The Curse of Chalion

I'm usually somewhat reluctant to reread this book, because I know that the characters we're invited to sympathize with are doomed to suffer at length in the course of it—and I sympathize with them in their ordeals. The curse mentioned in the title hangs over them throughout most of the book.However, when I persuade myself to reread it, the story is both well written and gripping, and I find I can tolerate the ordeals in the knowledge of a happy ending to come. So the experience turns out better than I anticipated.There are some aspects of the plot that I find unconvincing, but any mention of them involves spoilers.1. The curse is eventually lifted, not through the clever actions of any characters, but through divine intervention. I like a happy ending, but this is not my preferred way of getting one. 2. According to the goddess, the curse can be lifted “only through the will of a man who would lay down his life three times for the House of Chalion.” This sounds impossible: how can a man die three times? It turns out that three near-death experiences are sufficient, which means that the goddess's statement was unhelpfully worded and misleading. Furthermore, why is this necessary to lift the curse? The trouble with fantasy as a genre is that such things are not felt to need an explanation: it's necessary because the goddess says so, and that's that.3. Cazaril deliberately “lays down his life for the House of Chalion” only once, when he attempts death magic. His action in protecting Danni on the galley is an unpremeditated response to the situation, involving no will to lay down his life; and he has no idea at the time that it has anything to do with the House of Chalion. The attempt to murder him near the end of the book is not by his own will at all: he doesn't lay down his life, someone tries to kill him against his will.4. Princess Iselle has a political need to get married, and looks for a suitably royal husband who's not old, too young, or too repulsive. She finds exactly one candidate, who turns out to be her perfect husband. This is romantic and nice, but extremely unlikely.5. Cazaril is attracted to Betriz throughout the book, and wants to marry her. He's almost twice her age and looks older; he has some permanent physical damage; and he's ill and apparently dying for much of the story. However, it turns out that she wants him as much as he wants her. This is romantic and nice, and I suppose some such romances have happened in the real world, but it seems a little improbable. Admittedly, while Cazaril's body has defects, his mind seems to have none.This is a great novel in some ways: the writing, the characterization, the world-building, and the pacing of the story are excellent. I deduct a star for the unconvincing aspects of the plot, and because a story in which the main characters labour under a curse is unlikely to become one of my personal favourites.I like the book's scenario, known as the World of the Five Gods. If you want to read about this world, there are three sensible entry points into it:1. This story, which was the first to be written.2. [b:The Hallowed Hunt 61887 The Hallowed Hunt (World of the Five Gods, #3) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431214831l/61887.SY75.jpg 3036421], the first in chronological order.3. [b:Penric's Demon 25791216 Penric's Demon (Penric and Desdemona, #1) Lois McMaster Bujold https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436108514l/25791216.SX50.jpg 45642232], the first of the Penric stories.