--- product_id: 10977579 title: "Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2)" price: "VT4723" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10977579-paladin-of-souls-a-hugo-award-winner-chalion-series-2 store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2) **Price:** VT4723 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2) - **How much does it cost?** VT4723 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10977579-paladin-of-souls-a-hugo-award-winner-chalion-series-2) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2): 9780380818617: Bujold, Lois McMaster: Books Review: Another Wonderful Chalion Adventure! - Paladin of Souls picks up three years after The Curse of Chalion, when the dreadful curse that plagued Chalion's rulers was lifted. Dowager Royina Ista is fed up with her padded prison at Valenda and is ready to live again. When her mother finally passes on, the 40-year old Ista seizes the chance to go on a religious pilgrimage around Chalion. Ista is not particularly interested in the gods, as they have so long ignored her prayers, but it soon turns out that the gods are not quite through with her and still need her to accomplish a task for them. Ista tries to resist becoming what she sees as a pawn, but the gods have ways of getting you to cooperate... Ista soon finds herself in Porifors, a fortress on the border of Chalion that has long kept the enemy Roknari at bay. Ista cannot be comfortable there, however, as it is the home of the dy Lutez family, the family that Ista and her husband had so grievously wronged years ago. But comfortable or not, Ista finds herself embroiled in the dy Lutez family's problems and finds herself strongly attracted to both Arhys dy Lutez, the dashing young commander, and Illvin dy Lutez, Arhys' half-brother, who lies still and cold on his bed, stricken with some unknown malady. Seeing her chance to assist the dy Lutez family, as they had tried to assist her while she was the Royina, Ista reluctantly begins using her god-given gifts and finds that there are many sinister plans afoot in this forgotten corner of the Chalion empire... Although Paladin of Souls is a sequel to The Curse of Chalion, it is not a traditional sequel in that the stars of The Curse of Chalion are mentioned only briefly here and the peripheral characters are given a chance to shine. Ista was a wonderful character to get to know and I felt that I understood the choice she made in The Curse of Chalion much better now that I have learned more about her personality. It was also fun to see Ferda and Foix, seen in the first book, pop up again and have a more prominent role. I also loved the fact that Bujold chose to write this story to help give closure to those who were wronged from the curse in the first book, specifically Ista and the dy Lutez family. It does a great job at wrapping up those little loose ends that otherwise would just be left alone. Although I still rated it at 5 stars, The Paladin of Souls is not as good as The Curse of Chalion, but Bujold is such a wonderful author that I loved this book anyway. For whatever reason, I did not connect to the characters as strongly and the story dragged in a few places, but it was still a wonderful fantasy adventure! Review: not quite Curse Of Chalion, but still very good - [Background info -- I am a big Bujold fan, and unlike most of them I thought Curse Of Chalion (the first book in this sequence) was the best she had ever written. I am only about 2/3 through Paladin Of Souls as I write this review.] Is this book good? Of course it is, Bujold wrote it. She's one of the best authors writing today, and not just in this genre. But is it good Bujold? Well, it is better than Diplomatic Immunity, and Bujold is clearly at the top of her style game, but it does not reach the heights of inspiration that she hit with Curse Of Chalion or A Civil Campaign. The story does not seem forced, but it does seem a bit constrained. In Curse Of Chalion, we discovered the Chalion-world (and especially their gods) as Cazaril discovered it, while in Paladin we are only rediscovering it as Ista rediscovers it. Her "here we go again" misgivings are faintly echoed by the reader's same thoughts. The issues, while not the same, are similar enough to feel slightly retreaded. And the main new topic introduced (demon sorcery) is disappointing. While at least it is not traditional fantasy magic, the most brilliant thing about Curse Of Chalion is that it was a medieval fantasy novel which was "swords and theology" rather than "swords and sorcery". This new demon magic is still a theological problem rather than a magical one, but it cuts much closer to more traditional magical stories (like Bujold's unrelated The Spirit Ring). On the other hand, Bujold's characters are as brilliantly drawn as ever, and her skill at anchoring them in a real world (even if it is not THE real world) has only grown with her biliography. She is still an artist improving her mastery with every work, and it shows clearly. You feel like you are there, from the descriptions of the landscape down to details like painful saddle sores and ignoble chamber pots residing under the most noble of beds. The book is only slightly disappointing by the standards I have come to expect from Bujold -- it is still one of the best novels I have read this year. [Dec 2003 update: I have recently reread the book, and liked it even better than before. My major concern -- the similarity in theme and subject to Curse Of Chalion -- seemed less of a problem the second time around. Being free to not worry about the plot allowed me to recognize some of the more subtle differences between the two books. It's still not quite the gem of perfection that CoC is, but this is a darn fine novel.] ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0380818612 | | Best Sellers Rank | #179,131 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #679 in Historical Fantasy (Books) #1,337 in Epic Fantasy (Books) #3,992 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,817) | | Dimensions | 4.19 x 0.99 x 6.75 inches | | ISBN-10 | 9780380818617 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0380818617 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Part of series | Chalion | | Print length | 496 pages | | Publication date | April 26, 2005 | | Publisher | HarperTorch | ## Images ![Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81+0e1F9pGL.jpg) ![Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81sWq0Un+oL.jpg) ![Paladin of Souls: A Hugo Award Winner (Chalion series, 2) - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/914f3CGLb8L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another Wonderful Chalion Adventure! *by S***N on December 19, 2003* Paladin of Souls picks up three years after The Curse of Chalion, when the dreadful curse that plagued Chalion's rulers was lifted. Dowager Royina Ista is fed up with her padded prison at Valenda and is ready to live again. When her mother finally passes on, the 40-year old Ista seizes the chance to go on a religious pilgrimage around Chalion. Ista is not particularly interested in the gods, as they have so long ignored her prayers, but it soon turns out that the gods are not quite through with her and still need her to accomplish a task for them. Ista tries to resist becoming what she sees as a pawn, but the gods have ways of getting you to cooperate... Ista soon finds herself in Porifors, a fortress on the border of Chalion that has long kept the enemy Roknari at bay. Ista cannot be comfortable there, however, as it is the home of the dy Lutez family, the family that Ista and her husband had so grievously wronged years ago. But comfortable or not, Ista finds herself embroiled in the dy Lutez family's problems and finds herself strongly attracted to both Arhys dy Lutez, the dashing young commander, and Illvin dy Lutez, Arhys' half-brother, who lies still and cold on his bed, stricken with some unknown malady. Seeing her chance to assist the dy Lutez family, as they had tried to assist her while she was the Royina, Ista reluctantly begins using her god-given gifts and finds that there are many sinister plans afoot in this forgotten corner of the Chalion empire... Although Paladin of Souls is a sequel to The Curse of Chalion, it is not a traditional sequel in that the stars of The Curse of Chalion are mentioned only briefly here and the peripheral characters are given a chance to shine. Ista was a wonderful character to get to know and I felt that I understood the choice she made in The Curse of Chalion much better now that I have learned more about her personality. It was also fun to see Ferda and Foix, seen in the first book, pop up again and have a more prominent role. I also loved the fact that Bujold chose to write this story to help give closure to those who were wronged from the curse in the first book, specifically Ista and the dy Lutez family. It does a great job at wrapping up those little loose ends that otherwise would just be left alone. Although I still rated it at 5 stars, The Paladin of Souls is not as good as The Curse of Chalion, but Bujold is such a wonderful author that I loved this book anyway. For whatever reason, I did not connect to the characters as strongly and the story dragged in a few places, but it was still a wonderful fantasy adventure! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ not quite Curse Of Chalion, but still very good *by M***N on October 17, 2003* [Background info -- I am a big Bujold fan, and unlike most of them I thought Curse Of Chalion (the first book in this sequence) was the best she had ever written. I am only about 2/3 through Paladin Of Souls as I write this review.] Is this book good? Of course it is, Bujold wrote it. She's one of the best authors writing today, and not just in this genre. But is it good Bujold? Well, it is better than Diplomatic Immunity, and Bujold is clearly at the top of her style game, but it does not reach the heights of inspiration that she hit with Curse Of Chalion or A Civil Campaign. The story does not seem forced, but it does seem a bit constrained. In Curse Of Chalion, we discovered the Chalion-world (and especially their gods) as Cazaril discovered it, while in Paladin we are only rediscovering it as Ista rediscovers it. Her "here we go again" misgivings are faintly echoed by the reader's same thoughts. The issues, while not the same, are similar enough to feel slightly retreaded. And the main new topic introduced (demon sorcery) is disappointing. While at least it is not traditional fantasy magic, the most brilliant thing about Curse Of Chalion is that it was a medieval fantasy novel which was "swords and theology" rather than "swords and sorcery". This new demon magic is still a theological problem rather than a magical one, but it cuts much closer to more traditional magical stories (like Bujold's unrelated The Spirit Ring). On the other hand, Bujold's characters are as brilliantly drawn as ever, and her skill at anchoring them in a real world (even if it is not THE real world) has only grown with her biliography. She is still an artist improving her mastery with every work, and it shows clearly. You feel like you are there, from the descriptions of the landscape down to details like painful saddle sores and ignoble chamber pots residing under the most noble of beds. The book is only slightly disappointing by the standards I have come to expect from Bujold -- it is still one of the best novels I have read this year. [Dec 2003 update: I have recently reread the book, and liked it even better than before. My major concern -- the similarity in theme and subject to Curse Of Chalion -- seemed less of a problem the second time around. Being free to not worry about the plot allowed me to recognize some of the more subtle differences between the two books. It's still not quite the gem of perfection that CoC is, but this is a darn fine novel.] ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by D***R on November 8, 2019* I had a lot of fun reading it. Thanks for the chalion series --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10977579-paladin-of-souls-a-hugo-award-winner-chalion-series-2](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/10977579-paladin-of-souls-a-hugo-award-winner-chalion-series-2) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-06*