Not really quite 4 stars, but close. I was surprised. I've only read her SF series, Vatta's War, before & thought she was pretty good, but not a great writer. This fantasy had a lot more depth, though. It was very well done & not your typical sword & sorcery or epic fantasy. It concentrated on areas that most fantasies gloss over; the common people & many of the everyday issues they face. I really liked how she managed to bring all these issues into sharp focus without bogging down into too much boring detail. The story flowed because of the details she provided, not in spite of them. Fantastic.The hero of the story isn't very special in any but the most human sense. He's a peasant who makes his share of mistakes, has trouble learning to read & write at the most basic level, but is an honest, hardworking man. He marches through his life, often with few choices & no real clue as to which is best. He just tries to do the next right thing. It makes for an understated, but staggering life of achievement.I have not read Moon's "Deed of Paksenarrion" trilogy. This is the first of 2 prequels & I think that's what caused the only jarring notes in this book for me - the reason I didn't really want to give it 4 stars, but a bit less. (view spoiler)[The story focuses on a non-magical, pretty ordinary man who is forced into successful rebellion against the ruling class that has some magic. The magic is quite limited through out until close to the end where he starts getting visions. At the very end, he & the gods perform a huge magic. This is quite important, probably to the trilogy, but I found it jarring in the context of the rest of the book, which was so based on an ordinary man, human societies & typical behavior. I would have liked the story better if it had stuck to the strictly human. (hide spoiler)]
OK, so there are a few cover blurbs that have always irritated the bejeesus out of me. The damn David Eddings thing is one ("philisophical and technical problems with the genre" my fanny), and the "assimilating Tolkien" atrocity that gets attached to this novel is another. Look: it's *clearly* working through D&D, not Tolkien direct. The fucking gnomes and dark elves should have been the clue there, guys. Anyway, the Paks trilogy is really powerful epic fantasy, probably her best work. Meant to be one novel, I first read it as a trilogy, and I have to say, leaving the 2nd of 3 novels with your heroine insane, disgraced, and crawling through the muck is a pretty ballsy move. The thing with Elizabeth Moon is that she's *really* interested in morality and ethics, and while that has always seemed a little forced in her space opera, it fits *really* well in this kind of fantasy. Surrender None is technically weaker, but still moving, and a "how someone would become a demigod" match to the "how someone would become a paladin" Paks story.
What do You think about Surrender None (2000)?
Vote: 3,50Class: L-B1 (FP) (first of the two prequels of the Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy)This book, where we learn how Grid became the hero we know, is certainly interesting and have a well built setting, which helps us to understand more of the world behind the Deed of Paksennarion.However 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 (3,25), Grid in particular, are good but they don't always feel real.The story (3,50) is the story of Grid peasant rebellion: more detailed but... no real surprise for the fans of Paks!The writing style (3,50) is good; sometimes it's too slow but beautifully written.All in all it was an enjoying reading, recommended to the original fans of the Paksennarion world. I'm going to read the sequel (well, the second prequel).
—Francesco
In this prequel to the Deed of Paksenarrion we follow her saintly patron Gird's life as the leader of a peasant rebellion. The book is a bit of a hodgepodge. Some parts are engaging and some are so boring you want to die. Like the Pakesenarrion novels, this is hyper detailed which is fun if you are interested in the subject being detailed. The sections on battlefield tactics were a little draggy for me, but that's because I am not interested in that subject. I am sure other people found the sections on foraging tedious. Gird is not that engaging a character--in the first half of the book he is a pathetic peasant and in the second he is a cranky old man. So, this was okay because I am interested in Paks' world, but it is not strong enough to read as a standalone novel and I wouldn't recommend it to someone that wanted to start reading Elizabeth Moon.
—Vickey Foggin
I really liked what Moon did here. I've been a long time fan of the Paks series and planning on reading the prequels since forever. Surrender None is really cool because Moon creates a world and society that I could easily see becoming the one that Paks lives in later. I also loved Gird as a character. He was interesting and flawed and yet totally believable as a man who could later become semi-Devine to the people he followed. In some places it was a little slow since it didn't follow the normal narrative arc. Instead it was more of a fictional biography then an 80's sword and sorcery. I feel like I have a better understanding and am excited to read the next series in the Paks worlds and see how my new knowledge factors in.
—Jennavier
