Paladin of Souls
core novel 2003 World of the Five Gods
Record
| First published | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.19 (27,997 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 470 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780380979028 |
| Internal chronology | 19 |
Synopsis
The second novel set in the World of the Five Gods follows Royina Ista, mother of Royesse Iselle, who has spent years living under the shadow of madness and a curse now finally broken by the events of the previous book. Seeking some measure of freedom after a lifetime of confinement, Ista sets out on a pilgrimage, only to find herself drawn far from her intended route into a land beset by the threat of war and troubled by demons and other supernatural forces. As Ista's journey takes on unexpected purpose, she must confront powers and responsibilities well beyond anything she experienced during her earlier, more sheltered life at court.
Where it sits
- Universe: World of the Five Gods
- Series: Chalion core; position 2 of 2 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Awards (verified)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2004: won
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2004: won; Official SFWA site records this as the 2004 award; some secondary aggregators mislabel it 2005.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2004: won; Locus reader-poll winner (1st place).
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2004: nominated
Notes
- From the series record (Chalion): Direct sequel duology; publication order matches internal chronology for these two, but both are chronologically LAST in the wider universe (after Hallowed Hunt and all Penric novellas).
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series Chalion: position 2 of 2: previous The Curse of Chalion (2001)
- Internal chronology, within World of the Five Gods: position 19 of 19: previous The Curse of Chalion (2001)
Sources
- The Dendarii Nexus
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paladin_of_Souls
- https://www.thehugoawards.org
- https://nebulas.sfwa.org
- https://www.sfadb.com
- https://www.mythsoc.org
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