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The Spirit Ring is the Lois McMaster Bujold standalone fantasy from 1992, set in an alternate Italian Renaissance state where magic is a craft you learn the way you learn metalsmithing. Fiametta Beneforte is the daughter of a master metalsmith and master mage, and the political assassination of her father is the engine that puts her on the road with a half-trained Swiss soldier toward a much larger crisis.
Bujold's research is the pleasure. The metallurgy is rendered with the kind of careful detail that the form usually reserves for combat scenes. The magical system is interestingly grounded in the physical materials it works with. The romance plot follows the genre rules without being routine.
The book is shorter than her later fantasy work and feels slightly more conventional in places. The craftsmanship is genuine throughout.
Four stars. A pleasure for Bujold fans and for readers who like Renaissance-flavored historical fantasy. The Chalion books are stronger overall.
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