Wind Rider's Oath

War God #3

by David Weber

In The War God's Own, Bahzell had managed to stop a war by convincing Baron Tellian, leader of the Sothoii, to "surrender" to him, the War God's champion. Now, he has journeyed to the Sothoii Wind Plain to oversee the parole he granted to Tellian and his men, to represent the Order of Tomanak, the War God, and to be an ambassador for the hradani. What's more, the flying coursers of the Sothoii have accepted Bahzell as a wind rider-the first hradani wind rider in history. And since the wind riders are the elite of the elite among the Sothoii, Bahzell's ascension is as likely to stir resentment as respect. That combination of duties would have been enough to keep anyone busy-even a warrior prince like Bahzell-but additional complications are bubbling under the surface. The goddess Shigu, the Queen of Hell, is sowing dissension among the war maids of the Sothoii. The supporters of the deposed Sothoii noble who started the war are plotting to murder their new leige lord and frame Bahzell for the deed. Of course, those problems are all in a day's work for a champion of the War God.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Ebooks, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction

570 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.

Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.

One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.

Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent tale of courage, determination, and honor! 7/23/17 reread.

[Economondos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book of the War God series splits focus between Prince Bahzell and Dame Kaeritha, both champions of the God of Justice. This is a well-built fantasy world with an interesting history and cultures. The tense atmosphere of defending the innocent from followers of the Dark Gods keeps the stakes high and most of the book moves quickly from encounter to encounter. Using paladins to settle legal disputes is an interesting twist on most fantasy conventions. Overall, a recommended book. 3.75/5

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this story as much as the other books. Too much politics!

[Keziah Jensen-Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like a big change. The villain from the previous books has been vanquished and so now Weber is bringing in a new, larger, villain. He also adds a lot more politics and three viewpoints, which makes the book harder to follow. While still enjoyable, it's not my favorite of the series.

[Jess Mahler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the basic premise of this series, making the hero an orc. (yes, Weber calls them hradani. Any fantasy fan will recognize orcs in the hradani stereotypes). That simple twist brings a refreshing and original feel to the classic fantasy world populated with dwarves, elves, halflings, and more meddling gods than you can shake a stick at.

The usual fantasy tropes abound, along with the usual all-white cast and patriarchal society. Though Weber also manages to turn that last around somewhat with the war maid society he introduces.

All in all, an enjoyable read with compelling characters that avoids some of the worst cliches of the genre and has some original twists on an old story.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I've been put off by this series for years by the ridiculous cover art. I guess the old adage about book covers is true because the series has been great.

[Jon]

Weber, I believe, really began to hit his stride as an author at about the same time as Windrider's Oath was published. His Honor Harrington novels were showing a deep complexity, with a well-imagined social and political back story, and antagonists within the plot line who had their own deep motivations, aside from being foils for Honor and her friends. We begin to see the same depth and richness appear in the War God series in this iteration, as well, though there were certainly indications of a broader story arc and deeper plot all along.

Bahzell, Brandark and Kaeretha are right in the middle of things up on the Wind Plain, as Bahzell has become an unofficial ambassador between the hradani and the windriders, or Sothoii, in Baron Tellian's court. The Sothoii who have objections to making peace with the hradani after centuries are, for the most part, quite loudly and openly making their opinions heard, but there are also those who are engaging in guerrilla warfare against those who want peace, and darker conspiracies are underfoot, and there are subtle intimations that the dark gods are involved in stirring up trouble in the kingdom, too.

Weber displays in this novel another one of the traits that he's known for - splitting the action into multiple plot lines, centered on different protagonists. Bahzell and Brandark head away from the capital city of the Sothoii to a Lord Edinghas holdings, where there has been an attack on a herd of Coursers, supernaturally augmented horses who are the companions to those humans who have been chosen by the gods to be wind riders. Kaeritha heads to Kalatha, where a dispute between the local lord, Trisu, and the War Maids may be getting out of hand, and Leeanna, daughter of Baron Tellian, flees the prospect of a politically arranged marriage to ask for asylum in Kalatha and to join the War Maids. We also see another plot line developing, centered on the priests and priestesses of the dark gods, who have their own plans for the Wind Plain, mostly revolving around destabilization and destruction of our heroes' friends' lives and domains.

An interesting philosophical/theological point from the book:

"We need to be able to stand on our own two feet, and if we started to rely on Him for explicit instructions on everything we're supposed to be doing, how long would it be before we couldn't accomplish anything without those instructions? He expects us to be bright enough to figure out our duty without his constant prompting."
A good way for the follower of any god to live their life, I think.

A fun passage about how we often assume things about others' motivations:

"Cunning and intelligent the nobleman might be, but what he'd just said showed an alarming ability to project his own deviousness and inherent dishonesty onto others, whether it was merited or not...but automatically assuming that those same qualities were what motivated an opponent, especially a powerful opponent like Wencit of Rum, was dangerous. Success required that enemies not be underestimated or discounted."

And one of the wisest things any character of Weber's has ever said:

"Any man who has his wits about him ought to be smart enough to know a wife with brains at least as good as his own is a treasure."

[Ganesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a drag through 70% of the book as the story meandered around introducing various characters and their motivations. The political aspects of the story had to be laid out well before it could move forward. However, the characters themselves were well written and I could appreciate the various shades of personality the writer had managed to give them individually considering the sheer number of them introduced in the book. Even ones with all of a single paragraph of story to their name were written with sympathy and you felt a bit of yourself leave with them as they were hastily sent away.

The arc of Kaeritha has to be the best in this volume as she investigates a local boundary dispute between a sect of woman warriors and the local lord. Bahezell and Co have a pretty decent arc of their own involving the Wind-riders and the Coursers who I found to be quite fascinating. But there are instances where you find the champions conveniently seem to either find or already have the right power necessary for them to move the plot forward. This gets a bit trite after the fourth or fifth time it happens.

Anyway, the epic battles (three of them!) towards the end in all their glorious detail more than make up for all the shortcomings that may have been in this book. Looking forward to picking up the next one for sure.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, if it's after I'm thinking about nothing at all then it's after precisely just that. Huh? What unmitigated dreck is this? Made it to page 104 after it seems nothing much of any consequence, or after I'm thinking nothing resembling any sort of cohesive plot I'm after thinking has revealed itself. So skipped to page 295 where I was after discovering little more than pondering how an arrogant walk must look like compared to a normal walk after I'm wondering? Exceptionally proficient or perhaps more accurately after I'm seeing copious use of the non sequiturs 'if', 'as', and 'after' - gag! What better way to annoy one's audience I'm after thinking. Or maybe such is the point of this convoluted nonsense? In which case after all this is definitely deserving of a five star review (yeah right). The heavy overlay of who's who, who's relation to who, who's buttons are shiniest, who has the most buttons, where's where, etc... almost disappears into the background muck. Also a male(?) author penning in fitfully hoydenish women(?) as centric protagonists is probably less then ideal I'm after thinking. The real wonder is how does someone have, after I'm thinking, the determination necessary to write something like this? Awful!!

[Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I try one of David Weber's fantasy novels, and he did not disappoint. I liked this book, with the usual reservations: it could easily have been 100 pages or so shorter, and the end of the book was a bit too predictable - three battles of good against evil. One could see this coming early on, and I would have preferred something less obvious such as one of the battles ending in a stalemate, the capture of one of our heroes or even a loss for the good side. The book also ends abruptly after the final battle, and it is clear that there is another book to come (which I am tempted to read provided I can find a copy). A fun summer read though.

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Weber has created three stories which he wove together into a single novel. While this made reading challenging and enthralling, what I found disturbing was his implied understanding of faith - I am not sure that I would be capable of just following a hunch or a smell or a feeling to "go that way" and see what my god (or my God) wants me to do. That's probably why I am not likely to ever become a paladin. Still, the first meeting of Walsharno and Bahzell was truly memorable, as was Walsharno's elevation to paladin. Bahzell does seem to be a lightning rod for new developments, no matter how uncomfortable for those around him!

[Chris Gillies · Rating 3 out of 5]

My worst fears came true and this did turn into a Dune sequel - far too much scene setting and story set up and explanation of what happened in the previous books, and very little actual action. The climax is worth it, and there are patches of excitement like towns in the middle of the swathes of empty grassland but Weber is slipping into old habits and focussing too much on detail and too little on enjoyable reading. Even so, I'm straight on to the next book!

The book itself, as with book 2, leads directly on from the previous book so if you read them back to back, there's no glaring time gap you need to figure out!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the War God series by David Weber. I thought that this book was a positive development in the series bringing in new characters and expanding the story-line. The first two thirds of the book is devoted to developing the new characters and expanding the story-line while the last third is action with the characters. There are great battle scenes in this one against enemies both human and demonic. Overall worthwhile. Reads best when in conjunction with the other books in the series.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
I think that 'Wind Rider's Oath' is my favorite in the War God series so far. This is mainly because it spends more time with and introduces more badass female characters. Though I love Bazhel and Brandark, it's nice to see the story get rounded out with female warriors and the War Maids. The other thing I appreciate about this book in the series is that we get to explore the flying coursers and the special bonds that they make with wind riders. All in all, I appreciated that we got to learn more about the world and I hope that this continues in book 4.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised at the lower stars
Not a super star 5, but it was best in series and really made the hero shine.
Liked the character development and how evil is lining up against him.
With deeper dive into the world development, God development, history this could be a true epic story line instead of just a good series

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I love this series, but I think this was the weakest entry so far. My complaint is that it keeps jumping back and forth between a bunch of different character groups, so the narrative is a bit disjointed. But I still enjoyed it.

[Paul Wakelam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book was a nice light fantasy read. The second was not that interesting and felt rushed

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent weaving of different plots into a rich story.

[Adrian Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

The characters are awesome and you are an amazing story teller please don't stop doing what you do and thank you for your amazing world

[LinHigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blue light of justice strikes again.

I enjoyed the wonderfully blending of warrior souls awash in the big T s light. The sword play, the charges, and the valor is a heady mix.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts a bit slow but gets there eventually

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily the weakest of the 3 but still enjoyable. The focus shifts away from Bahzell and things get a little more intricate and less fast paced.

[Veiltender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous two books (especially the first one). Maybe it felt more plot-driven? 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

[Bruce Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely entertaining

Classic good vs evil story that captures your attention and won't let go until you finish. I recommend this to all fantasy lovers of all ages.

[Catching Shadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Windrider’s Oath, Bahzell and Kaeritha split up on what at first seems like two different missions. Kaeritha heads off to visit a community of “warmaids” who have come into conflict with a local noble. The dispute is about a contested piece of land claimed by both sides. (The dispute is also about a great deal of entrenched sexism. Warmaids are considered to be “unnatural” because they renounce all family ties in exchange for a little more freedom than the average Sothoii woman is allowed.) Kaeritha’s job becomes even more complicated when Leeana, the daughter of Baron Tellian decides that she wants to become a warmaid.

Bahzell meanwhile is sent to investigate the mass murder of a herd of coursers. (Giant intelligent magical horses, giant intelligent magical horses who have very real reason to dislike hradani, especially Horse Stealer hradani who got their name from their habit of eating the horses they stole. Sothoii feel eating horses is horrifying and the coursers feel that it is cannibalism. Tomanāk seems to enjoy giving his paladins jobs where they have to deal with their own prejudices or jobs where other people have their own prejudices shoved in their face.)

These two incidents turn out to be two ends of one very large conspiracy intended to topple the Kingdom of the Sothoii.

Of the three books so far in this series, I think this is the weakest. The exposition and character interaction felt awkward and a little rushed, and the villains seemed flat. More so than in the previous books, Weber is apparently attempting to have a narrative where there is a story line for each side of the conflict. The problem here is that he is attempting to do this when there are clearly defined alignments where one side is definitely capital G “Good” and the other side is capital E “Evil.”

(While the “both sides get equal time/characterization in a strictly good/evil fantasy” has been done before, it is a narrative concept that drives me right up the wall.)

Another thing I disliked about the presentation of the villains is that Weber decided to try defining “correct” and “incorrect” feminine behavior in the subplot involving Leeanah via the major female villain interfering with the warmaids. Unfortunately, he did a very bad job of it.

(Specifically, you could tell which of the warmaids had been suborned by the villainess because they were promiscuous teases, who ‘led men along’ without putting out. What the narrative seemed to find especially damning was that they were doing this as a means of revenge. I am not even going to get into the entire “evil priestess of evil goddess is able to suborn good priestesses of a good goddess because the good goddess has a creepy dark side,” thing that Weber appeared to be implying.)

While I did have a lot of problems with this book, it was still fairly readable.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Product Description

In The War God's Own, Bahzell had managed to stop a war by convincing Baron Tllian, leader of the Sothoii, to "surrender" to him, the War God's champion. Now, he has journeyed to the Sothoii Wind Plain to oversee the parole he granted to Tellian and his men, to represent the Order of tomanak, the War God, and to be an ambassador for the hradani. What's more, the flying coursers of the Sothoii have accepted Bahzell as a windrider - the first hradani windrider in history. And since the windriders are the elite of the elite among the Sothoii, Bahzell's ascension is as likely to stir resentment as respect. That combination of duties would have been enough to keep anyone busy - even a warrior prince like Bahzell - but additional complications are bubbling under the surface. The goddess Shigu, the Queen of Hell, is sowing dissension among the war maids of the Sothoii. The supporters of the deposed Sothoii noble who started the war are plotting to murder their new liege lord and frame Bahzell for the deed. Of course, those problems are all in a day's work for a champion of the War God. But what is Bahzell going to do about Baron Tellian's daughter, the heir to the realm, who seems to be thinking that Bahzell is the only man - or hradani - for her?

About the Author

David Weber is the science fiction phenomenon of the decade. His popular Honor Harrington novels (_New York Times_ bestsellers Ashes of Victory and War of Honor are the ninth and tenth in the series) can't come out fast enough for his devoted readers. His popular novels of the adventures of Bahzell of the hradani-_Oath of Swords_ and The War God's Own precede Wind Rider's Oath-have proven that he is equally a master of epic fantasy adventure. In addition to the Honor Harrington series, he has written many more top-selling science fiction novels, all for Baen, including Mutineers' Moon, The Armageddon Inheritance, Heirs of Empire, and Path of the Fury. He has also begun an epic SF adventure series in collaboration with fellow New York Times best seller John Ringo, with four novels so far: March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars and We Few.

[Dave Rhoden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many more threads to follow than the previous books so the individual heroes didn't get as much screen time as I'd prefer. OTOH if they did, the book would have been two or three times longer. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :D

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wind Rider's Oath actually seems to come together as a novel with a recognizable structure, which is... nice. It also starts to move away from the original main character some, which is good, because he's suffering a bad case of mudflation - his powers keep growing to the point where he's basically Superman and therefore quite difficult to put in any sort of challenging spot.

The characters that start to take over are much more interesting. I find the war maids - female warrior types that basically have to live outside the bounds of their patriarchal society - kind of problematic in a couple of ways, but not enough to not enjoy them. And this is the first point in the series where we really start to see who the enemies are and what their motivations might be - previously, they were all just puppy-kicking psychopaths, which isn't all that interesting.

So overall a good entry in the series, although it ends sort of midstream. But I just need to record for posterity the impressive arc of my eyeroll when I realized that Our Hero was, yes, going to telepathically bond to an intelligent horse. Because that's never been done before.

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really expected more from Weber. The first book in this series had great world-building, and I immediately fell in love with the dangerous and universally loathed hradani. (It was the ears.) Book two was interesting, and there was some character developments and insights in the hradani condition. It also raised two serious questions I was dying to have answered... which were not even dealt with in the third book.
Wind Rider's Oath spent the first half of the novel expounding on the political situation and setting up a possible coup attempt, as well as an interesting side story with the Baron's daughter, who looks like she will turn into a great person and (in another ten years) a possible love interest. Then the narrative completely drops her and it turns into a hack-and-slash with an absurdly slapstick ending. Brandark is a charicature of his old self, and Tomanak's Champions can Do No Wrong. Unsatisfying is barely the word. I don't know if I'd bother with the next one, if there is a next one.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike the first two books in the trilogy, this particular novel has no focus or direction, instead meandering off after a too-large cast of characters, all of whom seem hell-bent on going in opposite directions. Barely any time at all is spent with Bahzell, who's supposed to be the hero of this story. Also, there's no ending, of sorts, or even a climax--just a randomly placed battle. A lot of plot threads are left dangling or even completely unresolved, including the main plotline itself.

All of this, of course, could be forgiven were it not for one major, unforgivable flaw in the novel: NEEDS MOAR BRANDARK. As a rule. Anyone who has read "Oath of Swords" or "The War God's Own" knows exactly what I'm talking about. There is a criminal lack of Brandark in this novel, frankly. And it makes me very sad.