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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LEGENDS RETOLD.. CHECK YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AT THE DOOR., September 7, 2000
This review is from: The Paladin (Mass Market Paperback)
Like Rusalka and the sequels, Paladin is based on one of the classic stories of a fascinating culture. This time, like Cuckoo's Egg, the source is the warrior culture of medieval Japan, and the story is the moral tale of the retired courtier and swordmaster. The resemblance ends there.. this one ends the way you always wanted it to. People and the right, not duty, and not tragedy, come out on top. Cherryh never forces a happy ending on a story..but Taizu does. Always. Good for her! Shoka keeps trying to follow his cultural programming to be a classic tragic hero, the peasants to be victims, the lords to domineer..but she won't let it happen. Taizu gets her revenge, ghita gets what's coming to him, and Shoka gets his life back, and his revenge on Taizu for making him take it..Paladin is worth reading just for the innuendo Shoka pumps into his conversation with the merchant. Paladin is the story behind Taizu's legend, not Shoka's. It should have been the central myth for some culture, somewhere.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The dichotomy of legend and man, February 25, 2002
I realize this book was written 14 years ago...so sue me. I'm late. "The Paladin" is a sterling example of Cherrye at the peak of her art. She uses terse dialog and concise action to convey not only an exciting adventure story, but also a poignant story of two damaged people discovering a life beyond bitterness in each other. Taizu is little more than a child, and she has fought-- not always successfully-- the dangers of both travel and brigands in order to find Saukandar, a warrior who was once the Emperor's closest advisor and who now resides in seclusion. She wants his help to make her a warrior, so that she can seek revenge against the politician who slaughtered her family. He wants her to leave him alone-- then, he simply wants her. They are separated by years, by class, and by motive, and by the end of the book, they are inseparable. Saukandar's journey from grumpy old man to irrascible and wily fighter is believable and real, as is Taizu's growth from ragged urchin to demon warrior. Between the two of them, they prove to be more than enough to save their Kingdom from corruption-- and themselves, from loneliness more aching than death.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sword and Sorcery without the Sorcery!, November 10, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Paladin (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one of C.J. Cherryh's lighter books, in the sword and sorcery (less the sorcery) vein, but with an historical sensibility. Set in a country that resembles old China, Taizu is a peasant girl who comes seeking the Sword Master Saukendar (known to his intimates as Shoka), late of the imperial court. Shoka has left after the feckless heir to the throne has allowed his advisors to assasinate those who would guide him with good sense, Saukendar being one target. Shoka has spent the last ten years just across the country's border in a mountain hut by himself when Taizu comes seeking to deceive him into taking her on as a (male) pupil, in order to seek revenge on the scheming lords who have destroyed her family and community. Shoka has become a legend for his abilities with a sword as well as being an honorable man. While undeceived by Taizu, he thinks her a crazy girl who he will humor until she tires of his regimen. Instead, over time, she becomes an accomplished swordsperson and they leave together to seek revenge (Shoka not willing to let Taizu proceed alone, despite his doubts about their survival), stepping back into a complex political situation. This is developed altogether convincingly, and in a way that is perfectly plausible. The strong point of the book is the usual wonderful Cherryh character development and ability to create characters that you care about and and believe in. The realtionship between Taizu and Shoka is believable and well developed. Her worlds are always self-consistent and deeply involving, and this one is no exception. While not as thought provoking or complex as her best books (Cyteen, Downbelow Station, Fortress in the Eye of Time) this is a great read and a lot of fun to boot.
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