Paladins

Paladins #1

by Joel Rosenberg

In the seventeenth century, in an alternate universe where Mordred defeated King Arthur-now known as "Arthur the Tyrant"-and founded the Pendragon dynasty, much of Europe, Asia, and the New World are part of an Empire ruled from England. The Order of Crown, Shield, and Dragon, originally founded as Mordred's personal bodyguard, has become a legion of special agents for the Crown: special emissaries in time of peace, and invincible warriors in more violent times. They carry special weapons: swords, each of which contains the soul of someone of great power. White swords are inhabited by the souls of saints-and red swords by those who were anything but saints. Even in the hands of a knight of the Order, even wielded in the cause of righteousness, a red sword is terribly dangerous to its owner and all around him. In more evil hands, a red sword is the most dangerous and powerful weapon known to mankind. Now, three knights of the Order have just tracked down a previously unknown red sword which was found on a Grecian shore, and which shows all signs of having been recently forged. Worse, the mind encased in the sword remembers that it was only one of many which were cached in the hold of a mysterious sailing ship, origin unknown. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Alternate History, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian

688 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Note: This is a different person than the political/thriller author, Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg was the author of the bestselling Guardians of the Flame books as well as the D'Shai and Keepers of the Hidden Ways series. He made his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best alternate history/Fantasy books I have read. I have always enjoyed Joel Rosenberg's SiFi and Fantasy books and knew he wouldn't disappoint me and he didn't! Several of the military characters i could very much identify with and see myself as that character, from the sad shore bound Admiral to the career marine sergeant. This one gets my highest recommendation.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paladins is a historical fantasy set in a world descended from the setting of the King Arthur legends, more or less. The King Arthur connection is relatively tenuous, affecting the worldbuilding somewhat but the plot very little, but the underlying concepts - magic in the 17th/18th century world, swords imbued with human souls to become weapons of mass destruction, knights errant and political chicanery - are well-carried-out and engaging.

It is a book with no women in it, which I find I notice more and more as I get older, and tolerate less. But as a pulp adventure story, it's both entertaining and has a fair amount of thoughtful exploration about the moral cost of violence. I don't always buy it, in this book or any other. Sometimes I wish people would just write unapologetic hack-and-slash, and stop with the fig leaves. But here it does work with the characters and with the worldbuilding, and gives the whole thing just a bit of depth.

I will be cruel and note that the edition I have is astonishingly poorly copyedited, purely because one error cracked me up. There's a a whole scene where "seabag", as in the bag a sailor carries his stuff in, is replaced with "teabag." The resulting mental image went, over the space of a few pages, from baffling to groanworthy all the way to hilarious.

[Nuranar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious book. Intriguing, slightly unsettling, absorbing action, fascinating characters, nebulous. There's an almost complete lack of scene-setting, which is both gratifying (no info-dumps) and confusing - I consider myself well-educated and well-read, but I have a somewhat sketchy knowledge of early medieval England and Europe/Near East.

The plot is overall simple (a task), but the setting, circumstances, and particularly characterization made it nearly impossible for me to predict what would happen. There is plenty of action, high on my list of factors, but no one sequence that I've gone back to reread. Many changes of viewpoint describe events and characters at perhaps unnecessary length. What turned out to be the climax of the book - and it definitely was a climax - arrived with little development or comprehension. And the long conclusion is both a wrap-up and stage-changing for the next book, without a sense of urgency.

I'm somehow left with the impression that I'm partly into a story told in episodic style, proceeding from event to event with unhurried tread, yet with enough tension that it failed to drag. I have put the sequel on my to-swap list, but I am not impatient for it to become available; an unusual attitude after immediately completing a first book. And yet I really did enjoy it, and look forward to the next book. Curious all around.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, this book was full of editing errors, which I found distracting and annoying and at times confusing.

There were more important issues with the story though. The title of the book was misleading as their weren't really any paladins. The Knights who are supposed to be paladins were barely religious at all and had no divine powers. Some of them even carried evil swords.

The book also took place in an alternate world where Mordred defeated Arthur, but there was very little backstory given and the setting seemed almost pointless. The only purpose seemed to be to establish that magic existed and that could've been accomplished so much more simply.

There were a number of chapters and characters that served no purpose in this story and should have been eliminated. I found their chapters dull and confusing and skimread most of them.

Finally, the ending where the Knights battled the wizards with the new red swords was rushed, confusing, and anticlimactic. The action needed so much more description than it was given.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

[Janine Southard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Don't bother. The back cover of Paladins pulls you in with a blurb about "what if Mordred had won the war?", but that's not what the novel is about. In fact, it's totally irrelevant. The author just wants an excuse for magic to work so that he can write about 17th century knights with sentient swords...too bad the swords don't get much speaking time.

Vaguely OT: What about Whingeblade instead? Now there was a sentient sword! I don't remember the book well enough to recommend it or not. I'm just commenting that if you're going to have a sentient sword, the least it can do is have character.

Read a sample of Whingeblade here.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow paced, but an appealing trio of knights--kinda like the famous Musketeers--some cool ideas, and a well realized alternate world make it a book I'm glad I read, even if the pace is absolutely glacial. The fights, when they do crop up, are vivid and well-penned.

The main fantasy conceit is a class of magical swords containing the souls of the dead. White swords contain those of saints, red those of sinners. These swords are wielded by knights of the Order of Crown, Shield, and Dragon, working for a massive empire centered in England. Like I said, alternate world. The religious aspects are naturally a bit confused, but one devout character is very well portrayed.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved the premise of the book and the characters introduced, but the author really should have made this into two novels. That said, I'm still going to track down Paladins II: Knight Moves, a novel in the same 'universe'.

Second read and review: 19 Sep 24

It's not a good sign when I completely forgot I had read this. Yes, it's been nine years, but I did not recognize any of the characters once I dove back into the book. It's still a good novel, though; just not as memorable as I thought.

Recommended for fans of Rosenberg, sword and sorcery, or fantasy in general.

Find it. But it. Read it!

[Jay Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, if a bit drawn out. If you like naval stories, this is for your though, because Joel Rosenberg apparently knows a lot about ships. The fantasy aspects of the story get a little lost under all the naval discussion though.

[Brian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this many years ago, and it had stuck with me. I ended up retaining almost none of the actual plot, but the setting and premise struck a distinct chord and I spent quite a while after that looking for the sequel. (This is book 1 of a proposed trilogy, but the author passed after completing only the second book, so the series is incomplete). I'm giving it an extra star because of that stickiness.

The basic setting: Mordred and King Arthur battled in this world, like in the classic Arthurian mythos, but Mordred won (here, Arthur is known as "The Great Tyrant"). Mordred thus established a dynasty that lead Britain to becoming one of the world's Great Powers; there are hints that perhaps the conflict between Mordred and Arthur may have shattered parts of the world as they broke Excalibur and the Sword of Constantine upon one another. For in this world, although there may be other magic, the magic of Swords is pre-eminent: the most powerful of these Swords are effectively weapons of mass destruction, transforming powerful souls into a tool to be wielded for King & Country. If the soul is holy or saintly (think a nun or lama), a White Sword results; if the soul is vicious (think Genghis Khan), a Red Sword emerges, instead.

But with the diminishing of magic since Mordred and Arthur's struggle (most of the Wise Ones and magical entities have faded or gone elsewhere), there aren't a lot of these Swords around. When there are signs that an enemy may be building an entire arsenal of new Swords, a band of knights must get involved...

The book has a decent introspective mien as it focuses on the travails of faith, as the knights are both priests and warriors. The characters felt firmly distinct from one another with some psychological complexity. There were bits that firmly reminded me, in a way I wouldn't have noticed when I first read it, how entrenched it is to military SF tropes (e.g., random valorization of minor NCO characters). And sometimes the introspection just turned into internal exposition much like most random milsf infodumping.

[Stifynsemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

[4 stars : I probably will read it again]

Paladins is what I might call an extended historical fantasy. Fantastical elements have been blended into society over centuries, and unlike some other fantasies (e.g., Twilight, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson) such blendings have had a profound impact on the world instead of being secreted away. Most prominently, in this world, it is possible to capture the soul of a saint or a devil in a "live" sword, which has a disturbing influence on the mindset of the user as well as granting extraordinary capabilities. What would you expect if you blended the mind and ability of historical or not so historical figures with another?

History has played a different course, with Mordred saving (?) England from Arthur's depradations and making England a world power at a much earlier stage, so that the two world powers in the 17th century are England and an Islamic Caliphate, grinding the remnants of the Byzantines between them The action takes place in the Mediterranean at sea or on islands ... but there is no gunpowder. Characterization is excellent and the pace is swift, which makes for a good read to boot.

I would have rated it five stars, except that adapting to this reality is fairly confusing at the beginning, and unfortunately, though this has the potential of a grand epic, there is only one sequel, which I'm dubious will be enough to sate my interest. The other drop is the lack of a map. Some islands I know of, some I could find on a map, but the spelling transformations of some of them make them intractable to find. I think that this will make a lot more sense next time around.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don't know what to say really. This was a very unpleasant read. The blurb made it seem so interesting. Unfortunately you get almost none of what the description says. Almost nothing about Mordred and Arthur, like why use it as a background at all? Then you hear about these magic live swords all the time that are pretty much never used. When they are used or even a mundane sword is used its absolutely glossed over. What isn't glossed over is endless dialog and when there is dialog it's always someone getting in trouble for some small social breach. So many times it's you can ask me a question but not now or in front of this person blah blah blah. All the characters seem to easily get mad at each other when they aren't being so indescive. When all of this isn't going on you are treated to lengthy and super technical sailing scenes. Way more descriptions of boats and sailing than anything else. This book should have been called Ships not Paladins. To sum it up I hated this book and wouldn't recommend it to a friend. I dread having to read the sequel. God give me strength.

[John Teske]

complicated story, but likeable; a new complex tale in the tradition of magic of Joel Rosenberg

[Steve W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This genre (historical fantasy?) is not my go-to genre, but I decided to jump in. Admittedly, it was based on a misunderstanding. I am a huge fan of Joel C Rosenberg (and highly recommend him and his works), but I didn't realize that 1) there are two Joel Rosenbergs (at least), and 2) the author whom I have happily read is distinguished by including his middle initial. When I saw a fantasy book from him, I thought that seemed a bit unusual, but I wanted to see this other side of him (from thriller Christian fiction). I noticed pretty quickly that that was some cussing in the book; it was not a huge amount, but it was not what I would have expected from such a respected Christian author. After continuing to read and process the disparity, I looked him (the author) up to remind myself of his background. When I saw a picture and description I didn't recognize, I realized I was not reading the author I thought. But by that time, I figured I would plod on and see how it went with my adjusted expectations.

I have been working on reading the book for perhaps a couple of months now, so I may not correctly recall what happened when, but from my recollections...
Early in the story there was a bit of excitement when we find Niko's grandfather died from touching a sword that he found. When Knights of the Order of Crown, Shield, and Dragon, who themselves carry enchanted swords, find out about the incident, they get involved to try to find out where and why this previously-unknown enchanted (suspectedly) sword came about, and whether there was a threat from some bad actors who were making and abusing enchanted swords. Niko gets involved as he describes to the knights what happens, at which time an enemy slaughters his family, and he is inducted as a knight of the order.

After the early bit of excitement, I held out hope that the book would provide an exciting read, and I would quickly find out where the sword came from and mystery and suspense would ensue. I am about 80% of the way through the book now, and I keep wondering why I am still reading it. The rest of the book so far (since the early excitement) has felt more like a ship's log from an uneventful cruise/excursion/deployment, or whatever they call it. More nights (not knights) than I can remember, I have fallen asleep reading, not stimulated or engaged enough to keep my interest.

I may still finish the book, but it's not because I am enjoying it, or because I recommend it (neither would be accurate). I will not be back for any more books in the series. My rating would be lower, but it's not that there is a real problem with the book (not entirely, anyway), just that it didn't hold (or isn't holding) my interest. And that is probably in part because it is not a style of story to which I accustomed reading. From the overall rating from other readers, clearly there are some that really enjoy it, so good for them!

(if my opinion of the book changes in the final 20%, I'll come and amend the review when I mark it as Read.)

Now for an update, since finishing (finally!). There were a few skirmishes or other excitement earlier in the book, but nothing that held my interest. Finally at about 85% through (Interlude 7, Chapter 14), where there was an exciting battle. I won't spoil it by revealing the outcome, but it seemed to be what the whole rest of the book was building toward. Then the Epilogue felt like an anti-climax with an odd vibe that I'm not sure whether was physical, spiritual, imagination, or what. Everything else in the book felt like filler, perhaps what you would find in some epic sagas (but I don't typically read epic sagas).

Definitely not my cup of tea, but for someone who likes this type of story, they may really enjoy it. I'm on to other authors/stories.

[Joel Flank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paladins is an ambitious novel starting a new series set in an alternate fantasy version of Earth. Not only does magic exist, but in this world, Modred was successful in defeating King Arthur, but then founded an empire, which in the 17th century, controls most of Europe. The most powerful magic in the world are "live swords", enchanted to hold the souls of the dead. If the soul bound to a sword was saintly, the sword grants its owner strong powers against evil magic and creatures, as well as calming advice and counsel, and is considered a White Sword. If the soul bound to the sword was a war leader, vicious fighter, or otherwise not of goodly heart, the sword is considered a Red Sword and vastly empowers its wielder into a powerful force in battle, nearly unstoppable by any who doesn't also have a Sword. Red swords furthermore constantly advice, coerce, and encourage violence as their first and only preferred solution.

In this world, Swords are therefore the most sought after resource, and in Modred's empire, they are controlled by the Knights of the Order, who use them to enforce the peace and defend against enemies of the Empire. When two such Knights are sent to investigate rumors of a newly found Sword, they become embroiled in a world spanning conspiracy, and have to recruit their erstwhile mentor to assist their investigation. Their search winds up involving a local fisher boy, and forces them to take actions not necessarily endorsed by their superiors, despite having full independence to enforce their charge as they see fit.

While full of Rosenberg's trademark gritty depictions of realistic battles, dirt, blood and grime, and flawed characters, and told in a fascinating world he's created, Paladins is a mixed bag. The overall plot works, and is engaging, but the epic scale of the story gets away from Rosenberg at times, and most of the other point of view characters aren't as interesting as the main 4 and their adventures and investigations. I felt that the book would have been tighter and more gripping if it was under 500 pages and focused on only the main character's actions, rather than almost 700 pages with the added POV character chapters and side stories.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair to middling fantasy novel about some knights with magic swords that go on a mission to find out where an unexpected source of new magic swords is located. There are lots of twists and turns between everybody talking too much.

What was billed as the premise for the series, Modred defeating Arthur, has nothing really to do with the book, which I found disappointing. There's some ramblings about the New World, and such, but it went no where.

Really should have been split into two novels. The book kept me engaged, mostly, but it really could have been better.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a really dense mythology and alternate fantasy "history" that takes a little while to get into. Once I got my mind around the fantasy geography and political situation, I found the story very rewarding. The magic is very powerful and risky. The danger of using such a powerful tool is always present, and the story turns on the possibility that someone else has found a way to duplicate the dangerous magic.

It got even better in the sequel.

[W.D. III · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Paladins. It was my first time reading Rosenberg's work and he did not disappoint! the interplay of three paladins and their differences in personality and levels of devotion were fascinating, reminding me of Musketeers to a certain degree. By the end, I felt like I really knew the characters and cared for them. Highly recommended!

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with Amy that this book was only for "hard fantasy" readers. It took me awhile to grasp the mythology concepts, and while I enjoyed the main characters, there was too much extra detail in the book, like dull supporting characters that slowed the book down.

[Robin Griffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way to much allusion to ideals. People get in trouble for unknown reasons and follow others that catch up one chapter later and nothing was accomplished so why did they have to run and have others follow. Overall just way to pretensious.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt padded. Once the climax kicked in it got more interesting, but up unto then it was 600 pages of long winded explanations of every action the characters are taking.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but too much description/dialogue

[Jonesylovesbeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read. Typical Rosenberg: take a High fantasy concept and break it out in to character studies. Would give it 5 stars but at times it's hard to follow.

[Ed Nemo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, while this is a well written book, I did not like all of the Christian elements of it. I understand it is part of the story, but it just took me out of it.

[Thomas Arvanitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice cast of characters, interesting alternative history and a sense of impending doom make this novel memorable. It was slow in some parts, however.

[Lynn Calvin]

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