Clare L. Deming

Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my all-time favorite authors, and despite winning numerous Hugo Awards, numerous Nebula Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, and being named a SFWA Grand Master, her books don’t feel as well-known as I think they should be.

I have read all but one of Bujold’s series, and was happy to see this novella, Knife Children, up for review on NetGalley. This short novel is set in her Sharing Knife world, which is comprised of four main novels: Beguilement (#1), Legacy (#2), Passage (#3), and Horizon (#4) (paid links). I never reviewed any of these books on this blog because they were published before I started writing here, but I did enjoy them, particularly the creative worldbuilding and dangerous magic.

Here is the blurb:

Lakewalker Barr Foxbrush returns from two years of patrolling the bitter wilds of Luthlia against the enigmatic, destructive entities called malices, only to find that the secret daughter he’d left behind in the hinterland of Oleana has disappeared from her home after a terrible accusation. The search for her will call on more of Barr’s mind and heart than just his mage powers, as he tries to balance his mistakes of the past and his most personal duties to the future.

This short novel is something that would only be of interest to readers who are already familiar with Lois McMaster Bujold’s novels set in the Sharing Knife world. It is a small story about Barr Foxbrush and his daughter’s discovery of her Lakewalker powers (and thereby her parentage). Family is one of the main themes throughout the narrative – both for Barr and his daughter.

I enjoyed the story and thought that it was a nice addition to this world. It doesn’t touch on the greater plot and seems to be set after the main novels, although it has been a long time since I read those books and my memory is a bit fuzzy. I did remember enough about malices, mudmen, and how lakewalkers imbue the bones of their deceased with magic to help them fight these evil powers to let me understand the danger that the characters faced.

The only criticism I have is that this cover was terrible. This made this story feel like an afterthought where no publisher wanted to spend money for a cover artist. Even my friends who self-publish their work have nicer artwork and a more appealing design. That aside, if you have never read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold, she is definitely worth a try. Just start with one of her main series, since this novella isn’t the best introduction. I’d recommend either the Vorkosigan Saga which is space opera or The Curse of Chalion which is the first in a fantasy series, where each book is loosely related and could be read as a stand-alone novel (paid links).

Have you read anything by Lois McMaster Bujold? Which books were your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

You can find more of my reviews here.