tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post8865038751281291825..comments2024-01-30T20:01:01.316+00:00Comments on Science Fiction & Fantasy: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster BujoldAnthony G Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-42363731717759871482011-08-31T07:38:13.532+01:002011-08-31T07:38:13.532+01:00Yes, medieval fantasies usually gloss over such un...Yes, medieval fantasies usually gloss over such unromantic issues as personal hygiene, fleas and the other unpleasant realities of life in such times! Bujold does at least touch on such things.Anthony G Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-52212513705703686442011-08-31T07:25:23.798+01:002011-08-31T07:25:23.798+01:00As a struggling author myself, I think you are rig...As a struggling author myself, I think you are right about most stories being "formulaic" but what really counts is how the formula carries the story. I'm not much of a fantasy reader, most I find rather disappointing, but I'm certainly tempted to give this one a try after reading your review and comments.<br /><br />One reason I often find pure fantasy disappointing is the lack of realism in the settings - for instance in a medieval society many authors simply downgrade modern buildings to an "old time" period and don't realise that inns, for instance, didn't have private rooms, they were usually simply a large hall and the patrons found a space and slept sitting or lying on cloaks and the rushes. Transport is another aspect as is freedom of movement, in a medieval setting very few people could afford a horse and even fewer actually had the freedom to leave their "parish."<br /><br />OK, I'm on my pet peeve now, I'll go and see what I can find of Bujold's work and give it a try.The Gray Monkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13243748164095781725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-72490909506730726262011-08-28T16:18:51.085+01:002011-08-28T16:18:51.085+01:00I think that most fiction is formulaic, particular...I think that most fiction is formulaic, particularly the most popular types: crime stories (murder is committed - detective solves case); and romances (boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl again).<br /><br />It isn't necessarily a bad thing, indeed that's part of the "comfort factor" in reading such books. I doubt that there would be much of a market for crime fiction in which the detective conmsistently fails to solve the case, or romances in which the boy always loses the girl (you do get occasional stories like that, of course, but they are the exceptions).<br /><br />Genuinely different, unpredictable stories tend to be lot more interesting, I think.Anthony G Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-86934552076805994222011-08-28T14:47:54.150+01:002011-08-28T14:47:54.150+01:00Yes, I see what you mean, Tony. But any society be...Yes, I see what you mean, Tony. But <i>any</i> society before the modern, scientific era will seem rather like that, won't it?<br /><br />You say mock-medieval, but is it really? Or is it just a low-tech world?<br /><br />And a high-tech world would likely be science fiction, not fantasy - although there is the current craze for "urban fantasy" (which I consider to be <i>really</i> formulaic).<br /><br />Well, maybe it's just that my own imagination is lacking. That's likely enough.Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-56918928825063216832011-08-27T07:13:08.069+01:002011-08-27T07:13:08.069+01:00I suppose it was the mock-medieval setting which m...I suppose it was the mock-medieval setting which made me think of it as formulaic. I have read so many books set in such worlds, divided into little kingdoms at war with each other in pre-gunpowder times, and featuring court intrigues. It's become something of a fantasy cliche.Anthony G Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00798830903236765181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331135384154117296.post-69686244280348222762011-08-27T03:05:02.093+01:002011-08-27T03:05:02.093+01:00I'm glad you liked it, Tony. But it's inte...I'm glad you liked it, Tony. But it's interesting that you describe it as "somewhat formulaic," because I was bowled over by how fresh it seemed.<br /><br />My biggest problem with fantasy is that most authors seem to have no imagination, just writing the same thing everyone else is writing. And from that perspective, <b>The Curse of Chalion</b> seemed like a breath of fresh air to me.<br /><br />As you say, Death Magic was the only magic that seemed to exist on this world, and that was simply divine magic. And I thought how the gods worked - and especially, how their saints felt about that - was quite unique.<br /><br />Of course, I loved Bujold's characters. She has the knack of getting me to care what happens to them - pretty much right from the first page. I've got to say that this is one of my all-time favorite fantasies.Bill Garthrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08552459555883204060noreply@blogger.com