Book Review – The Spirit Ring
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 1992
Centered in Montefoglia at the height of the Renaissance period, Lois McMaster Bujold introduces us to an Italy where magic is woven into the very fabric of religious life. Like many aspects of life during the Renaissance period, magic itself was not a sin—the sin was in how the magic was used and the intent of the spell weaver.
There we meet Master Beneforte, an artisan of the highest caliber who works in many mediums, adding his own magical touch to the work. His daughter, Fiametta, is also gifted with the art of magic, and it is with her first magical work of art that the story begins.
It is through Fiametta Beneforte’s own eyes, the daughter of a widowed artisan, that we see her struggles with her own identity and abilities. “The Spirit Ring” is as much a romantic coming of age story as it is a struggle of morality and dogma.
Having lost her mother at an early age, Fiametta longs for love and a sense of belonging, but more than anything she wants to practice magic. So, without permission or even full understanding of the spell she uses, Fiametta creates her first piece of magic—a golden ring in the shape of a lion.
Told from alternating points of view, another character is introduced into the narrative. Brother to a Swiss soldier in the Montefoglian military, Thur Ochs is endowed with his own unique gift. As he travels to Italy to apprentice with Master Beneforte we see another’s journey.
Political events intervene, however, and more than the duchy is at stake. While escaping an unanticipated battle, Fiametta and her father discover, and rectify, a horrible secret. In doing so, the Master marks himself for certain retribution.
It is after Master Beneforte’s death that the Swiss apprentice-to-be first encounters the striking Fiametta and joins her on a quest that will endanger much more than their lives or their souls. It is with the assistance of a Church official, a spirit, and their own unique talents, that the two face the journey set before them separately and together.
From the beginning the characters are believable. The central characters, in particular, are interesting and well thought out, drawing the reader into the machinations of plot and the inner turmoil of each individual. The imagery is accomplished with a subtle hand, the humor even more so.
Though occasionally predictable, The Spirit Ring is a well-paced book with few contrivances or wasted words. In her writing Bujold conveys a sense of immediacy that maintains the reader’s interest as it propels the story to its conclusion.
The Spirit Ring is an enjoyable journey into a world fraught with all manner of dangers, physical and spiritual.
My opinion? From the brilliant cover art to the author’s personal notes at its end, The Spirit Ring is an absorbing and enjoyable read.
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