Ordination

The Paladin Trilogy #1

by Daniel M. Ford, Michael Kramer (Narrator)

For generations, warlords fought bitterly for dominance in a land without a king, leaving a fractured, war-torn country plagued by thieves, slavers, and the servants of dark gods and darker magic. Allystaire Coldbourne travels a treacherous path toward his Ordination as a holy knight of legend, a Paladin, a savior of the people. But to fulfill this role, he—and the unexpected allies he finds along the way—must face the demonic, sorcerous evil that stalks the land, the wrath of gods and men, and his own dark past.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic

19 pages, Audible Audio

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

Daniel M. Ford was born and raised near Baltimore, Maryland. He holds a B.A. in English from Villanova University, an M.A. in Irish Literature from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, concentrating in Poetry, from George Mason University. As a poet, his work has appeared most recently in Soundings Review, as well as Phoebe, Floorboard Review, The Cossack, and Vending Machine Press. He teaches English at a college prep high school in North East, Maryland.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may have noticed my screen name??? That may tell you that the "Paladin" is one of my favorite fantasy characters. I began playing D&D in 1978 (yes I'm a card carrying "proto-nerd"). I'd always loved fantasy lit. Even in the army when I was in places that reading matter was as valuable as gold and mostly I saw westerns and action adventure I got fantasy when I could (and passed it along as everyone did books. I wonder sometimes if I created some fantasy fans among people who'd never have picked it up if they hadn't "just wanted something to read" to take their minds off the current situation).

I have found that more often than not the paladin character is either handled badly or (as more often happens) the character is caricatured. The paladin is treated as a buffoon, a charlatan or simply a fraud. But not so here.

I'd say this is the 2nd best paladin book I've come across.

For a while in reading this one I thought we'd face the bogging down problem I've seen so often in epic fantasy reads. No that didn't really happen. We meet our protagonist, and move the story along. Who is he...who was he? All this and more is important but we get it in dollops within the story instead of "info-dumps".

Our hero here when he meets "his" goddess (yes it's a goddess if that makes a difference [and I'm a Christian pastor. It didn't bother me...remember people, it's just a story]) we begin to see the advanced development of a paladin built on who Allystaire is and was.

The paladin in literature, myth, history and gaming can cover quite a wide span. The paladin here is much more the traditional picture those who's idea of a paladin comes from some form of gaming background would expect.

I won't go any further lest I include a spoiler. I like this one, I've finished the second ( Stillbright ) and have the third waiting for when I finish a couple of other books (I'm into a library book right now and need to finish it so it can go back).

So, highly recommended, I like it...enjoy.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy is a lot more difficult to write these days because we want heroes who are recognisably human with human flaws, but who have more than normal strengths. Once Sir Allystaire meets up with Mol and finds himself tracking down her family he seems able to focus his great strength and skill in ways he hasn't before and once he is dedicated to the Mother he has very little difficulty in determining what is the right thing to do and more importantly how far is far enough to go. He is able to hold his hand from the final stroke in ways that a real berserker wouldn't.
This is the beginning of the trilogy but there is a tremendous amount of back story that is just slowly seeped into the narrative. Sir Allystaire has a sister who is at odds with him, although we're not quite sure what that was about, he has disputed with his baron and has been exiled and stripped of his lands, although we're not too sure about the details of hat, either.
The hammer. Allystaire's preferred weapon is a maul, a wooden hammer with the heads bound with iron bands. The handle is two feet long and he carries the thing in a loop at his belt. Bear that in mind and then look at the cover. It makes a great picture but that ain't no maul and no one is going to carry it at their belt. It's difficult to draw goddesses effectively but I think they could have done better than the Barbie doll on the front of this - a little less flesh and a little more etheria would have been good.
The characters build up personas as we travel along. It will be interesting to learn more of Idgen Marte's background and the details of the dwarf's difficulties. So far we have the Mother's Voice, her Arm, her Shadow, and her Wit but we have still to find her Wisdom, presumably in Book II. Looking forward to Book II

[Christopher Derr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally

The paladin has always been my favorite archetype. There are very few books focusing on the holy knight and only a few stand out: The Deeds of Paksenarrion, Paladin of Souls, Miserere. And now Ordination. Great writing style, excellent flow, good mix of description and dialogue, excellent characters and witty dialogue. Allystaire embodies the traditional paladin: forthright, straight forward, his actions based on faith. Well done and thank you for a great read.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this ARC through the Goodreads Giveaways.

I have one major complaint, and it's probably going to sound petty but - the way the goddess is depicted on the cover, she's an outline of a woman filled with a glowing light. Which looks exactly like a naked woman. I'm not generally a fan of women being depicted like that on covers, and! bonus fun! I had to keep the cover hidden on public transit.

That out of the way, I really enjoyed this book. It's a clear member of the medieval knights & quests gods & magic genre; I would say it had more of a hint of Eddings and maybe a little Kurtz (Deryni) in spots. I enjoy this genre and this was a well-written example of it.

Characterization in spades. I was never entirely sure of what a new character on the scene might do, because they all had inner lives and motivations. My favorites are 100% Igden Marte, the shadowy fighter who's always after a good story, and Mol, the 11-year-old who gets the whole adventure rolling. Allystaire is the POV character, a soldier with enough of both idealism and self-loathing to be a great narrator.

Things to know: there's a lot of gore and people dying in ugly violent disgusting ways. There's direct references to sexual assault and enslaved prostitutes.

Also there's a cliffhanger! But it's pretty interesting. I'm just mad now that I have to wait so long to read Book 2.

Final rating 4.5 (bkz sexual assault does *not* have to be included to make a book have "realism," sigh.)

[Bogdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I how no words, how good this book was for me!

I liked the way the story enfolded very much. The characters were amazing!! The dialogues, witty with some humor, and engaging.

The world building wasn`t something extravagant, with classical troupes, but the way there were presented and introduced, is pure talent. No rushing, no info dump or actions for the sake of it, the story flows and goes easy and natural to it`s conclusion!

Overall, I felt that all was quite perfect!

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended to me by a GR friend, this turned out to be a pretty good tale of medieval good vs evil. In many ways, this tale has been told before, but the events of the shaggy dog tale are well-told. There are some magical aspects, and some underlying philosophical themes, but lots of clanging swords too.

At times, this felt like it was a serial story, which is reinforced by the cliff-hanger ending. I'll read the next one.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward classic epic fantasy. Well-written if a bit familiar. I almost docked a whole star due to a cliffhanger ending so reader be warned.

[Tomas Grizzly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated review on third re-read 8/2018:
Great story about a self-exiled former knight that tries to leave the perils of prolonged war behind. Just as he leaves his homeland, he gets thrown into a chain of events that test his sense of justice as he saves a small girl and what's left of her village. These events lead to him being chosen by a forgotten goddess to bring hope back to a world that sorely needs it. In a world ravaged by forty years of war and the same time of common folk's suffering, he vows to fight for those people. At his side is Idgen Marte, a warrior woman filled with witty remarks and curiosity for stories - even those Allystaire would prefer to stay in his own head only.
With their own special gifts, Allystaire and Idgen Marte set out on a journey to find the last two 'recruits' for the goddess' gifts, all while facing angry servants of other gods and wrath of greedy nobles that set the land on its course of misery.
Eventually, they find Torvul, a dwarven alchemist that seems to be in bad luck as his potions rarely work as intended and Allystaire barely saves him from the gallows. Together, they face more dangers and eventually travel to Londray to get some answers - and face a man from Allystaire's past.
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Great depiction of the miseries of a land "in war no one can win for a crown no one seems to want" and character whose differences bring moments that are sometimes a source of laughs and sometimes of thinking. Allystaire is straightforward (and brave) warrior that is often considered outright foolish by others. Idgen Marte is maybe too practical and balances him out. Torvul is clever even if prone to talking too much to get him in trouble. And they are all filled with their own secrets I hope to be revealed through the books.
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Note: several highlights added.
Slightly longer review on my blog

[Brant · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great fantasy story and world where the lore doesn't bog down the adventure. You feel the conscience of it throughout. Not many books do that.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book I wanted to write my entire young life, before I grew out of a lot of those ideas (AGAINST MY WILL!). Fortunately, it's written far better than my earlier work, with a huge dose of grimdark flavoring. The thing I love about this is that it isn't a cast of morally gray characters in a morally gray world, where nothing matters. No, there is very clearly a handful of characters who are flawed and want to do good, in a world of evil, and maintaining this kind of integrity for so long takes a toll. It's realistic and entertaining.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book! A compelling and humourous origin story of sorts for this Paladin. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Brandon Burnett]

This book is changing the way I’m describing Paladin abilities in D&D.

[Tom Corcoran · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF; I got about three-quarters through before I realized I had absolutely no interest in where the story was going.

This book is by no means BAD; it's just…there. It's almost aggressively generic. I mean, when the World of Warcraft tie-in novels make paladinhood seem much more impressive and magical than an original novel does, that original novel has a problem. Actually in general this book feels like an RPG tie-in novel with the VIN numbers filed off, but everything that could've made this setting interesting went with the identifying features. The first part of the book, after a prologue about the protagonist quitting his job, takes place in a generic, seedy-muddy fantasy city lacking as much character as Waterdeep, let alone Lankhmar. Then the people the protagonist is rescuing return to a generic hamlet that makes the Stolen Lands from Pathfinder, let alone the Dalelands from Forgotten Realms or the Flanaess from Greyhawk, look like a breathtaking exercise in detailed worldbuilding.

The most irritating thing is the religion the protagonist is tasked with founding. It seems to be at such pains to reassure the audience that it won't offend any of their modern secular sensibilities that it forget to be in any way an actual religion. It makes the United Methodists, or even Unitarian Universalists—hell, the SHRINERS!—look like they're aspiring to become Living Buddhas. (Fantasy writers: please, read anthropology works, for scholars, on religions like Shinto, Korean shamanism, or the Navajo religion. Or something intended for mature, educated practitioners of religions like Greek or Latin Christianity, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Whatever New Age bookstore coffee-table books you're using for research are not going to cut it.)

[Norminator · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I didn't have high hopes for this going in. An author I knew about, but had never read, and a genre (fantasy) of which I've only enjoyed one author, had me skeptical. That said, I was absolutely floored by the quality of the storytelling and the narrator. The story is tight, on point and pretty unique as far as I'm aware. This book isn't a grand tale with possible world shattering consequences, it's a focused story on something happening on the edge of the world's events. The "big war" is referenced, but we're not a part of it, which is refreshing. The main characters are all expertly written, and their chemistry is clear from the start. You feel like part of a (small) team on this adventure. The world feels real, with very little unnatural exposition. We go into it knowing nothing, with no narrator telling us what's going on. We get to experience it through the characters' actions and words in a very natural way. Daniel Ford excels at world building and character development here, 18 hours went by too fast. I can't wait to move on to book number 2

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Remarkable First!

This was a great read. The novel is well written. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of facial expressions, thoughts, and actions. Yet, it felt like I was reading two stories. The first half felt too "goody two shoes." The second became a little more "gritty" and a little more to my liking. If the story stays there, it will be a great series. One drawback I found was the paladin's partner, Marte. She needs more character development. The audience needs to know more about where she is from? Where she got her training? And, she earn her scars? This book can be read by tweens. About halfway through, the violence becomes graphic and there is fair amount of sexual innuendo. The middle is where the book flips and becomes a gritty read for older teens and adults. I will definitely pick up Book 2.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book for free through some Kobo points purchase. Went in with little expectations, came away wanting to read more of the story.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Ordination is a slow burn of a book, but not too slow. There is always another goal, another quest that you want to see resolve, even if it's what to do with the one terrified enemy left after your literal holy knight has fallen upon a pack of evildoers like Samson set loose amongst the Philistines. And, oddly enough, we get to see the foundation of a new religion, which blamed if I can remember ever really seeing in fantastical literature.

Sir Allystaire Coldbourne is a character after my own heart - he doesn't know if he'll ever make good for all the sins he's committed, but he's got a Goddess of Mercy on his side, and she believes in him - so he will move heaven and earth and everything in between to live up to her trust. I also particularly like that he doesn't fall into the hoary old "Lawful Stupid" trope - he's no fool, and when he wants his enemies to see him coming and know who he is, it's for a reason. (Even if it does backfire a bit just before that cliffhanger ending.)

Igden Marte, Torvul, and Mol (the "Shadow of the Mother", the "Wit of the Mother", and the "Voice of the Mother", as opposed to Allystaire's designation of the "Arm of the Mother") are fantastic as well, with proper personalities and buckets of characterization. Everyone feels like a real person, rather than a cardboard cutout. I have noticed that only a hero really gets a sense of humor, though there are little sparks of bleak, mean-spirited comedy that come mostly from the occasional blackguard, usually not to long before Allystaire pulps them into meaty wreckage with that hammer of his, or Igden Marte effortlessly skewers someone. There's some pretty stomach-churning violence here - Allystaire in full divinely empowered "defend-the-innocent-and-strike-down-the-wicked" fury is truly a terrible sight to behold. Good is not always Nice in this book, and while the Mother may be the Goddess of Mercy, she has justice and vengeance in spades for those who withhold mercy from the weak. It raises interesting questions about the nature of belief, of interpreting divine will, and presuming to speak for a deity - even when they tell you to.

The backstory is fed in from the background, a piece at a time, though on occasion it's a little too subtle to pick up on (it took me a while to figure out that "Cold" is standing in for "Hell" in this setting, and "freezing" can be an expletive or an adjective depending on who's saying it and how), but this is a book free of info-dumps. It's a familiar enough setting, generally high medieval, though with some Dark Age trappings like giants and elves and dwarves (especially the first two) living somewhere off the map Where There Likely Be Dragons. Again, we only get tantalizing glimpses at these stalwarts of fantasy and their cultures, but what we've seen so far is enough to give me confidence that Master Ford hasn't lifted the tropes wholesale from Fantasy Central Casting.

The plot is more driven by the characters than a grand design, but that's mostly because we never see what the Mother is up to or thinks except when filtered through those characters and their experiences, which of course is a lot like real-life religion. Her work to pull her chosen champions together, though, and the mysterious cabal of possibly inhuman sorcerers that show up toward the end of this book to menace our heroes suggest that there are indeed larger designs here than simply having a high-powered holy knight and his superpowered companions taking out the trash on behalf of the downtrodden peasantry during an extended interregnum.

It's not a perfect book - the cover illustration manages to both misrepresent how Allystaire looks (unless its supposed to be the ideal he represents), and to ensure you probably won't let this one out of your house (the Mother could really use at least a couple of those diaphanous strands of divine taffeta that most other humanoid goddesses seem to get free just for agreeing to be in the book). Ford really commits to having his characters speak in dialect, and some of his renderings in how the lower social orders speak ring a little odd to me. But, he still makes it work for the most part, so it's certainly not worth getting one's fur up over.

In conclusion, this is a great debut with heart and wonder to spare, and takes an old idea - paladins, which I feel are pretty unfashionable, even in fantasy - and makes it new again, not by disfiguring it till its unrecognizable (very popular in speculative fiction as a whole, to my unending disgust), but by simply taking it seriously and bothering to think the idea and its attendant ideas through to the end. There are bone-crunching battles, rib-tickling-character interactions, high drama, hard choices, supernatural fireworks, moments of quiet and calm, a bleak and hard-edged world with some truly deep darkness in it, and several stubborn flames of light (four in particular) that simply refuse to go out in the face of overwhelming odds. Everything I could want, in other words. Recommended.

[Brandon H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytelling at it's finest! If you enjoy stories like Lord of the Rings and The Name of the Wind, check out this hidden gem!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit slow to start but worth it!!!!!

[Wendi Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has no Romance! Thank you!
I love the internal dialogue of the main character. This is a perfect beginning of what could be a LOOONG series of books. I look forward to enjoying the characters presented here. I'm very intrigued about the Goddess aspect that is sprinkled here. It's like having a taste of my favorite Ice Cream. Definitely leaves me eager for more.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one a lot. The ending was kind of non-existent but as a fantasy reader I'm used to that. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

[William Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid epic fantasy driven by a rock-steady hand on the tiller as the author pays out an enormous tale through the personal view of the characters living it. What really grabbed me about this story is that Mr. Ford went right to heart of belief itself-- he's not afraid to use the G-word as he explores the religions of his world in a way that's completely credible and varied. No sect is totally comfortable, none hokey, all have evidence of a reality behind them. Disbelievers and skeptics rub shoulders with the newly faithful and the experienced fanatics. The paladin character, who in so many other books just appears cut from whole cloth riding over the hill, like Athena an adult and finished and completely unexplained, is here traced from before his first step on the road of faith and miracles, after half a life as a much rougher, less perfect knight. Again, you believe him, his history makes sense and you are actually drawn further into the world by each miracle he performs.
Can't say enough good things about this book-- I downloaded the first two volumes by mistake, thinking I was only going for one, but now I'm delighted because I would never have stopped and I'm already into Book 2. Readers 12 and under might not be ready for the various gory ways that bad men die, but Mr. Ford's descriptions are authentic and never gratuitous. Highest recommendation.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are trilogies where each book can be read separately. This trilogy is not the case. The first book leaves you and the main character hung in the air. Literally, in case of the main character. So unless you are ready to read all the three books, you'd better not start reading. I am bound to do that.

The uncompromising Paladin who clearly divides the world into good and evil, merciless to its evil part, is probably not a "convenient" kind of man. But his principles and intentions impress and make the reader respect his choice. The other party members are also memorable and likable. (Still I have a feeling of playing an RPG for a character of neutral order gathering a party and having encounters on the way - an a good RPG it is)

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid book. Nothing flashy, but I loved the unique idea of becoming a legend instead of already being there. To have a "new" goddess choose her people and see it happen was a great idea. I didn't like the authors choice of words on occasion, it felt like he used a $100 word where a 1$ word would have fit, and often just because. But other than that, my intention was held throughout and the action was exciting. The main character was one I could really get behind, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Joey Stettnisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically avoid books that deal with religion, but then I saw that Michael Kramer did the audiobook. Homeboy can effin narrate , but not just that, almost every fantasy he ends up narrating will be great/good/instant classic. I still remember listening to Mistborn/Stormlight audiobooks (I'm dyslexic quite badly) and thinking I'll be able to read whenever I want... I need every fantasy audiobook now.

[Newton Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! LOVE it! LOVE IT!

With a wonderful first person writing style similar to Terry Mancour and Michael G Manning, the first book of the Paladin trilogy will engage readers of all ages. I'm ready for book two ... now ... today! A great beginning!

[Paul Vincent Robot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one.

[Brian Blaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best debut I've read in MANY years

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good

It was good enough for me to right a review which says a lot if you knew what I was like peace

[Common Ground · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperately waiting for Michael Kramer to do the audible for book 2