Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
in The Deed of Paksenarrion, Baen (1992)
Description
Once a sheepfarmer's daughter, now a seasoned veteran, Paksenarrion has proven herself a fighter. Years with Duke Phelan's Company taught her weaponry, discipline, and how to react as part of a military unit. Now, though, Paks feels spurred to a solitary destiny. Against all odds she is accepted as a paladin-candidate by the fellowship of Gird. Years of study will follow, for a paladin must be versed in diplomacy and magic as well as the fighting arts. But before she is fully trained, Paks is called to her first mission: to seek out the fabled stronghold of Luap far to the west. The way is long, the dangers many -- and not even the Marshal-General of Gird can say whether glory or ruin awaits. "Full of virtues . . ." -- Chicago Sun-Times "This trilogy builds in power and intensity . . . all the sweep and majesty of the finest heroic fantasy . . ." -- VOYA… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ladycato
Whoa. I jumped right into this book after reading the first in the series. The mood here is different; Paks, having left Duke Phelan's company, journeys across the land trying to find new noble work as a mercenary. After she is selected to be a Paladin-candidate in the Orders of Gird, she is the
I know there is some debate about the middle books of a fantasy trilogy being unnecessary fluff. Not the case here. The ending of the book is probably the most depressing of any fantasy book I've ever read. I felt like crying or throttling people. However, it was depressing in a good way because I must read the next book to see how Paks emerges from this experience. She has to. Right?
Show More
happiest she has ever been. However, things do not go as intended on a quest, and Paks is deeply changed by the experience (understatement of the year there, but spoiler-free).I know there is some debate about the middle books of a fantasy trilogy being unnecessary fluff. Not the case here. The ending of the book is probably the most depressing of any fantasy book I've ever read. I felt like crying or throttling people. However, it was depressing in a good way because I must read the next book to see how Paks emerges from this experience. She has to. Right?
Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
If you haven't read the first in the series, The Sheepfarmer's Daughter, this is a **spoiler warning** for that title.
After defeating Siniava, the Duke's company has allied with a former pirate. None too pleased with what her compatriots are doing and feeling a pull to other things, Paks leaves the
Paksennarion is a great character to spend time with, and I enjoyed the continuing development of her character and story. The world is more fully developed in this book as well - we encounter both elves and dwarfs, and get a sense of the larger forces at work for good and evil. The plot is very episodic, which made it hard for me to understand the overarching storyline, and left me wondering if Book 3 would pull it all together or if I would feel like the first two books were merely setting up the final one. Part of this trouble may lie with my reading rather than the writing - I took an uncharacteristally long time to finish the book in about ten days. In any case, I hope to see those hints of Paks' destiny, the various gods, and the agents of good and evil, come together in Oath of Gold, which I will definitely be reading soon.
After defeating Siniava, the Duke's company has allied with a former pirate. None too pleased with what her compatriots are doing and feeling a pull to other things, Paks leaves the
Show More
company. Her personal quest will take her beyond what she ever could have imagined when she dreamed of becoming a soldier.Paksennarion is a great character to spend time with, and I enjoyed the continuing development of her character and story. The world is more fully developed in this book as well - we encounter both elves and dwarfs, and get a sense of the larger forces at work for good and evil. The plot is very episodic, which made it hard for me to understand the overarching storyline, and left me wondering if Book 3 would pull it all together or if I would feel like the first two books were merely setting up the final one. Part of this trouble may lie with my reading rather than the writing - I took an uncharacteristally long time to finish the book in about ten days. In any case, I hope to see those hints of Paks' destiny, the various gods, and the agents of good and evil, come together in Oath of Gold, which I will definitely be reading soon.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lewispike
The series overall covers the change of a sheepfarmer's daughter into a paladin. This is the middle and the crisis of faith story.
The combat training works well (it shows Elisabeth Moon was in the marines and went through training) and the religious stuff is interesting and well handled, especially
The combat training works well (it shows Elisabeth Moon was in the marines and went through training) and the religious stuff is interesting and well handled, especially
Show More
the fact she is more or less betrayed by the churches by keeps faith with the gods. Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
This book takes the story of Paksenarrion, the follower of Gird and would-be paladin, farther along her career as a warrior and paladin. While this was published as a separate book, it is really part 2 of the 'Deed of Paksenarrion' novel, and doesn't stand on its own at all. This book is a bit less
Show More
about the military and more about Paks the adventurer. It moves along well and tells a good story, though at times it feels like a Dungeons and Dragons game module. Show Less
LibraryThing member ferrisscottr
Really enjoyed this book. Paks is such a great character that is almost overshadows the one thing about the book that bothered me (which was the same thing as the first book) and that was there was no grand tale, story or quest...we're really just following the life of a soldier who has some
I've been told by people I respect that I should relax and treat the trilogy as one book and not three so I won't be too critical and don't get me wrong....I highly recommend reading this book....you won't be disappointed.
Show More
amazing adventures.I've been told by people I respect that I should relax and treat the trilogy as one book and not three so I won't be too critical and don't get me wrong....I highly recommend reading this book....you won't be disappointed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Narilka
Paksenarrion has been with the Duke's company for three seasons. Now, though, she feels the need to follow a different path. After visiting with the Duke, Paks takes an extended leave of absence, not knowing if she will return or not, and heads back north to follow her destiny. Against all odds she
Divided Allegiance is the second book in The Deed of Paksenarrion series. The book picks up not long after where we leave off in book one following the defeat of Siniava. I was a bit sad that Paks left the Duke's company as I enjoy a good military fantasy story. After leaving things go the traditional fantasy route. Many of the events that occur have a D&D feel to them, enough that I could see parts of the book inspired by an old fashioned RPG campaign, including evil elves that live under ground and worship a god that takes the form of a spider. Not a lot of imagination there, though they are given different names and have a slightly different twist to them. I almost wish these parts had been written differently as the fact that the first book was so different is what drew me to it.
Still the story was interesting enough that I stayed engaged. Paks has a lot of lessons to learn and it's good to see her move from just taking orders to beginning to think for herself. The ending caught me completely by surprise too. It was a great twist that left me ready to start the third book immediately as I had to find out what happens next.
Show More
joins the Fellowship of Gird and is accepted as a paladin candidate. Her first mission: To seek the stronghold of Laup, Gird's closest friend in life, to the west. Little does she know the dangers lurking along the way or whether her path will lead to victory or ruin.Divided Allegiance is the second book in The Deed of Paksenarrion series. The book picks up not long after where we leave off in book one following the defeat of Siniava. I was a bit sad that Paks left the Duke's company as I enjoy a good military fantasy story. After leaving things go the traditional fantasy route. Many of the events that occur have a D&D feel to them, enough that I could see parts of the book inspired by an old fashioned RPG campaign, including evil elves that live under ground and worship a god that takes the form of a spider. Not a lot of imagination there, though they are given different names and have a slightly different twist to them. I almost wish these parts had been written differently as the fact that the first book was so different is what drew me to it.
Still the story was interesting enough that I stayed engaged. Paks has a lot of lessons to learn and it's good to see her move from just taking orders to beginning to think for herself. The ending caught me completely by surprise too. It was a great twist that left me ready to start the third book immediately as I had to find out what happens next.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GSB68
I have been waiting decades for a new fantasy by Mrs. Moon and she didn't disappoint. Loved returning to visit these characters.
LibraryThing member Spurts
Well, not exactly a complete book and really 2½ stars rounded up because a lot of edge-of-seat, kept me reading moments. The cliffhanger ending made me drop a star. For 90% of the thing, Paks was Paks and my enjoyment of story had its ups and downs. Ups with the story progressing, Paks finally on
Lots of unnecessary to story wandering around blindly scenes made for choppy reading. I get that travel on foot and on horse takes time but don't need too many chapters of it. I get that Paks being clueless private or trainee stumbling about is a part of the story and realistic. But I think I'm an age group that doesn't take well to rehashing all the D&D quests things like enter a blind underground corridor, find the traps, find the treasures, the right skill level in self or companions, choose right corridor or door or passage with zero clues, just blindly floundering around (*ack* all those beginning programming classes with text versions of the enter a passage/room/cave and choose left/right east/west then the first pcs with video screens and limited graphics where you programmed the same); a ton of similar fantasy quest books with troop of characters and choose correct door ...
I'm sure personal prejudices about the plot device made me rate this one between 2 and 3 stars while the first one I rated so highly even acknowledging it had some fairly standard fantasy elements. All those endless passages, quests, doors, entrances...all endlessly bored me to death when they were new much less in this story. Yup, even once good video graphics were added to pc's, well, I was one to kill characters off on purpose just to end games like Kings Quest if social scene or weird corporate team building exercises got me stuck playing. Some of the people into the questy games like D&D got so intense was hard to take; worse than today's addicted Farmville or World of Warcraft players so I am sure it's a type of plot I am burnt out on, did not expect for this series, and may not be an issue for other readers.
Show More
way to serving Gird, learning more of Paladins and various races; downs with one too many mysterious underground choose-your-door things, companions often untrustworthy, and way too many encounters with godlike beings, good and bad, with blurry to outright loss of memory. Then a cliffhanger ending with Paks no longer the character whose story I was reading a somewhat formula (but well written) fantasy to follow. And, what was up with all the blonde talk and how hair-up meant soldier and down meant frail female or potential rape victim?Lots of unnecessary to story wandering around blindly scenes made for choppy reading. I get that travel on foot and on horse takes time but don't need too many chapters of it. I get that Paks being clueless private or trainee stumbling about is a part of the story and realistic. But I think I'm an age group that doesn't take well to rehashing all the D&D quests things like enter a blind underground corridor, find the traps, find the treasures, the right skill level in self or companions, choose right corridor or door or passage with zero clues, just blindly floundering around (*ack* all those beginning programming classes with text versions of the enter a passage/room/cave and choose left/right east/west then the first pcs with video screens and limited graphics where you programmed the same); a ton of similar fantasy quest books with troop of characters and choose correct door ...
I'm sure personal prejudices about the plot device made me rate this one between 2 and 3 stars while the first one I rated so highly even acknowledging it had some fairly standard fantasy elements. All those endless passages, quests, doors, entrances...all endlessly bored me to death when they were new much less in this story. Yup, even once good video graphics were added to pc's, well, I was one to kill characters off on purpose just to end games like Kings Quest if social scene or weird corporate team building exercises got me stuck playing. Some of the people into the questy games like D&D got so intense was hard to take; worse than today's addicted Farmville or World of Warcraft players so I am sure it's a type of plot I am burnt out on, did not expect for this series, and may not be an issue for other readers.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
The middle book of the series is set up as a series of adventures, D&D style, in which Paksenarrion is initially rewarded with the chance at what she most desires only to be faced, first with the cost of that chance and then the destruction of that chance though no fault of her own. The ending is
Show More
one of the most tear-jerking in all fantasy, and gets me every time I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member zeborah
Moves on in tone and structure from the training montage of book one: neatly divided into three sections telling three different encounters with dark forces, where Paks has to deal with more shades of moral grey in those around her - and in herself.
LibraryThing member Chris.Bulin
2.5 Stars. I understand that this series is from the 80's, but the treatment of Paks as a person, a woman and an apparently asexual person is horrific.
She is constantly being threatened by rape and torture, as if that is the only way to create suspense. She is too often saved by men of one race or
They nearly unthinking trust Paks placed in strangers during this book also pissed me off. She was a soldier who had seen the worst of humanity, but didn't blink an eye or trust her own smarts and instincts when it came to Macenion (until a man pointed it out anyhow).
I like the feel of having D&D style adventures woven together to create these novels, but sometimes that formula seriously impedes character development.
She is constantly being threatened by rape and torture, as if that is the only way to create suspense. She is too often saved by men of one race or
Show More
another. She is even saved from herself by men. Don't doubt yourself Paks, we men believe you are awesone, therefore it must be so. And this nearly always results in things getting better for her >:(They nearly unthinking trust Paks placed in strangers during this book also pissed me off. She was a soldier who had seen the worst of humanity, but didn't blink an eye or trust her own smarts and instincts when it came to Macenion (until a man pointed it out anyhow).
I like the feel of having D&D style adventures woven together to create these novels, but sometimes that formula seriously impedes character development.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jamestomasino
Wow, what an ending. Can't stop at book 2! Onward!
LibraryThing member threadnsong
I remember this book cover from when it was first published: the honesty of a woman warrior weeping over a cut on her leg was striking. Fast forward 30 years and it still is. Kudos to Elizabeth Moon working with her illustrator on this cover.
So to the book: it drags in places more than the first
The story and adventures strengthen here, as Paks discovers her own strength both personal and as a leader of others. Her earlier soldiering adventures stand her in good stead and Moon introduces the structure of the government of her world: Girdsmen and their Marshals, Council, innkeepers, and the like. Through her questions and learning the world of a small town, Elizabeth Moon deepens what could otherwise be a simple sword-and-sorceress adventure story into a world-building monument built on a stable foundation. And a swordswoman.
Finally, Paks is joins the Fellowship of Gird as a Paladin-apprentice through a quite believable bit of fighter's pride, as in "pride goeth before a fall." More adventures and travel ensue, and she is taken prisoner by the iynisi who challenge the light of her Paladin candidacy through their absolute darkness. Again, the challenge when she is rescued is not all light because she is rescued, but a fight for her to regain her self-hood and her studies towards her candidacy.
So to the book: it drags in places more than the first
Show More
book in this series, though that may be due to the subject matter and the drudgery of those places in the "action" of the story itself. Paks' first adventure after leaving Duke Phelan's company is with a mercenary company where she meets with Macenion, a half-elf who promises to help her continue her journey over a mountain range. He reminds me of all those boyfriends who never quite had their act together but I was too young and inexperienced to have expected more. Yeah, that time in my life. Paks learns about herself through a tragic incident and carries that knowledge through to her next set of adventures in the town of Brewersbridge and her (our) first encounter with a Kuakguan. The story and adventures strengthen here, as Paks discovers her own strength both personal and as a leader of others. Her earlier soldiering adventures stand her in good stead and Moon introduces the structure of the government of her world: Girdsmen and their Marshals, Council, innkeepers, and the like. Through her questions and learning the world of a small town, Elizabeth Moon deepens what could otherwise be a simple sword-and-sorceress adventure story into a world-building monument built on a stable foundation. And a swordswoman.
Finally, Paks is joins the Fellowship of Gird as a Paladin-apprentice through a quite believable bit of fighter's pride, as in "pride goeth before a fall." More adventures and travel ensue, and she is taken prisoner by the iynisi who challenge the light of her Paladin candidacy through their absolute darkness. Again, the challenge when she is rescued is not all light because she is rescued, but a fight for her to regain her self-hood and her studies towards her candidacy.
Show Less
Awards
IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (Finalist — 1990)
Language
Original publication date
1988
Physical description
18 cm
Local notes
Paksenarrion: Deed, 2
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Moon |