This is the second installment of Paladin’s Legacy and it continues the story of the people touched by the Paladin Paksenarrion and it takes up the rein just after the events in Oaths of Fealty.
The main character from Oaths of Fealty Dorrin Verrakai is now sworn in as Duke Verrakai of Tsaia and she continues to clean up after her horrible relatives and makes some intriguing finds. She also takes on squires and starts teaching the young nobles in a way that I found really enjoyable. I fell in love with her character in Oaths of Fealty but she is not as dominant here but I think it is all going to come together in the next book.
This is mostly about King Kieri Phelan of Lyonya, Paks former leader and the troubles he faces. The Lady, his Elven co-ruler and grandmother is evasive and avoids him. Things between elves and humans are far from good. He continues to learn about and to connect to the taig, the force of the land. No one around him fails to notice he is unmarried and has no heirs and they want him to marry. Then two princesses arrive from his unfriendly southern neighbors and put him in trouble that threatens war. There is lots of fun here and also a well deserved love story.
Count Jeddrin Andressat of Arrenis is the second prominent character, somewhat surprisingly after his discovery of the true history of his people. Alured the Black is making a bid for power in the south and has started to prepare for war with the North. The more and more humbled Jeddrin sets out to warn them traveling incognito which also is entertaining to read about.
I enjoyed reading this book, the characters comes to feel like family members, you get to know them and you root for them. There is warmth and love at the same time it is thrilling and perilous. Even minor characters like Arvid of the Thieves Guild and Marshal-General Arianya stays on in fond memory.
There is an overall arc about those strange artifacts Paks found and the rightful heir to them that I think will be resolved in the next book. The lore of Paksworld continues to grow and there is an intriguing short story at the end.
Kings of the North is sprinkled with strong vibrant female characters. It is thrilling with assassination attempts, undercover kings, love, fire and dragons at the same time warm and caring. Elizabeth Moon is a master of characters and don’t get me started on her world building. I just wish it was March 2012 so I could read her next novel Crisis of Vision.
This is the best fantasy book I read this year so far and I recommend it with my whole heart. It is not a standalone book, you should start with Deed of Paksenarrion and Oath of Fealty.
Book information
Kings of the North (Paladin’s Legacy book 2) by Elizabeth Moon – Orbit 2011 – Copy bought from Amazon UK
They face brigands, broken alliances and the power of dragons.
King Kieri’s realm has been destabilised by political wrangling and his court is blind to the dangers – until an assassination attempt on their king. And when this backfires, Kieri’s enemies start planning an invasion using dragonfire, a force unseen for hundreds of years.
In King Mikeli’s adjoining kingdom, his crown is threatened by a bandit prince. Alured the Black claims his lineage gives him dominion over all the lands. His ambition is boundless, his methods are ruthless and he will not be swayed from his goal, whether or not it undermines a region already on the brink of war. Dark mages also watch for weakness and hunger for their own lost powers. The Kings of the North must plan wisely, as disaster is a sword’s breadth away.
This is the cover for the new Paladin’s Legacy book Kings of The North. Elizabeth uncovered it herself today on her website Paksworld. It is expected to be published in the US by Del Rey March 22 and in the UK by Orbit March 24 next year. I loved Oath of Fealty (Paladin’s Legacy book 1) and I will definitely get this one. I assume this is the US cover though if I remember correctly the last book had the same cover in both UK and the US.
King Kieri’s realm has been destabilised by political wrangling and his court is blind to the dangers – until an assassination attempt on their king. And when this backfires, Kieri’s enemies start planning an invasion using dragonfire, a force unseen for hundreds of years. In King Mikeli’s adjoining kingdom, his crown is threatened by a bandit prince. Alured the Black claims his lineage gives him dominion over all the lands. His ambition is boundless, his methods are ruthless and he will not be swayed from his goal, whether or not it undermines a region already on the brink of war. Dark mages also watch for weakness and hunger for their own lost powers. The Kings of the North must plan wisely, as disaster is a sword’s breadth away.
Opposite many others I came to Elizabeth Moon’s [profile] writings trough her Science Fiction, then to her fantasy works. Me and my friends love her books. This is the first book in her new fantasy series Paladin’s Legacy that continues the story after her acclaimed and popular the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy. Elizabeth has a knack for writing really lovable characters and this return to Paks’ world is no exception.
Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.
Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title—and enemies—in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies—and those he has not yet discovered.
Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival—and that of Tsaia—depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.
Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister—and far more ancient—than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit—and beyond.
It was with great anticipation I opened the package from amazon and beheld this shiny new book from Orbit. It even arrived the correct day, good job Royal Mail. I started reading almost immateriality. The Dramatis Personae was quite extensive followed by little more facts about the main cast.
Kieri Phelan – the lost heir of to the kingdom of Lyonya former mercenary commander and duke.
Jandalir Arcolin – Kieri’s second in command now has to pick up the duke’s reins.
Dorrin Verrakai – outlawed by her magic wielding family now a captain in the company
Mikeli Vostan Kirieli – crown prince of Tsaia about to be crowned king
Paksenarrion (Paks) – Paladin of Gird, former mercenary in the Dike’s company
This is mostly the story of Dorrin and Jandalir who both has to shoulder responsibilities and roles they never expected. They have to overcome numerous obstacles and they both grow immensely. Dorrin has to face both her family and her own magical abilities. While Jandalir has to take charge of the Mercenary Company, become a Duke and protect some villages against bandits.
Kieri and Mikeli are both new rulers that face similar problems but from a different starting point, both countries are threatened in some way or another, there isn’t so much resolution on their part as on Dorrin and Jandalir’s part but that feels right for a trilogy. We have something to look forward to in book two and three.
Paks is in the story but as a minor character.
Elizabeth usually have some crafty old ladies in her stories, at least in her SF, here there is a formidable enemy ambassador to Phelans crowning cermony.
Elizabeth Moon is a fantastic story teller with vivid hearty characters you can’t help falling in love with, which she proves again with Oath of Fealty a mature, competent andfulfilling read. Oath of Fealty is a great start of a series that also works as a standalone book. You can read it without first reading Deeds of Paks but you will get greater satisfaction from it if you do.
Good timing by amazon this time. Two books arrived today.
Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon
Perfectly timed this time by amazon, the parcel arrived on time. I feel a quick read coming up.
Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.
Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title—and enemies—in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies—and those he has not yet discovered.
Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival—and that of Tsaia—depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.
Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister—and far more ancient—than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit—and beyond.
The Crucible of Empire by Eric Flint & K. D. Wentworth
Also arrived on time, another long awaited book. Loved the first book.
When humans and their Jao overlords joined forces in a desperate battle to save the Earth from the malevolent race called the Ekhat, the relationship between the two species was changed forever. Two years later, humans and Jao are learning to work in an uneasy alliance. Then, in a distant nebula, three Jao ships detect signs of another sentient species during a battle with the Ekhat. Only one of the ships returns, with most of its crew or injured.
Earth’s Preceptor Ronz suspects the unknown species was actually the Lleix, a name out of the Jao’s past, and an ancient shame from the period in their development when they themselves were still ruled by the maniacal Ekhat.
Ronz sends the Lexington, a massive ship built on Earth and crewed by both human and Jao, to investigate. The Lexington dwarfs any ship ever built by the Jao and even outmasses Ekhat ships, which may enable it to survive the attack that destroyed two of the three Jao ships. But if the expedition does find a surviving remnant of the Leleix, will the survivors trust the Jao? And should they?
Lets have a look at March for books. I usually check my pre-orders mid February and then revisit the list by March 1. This is the revisit I have added quite a few interesting books since mid February.
Books I have on Order
The Crucible of Empire
by Eric Flint & K. D. Wentworth Empire Series 2
This is a book I am very exited about. The characterization and alien point of view from the last book in the series were fantastic [review]. The blurb is weirdly short and uninformative, rumor says Eric is very busy but is there no one else to write one?
The sequel to the critically acclaimed The Course of the Empire.
Trade of Queens by Charles Stross Merchant Princes 6
A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.
The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain–which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.
Coyote Destiny by Allen Steele Coyote 7 (or 5 if you don’t count the stand alone books)
The unexpected arrival of a ship from Earth after their long isolation from their home world leaves the inhabitants of Coyote both hopeful and wary. The lone passenger brings news-both good and bad.
The good news is that there was a survivor of the long-ago explosion of the Robert E. Lee and he is living still on Earth, in the ruined city called Boston. The bad news is that the person responsible for that act of terrorism is also still alive-and somewhere on Coyote…
Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon Paksenarrion universe
Elizabeth Moon is one of my favorite authors, so this is a must.
Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.
Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title—and enemies—in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies—and those he has not yet discovered.
Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival—and that of Tsaia—depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.
Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister—and far more ancient—than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit—and beyond.
Citizens
Edited by John Ringo & Brian M. Thomsen Military science fiction by military veterans
It was the really impressive list of authors I like that got me to order this one.
Citizens is a new kind of science fiction anthology. The names appearing between its covers are not only veteran authors, among the very best in the field, they are military veterans as well. New York Times bestselling author John Ringo (a veteran of the 82nd Airborne) and Brian M. Thomsen, a Hugo finalist and one of the most respected editors in the field, have selected a treasure trove of gems written by writers who know first hand what it means to wear their country’s uniform. Among the top writers appearing in Citizens are Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Elizabeth Moon, Gordon R. Dickson, David Drake, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison, Keith Laumer, Frederik Pohl, Jerry Pournelle, Gene Wolfe, and more, nearly all authors of bestsellers, and recipients of Hugo and Nebula awards.
Other Books of Interest
Mindover Over Ship
by David Marusek Counting Heads? book 2
“David Marusek is one of the best-kept secrets of science fiction, a wild talent with a Gibson-grade imagination and marvelous prose, and a keen sense of human drama that makes it all go”
–Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother
The year is 2135, and the international program to seed the galaxy with human colonies has stalled as greedy, immoral powerbrokers park their starships in Earth’s orbit and begin to convert them into space condos. Ellen Starke’s head, rescued from the fiery crash that killed her mother, struggles to regrow a new body in time to restore her dead mother’s financial empire. And Pre-Singularity AIs conspire to join the human race just as human clones, such as Mary Skarland and her sisters, want nothing more than to leave it.
Welcome to Mind Over Ship, the sequel to Marusek’s stunning debut novel, Counting Heads, which Publishers Weekly called “ferociously smart, simultaneously horrific and funny.”
Epitaph Road
by David Patneaude
This sounds different, I am tempted to order it now.
2097 is a transformed world. Thirty years earlier, a mysterious plague wiped out 97 percent of the male population, devastating every world system from governments to sports teams, and causing both universal and unimaginable grief. In the face of such massive despair, women were forced to take over control of the planet–and in doing so they eliminated all of Earth’s most pressing issues. Poverty, crime, warfare, hunger . . . all gone.
But there’s a price to pay for this new “utopia,” which fourteen-year-old Kellen is all too familiar with. Every day, he deals with life as part of a tiny minority that is purposefully kept subservient and small in numbers. His career choices and relationship options are severely limited and controlled. He also lives under the threat of scattered recurrences of the plague, which seem to pop up wherever small pockets of men begin to regroup and grow in numbers.
And then one day, his mother’s boss, an iconic political figure, shows up at his home. Kellen overhears something he shouldn’t–another outbreak seems to be headed for Afterlight, the rural community where his father and a small group of men live separately from the female-dominated society. Along with a few other suspicious events, like the mysterious disappearances of Kellen’s progressive teacher and his Aunt Paige, Kellen is starting to wonder whether the plague recurrences are even accidental. No matter what the truth is, Kellen cares only about one thing–he has to save his father.
Pinion by Jay Lake
Another tempting book, this one is a steampunk, got to order the other book first…
“The delight is in what’s seen en route, as Lake has configured his world-dominating empires, one British, the other Chinese, with huge and devoted attention to the last detail. The delight of the next volume–prefigured with unrelenting clarity in Escapement’s final pages–should be the discovery that the destination adds up.” –Washington Post Book World on Escapement
Rejoin the Librarian and the Chinese submarine captain, the British sailor, the clockwork man, and the young sorceress who has gone south of the great equatorial wall. This adventure in Lake’s Clockwork Earth continues the tale begun in Escapement.
“The very cosmology of this world is an enigmatic astonishment, and it underpins every single bit of action and character….Lake has a ball transporting his characters up and down this magnificent world, subjecting them to all sorts of perils and escapes in a wild variety of settings. His three main protagonists all exhibit distinct and memorable personalities that allow us to filter their world through three prisms of intelligence and attitude….Fantasy has always been “escapist” in the best sense of the word, and Lake engineers a fine tale of humans in search of liberation from the clockwork and customs that ensnare them and us as well.” –Sci-Fi Weekly on Escapement
The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
Starred Review. Palmer’s dazzling debut explodes with energy and invention on almost every page. In a steampunky alternate reality, genius inventor Prospero Taligent promises the 100 kids he’s invited to his daughter Miranda’s birthday party that they will have their “heart’s desires fulfilled.” When young Harold Winslow says he wants to be a storyteller, he sets in motion an astonishing plot that will eventually find him imprisoned aboard a giant zeppelin, the Chrysalis, powered by Taligent’s greatest invention, a (probably faulty) perpetual motion machine. As Harold tells his story from his airborne prison, a fantastic and fantastical account unfolds: cities full of Taligent’s mechanical men, a virtual island where Harold and Miranda play as children, the Kafkaesque goings-on in the boiler rooms and galleries of Taligent’s tower. Harold’s narration is interspersed with dreams, diary entries, memos and monologues from the colorful supporting cast, and the dialogue, both overly formal and B-movie goofy (“I’m afraid the death rays are just a bunch of science fiction folder”), offers comic counterpoint. This book will immediately connect with fans of Neal Stephenson and Alfred Bester, and will surely win over readers who’d ordinarily pass on anything remotely sci-fi.
Fledgling by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller A New Liaden Universe Novel
Theo Waitley has lived all her young life on Delgado, a Safe World that is home to one of the galaxy’s premier institutions of higher learning. Both Theo’s mother, Kamele, and Kamele’s onagrata Jen Sar Kiladi, are professors at the university, and they all live comfortably together, just like they have for all of Theo’s life, in Jen Sar’s house at the outskirts of town.
Suddenly, though, Theo’s life changes. Kamele leaves Jen Sar and moves herself and Theo back into faculty housing, which is not what Theo is used to. Once settled back inside the Wall, Kamele becomes embroiled in faculty politics, and is appointed sub-chair of her department. Meanwhile, Theo, who has a notation in her file indicating that she is “physically challenged” has a series of misadventures, including pulling her best friend down on the belt-ride to class, and hurting a team mate during a scavage game.
With notes piling up in her file, Theo only wants to go “home,” to the house in the suburbs, and have everything just like it used to be.
Then, Kamele uncovers evidence of possible dishonest scholarship inside of her department. In order to clear the department, she and a team of senior professors must go off-world to perform a forensic document search. Theo hopes this will mean that she’ll be left in the care of the man she calls “Father,” Professor Kiladi, and is horrified to learn that Kamele means to bring Theo with her!
This is the second installment of Paladin’s Legacy and it continues the story of the people touched by the Paladin Paksenarrion and it takes up the rein just after the events in Oaths of Fealty.
Opposite many others I came to Elizabeth Moon’s [
The Crucible of Empire by Eric Flint & K. D. Wentworth
Crucible of Empire
Trade of Queens
)
Pinion
Science Fiction Podcasts
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