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The Legacy of Gird #1-2
The Legacy of Gird Omnibus: Surrender None/Liar's Oath
Moon's The Deed of Paksennarion has been a blockbuster success in Baen's one-volume trade paper edition--and now the trilogy has a companion. The Legacy of Gird tells of Gird, the liberator, who teaches his people that they can fight--and win--against their Mage-born rulers, and Luap, Gird's sworn follower, who dares not lie and cannot tell the truth--nor face the future.
864 pages, Trade Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
167 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Moon
138 books2,633 followersElizabeth Moon was born March 7, 1945, and grew up in McAllen, Texas, graduating from McAllen High School in 1963. She has a B.A. in History from Rice University (1968) and another in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin (1975) with graduate work in Biology at the University of Texas, San Antonio.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
She served in the USMC from 1968 to 1971, first at MCB Quantico and then at HQMC. She married Richard Moon, a Rice classmate and Army officer, in 1969; they moved to the small central Texas town where they still live in 1979. They have one son, born in 1983.
She started writing stories and poems as a small child; attempted first book (an illustrated biography of the family dog) at age six. Started writing science fiction in high school, but considered writing merely a sideline. First got serious about writing (as in, submitting things and actually getting money...) in the 1980s. Made first fiction sale at age forty--"Bargains" to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword & Sorceress III and "ABCs in Zero G" to Analog. Her first novel, Sheepfarmer's Daughter, sold in 1987 and came out in 1988; it won the Compton Crook Award in 1989. Remnant Population was a Hugo nominee in 1997, and The Speed of Dark was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and won the Nebula in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 29, 2015
Elizabeth Moon's Legacy of Gird is a pair of prequel novels to her Deed of Paksenarrion series. They're something of an odd pair: the two books have some significant overlap in time, and while the first one is easy to read independently, the second one has framing that happens after Paksenarrion, and makes it partly dependent on that series. I enjoyed both, but they don't have a lot of the appeal of the original books.
Surrender None is the story of Gird, told from his point of view. It is the story of the peasant rebellion that would establish the grange system and society seen in the later Paks books. Gird is some sort of ill-defined saint/demigod centuries later, but now he is a simple peasant, until the slow squeeze of the lords forces him (and many before him) into outlawry/rebellion.
As such, it is well told, using a very episodic structure. Various subjects and challenges are brought up, and confronted; while the fighting itself is important, it never crowds out the eventual challenge of building a system to replace the one being torn down.
Liar's Oath overlaps the last section of Surrender None, from the viewpoint of Luap. For the most part. Scattered throughout the book are a few chapters from the viewpoint of two proto-paladins, which also provide most of the action/adventure of novel, with the rest being politics and personal relations. In general, I liked the bulk of the book, but it ends instead of resolving. The framing with post-Oath of Gold Paks (or really, Phelan) becomes a space-time wedgie that cuts off the ending of the book.
This makes it obvious that the point of the book is to explain what was found in the abandoned fortress of Divided Allegiance, which it does, but that also undermines the structure of the book. Liar's Oath has enough burdens without this, as Luap never comes across well enough to make a good main character, but it is obvious that this is a foundation for the Paladin's Legacy series (which I will need to get to).
Surrender None is the story of Gird, told from his point of view. It is the story of the peasant rebellion that would establish the grange system and society seen in the later Paks books. Gird is some sort of ill-defined saint/demigod centuries later, but now he is a simple peasant, until the slow squeeze of the lords forces him (and many before him) into outlawry/rebellion.
As such, it is well told, using a very episodic structure. Various subjects and challenges are brought up, and confronted; while the fighting itself is important, it never crowds out the eventual challenge of building a system to replace the one being torn down.
Liar's Oath overlaps the last section of Surrender None, from the viewpoint of Luap. For the most part. Scattered throughout the book are a few chapters from the viewpoint of two proto-paladins, which also provide most of the action/adventure of novel, with the rest being politics and personal relations. In general, I liked the bulk of the book, but it ends instead of resolving. The framing with post-Oath of Gold Paks (or really, Phelan) becomes a space-time wedgie that cuts off the ending of the book.
This makes it obvious that the point of the book is to explain what was found in the abandoned fortress of Divided Allegiance, which it does, but that also undermines the structure of the book. Liar's Oath has enough burdens without this, as Luap never comes across well enough to make a good main character, but it is obvious that this is a foundation for the Paladin's Legacy series (which I will need to get to).
May 4, 2014
Moon's The Deed of Paksennarion has been a blockbuster success in Baen's one-volume trade paper edition--and now the trilogy has a companion. The Legacy of Gird tells of Gird, the liberator, who teaches his people that they can fight--and win--against their Mage-born rulers, and Luap, Gird's sworn follower, who dares not lie and cannot tell the truth--nor face the future.
One if the things that makes these books work so well, especially after having read at least The Deed of Paksenarrion, is the utter humanity the characters have. They are exactly as they seem, at least in the case of the adult peasants. This doesn't mean that they are incapable of change, but simply that what you see is what you get. Their very coarseness is part of what makes them so believable and so compelling.
Book One, Surrender None, tells Gird's story from end to end. His family were farmers and were considered to be prosperous for a time, thanks to their hard work and his mother's ability to weave. But Gird is enamored by the local lord's soldiers. Being a large boy he catches the sergeant's eye, and an arrangement is made that he will start training as a soldier when he is a bit older. His parents don't want him to become a soldier; that he will be clothed, fed all meals on the days he works, and earn coppers for his family make them agree. Gird loves being taught how to be a soldier, and though he struggles with learning to read and write, the rest comes quickly. Though difficult, it seems that for a time things are starting to balance out in the cards for Gird, at least not this way. Just before he is to swear his oath to their lord's son, the young count come to take over their vill, an event happens that scars Gird deeply. Gird's response to this event has ramifications that are felt years later. Part of the problem is that the young count is a follower of Liart, about who Gird only knows enough to be afraid.
Time passes as Gird wallows in his shame, getting drunk on a too frequent basis. Eventually he is snapped back into the world, when he meets his future wife, Mali. She is a fantastic character, and the perfect companion for Gird. Each carry scars, emotional or physical, but Mali teaches Gird how to move forward again. They marry and suddenly the family's house is bursting at the seams, between his parents, his brother's family, and now Gird's own young family. Yet no matter how hard Gird works he is unable to even begin rebuilding the family's emergency funds, funds that had been wiped out due to his reaction to one event as a youth. One thing after another goes wrong, not just for Gird and his family, but for peasants everywhere. Taxes continue to increase while harvests continue to decrease; hardships everywhere a body looked. Only a handful of the entire household was alive when the last straw breaks. Gird takes the wounded and the girls to his wife's family for healing/safety, while he and the remaining boy turn outlaw. Still, there is a shadow of doubt over all the problems Gird encounters, a question as to who, or what, is possibly responsible for Gird's non-stop series of hardships. Is it really as basic as it appears, or is there more at work here than he's willing to acknowledge?
He takes the military training from his youth and slowly begins to organize other outlaw groups. A priest of Esea, who had been expelled for questioning everythingthing, introduces him to some of gnomes. Because Gird has a vision for the land once the peasants have won free of the magelords, they agree to teach him about the Law. After much great struggle and loss both North and South have been broken by Gird's followers. Yet the people refuse to practice the new laws of justice, kind for kind, like for like, equal weights in all markets to ensure equal value of coins. Though Gird struggles with making them understand, he is fighting an uphill battle, particularly when it comes to peasants accepting mages - not the old magelords, but the children they were breeding for mage powers. Gird understands the peoples' fears, having struggled with it himself upon learning that Selamis had lied to him, repeatedly, concealing the fact that he had mage powers and was a bastard son of the late king (hence the nickname "Luap," which literally means a bastard). Gird was horrified that children who'd done nothing wrong but a show an affinity for magic end up stoned to death because of it. In the end Gird calls upon the Gods once again for help, and receives it, just not how he may have imagines it.
Book two, Liar's Oath, deals with the people's struggles to put Gird's laws into action to amend them as necessary for those scenarios Gird had never envisioned. The ongoing distrust between the peasants and the mageborn continue to present problems for all. Women that remain as yeoman on up to Marshal find more and more resistance to their continued involvement now that the war is over.
Luap, though not named Marshal, is given a blue tabard to wear and takes the title of Archivist. He also undertakes the challenge of writing Gird's life story in such a way as to preserve it for those to follow many generations into the future. However he and Rahi, Gird's only remaining child, disagree on Luap's interpretation of the story. Rahi isn't alone in her frustration either, for Luap is using far too much creative license in the telling if Gird's story. He changes things, making some much more dramatic, leaving some out altogether, and making some up from whole cloth. His version reads like the tales of the heroes of old, when in reality Gird was nothing like them.
Both Seri and Aris have numerous adventures and experiences, being considered two halves of the same whole, for all that Seri is a peasant and Aris is mageborn. Quite a stir is caused when it comes out that Aris has one of the rarest forms of magery, the gift of healing. Gird has the law changed again to allow healing magery practiced, but someone must be with him to ensure no harm is done. Of course Seri is the one with him, she is training to become a Marshal and has a clear, unwavering faith in Father Gird. Both were young enough when the war was happening that a Gird was more like a father to them than not, though of course they'd not say that to him in public. While Seri is constantly taking care of Aris during and after a healing, no one really notices the changes she is going through, probably as much because the changes were subtle as due to her outgoing nature. But it is clear after one event that Aris and Seri are being set up to be the originals, the very first of something connected directly to Gird in future generations. Never fear, if you don't see it right away it is made crystal clear by the end of the tale.
Using the mageroad Luap finds a stronghold carved into beautiful stone cliffs, and eventually gets approval for any mageborn that desire to join him in living there. However before he brings anyone he is met by both Elven and Dwarven representatives. They eventually agree to allow him to bring people to live there, but he must sign an oath to these Elders, outlining their requirements to be met if an of the lateborn are to reside in that place. Thus does the reader learn some of what happened in the magnificent hall that was discovered via the scrolls Paksenarrion gave to the Archivist at Fin Panir, preparing the reader for both of the following series, The Deed of Paksenarrion and Paladin's Legacy.
January 6, 2018
Fascinating backstory
How do you write the story of a god? I enjoyed the Paksenarrion trilogy, and this tells the story of the god Parks served. How Gird went from mumble farmer to leader of a rebellion to something more.
How do you write the story of a god? I enjoyed the Paksenarrion trilogy, and this tells the story of the god Parks served. How Gird went from mumble farmer to leader of a rebellion to something more.
February 26, 2013
A prequel to Moon's praised Paksenarrion-series, this is a collection of two separate novels, and reading them in one volume may not be the best way to enjoy them - it feels a tad disjointed. The first book is the story of Gird, an important spiritual figure in the Paksenarrion-series, and it intriguingly tells his story a bit differently than it has been interpreted by Paks and the other characters. The second book tells the story of Luap, a character that's one of my favorites if only because he's so complex and difficult to like. I know other reviewers have said he's unlikable and annoying, but that's precisely why he's interesting. Not an evil man at all, he is shaped by a life of promises unfulfilled and it turns him (without himself realizing it) into a rather self-entitled and bitter man.
The disjointed feel I mentioned earlier is mainly caused by Moon's habit of introducing characters and explaining their life in detail, then suddenly killing them off or not mentioning them again without bothering to explain what happened to them. It does steer the story well clear of the cheese and sentimentality that sometimes seems to be a feature of high fantasy, but it also leaves one feeling slightly dissatisfied, like there are too many loose threads to make sense of. It is also clear that Moon is very fond of describing battle scenes and, in the second book, spends a lot of time describing scenery, and that also makes the book seem a little unbalanced. I'd prefer a writer to focus on characters rather than give us an in-depth description of a scenery that's barely experienced by the characters.
Despite this, overall this is a very good story with an unexpected plot (not a bad feat considering it's a prequel to a known story) and if it's a little too casual in its language, at least it's free of the normal tricks of the trade one gets used to from this kind of story. The characters also had an impact on me, and the exploration of the nature of honour and leadership are fleshed out and rich. Well worth a read!
The disjointed feel I mentioned earlier is mainly caused by Moon's habit of introducing characters and explaining their life in detail, then suddenly killing them off or not mentioning them again without bothering to explain what happened to them. It does steer the story well clear of the cheese and sentimentality that sometimes seems to be a feature of high fantasy, but it also leaves one feeling slightly dissatisfied, like there are too many loose threads to make sense of. It is also clear that Moon is very fond of describing battle scenes and, in the second book, spends a lot of time describing scenery, and that also makes the book seem a little unbalanced. I'd prefer a writer to focus on characters rather than give us an in-depth description of a scenery that's barely experienced by the characters.
Despite this, overall this is a very good story with an unexpected plot (not a bad feat considering it's a prequel to a known story) and if it's a little too casual in its language, at least it's free of the normal tricks of the trade one gets used to from this kind of story. The characters also had an impact on me, and the exploration of the nature of honour and leadership are fleshed out and rich. Well worth a read!
June 7, 2021
This book is a combination of two previously published books: Surrender None and Liar’s Oath. I would give Surrender None three stars, and Liar’s Oath two. So this is the average, rounded up.
I enjoyed Surrender None. Although a bittersweet story in many ways, it was also a story of triumph of an oppressed people. Gird is relatable, and the twists and turns of his story kept me engaged even though the ending was known to a certain extent. My favourite character was Rahi, and I wished she had played a larger role.
I did not enjoy Liar’s Oath. I strongly dislike morally ambiguous protagonists, and Laup is exactly that. Disliking the protagonist made it difficult to like the story, and the long chapters spent in Kolobia seemed irrelevant since they had less of a direct bearing on the heroes thousands of years in the future. Lastly, the ending felt as though the author was trying to force it to match up with the events in Divided Allegiance. Indeed, the one redeeming thing about this book was the plot line following Seri and Aris which I loved.
I enjoyed Surrender None. Although a bittersweet story in many ways, it was also a story of triumph of an oppressed people. Gird is relatable, and the twists and turns of his story kept me engaged even though the ending was known to a certain extent. My favourite character was Rahi, and I wished she had played a larger role.
I did not enjoy Liar’s Oath. I strongly dislike morally ambiguous protagonists, and Laup is exactly that. Disliking the protagonist made it difficult to like the story, and the long chapters spent in Kolobia seemed irrelevant since they had less of a direct bearing on the heroes thousands of years in the future. Lastly, the ending felt as though the author was trying to force it to match up with the events in Divided Allegiance. Indeed, the one redeeming thing about this book was the plot line following Seri and Aris which I loved.
September 20, 2016
I loved the three Paksenarrion stories, I loved the first two books in the new series (Oath of Fealty, Kings of the North). But this one defeated me. I got about 3/4 of the way through Surrender None, put it down and just could not bring myself to pick it back up. And there it sat--taunting me--for over a year.
I finally got tired of looking at the book.
I know I am probably missing out on a few things that would add to my enjoyment of the new series. But I am just going to have to miss out.
I finally got tired of looking at the book.
I know I am probably missing out on a few things that would add to my enjoyment of the new series. But I am just going to have to miss out.
February 8, 2012
Rich in detail, especially around peasant life and military tactics, and with a strong underlying concern for morality, and the relationship of morality to a people's history and way of life, their religion, and the rule of law. But still an engaging fantasy story with lots of adventure and action. The second of the two books is my favourite of the series so far; Luap is the most complex character yet, the most human and the most fallible, and for me the most sympathetic. Overall a very entertaining read with enough complexity to keep me thinking about it for a while.
November 23, 2009
This story did not live up to the earlier books. I found it boring and at the end even thought of just stopping. The end was anti-climactic and I could have spent my time reading something more worthwhile.
March 27, 2011
Excellent prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion which finally answers Paks question of how Gird fought real soldiers with farmers tools. Also explains the relationship of Luap and who he really was and how he effected the world with his pride.
September 27, 2021
When I was a teenager, I read a bad fantasy novel where the protagonist was in a jam, and then poof, magic came out of his magic item and saved the day. What luck!
This cheap writing device put me off fantasy novels for thirty plus years. It was my belief that if magic could just come out of nowhere and save the day, then what was the point of reading any of it.
Then decades later I had nothing better to read, so I tried another fantasy novel. In this case it was Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy. It showed me that fantasy novels could actually be good. Up until then I didn't know that fantasy stories had any substance to them. I have since enjoyed many high quality fantasy series.
However, this book is everything I hated about that first terrible fantasy novel experience. Every time a character is in a tight spot the magic flows, and it saves the day.
Example: Two teenagers are alone in the wilderness when they are attacked by evil elves. The boy teen is mortally wounded. But wait! Suddenly he feels the magic flowing through him and he can heal himself! What luck!
After the battle, they find their two horses were killed. They go to sleep. When they wake up, there are two new horses standing there waiting for them! What luck!
Where did they come from? Who knows? Must be the gods! Or the author! Life sure is a mystery!
This omnibus collects two books. The first is a prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion, showing where Gird led the uprising against the oppressive mages and freed his people.
The second book is essentially just a very long epilogue of that first book.
In the second book there is a plot line where a group of people are going to live in a new location they discovered. The elves warn against living there because they might let loose a great evil. The humans ask for more information about the great evil, but the elves won't tell them. What do you suppose happens? The humans let loose the evil. Why didn't the elves warn them about the underground prison at that location? Because the author needed the plot to happen. Does it get any more contrived than that?
I also found both books to be slow and plodding.
I rate the first book three stars, and the second book two and a half.
It's a shame, because there is plenty of great writing throughout both books.
Let's be generous and round the whole omnibus up to a three.
I stuck through this crap to the very end. I give myself ten stars out of a possible five. I am amazing.
This cheap writing device put me off fantasy novels for thirty plus years. It was my belief that if magic could just come out of nowhere and save the day, then what was the point of reading any of it.
Then decades later I had nothing better to read, so I tried another fantasy novel. In this case it was Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy. It showed me that fantasy novels could actually be good. Up until then I didn't know that fantasy stories had any substance to them. I have since enjoyed many high quality fantasy series.
However, this book is everything I hated about that first terrible fantasy novel experience. Every time a character is in a tight spot the magic flows, and it saves the day.
Example: Two teenagers are alone in the wilderness when they are attacked by evil elves. The boy teen is mortally wounded. But wait! Suddenly he feels the magic flowing through him and he can heal himself! What luck!
After the battle, they find their two horses were killed. They go to sleep. When they wake up, there are two new horses standing there waiting for them! What luck!
Where did they come from? Who knows? Must be the gods! Or the author! Life sure is a mystery!
This omnibus collects two books. The first is a prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion, showing where Gird led the uprising against the oppressive mages and freed his people.
The second book is essentially just a very long epilogue of that first book.
In the second book there is a plot line where a group of people are going to live in a new location they discovered. The elves warn against living there because they might let loose a great evil. The humans ask for more information about the great evil, but the elves won't tell them. What do you suppose happens? The humans let loose the evil. Why didn't the elves warn them about the underground prison at that location? Because the author needed the plot to happen. Does it get any more contrived than that?
I also found both books to be slow and plodding.
I rate the first book three stars, and the second book two and a half.
It's a shame, because there is plenty of great writing throughout both books.
Let's be generous and round the whole omnibus up to a three.
I stuck through this crap to the very end. I give myself ten stars out of a possible five. I am amazing.
December 30, 2019
The two books in this Omnibus are of distinctly different quality.
Surrender None (5 stars) is the story of Gird's rebellion against the magelords. The description of the Gird's character, the life of peasants and magery, the slow evolution of his rebellion and the imperfection of the social order that resulted are fascinating. The need for supplies and sanitation for armed camps make for a believable set up but are not dull to read. Explains and unfolds aspects of her other novels.
Liar's Oath (3 stars) is weaker, as Moon herself admits. It's supposed to be. Tells the story of someone who isn't entirely honest with himself and this influence how the story is told. How do you integrate mages into a society that just fought a bloody war to overthrow magelord oppressors? Gird tried, but he was fought every step by those who hated the mages and his closest friend, Luap, a mage himself. The result is a self-imposed exile for the mages in a mountain enclave, but a force of evil works on Luap to led him further toward self-deception and self-aggrandizement. The resulting tragedy unfold for hundreds of years. It achieves its purpose, a slow tragedy of a flawed character, but is unsatisfying, even if well-crafted.
Surrender None (5 stars) is the story of Gird's rebellion against the magelords. The description of the Gird's character, the life of peasants and magery, the slow evolution of his rebellion and the imperfection of the social order that resulted are fascinating. The need for supplies and sanitation for armed camps make for a believable set up but are not dull to read. Explains and unfolds aspects of her other novels.
Liar's Oath (3 stars) is weaker, as Moon herself admits. It's supposed to be. Tells the story of someone who isn't entirely honest with himself and this influence how the story is told. How do you integrate mages into a society that just fought a bloody war to overthrow magelord oppressors? Gird tried, but he was fought every step by those who hated the mages and his closest friend, Luap, a mage himself. The result is a self-imposed exile for the mages in a mountain enclave, but a force of evil works on Luap to led him further toward self-deception and self-aggrandizement. The resulting tragedy unfold for hundreds of years. It achieves its purpose, a slow tragedy of a flawed character, but is unsatisfying, even if well-crafted.
October 27, 2024
First part (Surrender None) of this double volume is easily 5 stars. A well written story about Grid. The second part (Liars Oath) is about Laup, and this story has a couple of issues. The most detrimental factor is, that in the need to tell this background story and show us the inside of Laup, the story structure falters. It doesn't carry enough momentum and trouble for the characters to drive the reader trough the delivery of background. The seckond issue is that the inside of Laup is an unpleasant place to be. Needful for the background of Pax's world, exceptionally well wrought idiot character (completely believable personality, and I professionaloy work with people as a psyc nurse.) That anoying meandering craven Laup and the lack of conflict intensity to drive the story made the 2nd half of Liar's Oath a slogg.
February 25, 2025
Contains two complete novels. The first, Surrender None, tells the story of Gird who rises from his roots as a farmer to lead the peasants in a successful revolt against the magic wielding nobles, the Magelords. It is well written and captivating and ranks up there with much of Moon's other excellent writing. The second book, Liar's Oath, takes place mostly after the death/apotheosis of Gird and mostly follows the life of the half-magelord Luap, who was Girds right hand man and scribe. Luap has the ability to do magic, but has sworn not to use it nor to ever seek command. When he is given the opportunity to lead the remaining mageborn and half-mageborn to another land, he does so. The first part of this story is interesting and well done, but the crisis and denouement seems to have been given short shrift and is much less satisfying.
October 7, 2023
Once again -- and this is more for the second half, since I already wrote my review of Surrender to None -- it was fine. The parts with Aris and Seri were very good, but it was... Fine, besides that. Unlikable protagonist, and lots of time skips, but I'm glad I read it. Time for Crown of Renewal!!
August 11, 2023
Not as good as the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy. High hopes, and rushed convenient ending to tie it in to the original trilogy. Really high potential for elaboration. Good, but not the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2021
I didn't realize I'd jumped to another series in the Gird universe. Still, reading this before continuing paksenarrion deed helps me better understand what Pax is doing, becoming a paladon. Now, do I finish Gird or go back to Pax?
June 15, 2020
Legacy of Gird was great! It did a really good job of showing how heroes of old are imperfect, how some stories can shift over time, and how people evolve.
Liar's Oath was... not as good. The pacing felt off, and there were a lot more internal inconsistencies. Unfortunately, that's also going to track into my reviews of the later Paladin's Legacy books.
Liar's Oath was... not as good. The pacing felt off, and there were a lot more internal inconsistencies. Unfortunately, that's also going to track into my reviews of the later Paladin's Legacy books.
December 8, 2018
Laup stays steady annoying. O.o
October 1, 2025
GAS. And I thought The Deed of Paksenarrion was 5 stars.
Where to begin. Where to even begin!!!! Really interesting dissections of war, power, law, and gender roles. Some really fascinating fantasy worldbuilding (I so enjoyed all the fleshing out of cultural customs and the variance between the different in-universe cultures and the conflicts that created, great stuff). Really superb cast of characters. Raheli I think was one of my favorites. I just wish she hadn't left the story so abruptly; I'm getting the sense that this is something of a habit of Moon's. Gird himself was also a really cool, flawed, interesting character, though I haven't got much else to say about this, I feel like all the good stuff is so obvious that there's little need to point out specifics. Of all the characters, I would really only say that the Rosemage could have used a bit more fleshing out, but I still really liked her.
Selamis/Luap is a deeply, DEEPLY wretched character, and I found his arc to be very well-written and compelling. I thought his internal logic and way of rationalizing his decisions was very well-articulated, despite being completely batshit and immoral. Never in my life have I seen a man with such complexes. One of the biggest complaints I've seen about this duology is that Luap is a deeply unlikeable character—which, for the record, is absolutely true—so if you can't handle reading about a character who is just constantly reaching the wrong conclusions and making the wrong choices, you should keep that in mind. I thought it was awesome though.
I think the lore from this book really fills out a lot of what I felt was missing from The Deed of Paksenarrion, but at the same time I don't think The Legacy of Gird is terribly readable without having read Paksenarrion first. The original series kind of gives you an idea of what you need to care about in Gird, and provides the lens through which you should understand the story and characters (and also obviously tells you what to make of the flashforward scenes). I will definitely need to go back and reread Paksenarrion after this, though, to see how it changes my reading of things. Fortunately I recently got my hands on a copy of the Paksenarrion omnibus; I think I'll have to get a copy of this one as well.
5 stars and it's not close.
Where to begin. Where to even begin!!!! Really interesting dissections of war, power, law, and gender roles. Some really fascinating fantasy worldbuilding (I so enjoyed all the fleshing out of cultural customs and the variance between the different in-universe cultures and the conflicts that created, great stuff). Really superb cast of characters. Raheli I think was one of my favorites. I just wish she hadn't left the story so abruptly; I'm getting the sense that this is something of a habit of Moon's. Gird himself was also a really cool, flawed, interesting character, though I haven't got much else to say about this, I feel like all the good stuff is so obvious that there's little need to point out specifics. Of all the characters, I would really only say that the Rosemage could have used a bit more fleshing out, but I still really liked her.
Selamis/Luap is a deeply, DEEPLY wretched character, and I found his arc to be very well-written and compelling. I thought his internal logic and way of rationalizing his decisions was very well-articulated, despite being completely batshit and immoral. Never in my life have I seen a man with such complexes. One of the biggest complaints I've seen about this duology is that Luap is a deeply unlikeable character—which, for the record, is absolutely true—so if you can't handle reading about a character who is just constantly reaching the wrong conclusions and making the wrong choices, you should keep that in mind. I thought it was awesome though.
I think the lore from this book really fills out a lot of what I felt was missing from The Deed of Paksenarrion, but at the same time I don't think The Legacy of Gird is terribly readable without having read Paksenarrion first. The original series kind of gives you an idea of what you need to care about in Gird, and provides the lens through which you should understand the story and characters (and also obviously tells you what to make of the flashforward scenes). I will definitely need to go back and reread Paksenarrion after this, though, to see how it changes my reading of things. Fortunately I recently got my hands on a copy of the Paksenarrion omnibus; I think I'll have to get a copy of this one as well.
5 stars and it's not close.
September 29, 2013
This omnibus consists of two novels. The first is Surrender None which tells the tale of the legendary Gird. This is the Gird that Paks is a paladin of in the Deeds of Paksinarion series. It tells the tale of how Gird went from a peasant farmer to a leader of the peasants against the unfair rule of the royal class. It shows the humanity of Gird including his mistakes and his demons but also shows his desire of fairness to all and skill as a leader. As with any Moon military novel the details of the battle are well written and not just the battle but the behind the scenes details of logistics, supply, training and the like. For military buffs this is like gold I am sure, but I find it does tend to slow the story down and so I skim some of these sections. The character of Gird and his circle of family and staff are well written and carry the book. I would have given this book 4 stars because of this strength and because it was a very interesting story.
The second book is Liar's Oath and it is a plodding story at best. It does open oddly with Paks and her king discussing the legacy of Gird and wondering what happened after he died and the direction of the mageborn, almost as if they had just read the story of Gird and wanted more. Then the books picks up a little before the end of the previous book but focuses on Luap, Gird's scribe and a mageborn himself. The story progresses slowly and tells the story of Luap's gathering of the mageborn to find a new home where they can be themselves. At times interesting but mostly dull until the last few chapters when the key to the story becomes clear and some hocus-pocus with time enters in. There is almost no battle action and so is quite different from the previous story and I would have given it 2 stars so the average is 3.
The best part of this last novel is that it does bring the reader up to speed for the next novels in the series which I am looking forward to as I am hopeful they will give us more of Paks.
The second book is Liar's Oath and it is a plodding story at best. It does open oddly with Paks and her king discussing the legacy of Gird and wondering what happened after he died and the direction of the mageborn, almost as if they had just read the story of Gird and wanted more. Then the books picks up a little before the end of the previous book but focuses on Luap, Gird's scribe and a mageborn himself. The story progresses slowly and tells the story of Luap's gathering of the mageborn to find a new home where they can be themselves. At times interesting but mostly dull until the last few chapters when the key to the story becomes clear and some hocus-pocus with time enters in. There is almost no battle action and so is quite different from the previous story and I would have given it 2 stars so the average is 3.
The best part of this last novel is that it does bring the reader up to speed for the next novels in the series which I am looking forward to as I am hopeful they will give us more of Paks.
April 10, 2012
This book is actually part of a re-published compilation of two books called The Legacy of Gird; I'm currently reading the second book.[return][return]From the Paks books (Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, Oath of Gold), some is already known of Gird - that he was a farmer who trained fellow farmers to be soldiers and together they overthrew an oppressive government. By the time of Paksenarrion, Gird is regarded as something akin to a powerful saint - a man chosen by the gods to save the people. This prequel explores Gird's life as a simple farmer and how he formed an army out of plow-pushers, and how he came to write a new system of law that regarded all people with respect.[return][return]I can see why other reviewers don't regard this set of books as highly as the Paks trilogy. From the beginning, it's just not as gripping, though it's still good. The first 100 pages or so felt rough to me, disjointed. At one point the perspective jumped from Gird to that of another character who quickly died, and it seemed unnecessary. The passage of time wasn't very clear, either. However, once Gird had lost much of his family and began gathering an army, the story picked up and became more cohesive and enjoyable. Then the ending? Meh.[return][return]Surrender None works well in fleshing out a mythical character for the readers who loved the Paks books, but this volume wouldn't stand well on its own. I do love Moon's writing and world-building, and how she contrasted the way of peasants with their mageborn lords. But something just didn't feel complete about the book. Maybe I'll feel differently after finishing the sequel, Liar's Oath.
April 20, 2022
Vote: 3,25
Class: L-B3 (FP) (*)
(Prequel of the Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy)
This books are certainly interesting and with a well built setting (which helps us to understand more of the world behind the Deed of Paksennarion), but they are not even close to be the great fantasy series the original Trilogy was.
The world (3,50) is perhaps the best thing in this books: we came to know much more of its history and people and it's a convincing fantasy world.
The characters (3,00) are somewhat shallow and they lack a real personality and are often not true to themselves (they seldom feel real!); ither they change too often or they don't change at all in a lifetime!
The story (3,25) is stretched to give and understanding of the Deed of Paksennarion background and what we have found in Luap's stronghold, but like the characters themselves it isn't always coherent.
The writing style (3,50) is good; sometimes it's too slow but beautifully written.
All in all it was not a really enjoying reading, and I can't recommended it but to fanatic fans of the Paksennarion world. I'm not sure I'll read the sequel to the original Paksennarion Trilogy.
(*) I really don't like from the author to insert in a book like this her opinions about homosexual relationships: throughout the original Trilogy and more in this sequel we find references about how it's all the same whom you want to love (especially in regard of the female characters). I don't care either for her characters casual comments about anticonceptionals.
Both seem to me best left out from a Fantasy novel for young adult reader.
Class: L-B3 (FP) (*)
(Prequel of the Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy)
This books are certainly interesting and with a well built setting (which helps us to understand more of the world behind the Deed of Paksennarion), but they are not even close to be the great fantasy series the original Trilogy was.
The world (3,50) is perhaps the best thing in this books: we came to know much more of its history and people and it's a convincing fantasy world.
The characters (3,00) are somewhat shallow and they lack a real personality and are often not true to themselves (they seldom feel real!); ither they change too often or they don't change at all in a lifetime!
The story (3,25) is stretched to give and understanding of the Deed of Paksennarion background and what we have found in Luap's stronghold, but like the characters themselves it isn't always coherent.
The writing style (3,50) is good; sometimes it's too slow but beautifully written.
All in all it was not a really enjoying reading, and I can't recommended it but to fanatic fans of the Paksennarion world. I'm not sure I'll read the sequel to the original Paksennarion Trilogy.
(*) I really don't like from the author to insert in a book like this her opinions about homosexual relationships: throughout the original Trilogy and more in this sequel we find references about how it's all the same whom you want to love (especially in regard of the female characters). I don't care either for her characters casual comments about anticonceptionals.
Both seem to me best left out from a Fantasy novel for young adult reader.
April 25, 2010
This is a prequel to the Paksenarrion novels I first read in the omnibus edition of the first three Paks novels, The Deeds of Paksenarrion, the tale of a "sheepfarmer's daughter" who becomes a paladin, a holy knight, in the "Order of Gird." This is the story of the man known in Paks' day centuries later as "Saint Gird" and his successful peasant's revolt against the magelords. It too is an omnibus edition--of two novels, Surrender None and Liar's Oath. I loved the Paks novel, and decided to reread The Legacy of Gird and The Deed of Paksennarrion in preparation for reading the new Paks novels that had come out, Oath of Fealty. I had remembered enjoying this, so I was surprised at how much of a slog I found this upon second read. Moon was an officer in the United States Marines, and she writes of military matters with notable verisimilitude, and those aspects still made for lively reading. But so much was sooooo s-l-o-w and eminently skimmable and made me impatient to get on with the story. Nor did I much like how Gird treated those of magelord birth, although he he did much to redeem that in the end, and goodness knows that Luop (who'd be the focus of Liar's Oath) did not inspire trust.
October 19, 2022
This was in part my problem and in part the books. We will share the blame of my disappointment.
I picked up this book having not read the original series but with full knowledge this is a prequel series. Oftentimes prequel series can be read independently, where you can read a series in chronological order instead of publication order. This series I suspect is not one of those. Nothing felt important or significant to me but I’m unsure if this is because of my disconnect from the world as a whole.
On the other hand there were some genuine issues with the book as well. The pacing at the start felt a bit rushed, while some of the parts in the middle felt like they meandered. I would have liked a more seamless pace throughout. I also feel like there wasn’t much point to the book. This may be due to the fact that I haven’t read the other books and there may have been scenes of significance that are mentioned elsewhere. I also didn’t find myself rooting for the protagonist and also felt their arc was rather unoriginal.
Overall It was entertaining enough that I’m inclined to pick up the rest of the books, however I do wish I had connected with these instalments more.
I picked up this book having not read the original series but with full knowledge this is a prequel series. Oftentimes prequel series can be read independently, where you can read a series in chronological order instead of publication order. This series I suspect is not one of those. Nothing felt important or significant to me but I’m unsure if this is because of my disconnect from the world as a whole.
On the other hand there were some genuine issues with the book as well. The pacing at the start felt a bit rushed, while some of the parts in the middle felt like they meandered. I would have liked a more seamless pace throughout. I also feel like there wasn’t much point to the book. This may be due to the fact that I haven’t read the other books and there may have been scenes of significance that are mentioned elsewhere. I also didn’t find myself rooting for the protagonist and also felt their arc was rather unoriginal.
Overall It was entertaining enough that I’m inclined to pick up the rest of the books, however I do wish I had connected with these instalments more.
June 8, 2015
An excellent prequel/start of a sequel to the Deed of Paksenarrion.
I had read Deed several times over the years, but never this book for whatever reason. Turns out I should have read it sooner as it was an excellent companion (and there is a follow up series that just ended in 2014 that I will have to go find).
Anyway, this Omnibus concerns the story of Gird in the first book and the story of Luap (his assistant of sorts) in the second. The first book reveals how Gird led the rebellion against mages and why.....his death and a bit of what happens after. The second book deals with Luap (who was also there in book 1) and his settling of a strange land we saw briefly in Deed.
An excellent overall read.
I had read Deed several times over the years, but never this book for whatever reason. Turns out I should have read it sooner as it was an excellent companion (and there is a follow up series that just ended in 2014 that I will have to go find).
Anyway, this Omnibus concerns the story of Gird in the first book and the story of Luap (his assistant of sorts) in the second. The first book reveals how Gird led the rebellion against mages and why.....his death and a bit of what happens after. The second book deals with Luap (who was also there in book 1) and his settling of a strange land we saw briefly in Deed.
An excellent overall read.
April 26, 2012
Having really enjoyed Moon's The Deed of Paksennarion, I expected this to perhaps continue that story. Instead, the first novel in this omnibus is the story of Gird, himself, thus taking place several hundred years before Paksenarrion's life. For reasons that become clear in the second novel, the Gird as known to his followers several hundred years later is RATHER different from the life story in this compilation. Even knowing the outcome of his war, it is still a riveting tale: how a peasant came to lead an army of peasants to defeat oppressive mageborn rulers is impressive, heady stuff.
April 24, 2011
I liked Surrender None, the first book in this omnibus, well enough. Seeing how Gird, who later on became a saint, lived and died was interesting and intriguing and not at all what I would have expected. Liar's Oath, the second half, was... not so interesting. It was okay, I guess, but it never gripped me, and I found the ending awkward and forced. Of course it didn't really help that I didn't like the main character either...
December 13, 2023
Prequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion. The first book, Surrender None, is pretty close to 4 stars ; the second, Liar's Oath doesn't come close to making 3 (the last half of it especially is incredibly slow). So, 3 stars overall. Still recommended for readers who love this world, but I wouldn't feel guilty about skimming the last 100-200 pages and moving on to the other books.
[Re-read, listened, to Surrender None in 2023. 3 stars. No interest in doing the same to L.O.).
[Re-read, listened, to Surrender None in 2023. 3 stars. No interest in doing the same to L.O.).
August 15, 2012
The first book in this omnibus, Surrender None was pretty good - I enjoyed learning more about Gird, the person. I struggled with the 2nd book, I found Luap an unpleasant person and since he was a major player in the story, he made it less enjoyable. The weakest books in this series so far - glad I had read about Paks and the stories after before this as I would not have read the others after struggling with Luap!
February 2, 2016
These two books are prequels to the Legend of Paksenarrion series, so I had to read them before starting Crown of Renewal. I'll admit that the whole time I was reading I was anxious to get back to the Legend series. They do give vital background information about Gird and Luap and are worth reading. They should probably be read in the order written though.
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