Customer Reviews

Legacy (The Sharing Knife, Book 2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A seamless continuation of the first volume of The Sharing Knife, Book 2 [Legacy] focuses on the rejection of Fawn by her new in-laws. The rejection foregrounds the cultural divisions between the Lakewalkers, with their special abilities, and the Farmers, meaning the rest of humanity. Bridging the chasm between the two cultures develops as the goal for the remaining volumes in the series. Bujold's proficiency with an abundance of characters, settings, and narrative coils in this saga bodes well for its further development.

Lois just writes for me apparently - the person who buys every book she writes and multiple copies as well (mass market and audio.) LMB addiction...

As to this particular work - I'm listening to it now (which makes three times I've "read" it.) As to why I like it: the people are people, the internal logic is consistent, the writing leads you along (willing though I am to go) and doesn't kick you out with bad craft.

I guess the only negative thing I can say is: If the story had ended here without the promise of more books in the series, I would have been angry. It raises as many questions as it answers and doesn't resolve them.

As usual, there are many levels to Bujold's writing. It was during my second reading of the Sharing Knife series that I noticed how she uses these books to celebrate the "makings" of ordinary people--sewing, pottery, cooking, harvesting, home-building, making comfortable mattresses, husbandry of animals. Bujold points out over and over that these ordinary makings provide a rewarding, comfortable, satisfying way of being.

The theologian, Paul Tillich, defined magic as an exercise of power that bypasses the conscious mind to work directly on the subconscious. Using magic to hurt or coerce another person is considered evil in fantasy novels from LOTRs to Harry Potter.

In Legacy, Dag struggles with his growing power and the question of whether and when it is right to use that power for others. Dag can heal great hurts and prevent great harm, but who sets the boundaries? Can he exercise power in this way without being irrevocably harmed by it? Is he becoming as evil as a malice?

In contrast Bujold shows that the work we do with our hands is intrinsically valuable and led me to grieve our waning ability to do "good makings"--we live increasingly like sorcerers: depending on others to grow our food, build our homes, and so on. These books can change the way we see ourselves and challenge the value we set on the works of our hands.

Legacy is the second book in Bujold's Sharing Knife series. To say it is the continuation of the story begun in book one, Beguilement, is an understatement, for Legacy picks up exactly where Beguilement left off. One might imagine the author having written both books at the same time as one giant volume, then chopping them in two when it came time for publication. The truth of the matter is that The Sharing Knife consists of four parts.

That being said, Legacy is, in fact, a semi-conclusion to events set in motion in book one. Dag and Fawn, married now, set out to return to Dag's Lakewalker camp where they hope to settle into the typical life of a Lakewalker married couple. The reader is given the feeling through Dag that things aren't going to be that simple. In Lakewalker eyes, farmers are not exactly inferior, but certainly not equals. Precedent as well as tradition dictate the two peoples remain separate, for it is believed that long ago Lakewalker sorcerers ruled common folk as lords. But bad things happened, and the modern day scourge of malice was the result. Now, Lakewalkers spend their days searching for malice uprisings, all the while recognizing that it was their doing that created them in the first place.

Dag and Fawn are not greeted with open arms. Just when things seem at their worst for our young lovers (Dag is actually much older than Fawn) the camp is presented with the distraction of a particularly bad malice uprising very nearly under a farmer village (a malice feeds best from children, so 'coming up' in such a place presents a bounty for the malice to feed from and grow in power). Dag is selected to lead the war party, and domestic disaster is averted, or is it? I will leave it up to you to find out for yourself.

In many ways Legacy is very much like Beguilement. The writing flows identically; you can tell Bujold wrote them both in one sitting (figuratively speaking, of course). The dilemmas as well, for while Dag and Fawn had to contest Fawn's family and their own traditions, so must they face similar challenges with Dag's Lakewalker brethren. The story also moves along at a fairly even pace. Don't expect a lot of grab you by the seat of your pants action or suspense. There are some gripping moments as the Lakewalker hunting party closes in on the malice and then has to deal with the subsequent fallout, but those moments are short. Mostly, Legacy is a romance about the veteran Lakewalker, Dag, and his farmer bride, Fawn, and the challenges such a union must overcome.

Personally, I'm enjoying the series. The writing is excellent and has a certain 'folksy' mannerism about it that just works. Dag is an interesting character, especially as he begins to discover a whole new side to his sorcery, and one can't but help feel for Fawn as she attempts to make nice with her unappreciative mother-in-law.

Impressive writing, world-building, and characters make this second volume in The Sharing Knife a good one to pick up.

I have read every book that Lois McMaster Bujold has written. Her other series have a weight to them that make the stories absolutely fantastic. The Sharing Knife series has hints of this weight, but never reaches the heights of the other series. It is just a mildly interesting set of stories. I am hoping for either more Vorkosigan tales, or, more hopefully, more in the world of Chalion.

In the first book in the series Bujold put a decent emphasis on both the romance and the action. In this one she veers further to the romance end than is really enjoyable for many. The story features more angst and emotional posing than dynamic clash like readers enjoyed in A Civil Campaign. Not overall a horrible story, but not her best.

Lois McMaster Bujold develops a fascinating world and characters. On top of everything else, including the love story, the discovery of inner strength and talents, overcoming adversity, cooperation and more, it is a wonderful story of two groups of peoples slowly overcoming superstitious prejudice and the beginnings of true understanding and trust.

She provides just enough information about the events that occurred before the books for the reader to theorize about the probable history. I hope Bujold has plans for a future book(s) expanding on the history of this `world' and possibly more development of the third group of `peoples'.

I was so hooked that I promptly purchased the other 3 books in the series. All were totally enjoyed the first, second... fifth time through them. I keep discovering things with each read.

Because of these books I also decided to try out her Vorkosigan Saga. 17 books of the series later and I can't wait until the next release.

Second in the series. Love the characters. Love the storyline. Love the world and the "magic" system.

This book was a great read, just the right mix of real vs paranormal ideas. Makes me wish that I had groundsense and was not a farmer girl. Though I would want to be a maker not a patroller, I am too much of a scardy cat to be a patroller.

I started out with The Sharing Knife Beguilement and have enjoyed it so much. I could not put the first 2 books down, the author is very descriptive with her words, the story is unusual and I highly recommend these books, I will be buying the third book tomorrow, cannot wait. I have never written a review here before, but wanted to encourage readers to give her work, esp. this series a good chance!