Liar's Oath

The Legacy of Gird #2

by Elizabeth Moon

Paksenarrion was the finest paladin her world would ever see. But she could never have fulfilled her destiny had it not been for one who came before: Gird, the Liberator.

When Gird leads his peasant army against their mageborn rulers, he knows that his sworn follower Luap is the king's bastard son. But in spite of his oath to seek no throne and to renounce his heritage, Luap cannot not forget his past. And when he discovers a distant land that he can reach by magic, his loyalties are divided. What harm would it do if he were to break his oath and crown himself king of this far-off land? Deep in the western mountains, in a sanctuary abandoned by the elder races, Luap finds out - as do those who follow him.

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

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

About the author

Elizabeth 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.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another really enjoyable read in an awesome series.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes, exposition is unavoidable. Moon's whole set of Paksennarion-era stories rests on the foundation events in this story, so she just had to set it down. She worked hard to make it worth reading on its own, but it bears too much weight for the structure of the rest of a magnificently sprawling saga to hide all the engineering at work.

I first read this when it came out, twenty years ago, but decided that it was time to re-read it due to the way the plot of the new series is running. The new stuff is about to pick up the action that frames this story of long before. Back then I remember being unimpressed, agreeing with many other reviewers that this was the least engaging and delightful of Moon's wonderful corpus. This time around, my assessment was the same, but I still devoured it for the value of how it undergirds [giggle] the plot in the current series.

[Jehona · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has a good basis. It could have been a good book if anyone had bothered to do some editing. It looks like a first draft.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another truly excellent fantasy novel.

[Joey Levesque · Rating 4 out of 5]

really more of a 3.8 but still good. for context. but a little boring. zzzzz

[Wise_owl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liar's Oath is a bit of an interesting book in that it's a prequel to a series I have never read. I didn't realize this fact until much later in the proceedings and it helped to explain many of my reactions to the book.

In short, in this world there was a sort of Magocracy that was overthrown by a 'peasant' revolution led by Gird, who I am to understand, is a sort of mythical semi-divine figure in the worlds future. The actual story follows time after this success, trading mostly Luap, Gird's Secretary and the Bastard Son of a former King. It follows Luap's attempts to form a place where mages can go to learn their powers free of the prejudices of the peasantry and from potential injuries.

The books premise is interesting, but it's execution leaves something to be desired. Firstly, I get the impression I'm supposed to already 'know' the teams, because there are unbaked expectations in the work that don't pan out. The two children in the series are presented in a particular way, and I think I'm supposed to view them positively, yet much of their characterization seems to not match up with what I'm being told in the third person. The same is true of Luap and the actual events taking place. This is suppose to be a story of a man's hubris, a loss of faith, etc. Yet decisions we are suppose to take as evidence of this often seem incredibly rational.

What's most frustrating is that a central part of the book falls to an almost harry potter level of 'Well Duh that happened! Why don't you people just talk about things!'. Luap establishes his community in an ancient magical hall with the permission of the Dwarves and Elves, and yet they warn him that he is courting doom without explaining why, even though later in the book it's demonstrated that they clearly knew what the doom was! How can he possibly be held accountable?

So over-all the world-building was nice, but it's execution was sloppy. I also found the time jumps disorienting. There wasn't enough to ground me in terms of how much time had past, so I was constantly left from chapter to chapter wondering.

An alright fantasy book, perhaps more worth it to fans of her own work in this series?

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A major disappointment - but I suppose in a series as excellent (and now extensive) as this one, it's greedy to expect every book to reach the standards of Sheepfarmer's Daughter et al.

But I found it a struggle to finish; partly this was because the lead character, Luap, is so unsympathetic, but I think there's also an issue with the portrayal of his ascendance. It's difficult to understand the reasons some of the other characters not only put up with him, but grant him authority - I never felt that was shown in the book, we were just told it happened. Most obviously, the reason Aris and Seri chose to accompany him at all is never addressed - it was needed for the plot so they did.

The whole thing really felt like one big sidetrack, there just because it will be used in later books of the main series (I'm assuming). And to say the ending was rushed, after the tedium of everything that came before it, is putting it mildly.

The only reason I gave the extra star is for the writing - even that's not quite up to Moon's normal standards, but she has developed and held to consistently a specific style which works very well (for me, anyway) without the excessive archaisms and long-windedness that some other fantasies use to try and differentiate their setting from the real world.

[Azri · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF, I just...couldn't. Sorry Dx I tried but it was like slogging through the swamp-no fun at all. Gave up after 100 or so pages

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment. Liar's Oath is a disjointed mess of a novel without the heart and soul of pretty much every other Elizabeth Moon book that I have read. Luap, the protagonist is a very unlikable character, and his motives are never really made clear. The book just doesn't make sense and really doesn't add very much to the Paksworld legends. It's such a shame after the masterpiece that was Surrender None.

A reread three years later in light of the new Paksworld books hasn't really changed my opinion of this book. I'm wondering how Moon will tie the events in this novel and the presence of Luap and the sleepers in the cavern to what is going on in her new series. It remains to be seen whether this book will be explained and redeemed.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this while I was reading it originally. But like many of her books, the ending changed the meaning of the whole book! Her description of Luap's problem is so right on, I wonder if this character is a study of the characters in her 'Speed of Dark' book. She has such a deep understanding of people and brings it out in her books that I learn about people from reading some of her most difficult books. This book is very difficult to read because of the flaws in the main character. But that is the beauty of it! She helps us to understand how one flaw can change the lives of a small city or the history of a nation, or the mythology of a people.

[Leif · Rating 2 out of 5]

With apologies to the author - Elizabeth Moon, your books are great! - this one is tiresome. At its core there is an interesting idea about a flawed leader who fails and thus sets up a later (but earlier written) series, with villains in the wings and hubris at heart. But the execution is laboured and digressive, and there are many threads that make sense in the series as a whole that simply do not pan out here. Read it for completion, but be prepared to flip pages for economy.

[Mf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Luap. While, like Surrender None, it fills in the background history, I never had any connection with Luap himself. Not one of like, not one of hate, or despise. He was very Meh. It's worth reading once, for the storyline that impacts other books. But this is the one Paks book I would never read again.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, that was weird pacing. Felt like the third novel of a trilogy got shoved into the last couple chapters at the last minute.

[NekroRider · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

While I didn't like Luap as a main pov, he was the way he needed to be as a character. I enjoyed Aris (and Seri as a character though don't think she had any pov moments) and Racheli's povs much more. I liked a lot of the background lore given in this book and the last. Also enjoyed the time spent on the Life of Gird chronicle, discussion on writing Gird as he truly was vs following common hero narratives. Wonder if the Life of Gird will be rewritten in the coming books.

Now on to Oath of Fealty.

Read this and Surrender None in the Legacy of Gird omnibus.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a significantly darker book than many of Moon's fantasies. The central character is filled with a resentful, bitter pride that affects all his decisions. He is compared to a hollow tree, solid-enough-looking on the outside, but liable to break and crash under significant stress. Those familiar with the Bible might consider him as a King Saul sort of figure.

[Dcbk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book I read in 2017 was Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. One of my final books for this year is this one, good to start and end my year with one of my fav authors.
It was great to read Pax 1 and 2 in a row and immerse myself in this fantasy world. A great holiday treat. on knows how to spin a great yarn.

[Kate H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of fantasy and science fiction novels especially if they are long and have several books in the series. I really enjoy a series of books that I can immerse myself in and I first picked up an Elizabeth Moon novel because it was long and part of a multi-novel series. I continue to read her books because I find them engrossing and highly enjoyable.

[Mark Edlund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantasy series - Not as good as her Vatta science fiction series. Some of the time shifts in plot got a bit confusing. Still not sure about the relationship between Luap and Gird. And was the book set before Paks or after?
No Canadian or pharmacy references.

[Emi]

The Paksennarrion books are paladin books for paladin lovers. This is, maybe, the opposite of that. I (paladin lover) didn't really enjoy it. I just disliked the protagonist and found the whole thing...unsatisfying.

[Talese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh!

[Elar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both prequel stories are nice additions to whole series, but not crucial for whole series. Certainly should be read after main series (after Crown of Renewal), because it contains some spoilers.

[Gerard Callinan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very slow. Read the whole book waiting for something to happen. Of course nothing happened. Very disappointed.

[Pilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a tougher read than #1. loved it, too

[Beth Cato · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was the second part in a compilation of two books entitled The Legacy of Gird.[return][return]After Gird's death, his mageborn scribe Luap continued his work, but also sought a refuge for other mageborn like himself. He's overjoyed when he finds a remote mountain palace carved from sheer rock, only accessible by several ancient portals. The older races, the Elves and Dwarves, gruffly approve their residence in the palace, but warn their visitation will only last as long as the local ancient evil isn't awakened. That evil is left unnamed, but it watches, waiting for the time to strike.[return][return]This book just didn't feel right at all. It was interesting to see how certain things are explained that are important in the Paks books (as this book is a prequel), but in many ways that felt like that the only purpose of this book. Gird died at the end of Surrender None, so I was surprised that he was still alive for the first chunk of this volume. Luap himself was not a likeable character at all. He whines for the first 2/3, and doesn't really feel like an integral part in the last 1/3. The two young paladins were fascinating, yet at the same time they were too flawless.[return][return]The ending was rushed, too. The entire last half of the book left me waiting for the evil entities to attack, and it kept not-happening. Then suddenly at the end Seri and Aris solve everything all of a sudden, then evil attacks, then there's a time warp/something (I still don't get that bit) and the mageborn are evicted from ye old mountain palace.[return][return]I love Moon's writing and world-building, as always, but this book is made of too many pieces that just didn't fit together well or at the right time. These were no where near as good at the Paks books, but they were worth reading for the background information on Gird and Luap. I will not be keeping The Legacy of Gird.

[Francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vote: 3,25
Class: L-B3 (FP) (*)

(final of the two prequels of the Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy)

This book is no better than the previous one: certainly interesting and with a well built setting (which helps us to understand more of the world behind the Deed of Paksennarion), it is not even close to be the great fantasy novel the original Trilogy was.

The world (3,50) is perhaps the best thing in this book: 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!).

The story (3,25) is stretched to give and understanding of 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.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have now read this book two or three times, and I still don't like it. It has a few easily-identified problems, most of which, I think, can be blamed on the fact that this is an entire book of backstory. (Surrender None was also backstory, but at least it had some narrative tension.)

Luap himself is an utterly unlikable character. He's a believable character, the sort of insecure, self-justifying weasel that infests organizations that let people coast for years on purest mediocrity, but at no point is he remotely sympathetic. He's not someone whose head I want to spend time in.

But the real problem is there's no story, really. The whole book is a tedious historical document dragging various characters around until they're in the place Paks is supposed to find them in Divided Allegiance. There are occasional interesting interactions where the shape of the Girdish organization begins to appear, but they're few and far between. And the two young proto-paladins are charming and all, but they do nothing of any significance throughout the book. They're just sympathetic viewpoints.

I would grudgingly allow that Surrender None would be worth it for a hardcore Paks fan. Liar's Oath isn't, even if it becomes plot-relevant in the new series.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second half of the prequel to the “Deed of Paksennarion” trilogy, which also comes around at the end and bites it’s own tail. Where Surrender None was about Gird and the peasant revolution he led against the mage-lords, this one begins with Gird’s death (just before it, actually) and focuses on Luap, previously “the luap,” Gird’s assistant and sort of aide-de-camp. Luap is half-mage himself, the bastard of one of the kings before the one Gird killed, and he’s infected with a lingering sense of entitlement that will eat away at him all the rest of his long, long life. He’s not evil, just weak -- just human, as Gird was, but in a much less heroic way. Moon gradually builds multiple character portraits with her rather slow-moving narrative, including those of the first two proto-paladins, an aging mage-priest, and a large supporting cast. None of this will make a bit of sense unless you’ve read the previous volume -- and preferably the whole subsequent trilogy -- so don’t even think of starting here.

[Lian Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always tricky going back and reading an author's earlier work when you've enjoyed their later books - and I've loved the journey Moon has been taking us on over the last few years. I didn't realise this one was the second in a series, but it stands fairly well on its own, particularly because I've picked up a bit about the Gird story in the later books. This wasn't an easy read, because Luap is such a frustrating character - often smug and unsympathetic, and you spend a lot of time waiting for the moment when things will come undone. So I didn't love it, but it was good to get some more background, and I enjoyed reading about the beginning of the paladins.

[Jennavier]

Well, that was a misfire. I ploughed right into this after Surrender None, the other Paks prequel. While not my usual fare Surrender None was still fun and interesting. Liar's Oath carries none of the same charm with more of the flaws. The book is about Luap, Gird's assistant and a chronicler. Sadly he is not a likable character or a reliable narrator. Moon's skills did not stretch to this new and different set of challenges and his story fell flat. It was both depressing and boring, not something that interests me in continuing.

[Vickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is The Story of Laup. I liked the parts that were NOT about Laup. Laup is a terrible person and it is not fun to spend time with him. I enjoyed the solid friendship between the first paladins, beautiful descriptions of a land clearly modeled on Arches & Canyonlands National Parks in Utah, and detail after detail about establishing pre-industrial terrace agriculture that thrilled my archaeologist heart! Like with the previous book...if the subject detailed is interesting to you, you will enjoy reading it. It it is not...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.