expect it will also eventually close the loop on the meaning and purpose of the sharing knife itself.

No, this isn't your usual Lois McMaster Bujold novel. It's tilted much more heavily toward the increasingly romantic relationship between the two main characters, Dag and Fawn, than it is toward the politics, dangers, and magic of the world she's created. I never read romance novels--in fact, I avoid them with determination--so I picked up this book not quite sure what to expect. I'm happy to report that the novel works fine, despite the change in Ms. Bujold's focus. Admittedly, I'd rather that Dag and Fawn had gotten together in circumstances other than 'heroic male rescues spunky female from attempted rape,' but after that the plot hums along nicely with no further hiccups. The main charcters are sympathetic, and their adventures are surprisingly compelling given the limited number of action scenes. Bujold can make a family argument as suspenseful in its own way as an attack by a pack of fantasy monsters. By the time the book ended, I was thoroughly hooked, and I plan to put my hands on the second novel as soon as it comes out. Those reviewers who were disappointed by this book seem to have gone into it with preconceived notions about what kind of novel it should be. I'd recommend giving it a shot, taking it on its own terms, and just letting yourself enjoy it.