Elizabeth Moon - Deed of Paksenarrion

You're so right. Both that Luap needed a kick in the butt (he got several, but didn't benefit from them) and that the book is seriously flawed. Luap is a classic tragic protagonist with a fatal flaw, doomed if he can't overcome it--and he didn't--with the necessary result. It would've been a tragedy anyway, but I had started it before my mother died--and went back to it too soon after--so it was darkened even more by grief reaction. In addition, the failure of the book that should have completed that group, Gird's daughter's book, to make it past a couple of chapters, left what was intended as the darker middle third as the final half.
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Interesting. So.... not as if you didn't have enough to do, Elizabeth, would you ever consider a rewrite - an author's preferred cut, if you like? Robert Heinlein's done it, Ray Feist's done it, Stephen King's done it.... and if you're not happy with it, you surely have the right to rearrange it?

Having said that, I do know authors out there who say once it's done, it's done... move on!

Mark
 
I think it's too far back to re-enter, Mark. I'm not the same person I was then--lots of water not written about flowed under a number of bridges, some of them now burnt. Moreover, I don't really want to re-enter the state of mind it would take to work it organically. I wish that at some point I'd been able to write Rahel's book, which began very strongly and then died on me...I've restarted that one several times with no success whatsoever. So I think the deep history is what it is, and that's the best I can do.

The later history, though, is being a lot of fun, even the gruesome parts. Seeing Paks from the outside is strange (!) and I doubt she'll consent to be a viewpoint character again, but the others are both challenging and rewarding to get into. One of the most surprising things is that I managed to set almost all the "connectors" for the books I would write 20+ years down the line. I wasn't planning sequels. I wasn't thinking about anything but the immediate story and its complicated setting. But there they were when I needed them. (What wasn't there were the notebooks of background material I carefully put away "somewhere.")
 
My partner just finished reading Liar's Oath yesterday. I managed to pry the story line out of him with squeals of "But I won't actually read it. I want to know!!!" He finally relented. I think I punched him in the arm.

At any rate, what he told me started turning the wheels. I mean, the prologue of Liar's Oath kind of gives the impression that a certain something is going to happen in Oath of Fealty. Then,

the dark elves/unsingers/tree haters (I forget how to spell Moon's version of the name kuak- something or other) are most likely going to make an appearance, since Paks or Phelan or someone is going to be going to the stronghold to get them some mages from suspended animation. That evil's been awakened once more, I think, from Pak's sojourn there.
 
Thanks for putting the spoiler blackout there!

Actually, the spoiler stuff doesn't happen yet, so it's really good you blacked it out. My original thought was that some of that would happen in book two or three, but too much was going on in book one, and we aren't there yet.

The Salmon of Wisdom grabbed one of the less obvious hooks and ran with it. And then another one. And then...

But ultimately, Stuff Mentioned Before will happen. If you didn't read Before, that's just fine. Heh...heh...heh... (Never mind the old lady cackling in the corner...she's perfectly harmless...she's not the old lady you were looking for...)
 
What an coincidental thread.... I haven't been on for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to make a quick share of what I found in the bookstore the other day... and lo' and behold, the perfect thread to share it.

I just picked up a paperback version Divided Allegiance from Half Price Books on Tuesday, and when I opened it up on Thurday, I found an extra gift...

an autographed copy! At least, I assume it was a real signature. I assume it was from a book signing years ago, as it's a simple "For (I'll leave the name out), Best Wishes, Elizabeth Moon". I thought it was pretty cool.

Ms. Moon, I'm sorry that I you don't get a royalty on the second hand market; but you have very nice handwriting. I'm only a few pages in, but I look forward to getting through the entire cycle.
 
No problem. I didn't want to ruin anything for anyone with my suppositions. It's just nice to know I'm right. Hahaha.
 
Some readers have good instincts that way...and some don't. My mother-in-law was convinced that Paks would marry the Duke.
 
Ha-HAH!!! Guess what I found and was peeking at. Mrs. PW doesn't call me Cheater-Peter for nothing (well, that's actually for card playing, but, whatever).
 
The irony here is, I finally got around to buying a somewhat battered copy of the first book online, then I find out a days later that the books are being re-released. :p
 
I finished up Oath of Fealty on Saturday and really enjoyed it. It was a bit different than I expected it to be, but the pages were turning rather quickly. I'm both looking forward to the next book and catching up with The Deed of Paksenarrion omnibus.

I'll be posting a review once the pub date gets a little closer.
 
Rob, I don't know if it's appropriate to comment at all on this thread, but as a potentially useful data point for both readers and writers....writers are sponges. They absorb what they live through. Over 25 years more living went into the new books, and (since the POV characters are much older than Paks) that seemed appropriate. The person I was in 1982 could not have written these books. The person I am now could not write the books I wrote then.

So there's not (I don't think) a simple straight line between those and these and thus surprises (to readers with an expectation) are inevitable. And for those who are starting to write...don't expect that what you live through won't change your books, because it will. It should.

If I should not have commented, feel free to delete the comment and tell me so. No offense will be taken.
 
No problem Mrs. Moon, it is interesting to get that kind of insight.

I don't know that my expectations were really fair, since this was my exposure to your work. Let's just say that not meeting expectations can be a good thing, and was in this case. :)
 
Rob B said:
I finished up Oath of Fealty on Saturday and really enjoyed it. It was a bit different than I expected it to be, but the pages were turning rather quickly. I'm both looking forward to the next book and catching up with The Deed of Paksenarrion omnibus.

I'll be posting a review once the pub date gets a little closer.
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As promised, here's that review, here's a teaser:

Rob B said:
While I can’t compare Oath of Fealty to the earlier books set in this world in any way, I can say the book was well written and really had me hooked once Dorrin fully asserted herself as Duke. It was an exhilarating scene and the sense of nervousness Dorren felt was counterbalanced by her own assertiveness when she finally made her power as Duke known to those who challenged it. While this occurred towards the middle of the book, it carried on very nicely through to the end of the novel.
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I read these the first year I was married because my lovely bride requried it. The trilogy is among her absolute favorite books. She's completely freaking out about the new one, and I have to go pick it up for her. She's on bed rest this week (she has pulmonary fibrosis) and I guess I'll be reading part of it aloud, since she can't sit up that long.

About two weeks ago she wrote a column on her Young Adult writer's blog about the new book and totally wigged. LOL
 
Been hearing good things about Oath of Fealty. I haven't read Deed of Paksennarion yet, but if the good word from Oath of Fealty continues I might have no choice but to read it sooner rather than later.
 
B,
You won't regret it. While Oath of Fealty can be read without the original trilogy, you'd have a deeper appreciation for it after having read The Deed of Paksenarrion. It's surprising to me that, after a 20 year lay off from Pak's world, Moon picks right up where she left off. The impressions I got, in the first chapter, from Arcolin and Cracolnya were very familiar - as though the author had only finished The Deed of Paksenarrion a year or two ago and has just released the latest installment.
 
I finished Oath of Fealty the other day. Reviewed it on the blog. My thoughts:

Caution: While this novel is self contained and does not require the reader to have read The Deed of Paksenarrion, this review contains spoilers for the original trilogy, since the book continues where Deed left off, albeit with the supporting characters of Deed in the spotlight. It also contains loads of ranting about how much I loved it. If you have not read The Deed of Paksenarrion, and wish to do so without an inkling of how the events in those books turn out, then this review is not for you.

I was introduced to the work of Elizabeth Moon by our own Peter William sometime last year. He urged me to read Moon's fantasy trilogy, The Deed of Paksenarrion. In need of something new to read, I armed myself with my wallet and bus token, and journeyed to the bookstore. When I arrived at the fantasy shelves, I scoured the spines for Moon's name. It wasn't there. So, I decided to make use of a computer terminal and see if they carried her work. They did, but only her science fiction. Desperate for the new, I decided to try out her Vatta's War series. I actually bought the entire series in paperback that day. I hemmed and hawed about buying so many books by an author I'd never read, but there is nothing worse, to me at least, than finishing a book of a series, and not having the next one to continue. Especially if it's a weekend and you have hours upon hours in which to sprawl on the couch and immerse yourself in fiction. Besides, I flipped through the first book and scanned its pages for a large chunk of dialogue. It passed the test. The dialogue was crisp, sharp and realistic. So, I took the chance and bought them all. I left nothing of Moon's work on the shelves.

I was not disappointed. I finished the series in a little of a week and then promptly ordered the omnibus version of The Deed of Paksenarrion, as well as the Legacy of Gird duology. A few days later, the mailman knocked on the door and handed my dishevelled and groggy self a package. I immediately set to work and began reading The Deed of Paksenarrion.

I fell in love. It was fantastic. It was exciting. It completely borrowed from the dungeons and dragons universe - something of which I believe belongs in my video games, but not on the page - but I didn't care. It was so well done that it had me on the edge of my seat. I thought it was great.

Then I tried my hand at the Legacy of Gird. Meh. Not so much. It was better than the cover of the omnibus suggested (the cover is an atrocity, let me tell you. Poor Elizabeth Moon.), but honestly, I'd only recommend the duology if you're a fan and want to see where Paks' god came from. Or, if you want hints as to where this new trilogy is heading. There's a rather large hint in the prologue of Liar's Oath, actually. It suggests some very exciting stuff. And I'm excited.

Oath of Fealty did not disappoint my expectations. I was expecting a fast-paced adventure story with sword fighting, a conservative amount of magic and lots of plot. And from what I had been reading, a whole new trilogy set in Paks' world, but not a whole lot of Paks herself. That's exactly what I got: a self-contained continuation of the events of where Paks' world left off, full of adventure, intrigue and lurking evil. (That's what evil does, it lurks. Menacingly.)

At the beginning of Oath of Fealty, there is a character list, a map, and an aptly named Author's Note entitled "What Has Gone Before", which, as the title suggests, gives the reader a run down of what occurred in The Deed of Paksenarrion. I like that. It allows Elizabeth Moon to get down to the nitty gritty of the story, without bogging it down with background information. For the people who have read her other work, it is a blessing, and for the people who haven't, it's probably a blessing as well. I did try to approach the novel as a person new to the world of Paksenarrion would, for purposes of this review, but it was hard. Especially since I have read a total of five novels in this setting. I tried though. One thing I think might be a little troubling for someone new to the world, is the unapologetic way in which Moon states facts, and does not explain. She happily places characters who appeared in The Deed of Paksenarrion into the narrative and gives only a line or two stating who they are. For those of us who have read the other story, we know exactly who they are, but, perhaps, people who haven't might have to piece the puzzle together for themselves, with help from the handy dramatis personae. I say perhaps, because I truly don't know. I've read the books. I just noticed that she did not lallygag with information about the characters' pasts, which I was grateful for. I don't know about you, but I don't really like it when an author goes on with information about characters I already know.

Like all of Moon's work, Oath of Fealty was fast-paced and full of action. The first fifty pages or so contained more action than a lot of fantasy books contain in a novel. I'm not talking battling armies and sword-fights-on-staircases type of action, but court politics, magic, and some pretty vile violence of the "I'm going to stab you in the back" variety. The rest of the book was paced evenly. There was always something going on, something holding my interest. The story never lulled or took a standstill. That's a good thing. I will say, however, just to voice a little gripe of a fangirl, I thought the quick paced action took a little away from the character of Dorrin, who was once a captain of the mercenary-turned-king, Keiri Phelan. I won't go into detail, for fear of ruining the story, but let's just say that there was a scene that could easily have been elongated. It would have added depth to her character, I think. I understand that it would have slowed the story down a little bit, but I don't think that would have been much of an issue with the amount of plot points and twists the novel took. Elizabeth Moon's quick pacing suits her space opera, but this is epic fantasy, and I honestly believe that it would have helped those readers new to the world understand the characters of both Dorrin and Paksenarrion a little better. It would also make a fan of The Deed of Paksenarrion happy.

And that brings me to the character of Paksenarrion, a paladin. The original trilogy tells of how she became one. Now she is one, and now she is a supporting character. She does not appear often, and when she does, she does not command the page. But she's not supposed to. She's a paladin, guided by Gird, her patron god. She's different from the rest of society. Paksenarrion sits on the periphery of the Important People's circle, guiding them when Gird decides to give her insight. Instead of being the weapon, the one who instigates the action, she is now the Trusted Councilor who is only sometimes present. This is fine with me. It suits her.

Moon's style of writing is efficient and straight to the point. She doesn't waffle with poetics and literary devices. She's too busy telling a story. While I love myself some poetics, I also love head-on prose that still conveys meaning. I think it's harder to pull off, honestly.

I loved this book. It begins the story of What Happened After the Hero Completed His, or in this case, Her, Quest. It looks at the aftermath and the political ramifications of such an event. Elizabeth Moon stayed true to the characters and world. She left us with tantalizing plot threads to be enjoyed in the next installment. For the those who read the Paks books when they were first released, I believe that Oath of Fealty is worth the twenty year wait.
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Rob B said:
I I'm both looking forward to ... catching up with The Deed of Paksenarrion omnibus.
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Almost a year and a half later...I started the omnibus a couple of days ago and the story/writing/character pulled me into its grasp quickly. I like Paks's development through the story and though she does come out on top quite often, it isn't after suffering a great deal.
 
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