Years before Elizabeth Moon told us of the continuing escapades of Dorrin, Kieri and Arcolin, as chronicled in her latest Paks-related book, Oath of Fealty (which, handily enough, was reviewed in Issue 2. Head on over and reminisce with us. Ah, those were the good ol' days. Remember when... oh wait, I can’t mention that yet – the statute of limitations hasn’t expired…), she tackled the fantasy genre with the adventures of her first kickass heroine, Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter (who is lucky that she doesn't have to fill out those application forms where you are only allowed a certain number of spaces for your name) in the trilogy made up of Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold, known collectively as The Deed of Paksenarrion.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter begins with Paks running away from home to join a mercenary company; Moon wastes no time in getting Paks heavily into training (which is described quite well, due to Moon's own military experience) before throwing the reader an unexpected curveball: Chapter 3. That's all I can say. (And now you're all wondering what happens in Chapter 3... well, you're just going to have to read the book! Well, that, or send a large check made out to me care of Geek Speak Magazine.) The rest of the book follows Paks and her company as they try and rid of the land of an evil lord... not the most original plot, perhaps, but very well-written, with enough elements to keep it exciting. Not surprisingly, Paks turns out to be an extraordinary fighter, with perhaps (and also not surprisingly), something more special about her. The book also introduces the reader to the various religions of the world, as well as several seemingly random events and bits of dialogue, all of which come into play in the later books.

Speaking of the later books (ah, gotta stand up and applaud that segue!), the second book, Divided Allegiance, sees Paks leave her company and set off on her own to find new adventures. And new adventures she does find (which would make sense, for if they were the same old adventures, then you would basically be reading the first book over again, which, while not bad in the least, isn't quite what you expect from a sequel). She explores some Elven ruins, gets hired to wipe out brigands threatening a town, joins the training grounds for the Knights and Paladins of Gird (one of the prominent saints) and goes on a quest to find a legendary stronghold. This book, while entertaining, does not quite have the quality of the first book, which is somewhat disappointing. Still, it does have a lot of good things about it, and shouldn't be missed, if only so that the third book makes any sort of sense. What the second book does have, however, is an unexpected, and somewhat disheartening, ending, which essentially guarantees that you will read the third book (and if you don't read the third book? Well, I pity you.)

The opening of Oath of Gold is just brilliant. I have never tired of the first several chapters, and I have read those chapters at least twice as many times as I have the rest of the series (which I have read a lot). It's hard to describe what happens without explaining the state of events at the end of Book 2. What I can, and will, say (lucky for you), is that Paks finds her purpose in life (and no, it wasn't hiding in the cushions of the couch, like mine was... uh, don't ask) and proceeds to go on a grand quest which will thence be known as the [insert drum roll here] Deed of Paksenarrion! [Insert dramatic minor chord.] However, the rest of the third book is not as good as the beginning, but it is definitely worth reading anyway, if only to finish the trilogy.

While writing this review, I have thought many times of comparing this trilogy to the holy trilogy of Star Wars, even though they don't really have much in common... or do they? In the first book/episode, the main character leaves a farm to find adventure in the world and ends up single-handedly (though with help) saving the day. The second book/episode introduces more main characters, gives more information about the featured religion, and ends in a cliff-hanger. And the third book/episode has the main character find powers within, which helps them complete their destiny. I have thought about doing this comparison, but I bet that you, the faithful readers, would think that I was reaching (which I am, of course), so don't worry... I won't. Oh, wait.

The bottom line is that this trilogy is very well done, though somewhat inconsistent in its quality. But don't get me wrong -- even the not-as-good-as-other-parts parts are good. It's just that those good sections are excellent! Inconsistency isn't that important when the average quality is so high. Basically, if you like traditional fantasy, with swords a-slashin’, horses a-gallopin’, and heroines heroic (heroinic?) check this one out: you won't be disappointed.

And this series is definitely worth re-reading, once you’ve done it the first time. My copy of the first book no longer has a back cover, and its front cover is only intact through the use of lots o' tape (sadly, the front cover of my copy of the second book could not be saved...a funeral service was quietly held, and I have joined a support group). Ironically, my copy of the third book is in the best shape, despite having been read the most. Here’s hoping the new series comes together enough to warrant the same level of commitment.

  -- K. Burtt

Portions of this review first appeared in The 11th Hour Web Magazine

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