The War God's Own

by David Weber

Paperback, 1999

Status

Available

Call number

Fic SF Weber

Publication

Baen (1999), Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. HTML: THE ROAD HOME Bahzell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer hradani never wanted to be a champion of the War God. Unfortunately, Tomandk had insisted. Even more unfortunately, Bahzell's own sense of responsibility hadn't let him say, "No." Which was how he found himself in the Empire of the Axe, where even people who didn't actively hate hradani regarded them with suspicion and fear. Of course, that was only the start of his problems. Next, there was the Order of Tomanak, many of whom were horrified by the notion that their deity had chosen a hradani as a champion . . . and intended to do something about it. And assuming he survived that, he had to go home-across three hundred leagues of bitter winter snow-to face a Dark God who threatened to destroy all hradani. Throw in the odd demon and brigand ambush, and add a powerful neighboring kingdom with no intention of letting Bahzell (or anyone else) save his people, and you have the makings of a really bad day. But one thing Bahzell has learned: a champion of Tomanak does what needs doing. And the people in his way had better move. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management)..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Homechicken

This book was a good continuation of the adventures of Bahzell and Brandark. It was exciting and moving in many places, and where it wasn’t it was humorous. Definitely a keeper.

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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

A lot more political - the first one is pretty pure action/adventure. This one, although there are adventure episodes - another demon! - there's a lot more of the why - motivations behind actions - and consequences of choices laid in. The end is pretty satisfying, although they're just about to set

out on the next step of the trip. And the final exchange between Bahzell and Vaijon is just lovely - as good as his banter with Brandark. Lots of new characters, all well-drawn (some more sketchy than others, but enough for the part they have in the story). And Brandark finally admits what he's looking for…doesn't _find_ it, but it's a step.

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LibraryThing member Guide2

A bit light on action, but another entertaining tale of the champions(s) of Tomanak.

LibraryThing member SunnySD

Bahzell Bahnakson is War God Tomanak's newest Champion, but he's also a Horse Stealer Hradnai - and doesn't that just set the cat among the pigeons of the Order of Tomanak. But Bahzell doesn't have much time to waste on fighting prejudice, not if he's to successfully crush the foothold the dark god

Sharna has gained among the Hradnai.

It's a race against time with a bloody battle at the finish, and of course, a few new verses for Brandark's Lay of Bahzell the Bloody Hand.... Solid, enjoyable epic fantasy.

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LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher

Equally light, entertaining, and aimless as its predecessor, The War God's Own is saved from being a total retread by an accurate, if unsubtle, examination of privilege from inside the head of one so blessed. Several of the loosely-connected excursions are also good fun, and while the last one

seems utterly unconnected to the rest of the "plot" of the book (I use the word advisedly,) it does neatly set up the much more coherent sequel.

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LibraryThing member Sosseres

An interesting continuation that is 100 pages longer than it needed to be.

LibraryThing member T_K_Elliott

This book is the sequel to Oath Of Swords, which is the first book in the series. Although you can read War God's Own on its own, it's far better to read it after Oath of Swords, as you then will understand how the two main characters (Bahzell and Brandark) have ended up where they are.

War God's

Own is just as entertaining as Oath of Swords; I honestly don't know which of the two books I prefer. Of the two, Oath of Swords is funnier, but War God's Own is a little more complicated. Bahzell is now a Champion of Tomanak, the War God (having signed on after being nagged into it) and he's about to start having to deal with the reality of what this means.

In Book One, Bahzell and Brandark were pretty much operating as free agents; now Bahzell has Responsibilities, and he's part of the Order of Tomanak, which comes as a bit of a nasty shock to him, and also to the Order. In fact, the only person who seems to be at all happy with the situation is Tomanak himself...

So Bahzell has to deal with his new colleagues' reaction to having a hradani (Weber's sort of orc-equivalent, which is what Bahzell and Brandark are) Champion foisted on them by their deity, and he also has to deal with his own misgivings about being a part of a big organisation and his responsibilities and privileges in it.

Once the initial bumps are dealt with, Bahzell and Co have to return to the hradani city states to deal with one of the Dark Gods who has set up a secret temple there, and this occupies the rest of the book.

As side issues, we see a bit of unofficial diplomacy and trade negotiations; the hradani are poor and backward compared to the other Races of Man, but Bahzell's father (prince of one of the city-states) has a vision for the future and the drive and intelligence to make it work. How is this going to affect, or be affected by, Bahzell's sudden and unaccountable acquisition of Religion, especially since hradani in general (having been comprehensively used and betrayed by the gods in the past) have no use for gods either Light or Dark...

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