Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold
This is a second in a series, but it differs greatly from the first novel in its setting. The first novel dealt with Dag and Fawn in farmer territory, trying to make peace with her family and reconcile them to their relationship. This novel deals with his family, and his people.
Although there are some battle scenes, sort of, with patrollers fighting mud men and malices and enchanted townsfolk, most of the conflict of this novel stems from the Lakewalkers’ refusal to accept Fawn. This is quite refreshing; you don’t see this much in a fantasy novel. Usually when there’s a mixed-race couple, they grumble and act surprised, but everyone pretty much gets over it. Not here. Bujold doesn’t sugar-coat the difficulties. They’re not quite as real as say, our own country’s historical opinion of mixed-race couples (ie. they didn’t lynch Fawn) but the social conflict drives more of the plot than the bodily harm conflict.
I think this is a better novel than the first one. It inspired me to read the rest of them.
