Hugo Award Best Novel Winner
Paladin of Souls
by Lois McMaster Bujold
Summary
Set in the fantasy world of Chalion, this novel follows the middle aged dowager royina Ista, freed at last from a curse and a long confinement, as she sets out on a pilgrimage that draws her into danger, divine intrigue, and a confrontation with the gods. Bujold centers an older woman as her heroine, exploring grief, faith, and renewal with emotional depth and theological imagination. The book stands as a rich, character driven work of secondary world fantasy.
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Historical Context & Significance
Paladin of Souls won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in the same year, a rare triple crown, and serves as a sequel to The Curse of Chalion.