The Deed of Paksenarrion

The Deed of Paksenarrion is an epic fantasy saga by the American author Elizabeth Moon. The Deed of Paksenarrion was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992 by Baen. The three books included are Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold. Sheepfarmer's Daughter was awarded the Compton Crook Award by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society for the author's first fantasy novel.^[1]

A single volume prequel about the life of Paksenarrion's guiding saint was published in 1990, followed by a sequel tying characters from both works together.

A new series is set immediately after The Deed of Paksenarrion: it includes five volumes, released in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Publications

The original trilogy and the two Gird-related books were first published as mass market paperbacks, before being collected as trade paperback omnibus editions. The new series is being published in hardcover.

The Deed of Paksenarrion

• The Deed of Paksenarrion omnibus (February 1992), hardcover (October 2003)

1. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter (ISBN 978-0-671-65416-0, June 1988)
2. Divided Allegiance (ISBN 978-0-671-69786-0, October 1988)
3. Oath of Gold (ISBN 978-0-671-69798-3, January 1989)

• “Those Who Walk in Darkness” (March 1990) – short story set during Oath of Gold, included in the collections Lunar Activity and Phases

The Legacy of Gird

• The Legacy of Gird (published as A Legacy of Honour in the UK) omnibus (ISBN 978-0-671-87747-7, September 1996)

1. Surrender None (ISBN 978-0-671-69878-2, June 1990) – prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion
2. Liar's Oath (ISBN 978-0-671-72117-6, May 1992) – sequel to both Surrender None and The Deed of Paksenarrion

Paladin's Legacy

1. Oath of Fealty (ISBN 978-0-345-50874-4, March 2010)
2. Kings of the North (ISBN 978-0-345-50875-1, March 2011)
3. Echoes of Betrayal (ISBN 978-0-345-50876-8, March 2012)
4. Limits of Power (ISBN 978-0-345-53306-7, June 2013)
5. Crown of Renewal (ISBN 978-0-356-50130-7, May 2014)

Synopsis

The Deed of Paksenarrion was written as one long story, but published as three separate books.

The Deed of Paksenarrion revolves around the adult life of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, known as Paks, of Three Firs. It takes place in a fictional medieval world of kingdoms of humans, dwarves, gnomes and elves.

The story begins by introducing Paks as a headstrong girl of 18, who leaves her home in Three Firs (fleeing a marriage arranged by her father) to join a mercenary company and through her journeys and hardships comes to realize that she has been gifted as a paladin, if in a rather non-traditional way. The deed of the story is that she comes to recognize that her first commander, Duke Kieri Phelan, who was given his dukedom because of his military skill, is actually the rightful heir, by blood, of the kingdom of Lyonya. She also convinces the elves, who knew of Kieri's ancestry, but had not told others of it, that he is actually worthy to be king of this kingdom, which includes both elves and humans. Paksenarrion works, fights, and sacrifices herself until she can see Kieri established as Lyonya's king, over the opposition of evil forces, or gods, and evil humans.

Themes

The Deed of Paksenarrion has an engrossing religious theme. The world is presented as henotheistic; there is a "High Lord" followed by supposedly lesser deities and saints, such as Gird, Falk, etc., who serve it. There are also several references to the World tree and other animistic aspects of the natural world. This work encompasses themes such as "Hero as Redeemer" and "Hero as Saint" as described in Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The trilogy also deals with the concepts of absolute good versus absolute evil, the death of friends and loved ones, and an enlightened look into the origin of courage and fear.

One of the most significant themes of The Deed of Paksenarrion is the balance of gender and the role of women. Women are portrayed as powerful leaders and strong fighters. They are accepted and praised as much as men. The book's protagonist is female, as is the Marshall-General of the fellowship of Gird, the book's primary religious sect.

References

External links

• The Legend of Paksenarrion at Elizabethmoon.com
• The Paksenarrion World Chronicles