Oath of Fealty (Paladin's Legacy Series #1)

Paks Makes a Cameo Appearance after Two Decades

Highly anticipated return to Paks' world which mostly fizzled for me. Paks had a couple of cameos, but the lion's share of the storylines fell to Dorrin, by far the most interesting of the points of view presented. Arcolin's story felt and looked like filler. Except for the scene in the ossuary, Kieri's tale barely bumped through a two-dimensional plane. The most tragic loose end hinges on the fate of Stammel.

The abrupt and anti-climactic ending left me feeling ambivalent. My emotional line graph would resemble a near dead person's EKG - a few squiggles, but no mountainous peaks or terrifying plummets.

For the rest of my review, please visit GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/97533360

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Elizabeth Moon wows again!!!

Having read & re-read Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings' every year since 8th grade, it was wonderful to find Elizabeth Moon's Paks series and then re-read THEM regularly (especially while working in Africa with not much access to English books!). I had never read Sci-Fi, but started in with her Serrano & Change of Command books...and have now expanded to David Weber's Honor Harrington et all. Thank you, Elizabeth Moon, for opening up whole universes to folks who wouldn't have gone there!! The new Paks book takes us deeper into the lives of Duke-now-King-of-Lyona Kieri Phelan, Dorrin, Acrolin et all -- with great character development and plot twists right from where the last series ended. Mages get more coverage here (although some of the same bad guys are still around) & Paks makes brief appearances. The only problem with this book is that when I reached the end, I wanted to read the next one (and now we have to wait, how long???) so re-read the whole Paks trilogy yet AGAIN. Highly recommend this book (especially to any Tolkien fans out there), but it's helpful to read the first three books - totally amazing!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An amazing continuation

"Oath of Fealty" is a sequel to Ms. Moon's Paksenarion series. The Paksenarion character makes only a brief appearance in this story. But she continues to be a powerful presence among the other characters. The actors in this novel are among the most compelling I have read.

KIeri, the captain of Paksenarion's company has been revealed to be the half-elf king of Lyonya. He must pull his kingdom together and get it ready for the invasion from neighbors that he expects. This is a difficult task. Elves refuse to get involved in human violence. His human subjects are content and used to many years of peace. The distrust the idea of a standing army and they distrust their elven neighbors.

With the ascendency of Kieri to the throne, someone must fill the positions he left, both of captain of the company and of Duke of Phelan, Kieri's former holding. People from within the company must be promoted to lead the cohorts in contracted duties. One cohort leader, Arcolin is chosen as next captain.

Another cohort leader, Dorrin Verrakai is chosen to rule over the Dukedom her family lost when they treasonably attempted to kill the king and rule. Dorrin has other problems. Because of her Verrakai blood, she is distrusted and feared. Her family were blood mages. She discovers that she too has magical ability. She discovers that her family has been using blood magic to prolong their lives by transferring their consciousness to other people, usually children.

The Verrakai family has used magic in another attempt to kill the royal family and their loyal followers.

This story stands alone. The reader need not have read the three novels in the original series to understand and appreciate this one. The action is fast paced. The characters well built and three dimensional. While Ms. Moon's work is always excellent, I believe this is her best to date and look forward to the sequels.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Moon Rides Again

A terrific book, after 20 years we can return to the world of Paksenarrion. You don't even need to read the earlier books since this is a new adventure using existing characters. I could not put it down. Moon has been successful with space adventure lately but is obviously just as at home with fantasy. The fans of Paks the paladin will not be disappointed at all. A book that will be enjoyed by any fantasy fan.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book for Paks fans!

The story is everything you should expect from the world created by Ellizabeth Moon. I highly recommend anyone that enjoyed The Deed of Paksennarion read this book! That being said, I can't stress enough how much a $14 ebook is ripping you off. There's no printing fees, no shipping fees, vertually no overhead at all for an ebooks production so anything over $8 is just plain greed in my humble opinion.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A welcome return to Paks' world!

A wonderful return to the world Elizabeth Moon made real in the Deed of Paksenarrion series. Old friends return with new lives, responsibilities, and challenges due to the actions taken by Paks at the end of the previous stories. Oathe of Fealty begins when Paks was in the hands of the tormentors for 5 days and nights; told from other characters' perspectives. It is not necessary to read the Deed of Paksenarrion series to enjoy this story...but why would you want to deprive yourself of one of the best reads of many decades? This story has many subplots going and it will fascinate and intrigue you from start to finish. The only problem? I can't wait until the next installment!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Can not wait for the next book

I really enjoyed the return of characters I already knew some what.
She left a number of plots hanging so makes me really want the next book. To me this shows a great series to come.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A return to a story and world last visited with the Paks series

Elizabeth Moon has a way with her stories. Her characters are so real that you feel with them. It is set in a world of hardships, there are kingdoms, great families, and even some elves. Her female character are some of best.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Good Story in the "Paks" tradition!

Great filling out of the characters from the prior "Paks" series. Good story line all on it's own. Two days to read it with interuptions. Do'n plan and going to bed the first night!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intricate and Intriguing

This is a great new beginning, I am anxious for the rest of this trilogy. This author has really grown in her writing style and her characters really stand out. Love It A Lot!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

More great reading from Elizabeth Moon

If you enjoyed The Deed of Paksenarrion, you don't need to be told to buy this one. Paks is back, though as a secondary character. The focus is on what happens to Kieri Phelan, unexpectedly named king of Lyonya, and two of the captains in his former mercenary company, Dorrin and Arcolin. The plot is strong and well-crafted, and the characters are wonderful. There are lots of interesting characters, each alive and distinct, and all of the ones we spend extended time with are honorable and intelligent (though they certainly don't always agree).

If you haven't already read Deed - perhaps you've read the science fiction Ms. Moon has been writing more recently - you don't have to read it before you read Oath of Fealty. I think you could jump in and enjoy this one without it. But I would recommend you read the other first.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well-written with Believable Characters

This book is a continuation of the "Paksenarrion" series. Even so, the author does a very good job of providing a sufficient backstory that this book can be read as a stand-alone story without missing anything substantial. Well-written with loose ends very well tied up at the end, even though it is clear that the story will continue in future books.

Check it out

This is my first read from Elizabeth Moon. Great read. Purchaced all ebooks in the series.

Awsome return to great series

I have loved this series ever since I came across it in the last few years. It is a shame B&N doesn't carry the rest of Moon's books but if anyone is interested in purchasing them you can buy them cheap on WebScription . net in any format for any device including epub for nook.

A Colossal Waste of Money!

Save your money or wait for the paperback. This novel features cookie-cutter characters with little or nothing to differentiate them, dull writing and a plot that is incomprehensible.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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