''The Sharing Knife: Beguilement'' is a

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

by American writer

Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold ( ; born November 2, 1949) is an American speculative fiction writer. She is an acclaimed writer, having won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record (not counting his Retro Hugos). Her no ...

, published in 2006. It is the first book in the series ''

The Sharing Knife The Sharing Knife is a romance novel, romance/fantasy series by American writer Lois McMaster Bujold, published in 2006–2019. The original story grew so long in the telling that it was split into two volumes: ''Beguilement (novel), Beguilement'' ...

''.

Plot

Fawn, a farmer girl of about 20, has run away from her family, because another farmer has impregnated her and made it clear that he will not acknowledge the baby as his own. Dag, a Lakewalker patroller, first encounters Fawn hiding up in a tree. Later, they meet again, when Dag saves her from some slaves of a malice. Then she assists him in killing the malice, and, in the process, the ground of her unborn child creates a new sharing knife. Eventually, they realize that they are in love, against the customs of both their cultures, and the real story begins. {{Bujold, fantasy 2006 American novels Novels by Lois McMaster Bujold American fantasy novels HarperCollins books