The Spirit Ring

Lois McMaster Bujold

Save:

In an alternate Renaissance Italy where the church regulates magic and licenses magicians, fiery Fiametta Beneforte wants to be more than her goldsmith mage father's unpaid apprentice. When the Duchy of Montefoglia is laid under military and magical siege, she unexpectedly must join with Thur Ochs, a young Swiss miner and foundryman, to tap their skills in both metalwork and necromancy to rescue her father's soul and combat an evil sorcerer. The characters get into so many unexpected situations that one wonders how in the heck they can EVER ever survive to GET OUT. Fiametta's life shatters when she and her mage artisan father are caught up in the squabbles between two dukedoms, and now she has to find a way to free her town from the invading duke before he is able to use black magic using her father to cement his hold on it.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Fiametta embodying strength and defiance, and Thur providing practical support, alongside a rich cast of secondary characters.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is engaging and smooth, with effective humor and vivid descriptions that enhance the storytelling.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on a young girl, Fiametta, who faces adversity after a coup, leading her to work with a miner to save her father's soul from dark magic.

Setting:

The setting is a richly imagined medieval Italy, with political and religious intricacies that enhance the story's magical and historical themes.

Pacing:

The pacing is mostly even, with some slower moments for exposition, but it maintains a sense of tension leading up to the climax.

He chuckled. “I'll put a cooling spell on you, girl. You have too much of the element of fire in you. Even your mother used to say so.” Reflexively, Master Beneforte crossed himself and bowed his head...

Notes:

The Spirit Ring is set in a fictional version of late medieval Italy.

Fiametta, the protagonist, is the daughter of a powerful sorceror and goldsmith.

The story involves themes of gender inequality, as Fiametta seeks to become a mage despite societal norms against women in trades.

The narrative includes supernatural elements like ghosts, black magic, and spirit rings.

The main conflict arises from a coup led by Ferrante, who wants to use Fiametta's father's unshriven soul for power.

Fiametta teams up with a miner named Thur to confront the magical threat.

The book features personal growth for Fiametta as she learns to navigate a dangerous world without her father's protection.

While some readers found the romance between Fiametta and Thur forced, others appreciated the character development and teamwork between them.

The writing style is a mix of vivid descriptions and humor, typical of Lois McMaster Bujold's works.

The Spirit Ring is a standalone novel, different from Bujold's other multi-book series.

Has Romance?

There is a moderate level of romance present, primarily between the main characters Fiametta and Thur, but it may feel somewhat forced or underdeveloped.

From The Publisher:

In an alternate Renaissance Italy where the church regulates magic and licenses magicians, fiery Fiametta Beneforte wants to be more than her goldsmith-mage father's unpaid apprentice. But when the Duchy of Montefoglia is laid under military and magical siege, she unexpectedly must join with Thur Ochs, a young Swiss miner and foundryman, to tap their skills in both metalwork and necromancy to rescue her father's soul and combat an evil sorcerer. "In a perfectly natural manner, Bujold incorporates the concept of magic into this crisply paced, fully developed tale." - Publisher's Weekly "Look out for this winner; it excels " - The Bookwatch Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children. Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife tetralogy; her science fiction from Baen Books features the perennially bestselling Vorkosigan Saga. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages.

Ratings (2)

Loved It (1)
Liked It (1)

Reader Stats (4):

Read It (2)
Want To Read (1)
Not Interested (1)

What can you read after
The Spirit Ring?

See the list (90 books)

Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.