The Hallowed Hunt
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| Author(s) | Lois McMaster Bujold |
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| Publisher | Eos |
| Honors | |
| Prince Boleso is dead—slain by a noblewoman he had intended to defile. Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff has been dispatched to the remote castle of the late, exiled, half-mad royal to transport the body to its burial place and the accused killer, the Lady Ijada, to judgment. Ingrey’s mission is an ugly and delicate one, for the imminent death of the old Hallow King has placed the crown in play, and the murder of his youngest son threatens to further roil already treacherous political waters. But there is more here than a prince’s degenerate lusts and the fatal… | |
Prince Boleso is dead—slain by a noblewoman he had intended to defile.
Lord Ingrey kin Wolfcliff has been dispatched to the remote castle of the late, exiled, half-mad royal to transport the body to its burial place and the accused killer, the Lady Ijada, to judgment. Ingrey’s mission is an ugly and delicate one, for the imminent death of the old Hallow King has placed the crown in play, and the murder of his youngest son threatens to further roil already treacherous political waters. But there is more here than a prince’s degenerate lusts and the fatal retribution it engendered. Boleso’s dark act, though unfinished, inadvertently bestowed an unwanted mystical “gift” upon proud, brave Ijada that must ultimately mean her doom—a curse similar to one with which Ingrey himself has been burdened since boyhood.
A forbidden spirit now inhabits the soul of Ijada, giving her senses she never wished for and an obligation no one sane would desire. At once psychically linked to the remarkable lady and repelled by what she carries within, Ingrey fears the havoc his own inner beast could wreak while on their journey, as he fights a powerful growing attraction…and an equally powerful compulsion to kill.
The road they travel together is beset with dangers—and though duty-bound to deliver Ijada to an almost certain execution, Ingrey soon realizes that she is the only one hedares trust. For a malevolent enemy with designs on a troubled kingdom holds Ingrey in his sway—and without Ijada’s aid and love, the haunted lord will never be able to break free and realize the great and terrible destiny bestowed upon him by the gods, the damned, and the dead.
Honors
Reviews
Barnes and Noble
The Hallowed Hunt, the third novel in Lois McMaster Bujold’s critically acclaimed epic historical fantasy saga (The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls), revolves around two god-touched lovers thrown together on a quest to save a troubled kingdom from its heretical past—and its bloody future.
After the exiled (and allegedly half-mad) Prince Boleso is brutally bludgeoned to death by a maiden he tried to defile, Lord Ingrey’s kin Wolfcliff is sent to his estate to collect the body and bring both it and the accused murderer back to Easthome. But during the long journey, Ingrey and the indicted lady-in-waiting, Lady Ijala, find out they have much in common—including forbidden animal spirits bound to their souls. Once at Easthome, a city brimming with political unrest because of the imminent death of the Hallowed King and an unclear succession, Ingrey and Ijala must find out who—or what—is behind the evil pervading the city…
While it may seem impossible to top the previous novels in this saga—The Curse of Chalion was nominated for the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards for Best Novel and Paladin of Souls won the Hugo and Nebula Awards—Bujold has done just that. Although Bujold has written dozens of other noteworthy works (Falling Free, The Vor Game, Mirror Dance, et al.), this saga in particular has cemented her reputation as a storyteller extraordinaire. Paul Goat Allen
