Liar's Oath (The Legacy of Gird, Book 2) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Moon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2000

Paksenarrion was the finest paladin her world would ever see. But she could never have fulfilled her destiny had it not been for one who came before: Gird, the Liberator. When Gird leads his peasant army against their mageborn rulers, he knows that his sworn follower Luap is the king's bastard son. But in spite of his oath to seek no throne and to renounce his heritage, Luap cannot not forget his past. And when he discovers a distant land that he can reach by magic, his loyalties are divided. What harm would it do if he were to break his oath and crown himself king of this far-off land? Deep in the western mountains, in a sanctuary abandoned by the elder races, Luap finds out - as do those who follow him. Liar's Oath is the second of two prequels to the hugely popular DEED OF PAKSENARRION trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A highly entertaining adventure ... thrilling' LOCUS 'A satisfying read, full of the finely detailed settings and excitement that Moon's readers have come to expect' Publishers Weekly 'Moon's mastery ... is evident in every line. The characters spring to life on the page, the intricacies of societies are astutely explored, and the pace never flags' Booklist

About the Author

Elizabeth Moon joined the US Marine Corps in 1968, reaching the rank of 1st Lieutenant during active duty. She has also earned degrees in history and biology, run for public office and been a columnist on her local newspaper. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband and their son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (December 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841490164
• ISBN-13: 978-1841490168
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Moon grew up on the Texas-Mexico border, a voracious reader and early writer. She spent much of her early years in a hardware store where nothing was in shrink-wrap or little plastic containers, and mule collars still hung on the back wall. She has a history degree from Rice University and a biology degree from the University of Texas at Austin, plus some graduate work in biology at the University of Texas at San Antonio; between the first two, she spent three years on active duty in the USMC. Her bibliography includes 20+ novels and 30+ short fiction works, nearly all in science fiction or fantasy. REMNANT POPULATION was a Hugo finalist in 1997; THE SPEED OF DARK won the Nebula Award in 2003.

When not writing, she likes to wander around taking pictures of wildlife and native plants, bake bread, eat chocolate, sing with a choir, and laugh.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too much realism for some?, August 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Liar'S Oath (Mass Market Paperback)

Nitty Gritty Realism.... This seems to be the area that Ms. Moon gets complemented on the most for her other novels. Perhaps that is why readers seem to have such a love-hate relationship with this novel. Here we are confronted with a protagonist that is not larger than life, as are Gird and Paksenarrion, but rather is all too human. Very Real. You've heard the expression, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions"? Well, Luap has the right to wear the "Been there, done that!" T-shirt. Paks's decisions may not have always been easy, but she had the light of Gird within her to guide her along her path, thus making those decisions seem easy and foregone. This is the story of one man who tries to fake that inner light and all of the chaos that comes about from his continual striving to do what is right without having a clue. I think that this story is a good balance to the Deed, as well as filling in past history that I was curious about

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You have to know what it is to appreciate it., January 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Liar'S Oath (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll agree that Liar's Oath is not the pinnacle of Elizabeth Moon's fantasy novels, but it tells a very important story, and a lot of people don't like it because they don't realize until the end that this story is a TRAGEDY.

Yes, Luap is a flawed, unworthy character who leads his followers to disaster. His story is a warning, and Moon tells it with all the style and bitter realism her fans expect from her.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well Written Failure, May 28, 2006

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liar'S Oath (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked so much about this book! I wanted it to be a 5 star review. I can't do it.

It's well written and interesting. The characters matter and their lives matter. It should be five stars but it is not because the story does not support the rest of the excellence.

The story actually begins with a short prolog involving Paksennarion and Duke Phelan, a thousand years or more after the "time" of the story. They are discussing the mysterious fortress found in the DEED OF PAKSENNARION trilogy. From there, the story goes back to the time of Gird. In that sense, it begins before the previous story ends because Gird is still alive. He is not the central character, however. The main guy is Luap, Gird's sometimes trustworthy assistant.

The problem is the distrust between the peasants and the mage born. Luap has found a magic portal to a mysterious palace far in the west and wants to move the mageborn out there to allow them to safely train their powers. In his heart, though, he looks forward to the opportunity to set up an independent fiefdom. The palace he found was actually built by dwarves and elves. They do not use it but are reluctant to let humans in there. They warn of a grave danger but refuse to specify the nature of that danger. Luap moves out there with his people anyway and for a while they are happy but there is a great danger. It is the dark elves who delight in evil. Luap's presence has freed them and they are biding their time to make a bloody mess.

All of this reads well. The suspense is gradually built up along with good characterizations. Where the book falls down is in the climax. The dark elves are on the march and everything is resolved in a few pages with the intervention of Paks and Duke Phelan from the future. Luap gets his comeuppance and they all go about their business.

Its too pat.

Still, the book was worth reading. I just wish it had been worth ending