August’s Book of the Month “The Curse of Chalion” by Lois McMaster Bujold

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Book Review, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, Fantasy, hangout, Lois McMaster Bujold, Melody-Ann Jones Kaufmann, The Curse of Chalion, The Lowry Agency

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril returns to the noble household he once served as page and is named secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions.

But it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge — an act that will mark him as a tool of the miraculous . . . and trap him in a lethal maze of demonic paradox.

We will be discussing this book on August 30th at 7:30pm CST. Make sure to join us here to watch the hangout and tweet us @ClubFantasci to join in on the conversation!

Find out more about “The Curse of Chalion” and Lois McMaster Bujold here: http://www.dendarii.com/

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May’s Book of the Month “Waylander” by David Gemmell

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Waylander

The Drenai King is dead – murdered by a ruthless assassin. Enemy troops swarm into Drenai lands. Their orders are simple – kill every man, woman and child. But there is hope. Stalked by men who act like beasts and beasts that walk like men, the warrior Waylander must journey into the shadow-haunted lands of the Nadir to find the legendary Armour of Bronze. With this he can turn the tide. But can he be trusted? For he is Waylander the Slayer. The traitor who killed the King…

March’s Book of the Month “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card

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“Ender’s Game is an affecting novel full of surprises that seem inevitable once they are explained.”

— New York Times Book Review

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.

But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military’s purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine’s abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.

Newsday said of this novel “Card has done strong work before, but this could be the book to break him out of the pack.” It was. Ender’s Game took the sf world by storm, sweeping the awards. It won both the Hugo and Nebula, and rose to the top of national bestseller lists.

Copyright © 1985 Orson Scott Card

A Tor Book – Published by Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.

Jacket art by John Harris – Jacket design by Carol Russo

http://www.hatrack.com/osc/books/endersgame/endersgame.shtml