She had no time to look for Stammel or Arcolin; she could hear
nothing now but the crowd. They had broken through the ring in many
places, now, and streamed away from the market, lurching and falling
in their panic. A child stumbled into her and fell, grabbing at her
tunic as he went down, screaming shrilly. Paks had no hand to spare
for him, and he disappeared under the hurrying feet.
WARNING!
This is the second book in a trilogy, and reading this review without
having read book one and two might spoil some of your fun.
The story:
Though Paks love the military life, and respects her officers, and not
the least, she respects Duke Phelan, she grows discontent. The
company has allies whom she cannot accept, and she decides to leave
the company, at least for a time.
She leaves, and on her way, she meets both Elves and Dwarves, as well as Girdsmen, Falkians and Kuakkganni. She finally finds what she has been looking for, among the Girdsmen, and she starts training to become a Paladin. But Paladins make enemies, and Paladins in training are so much more vulnerable...
Thoughts about the book:
The quality and details of a military life continues in the second
book of The Deed of Paksenarrion. And now a new element is
added; in Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Paladins were mentioned, but we
never got to know them. Now, Paks gets to know them, and those who
train with them.
In this book, the battle between Good and Evil becomes clearer, as is Paksenarrion's role. But people are still humans, and always there is a reminder that everyone makes mistakes, even Paladins.
And the end of this book always, still, after reading it so many times, makes me weep. There is courage, and despair, and love there, in a magnificent mix that makes it difficult to put the book away.
About the author Elizabeth
Moon
About the previous book, Sheepfarmer's
Daughter
About the next book, Oath of Gold
starcat@starcat.rlyeh.net