Tag Archives: Elizabeth Moon

Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

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Synopsis:
A continuation of the story of Kieri Phelan, the newly crowned half-elven king at odds with his elven grandmother, and Dorrin, the female Duke of Verrakai, seeking to use her power to pursue vengeance against her family of evil mage lords.

Review:
I had trouble getting through Kings of the North. It felt like a lot of exposition and water-treading. I love these characters and have been enthralled by the series to date, but just didn’t really enjoy this installment. But will definitely give the next one a try. Elizabeth Moon is so talented a world builder and storyteller that I won’t hold this experience against her at all.

Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon

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Synopsis:
As former military hero Duke Kieri Phelan ascends the throne in half-elven Lyonya, the neighboring realm of Tsaia faces a threat from the long-forgotten blood magery of the Verrakai family.

Review:
Oath of Fealty follows directly after the events that concluded Elizabeth Moon‘s Deed of Paksennarion trilogy, and as such is a bit tricky to synopsize, particularly in only one sentence. And it’s clearly the first book of a series, so it’s mostly set up.

That’s not to say that the book lacks action–hardly! The bulk of the plot concerns the newly discovered plan of the evil Verrakai family of nobility, who alone of the ruling class continue to practice magery. They keep their powers through blood sacrifice to the evil god Liart, such as the rituals practiced upon the paladin Paksenarrion in Oath of Gold. Dorrin Verrakai, who ran away from her family at a young age and pledged herself as a Knight of Falk, a holy saint, has now been elevated to Duke and charged to scour the land of her toxic and murderous kin. She discovers that their blood magery runs so deep that hidden Verrakai now wander freely throughout Tsaia, and that she alone has the power to resist them.

Meanwhile, two new kings have emerged in Tsaia and Lyonya. Plot-wise, the book mainly concerns itself with the politics of ascension, as Moon lays the groundwork for much intrigue to come. And then, in a subplot, we follow Arcolin, who has taken over now-King Kieri Phelan’s cohort, in a nice little military tale within the larger story.

Moon has a knowledge of military strategy that is par excellence, but she’s also a masterful storyteller who doesn’t let herself get bogged down in minutiae. Her prose moves things along and she’s got a good ear for dialogue. And she stages one helluva fight scene! Much here to recommend and endorse, and I hope the next one comes out sooner rather than later!

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

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Synopsis:
In the near future, a high-functioning autistic man is presented with the opportunity to be “fixed,” causing him to wonder if he was ever really broken.

Review:
I first read Speed of Dark a few years ago, on the recommendation of a friend. I really enjoyed revisiting it, especially now that I’m a mom and have friends who have kids on the autism spectrum.

I really loved how Elizabeth Moon made Leo a real, relatable character, to the point where I really wanted him to stay just as he was. I grew to love him, including his autism, because she made him a person to me. She skillfully integrated the futuristic elements with a really compelling emotional journey. Definitely recommended!

Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

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Synopsis:
In her final adventure, soldier turned coward turned paladin Paksenarrion finds herself on a quest to crown the true king, a quest that will bring her face to face with darkest evil.

Review:
Oath of Gold concludes the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy in a most satisfactory manner, no matter how trite my one-liner may seem. (Have I mentioned lately how hard it is to summarize epic fantasy?)

I was thoroughly satisfied by the breadth of the journey upon which Elizabeth Moon sets her intrepid protagonist. Paksenarrion’s story is as thorough an examination of the nature of heroism as any I’ve ever seen. As a young girl, she dreamed of being the shining, heroic knight on a horse, but the events of Divided Allegiance left her utterly broken, unable to wield a sword or even bear the sound of a galloping horse. Her cowardice shames her to her core, and she mourns her lost chance at becoming a paladin, a knight blessed with the power to heal, and the ability to discern good from evil.

Needless to say, Paks is given a second chance–but what I love is that she values her suffering as much as her glory. When offered healing of her memories of her darkest days, she says, “No. I thank you for the thought of that gift. But what I am now–what I can do–comes from that. The things that were so bad, that hurt so, if I forget them, if I forget such things still happen, how can I help others? My scars prove that I know myself what others suffer.”

Grounded as they are in her worship of a holy God, Paks’s statement has theological dimensions that make me shiver with joy. And her story made me ponder the meaning of “the suffering servant,” a name for Jesus that Paks’s story has helped me understand in a deeper way.

Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
A free lance after leaving Duke Phelan’s company, Paksenarrion finds high adventure and faces an evil that changes her irrevocably.

Review:
Divided Allegiance was much darker than Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, with Elizabeth Moon taking Paksenarrion to some very dark places. Yet Moon never loses her connection with the ideals of goodness, courage, and loyalty that made Paks such an appealing heroine, even as she’s shaking that idealism to its very foundation.

I always find middle books in trilogies difficult to discuss. I don’t want to spoil the first book, and I don’t know how things will resolve. The highest praise I can give is to say that I can’t wait to read the third book, and in the case of the Deed of Paksenarrion, I picked up book three as soon as humanly possible. (Sharp contrast to the Pellinor series, where I have to keep reminding myself that I ought to track down the last book.)

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

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Synopsis:
A country girl enlists as a recruit in a band of mercenary soldiers, where she excels–and may be receiving supernatural aid from a saint she doesn’t know about or believe in.

Review:
Oddly enough, Sheepfarmer’s Daughter reminded me a lot of Battlestar Galactica, with its preoccupations over military honor and what makes for goodness in wartime. And anyone who knows me will let you know that this is a compliment of the highest order.

There are no starships or robots in the first book of the Deed of Paksenarrion, of course–this is epic fantasy of the Tolkien strain, complete with elves and dwarves. I hope Elizabeth Moon has reinvented these creatures; it’s too soon to tell.

Paksenarrion fled her rural home because she does not want to marry, ever. She joins one of the companies comprising the mercenary Guild that keeps order in her country, and finds herself in love with the life of a soldier. Though the mercenaries fight for gold, most of the companies keep to a high sense of order and honor, and this appeals to goodhearted Paks. She proves herself a fierce fighter, and earns heroic honors after a brave solo journey across dangerous territory in order to warn her Duke of an impending threat.

Paks has a few brief brushes with the saint Gird, but she’s not particularly religious and Gird isn’t part of the northern belief system. While a prologue hints that Paks’s destiny is one of greatness, the book doesn’t muck about with any “chosen” nonsense. I really liked the workaday aspect of her early journey. She excels, not because she was foretold or some such nonsense, but because she is brave and loyal and true. I like her tremendously.