Customer Reviews

The Deed of Paksenarrion

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3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This book is actually a compilation of three novels; "Sheep Farmer's Daughter", "Divided Allegiance" and "Oath of Gold". I like to think that these books started the popular trend in fantasy, of featuring women in heroic roles. Paks, (the heroine in question), manages to be a better soldier than most while still being sensitive to her feelings and friends.

Unlike many works of fantasy, Moon is more interested in the characters and their struggles and triumphs than in the fantastic creations of her world. I'm not saying that her world is not well rendered, it is, but it is the people in this story that demand the reader's attention. They are real, emotional beings with strengths, flaws and inconsistencies, just like the rest of us.

There is also a surprising amount of military detail in the story. In fact it taught me a thing or two about medieval fighting both from a lone warrior standpoint and that of an army.

Fair warning to those who intend to read this series; start on the Friday night. At least that way you won't jeopardise your job by coming in without any sleep.

Capsule Description: A young woman who dreams of great adventures finds them -- discovering they are both less, and far more, than she had dreamed.

Review: In one of my other reviews (Lord Valentine's Castle) I mentioned that even a dyed-in-the-wool adventure addict like myself can find that there are too many heroes out there. However, there are a few books which go beyond mere heroes to HEROES -- books with characters who define the very meaning of the word, who become themselves incarnations of the concept. Such is Paksenarrion, sheepfarmer's daughter who ran away to join the army and ends as a holy warrior, a Paladin.

Much, perhaps most, of the fiction inspired by roleplaying games is at best uninspired and at worst utter drek. I actually avoided reading this series initially because it was recommended in roleplaying groups, and in roleplaying terms, so I thought it was just another of the many (uninspiring) fantasy series being published by TSR at the time.

I could not have been more wrong. The Deed of Paksenarrion does, in fact, have its roots in roleplaying, but not in the usual sense. Rather than being written either as a sort of record of someone's favorite character in a game, or as a publicity/demonstration piece for some gaming system or mechanic, Paksenarrion was born (according to an email exchange I had with the author) from bad roleplaying: Elizabeth Moon, not gaming herself, heard some people playing "Paladins" (Holy warriors in the service of a god) and doing so very poorly. Her reaction was of course that "such a person wouldn't ACT like that"... and in thinking about what they WOULD act like, Paksenarrion was born.

The Deed of Paksenarrion is a character study as much as it is an adventure, taking place in a world which seems almost mundane at first and only slowly reveals the magic and mystery behind it. "Paks" learns the art of war before she learns anything of the greater forces moving the plots behind the scenes, and it's a very long time before she understands the part she is to play. We learn to feel for her so that even as she becomes embroiled in ever-more fantastic -- and sometimes horrific -- adventures, we remember her as the earnest young girl who walked an entire day just to enlist in a mercenary company. And sometimes, she remembers that as well.

This series is one of my all time favorites with good reason. Elizabeth Moon took the best of classic epic fantasy and made it her own with Paks' story. Resisting the urge to create a heroine who marries the prince or becomes mired in romance, what she gave us was a strong and human character who rises above her station to become a legend. Paks is not just a warrior, not even just a paladin. She is what we might in our own time call a Saint, perhaps even Prophet. Moon knows military life well enough that her work avoids being too pretty. Though Paks begins her journey as a wide eyed girl she grows with her reader. I LEARNED a lot reading this series. Many times in the past I have read a book and wondered "where do they eat, sleep, bathe?" Moon is meticulous in recreating life as part of a mercenary group from how payrolls work to digging and refilling latrines. She does this in perfect "show don't tell" style, and it works. I have worn out two copies of the smaller mass market paperpacks and have a spare copy of the collection in the larger volume so I can keep re-reading this wonderful series. Don't miss the opportunity to check it out, it will become one of your favorites.

Others have called this a fitting successor to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. So it is. The mythos is not as familiar nor is it as well developed but it is not less engrossing. From the first page of the first book, I was captured, knowing that something new and exciting was just around the corner.

This is a Three-In-One volume. The three books of the trilogy are included under one cover. That made the transitions from one story to the next immediate and costly of my working schedule. It was worth it.

This is the story of a young peasant girl who aspires to be something more. She runs away to become a soldier and have a life of excitement.

This is the story of a woman who continues to grow. The first volume shows her development as a warrior and has very little of the magical about it except that the character seems somehow magical. The second book shows her development of some degree of independence and sets her up for her great challenge. Throughout it, the reader is dismayed that Paks cannot see in herself the qualities which everyone else, especially the reader, can see. It sees her soar to greatness and then collapse, as humans invariably do. The third volume see her regain her confidence and her greatness and in greater measure than before. She will need these qualities to achieve the task appointed to her. All the while, we marvel at her humility.

It is a wonderful series. Synopses of the individual books appear below:


SHEEPFARMER"S DAUGHTER - The Praise is Well Deserved

This is a work of grand fantasy although it does not start out as such. It takes place in a world of magic, elves, dwarves, paladins and powerful gods. It is a story of good and evil. It is all of those things but that misses the point. It is really about a young lady with ambitions to be a soldier.

Paksenarrion is the daughter of a sheepfarmer. She has no wish to be married to another farmer. Instead, she wants a life of adventure as a soldier. Unfortunately for her, her father has already promised her in marriage. There is only one thing a girl in that situation can do. She runs off and joins the army. It is a mercenary company.

The real interest of the story lies is seeing Paks develop as a person and a skilled fighter. She goes through her training and is involved in a few minor campaigns. In doing so, she distinguishes herself and comes to the notice of other. Eventually, the point comes where her mercenary company is betrayed by an evil force. She is the one who gets the message out and saves the remainder of her force. From them, the book becomes a quest to vanquish the evil villain. Throughout, Paks continues to learn her trade and learn about herself, all the while impressing those around her.

Magic and other fantasy elements play a role in this story but it is a fairly minor role. The emphasis is on the character. It is well worth the read.


DIVIDED ALLEGIANCE - From the Real to the Fantastic

The first volume of the Paksenarrion trilogy saw the young girl, Paksenarrion, seek her fortune as a mercenary soldier. She proved an apt pupil and was fortunate to work with an honorable company where she distinguished herself. Fantastical elements like elves, dwarves, mages and such were present in the first book but they were a very peripheral part. That changes in this, the second installment.

Paks has left the company of Duke Phelan. Although she loved the organization and the people, she could not handle the horrors of their last assignment. It went against her nature to protect. So it is that she is sent out on her own, with the Duke's blessing, to seek more training. She is welcome back at any time. Her travels expose her to the more magical elements of this realm and she continues to distinguish herself as she grow in experience, skill, and knowledge of herself. She does not seem to recognize just how remarkable she is but nobody is more please than she is when she is chosen for training as a paladin. Her training, however, exposes her to great evil and makes her vulnerable. The forces of evil wish to destroy her and her effectiveness. By the time she gets done with her quest, she is a very ill young lady indeed but her companions know that something more is in store. That will have to wait, however, for the next volume.

This is a very readable book. It is easy to like the characters and identify with them. It is well written and Elizabeth Moon shows a distinct talent for giving the reader just enough information to make one wonder at the grand scheme of things. She also leaves the explanations for a riper time. It works. It hooked me. I have to read the next book.


OATH OF GOLD - Best of Series

The second book of the Paksenarrion trilogy was a very good read but highly unsatisfying with its ending. Young Paks had proved her mettle as a soldier and was learning about more eldritch things and progressing nicely on the road to becoming a paladin of Gird. Then she was captured and tortured. The book ended with her as a shattered wreck and a coward afraid of her own shadow. It was a cliffhanger that outraged after investing so much time and care about her character.

It was well done and forced the reading of the last volume. I would have done it anyway but the ending of book 2 certainly speeded up the process.

OATH OF GOLD begins with Paks still a shattered wreck. She is ready, even eager to die and end the misery. By happenstance, she finds herself in the same town when her journey towards the miraculous began. To avoid meeting with anyone she knows, she ducks into the grove of Master Oakhollow, the shepherd of the trees. He recognizes that her healing was incomplete and sets himself the task of completing it. In doing so, she becomes stronger than ever before and actually becomes a Paladin, thereby reminding everyone that Paladins are chosen by the gods and not by the military orders. All of her ordeals thus far have been to prepare her for a quest.

The quest is not an easy one. It is her task to restore the rightful ruler to a kingdom in chaos. The forces arrayed against her are vast and they are evil. Even with her miraculous powers, it will not be easy and, ultimately, it will require a sort of paschal sacrifice of her.

It is an engrossing read. It is well done and I am sorry it is over.

There have been others who have "officially" reviewed the Deed, and called it "the true heir to Middle Earth." They are not wrong. In fact, in some ways, Moon's creation is even superior to Middle Earth. Every one of the characters is described in such moving, precise terms that they seem like living, breathing people. Paks is not alone; the connections readers will feel with Sergeant Stammel, Saben, Vik, Barranyi, Duke Phelan, and all the others renders the book in the sharpest possible detail and makes for a gripping storyline. What's more, Moon has created a world both original and complete, borrowing from literally nothing that has been seen in recent fantasy (aside, of course, from the generic acceptance of the existence of dwarfs, elves, etc. etc. etc.). After reading so many plots that are modified myths and ideas from other authors, reading the Deed is always a treat for me- and I've read the entire thing multiple times.
One thing about Moon's writing is even more unique than the rest of her genius, though. Unlike all the other works we have seen lately, Moon glorifies battle in no way, shape, or form. Paks's story does not try to glorify battle; it merely explains it and tells the stories.

The Deed of Paksenarrion is surely one of the greatest- if not the greatest- epics of the last century. I highly recommend it.

As a veteran sci fi and fantasy reader, I was a amazed by the sense of realism and believability Elizabeth Moon instilled into the Deed of Paksenarrion.

So many other fantasy stories just drop you in wherever, and expect you to take the magic, the powers and the different races for granted. In Paksenarrion, you see here growth for a frightened and rebellious youth, to a mighty Paladin of Gird. It was a new experience to see how a Paladin comes about, how normal people in fantasy worlds feel about magic powers and other races.

I have never had another book move me to the same depths of emotion as the Deed of Paksenarrion. Like others, I stayed up all night, not being able to put the book down. I remember clearly it being about 4am that I burst into tears and sobbed for about 15 minutes. I was not the only time I cried in the book. I also laughed at times, and grew to love Paks and her friends.

If you love fantasy books, then this is a must read. A hint though, don't read the second book of the trilogy until you have the third! It would be tragic to be at the end of the second book without being able to find out what happens.

I don't know how many times I have read the books. I read the individual editions til the fell apart, and am now on to the joined edition. I pray for more books about Paks!

I just got done reading one of the best epic fantasies I've read! Like the medieval ministrels Moon tells us a tale of great deeds, tragedies and truimphs of a unforgettable heroine, Paksenarrion, or Paks to her friends as you will soon be as you read her story. You will follow Paks as she decides to defy her father and not marry a pigfarmer and follow her dream to become a great warrior.You watch her as she joins a mercenary company of the leadership of the noble Duke Phelan and see the world.And what is Paks world you might ask? Paks'world is place with it's own set of myths and legends,beauty, great evil and greater good.You will watch Paks as she grows from a starry-eyes young private to a seasoned veteran in scenes of battles and wars.Moon's description of life of a medieval fantasy mercenary so realistic you would swear she was one herself.You will also see bit by bit Paks true destiny which is to become a Paladin knight in the service of Gird.Another thing that makes her endearing is that Moon makes Paks a real person.She is no unstoppable Xena clone but a real flesh and blood person with her own fears which she must conquer to reach her great destiny.Moon's world-building skills are quite impressive as you see Paks' world through her eyes.You will watch as our heroine battle great evil like followers of the sinister gods like Achrya the spinner of webs and Liart the master of Torments.The book is one of the most deeply spirtual fantasies I've ever read because there are scenes where Paks is tortured by her enemies and only her faith of her god and Gird are her only weapons.Finally you will watch as Paks fulfills her destiny by restoring a king to his kingdom and help defeat the forces of evil.I implore Ms. Moon to write another Paks novel because I want to read more of her adventures and see more of her beautiful and unforgettable world through her eyes!

This trade volume includes the three separate novels that are the story of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, "Sheepfarmer's Daughter," "Divided Allegiance" and "Oath of Gold." This is the story of how a sheepfarmer's daughter became a paladin, a religious knight.

These were Elizabeth Moon's first books. They have their flaws, and they are undeniably derivative to the role-playing game, "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." But saying that Moon wrote a dungeons and dragons ripoff is unfair; filet mignon and hamburger are fundamentally the same product, but a completely different experience. Moon started from the classic characters of AD&D - itself derivative to Tolkein and Lewis among others - and conceived a new universe around it, peopled by gods, demons, elves, dwarves, gnomes and humans. Her universe has a deep and rich history, with its shares of tragedy and loss, some half-glimpsed and some detailed. By contrast, what passes for history in AD&D, for the most part, resides in the players' heads.

Others have criticized her world as illogical and inconsistent - where did all that steel come from, they ask? The point is valid, but looking for absolute logic in fantasy strikes me as unrealisistic and, in any event, that particular logical flaw can be traced back before Tolkein to T.H. White and Spencer. Moon's universe is much more self-consistent than most and the inconsistencies do not detract.

Still others criticize Paksenarrion, who at the end is a religious knight, and complain the morally ambiguous Arvid is more interesting. That's a problem endemic to literature. E.E. "Doc" Smith's epic villain, Skylark, is vastly more interesting than the good guys who fight him; shucks, "Inferno" is by far the most interesting book in Dante's "Divine Comedy." We like moral ambiguity; perhaps those who are truly and completely good make us nervous and a little guilty. It's easier to identify with Arvid.

Moon's use of a heroine as the principle protagonist was pioneering. And her creation of a sometimes foolish and stubborn heroine at that, blind to some important issues, makes this book much better than most. Moon did not invent the naive or foolish protagonist; think of Ford Maddox Ford's "The Good Soldier." But she did pioneer the use of the device in epic fantasy.

Overall, this is a compelling story, hardly Tolkein but far superior to 95% of the genre. This is a moving, well-told and well-cast tale. Strongly recommended.

I find myself coming back to Paksenarrion whenever I need a dose of courage. The intensely personal nature of Moon's characterization of a female warrior encountering sacred destiny sets this trilogy apart from other fantasy classics. Young women entering adulthood would especially benefit from a gift of this series. Without any kind of doctrinaire feminism or psychological rhetoric, Moon simply shows the narrative process of constructing an honest, strong, authentic life as a woman. I am a college professor, and am assigning this book in a Contemporary Mythology class as a alternative to The Lord of the Rings. I hope my students, especially the women, will find it as thrilling and evocative as I do.

I've read a ton of fantasy. I love the genre. Unless the work is particularly poor (Sara Douglass' BattleAxe series for instance) I'm usually able to completely submit myself to the author and allow them to lead me where they will.

Most of the time when I finish a fantasy book/series I'm left with a feeling of satisfaction in reading a good story, yet upon completing this trilogy, I was, to put it mildly, stunned.

For me, reading The Deed left me on the verge of tears for the next...well...I'm still on the verge of tears having finished it almost a week ago. It seems that recently, every time I'm faced with a situation, I constantly find myself considering how Paks would have handled it, and somehow the challenges presented before me seem to diminish in importance and difficulty. Having finished The Deed barely a week ago, I can't yet claim that it's changed my entire life, but as improbable as it may seem, and I would have laughed had someone suggested it to me three months ago, it may very well have.

For those of you who have read George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", the majority of The Deed is as different from that series as you can get. While A Song encompasses epic struggles between noble houses and vast, world-altering events that leave the reader breathless with the scope and majesty of the tale, A Deed is a deceptively simple story about a young girl's efforts to follow her dreams and live her life. That being said, in its own way it is at least as good as A Song, and deserves fantasy immortality. 10 stars!