Paladin of Boredom

Posted by Jeffrey D. Elmquist

A review of Paladin of Souls.  By Lois McMaster Bujold. 

ISBN: 0-380-97902-0

Cover art by: David Bowers

Published in hardcover by EOS in 2003 and mass market paperback by HarperTorch in 2005.

While on the prowl searching out cool cover art I was drawn to this magnificent jacket.  It struck me as being very different from the run of the mill fantasy book cover.  I love the renaissance style which this cover exudes.  The detail is amazing.  Unfortunately the scan does not do it justice.  On the actual cover the fabric of the woman's clothing is vividly lifelike, it looks as if you were to run your finger across it you would feel the silky smoothness of silk.  The chain about her waist, the broach at her chest, and the gold trim around the sleeves and collar, all are given such lifelike detail.  And of course - the spectral faces on the underside of the woman's cloak are delightfully haunting.  A great cover!

I wish I could say the same for the book.  I have to be honest here - I never did finish the book - so perhaps my criticism is unwarranted.  However, I didn't finish the book simply because I found it so dreadfully dull that I could not force myself to continue.  With the exception of Liss (the delightfully unrefined courier) I found the characters to be one dimensional, simple stereotypes of medieval royalty already employed in too many other medieval style fantasy tales.  I thought the book read like a diary, with page after page describing the furnishing of rooms, the clothes that Royina (the main character) wore, the cushions that Royina's attendants were able to rustle up for her to sit on while journeying on her pseudo-pilgrimage.  Not to mention the constant mention of every single bow and curtsey that every character gave to every other.  Uggh!  After 200 pages I found myself longing for a Terry Brooks or David Gemmell book and just couldn't force myself to continue reading.

My conclusion: a flashy cover to a boring book.

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