Sheepfarmer's Daughter (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1) by Elizabeth Moon

Jun 02, 2013 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of classic epic fantasy, soldier fantasy

Recommended to Carol by: Mike (the Paladin)

Shelves: female-lead, fantasy, epic-fantasy, classic

Like a microscope on a game safari, Sheepfarmer's Daughter focuses on exactly the wrong details. The classic epic fantasy is notable for a common-born female lead, Paks, and the focus on her life after she joins a private military company. I enjoyed the writing style and the quality, but felt I would have liked a little more character development: the times we hear Paks' inner dialogue are too far apart, and there is too much description without reflection.

I can appreciate that the lavish detai...more Like a microscope on a game safari, Sheepfarmer's Daughter focuses on exactly the wrong details. The classic epic fantasy is notable for a common-born female lead, Paks, and the focus on her life after she joins a private military company. I enjoyed the writing style and the quality, but felt I would have liked a little more character development: the times we hear Paks' inner dialogue are too far apart, and there is too much description without reflection.

I can appreciate that the lavish details of the road are pertinent to an infantry soldier, and I give Moon credit for attempting to capture some of the necessary repetition and drills in a soldier's life. While Moon captured that sense of hard routine, I would have thought including more scenes of her bedding down on the road, discussions around the campfire, etc., could have let Paks in for some personal growth. Without it, the characters lack all but the most distinguishing of characteristics, and there are few episodes of building camaraderie, except with Saren. When a soldier is lost, it is almost meaningless, an expected casualty. Likewise, Paks remains a young, amorphous blob of a character; it is evident she is Loyal, Honest, Strong and Energetic, but she seems to spare very little thought for the dynamics of a company, the larger world, why her superiors would be confiding in her and so forth. We can see from a couple of small events that Paks is bound for Greater Things, but because Paks doesn't want to think about it, the narration doesn't.

The plot is decent, although troubled at times by the narrative jump of "three months ago..." or "six months later..." A long section at the beginning deals with investigating an assault involving Paks, and I found it both an odd narrative choice for the beginning of a story and a relief to be spared the actual scene. (Insert feminist rant about swordswomen needing to be assaulted/raped by men). Sexuality is mentioned a couple of times after that, but then never again addressed, which seemed odd. It was clearly an issue for company members, and for her family before she ran away, but once in the company, she spends almost no time thinking about it or even acting on it. The microscope focusing in on road quality leaves giant holes where other details might lie.

Overall, the story felt remarkable for its thoroughness and for its determination to tell the tale of an Ordinary Soldier, even if that soldier is bound to become Extraordinary. Quite frankly, it was a "it was okay" level book for me, but I rounded up due to the quality of writing.

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...(less)

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May 27, 2013 Evgeny rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I like the main idea for the book: to see a rise of the main character from nobody to a legend in great details. From these details comes the first problem: nothing at all happens in the first half of the book, just the military training in more details than I ever cared about, like how to march with a spear.

In the second half of the book some excitement finally comes up as well as another problem. The book is written from the main character's point of view (BTW, I challenge everybody to recall...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi, fey

This is my macaroni and cheese book.

There are certain books that are just comfort food. You've read them a dozen times, they have enough substance to fill you up, and they are completely enjoyable. They are also high in calories, and you know that a steady diet of them would turn your body to mush.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter is great fun. Paksenarrion, a (surprise) sheepfarmer's daughter, runs away to join a mercenary company and fulfill her dream of becoming a soldier, and hero. She wants a magic s...more This is my macaroni and cheese book.

There are certain books that are just comfort food. You've read them a dozen times, they have enough substance to fill you up, and they are completely enjoyable. They are also high in calories, and you know that a steady diet of them would turn your body to mush.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter is great fun. Paksenarrion, a (surprise) sheepfarmer's daughter, runs away to join a mercenary company and fulfill her dream of becoming a soldier, and hero. She wants a magic sword and glory and to prove to her family that she was right not to marry the pig farmer's son. The reality of the military life, fighting, and what you go through to be called a hero is different from her dreams but she adapts and enjoys her life and her friends. The story takes us through basic training and her first few campaigns. Elizabeth Moon has created a Middle-Earth-like continent populated with fighters for good and evil as well as Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes (these don't figure in this first book but are present in the later ones). There are magic swords and god-inspired healing and some other bits and pieces of magic, all done well, but the real reason I keep coming back to this series, and particularly this book, is because they are about strength and courage.

Elizabeth Moon asks and answers the questions, what makes a person strong? and what is the nature of courage? Is it because she (or he) is a good fighter? Is it because she has killed bad or evil men? Or, is it because when faced by a challenge, one rises to it, no matter what? Moon challenges the idea that only soldiers are courageous or that having magic sword makes you a hero. She examines the effects of war on common people and what it means to be a fighter "for good" and not just following orders. There's a lot of subtlety to her argument and I find that when I'm tired of patriotic rhetoric on the news, I come back it to help me think about these questions another way. I'm not saying Elizabeth Moon is Hannah Arendt, but she lays out a fantasy story that gives you something to think about; that doesn't give obvious answers; and that enables you to agree or disagree with her without detracting from the story.

I do disagree throughout this series. I appreciate that I can without disliking the books. The reader may also get bogged down in the detail that helps make her argument but doesn't always contribute to moving the plot along. When you look back on the events of the three books from the end of the last one, you can see how all the small events, little comments, and even minor characters' names, fit together. It's like getting to the end of the Harry Potter series and recognizing that what you thought was a minor event in the first book had been achingly significant. Also, in the later books, her points are not so subtle. I tend to skim a lot of the second book when I reread the series. This one is my favorite.

The series is fabulously enjoyable, like macaroni and cheese; and just like it, take it for what it is and don't eat too much.(less)

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Jan 18, 2009 Rawles rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, time-contemporary

After a promising prologue geared me up for a rousing adventure, I was massively disappointed by how dull this book ultimately was. It was the worst kind of dull, in fact, given that it wasn't due to nothing happening, but rather to how the events that did happen were related.

In short: the prose of this novel has all the spirit and passion of a grocery list. And to go along with that the main character, Paks, is painfully flat and uninteresting. She's a naive (nearly to the point of stupidity) a...more After a promising prologue geared me up for a rousing adventure, I was massively disappointed by how dull this book ultimately was. It was the worst kind of dull, in fact, given that it wasn't due to nothing happening, but rather to how the events that did happen were related.

In short: the prose of this novel has all the spirit and passion of a grocery list. And to go along with that the main character, Paks, is painfully flat and uninteresting. She's a naive (nearly to the point of stupidity) and also honorable farm girl with a ridiculously black-and-white view of the world who becomes a soldier to fight for good and great glory and all that, and that's it. She never does a single thing to transcend that very basic character premise. Which wouldn't be as problematic if there was any examination of said premise at all.

As it is, Paks seems to be entirely incapable of any sort of complexity of thought or feeling. Most times she seems almost like a disinterested observer, dully bringing us an accounting of every mundane detail (EVERY SINGLE MUNDANE DETAIL) of these three years of her life. And on the rare occasions when she does start to think or feel something of any depth, another character pretty immediately explains her feelings to her and she gets over it and goes right back to how far the troops walked on this day and the next day and what they ate and how long they slept and on and on ad infinitum. That or she asks some stupid question so that another character can give us a geography or history lesson for a few pages.

I would give the book credit for being a fantasy novel with a female protagonist and having absolutely no romance storyline outside of a few passing mentions that a friend of hers would be up for a roll in the hay if she was (which she declares that she is not and never will be with anyone). I WOULD, but given the defects of Paks's characterization already outlined, her asexuality starts to seem more like a result of her complete lack of depth of emotion than any kind of statement or subversion. And, really, based on the blatant foreshadowing in this book about Paks becoming a paladin, if I were to read the sequels (which I have no intention of doing), I worry that I would eventually begin to feel that it was actually in the service of some ridiculous Virginal (and thus ~*~pure~*~) Instrument of the Divine trope.

In conclusion: snooooore.(less)

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Apr 02, 2013 MrsJoseph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to MrsJoseph by: Mike (the Paladin)

Shelves: 100-books-in-2011, format-ebook, fantasy, series, heroine-woman-warrior, fantasy-epic, fa-buddy-read

Sheepfarmer's Daughter is book 1 of

The Deed of Paksenarrion (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1-3)

.

Paksenarrion is the daughter of a sheepfarmer. Her father plans to marry her off to a local pig farmer but Paks has other ideas. She dreams of being a valiant soldier on a trusty warhorse. She and her father fight, then she runs off and joins Duke Phelin's mercenary army.

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Mar 02, 2013 PaulineMRoss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: omnibus-available, 4-star, genre-fantasy, price-cheap

Fantasy Review Barn

I’m reading this in the omnibus edition, entitled ‘The Deed of Paksenarrion’, but I’ll review each of the the three volumes separately, for convenience. The series tells the story of Paksenarrion Dorthansdottir, or Paks for short, who runs away from her humble home to join Duke Phelan's army as a way of avoiding a marriage being forced on her by her father. This first book is about her training, her first battles and her involvement in the Duke's various military enterprises,...more Fantasy Review Barn

I’m reading this in the omnibus edition, entitled ‘The Deed of Paksenarrion’, but I’ll review each of the the three volumes separately, for convenience. The series tells the story of Paksenarrion Dorthansdottir, or Paks for short, who runs away from her humble home to join Duke Phelan's army as a way of avoiding a marriage being forced on her by her father. This first book is about her training, her first battles and her involvement in the Duke's various military enterprises, and although it starts slowly with a lot of detail about training regimes and the like, it builds in time to a much pacier level. From the middle onwards I found it completely absorbing.

The author doesn't shy away from the realities of military life. There are plenty of details about the privations of life on the march, the difficulties inherent in a mixed-sex army and the chaos of the battlefield. There are plenty of deaths, too. But on the whole, this isn't in the gritty realism school of fantasy; there is little gore or graphic descriptions of injuries, for example. I did wonder sometimes just how this particular army would work. It's a wonderful idea to have women fully integrated and treated identically, and although I squirmed every time Paks had to strip off alongside the men, I daresay that's just a cultural issue. But I did wonder how they coped with periods on those long, mud-filled marches.

It's traditional in this type of story for the main character to become a hero - acquiring unusual skills with weapons, for instance, or showing improbable levels of strategic thinking, and rapidly graduating to a leadership role. This book avoids that cliché. Paks is exactly what she seems - a sheepfarmer's daughter who simply wants to be a good soldier. She makes mistakes, she has weaknesses and prejudices, and in tricky situations she often depends on others more experienced than her, such as during the flight with Canna and Saben. She’s good at what she does, but it comes from determination and intense training rather than special abilities. She does heroic deeds, but again, it’s not because of some unusual quality or because she seeks out risky missions, but rather that she doesn’t shy away from such situations when they arise, seeing them as just a part of her job. I liked Paks very much. Her self-effacing quiet bravery and unwillingness to stand out from the rest of her cohort are not just admirable qualities in themselves, but rare in fantasy, where every main character these days seems brash and opinionated. And then there’s her unquestioning loyalty to the Duke, her employer, even when she discovers that his soldiers are not quite the heroic idealists she aspired to but something much more pragmatic, being simple mercenaries.

I very much liked the way the world is revealed slowly, in small increments, with names and places and even religions tossed into conversations without explanation. It’s hard to grasp what’s going on, sometimes, and even with the map I couldn’t always follow the journeys, but it gave the world an unusual depth. There’s not a great deal of magic in view, but it clearly permeates all the various societies, and where it does turn up, it’s used very effectively. I found the Marshall and the paladin, with their beliefs which so disturbed the Duke, absolutely compelling, and I would have liked to know more about them. Every scene with the Marshall was dynamite, in fact. This aspect is something Moon does brilliantly - weaving a complex mesh of religion and magic and a variety of belief systems into the story without ever resorting to dry infodumps.

Some grumbles. The names are difficult. I applaud the author’s efforts to demonstate the social and cultural diversity of the Duke’s soldiers and the various others they encounter by having a range of different types of names, but it made it very difficult to work out who was who. Neither rank nor gender was obvious from most names, and I constantly forgot whether a character was a captain or a private or from a different band altogether. More than once I was startled to find that a long-running character was not the gender I had assumed (shame on me, I suppose, for making assumptions at all, but I do like to know, as a minimum, whether a character is male or female). The sheer number of characters made this problem worse. And if character names were tricky, places and groups were even worse. Occasionally, when discussing who might turn up for the next battle, I’d see something like this: A and B have to stay home because they’re threatened by C, and D has to defend E, but F and G have said they’ll come, but then after what happened at H they may not, and you can never count on I and J... Without taking notes, it’s just impossible to follow this sort of thing. One other grumble: I liked that events were seen through Paks’ eyes, which meant gaps and missing information and changes without explanation, but there were times when a little more information would have been nice. We never did learn, for instance, what punishment, if any, was handed out to Stephi (or if it was mentioned, I missed it).

The ending is wonderful. Yes, there’s a dramatic series of battles, but ultimately it’s about Paks and her beliefs, and about right and wrong, and being true to your ideals, and I can’t fault it. This is a terrific story of one person, a humble and very likeable woman, just doing a job she enjoys, and finding herself by no choice of her own drawn into bigger and more important matters. I liked the details of her life as a soldier, which was never sugar-coated, but also never resorted to overly-graphic grimness. I liked that she didn’t want marriage or a lover, and that was accepted without question (too often authors think a female protagonist has to have a sex life). This was very close to five stars for me, but the confusing number of characters and names, which made some events hard to follow, and the slow start, keep it to a very good four stars.(less)

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May 27, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, action, military-fantasy

See my review of the omnibus edition The Deed of Paksenarrion. I love these books and highly recommend them!

Let me say again that I love these books and can't recommend them highly enough. I read these books years ago, have read them several times, and will in all probability reread them again and again.

This is one of those series (I think of them as a single book) where when I run on someone who doesn't like them or doesn't get them I am as the saying goes... flummoxed.

I find these full of life...more

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Jun 14, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook, easton-press, award-nominee-compton-crook, award-winner-compton-crook, warriors, good-guys, 1980-1989

4.5 stars. An excellent beginning to what looks to be a superb epic fantasy series. Elizabeth Moon writes a great story with well-drawn, interesting characters and a tightly focused plot that grabs you from the beginning of the novel and never stalls. That is tough to do in a 500+ page book, but I was engaged the entire time. Highly recommended!!!

Winner: Compton Crook Award.

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Jul 05, 2011 Gavin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The first book in the Deed of Paksenarrion series (One noun, five sylables, instant red alert).

I have to preface this by saying that I found Lord of the Ring's unbearably tedious, and that every time I read -or try to- 80's fantasy (Wheel of Time in particular) I am struck by a profound sadness that Tolkien's ludicrous Middle-England populated by gay midgets, gay elves and gay... men became the template rather than Le Guin's Earthsea.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter really is eighties fantasy. A girl with...more The first book in the Deed of Paksenarrion series (One noun, five sylables, instant red alert).

I have to preface this by saying that I found Lord of the Ring's unbearably tedious, and that every time I read -or try to- 80's fantasy (Wheel of Time in particular) I am struck by a profound sadness that Tolkien's ludicrous Middle-England populated by gay midgets, gay elves and gay... men became the template rather than Le Guin's Earthsea.

Sheepfarmer's Daughter really is eighties fantasy. A girl with a name longer than her hair (Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter) runs away from home (and an arranged marriage!) to become a Protagonist. In a world of magic swords, elves, dwarves, orcs and all the rest of the gubbins that screams "I played D&D and can recite Fellowship word for word". However, despite the fact that every red flag is raised to skyscraper height, it's really good. In spite of all the nonsense. It may even be good because of all the nonsense.

The novel has been carved from archetype and Dungeons & Dragons source books but because it knows this and plays it so unflinchingly straight -also likely because this is revealed piecemeal alongside a really compelling narrative- I found myself willingly led along. I also really appreciate a book that's brave enough to tell a story from the front line perspective and keep it there. Long stretches of Paks experience involve standing watch, securing horse food and marching places, short stretches involve trying to avoid getting stabbed and tiny flashes involve her witnessing magical and otherworldly activities. Which confuse her as much as they do us.

To be negative for a moment, the characters that aren't Paksenarrion are mostly shoddily drawn up until the last few chapters. This is a real shame as The Halveric's Son Point of View chapter was intensely moving, and if she is able to do that with her characters then why are so many of Paks fellows such ciphers? Also a sizable section (10%) of the book is a very boring odyssey from one fortified position to another, rendered devoid of tension by the poor characterisation.

These foibles aside, though, it's a very competent work with some interesting blurring of the moral spectrum in the last chapter and is piled high all the way through with confident and unhurried foreshadowing.

Really a solid, professional fantasy work all around, and a pleasure to read.(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, action, military-fantasy

I have read and reviewed the text version of this book. My daughter got me this (and the next 2 parts of the trilogy) for Christmas this year (2010).

I want to review this in that a wonderful book can be read by a "not so wonderful reader" and be then in audio form...not so wonderful. That isn't the case here. While not the best reader I've ever heard in an audio book Jennifer Van Dyck does a fine job on the book and only in a couple of places does she miss a cue or fail to carry over the emotio...more

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May 23, 2012 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-read-2012, read-in-2012, fantasy, challenge-books

My oh my... Oh my oh my oh my.

When I started reading this, I thought I was going to love it. It had come with such high recommendations, and it sounded like it was right up my alley. I was so excited to finally have time to dive into it! Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed. It just didn't work for me... Try as I might, I just couldn't make myself like it.

It was just so boring. It literally put me to sleep whenever I tried to read it. Which was great for those late nights that I just cou...more My oh my... Oh my oh my oh my.

When I started reading this, I thought I was going to love it. It had come with such high recommendations, and it sounded like it was right up my alley. I was so excited to finally have time to dive into it! Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed. It just didn't work for me... Try as I might, I just couldn't make myself like it.

It was just so boring. It literally put me to sleep whenever I tried to read it. Which was great for those late nights that I just couldn't fall asleep... But not so great during my lunch break at work, or in the middle of a weekend afternoon. Seriously though.. It was beyond boring. Nothing happened! Thinking back now, I can't tell you what the book was about, other than to say it was about a chick who joined a mercenary company, marched around a bunch, acted dense a lot, and fought from time to time. So basically, what the blurb says. That's all. Just page after page of clinical descriptions of marching here and marching there. Half of the time I didn't even realize a fight had started until it was halfway over.

And Paks.. I just didn't like her. At all. She was dense and very stand-offish. She didn't seem to develop any relationships with the other characters, with the exception of one, and that one didn't end well. For that matter, let's talk about the other characters. They were flat and interchangeable. No personality. No depth. It was just...... Blah. All around blah.

After a while, it was impossible not to imagine the whole book being read to me in a really boring monotone. It was like someone followed Paks around and wrote down everything she did and said, and then published it all, word for word, without editing it down to the interesting or important bits.

Suffice it to say, I guess I'm just not a fan of Paks or her deeds. I have no interest in trying the next book in the series, or reading about Paks ever again. Harsh, I know... But when you know it's not right you just have to cut the string right away, before someone gets hurt. So Paks.. This is goodbye. Have fun deeding it up, don't keep in touch.(less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: in, 2009, fantasy, paksenarrion

Paks defies her father's arranged marriage for her, instead running away to join the army. What follows is a detailed and thorough introduction to the life of a soldier: cleaning privy trenches, learning weaponry, and fending for herself as a woman surrounded by men. And excelling.[return][return]I loved this book. Loved it, loved it. If I had read it when I was heavily into fantasy when I was a teenager, I probably would have gone totally fan girl. The thing that sets this apart from most fanta...more

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May 26, 2013 Werner rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasy fans who like strong worldbuilding; fans of warrior heroines

Recommended to Werner by: My Goodreads friends Mike and Jon

Shelves: action-heroines, books-i-own, fantasy

My wife and I are reading the entire trilogy that this volume opens together; and since I have at least one Goodreads friend who's curious about my reaction, I thought I'd review the three novels as we finish them, rather than as an omnibus volume at the end (though we're reading the omnibus volume). Personally, I wasn't as taken with this one as my friends Mike and Jon were, even though (obviously) I like it; through most of the read, I'd expected to give it three stars, but a strong ending pul...more My wife and I are reading the entire trilogy that this volume opens together; and since I have at least one Goodreads friend who's curious about my reaction, I thought I'd review the three novels as we finish them, rather than as an omnibus volume at the end (though we're reading the omnibus volume). Personally, I wasn't as taken with this one as my friends Mike and Jon were, even though (obviously) I like it; through most of the read, I'd expected to give it three stars, but a strong ending pulled it up to four.

This trilogy is the story of a young woman (in a fantasy world) who, as a tall, strapping farm girl of eighteen years, runs away from home to escape an unwanted forced marriage, and joins a company of mercenary soldiers. The Goodreads description sounds like it's copied from a jacket blurb, and (as blurbs sometimes do) has a few inaccuracies. Most obviously, Paks does NOT think of herself as special in any way. (Any hint that she's to play a role in "restoring a king to his throne" must come in the later two books, not this one!) Also, her military service doesn't require her to abjure ever seeing her family again. (And as far as the cover goes, she rides a horse only once or twice, briefly, in this book; she's a foot soldier and doesn't own a horse.)

Moon's literary vision here has both strengths and weaknesses (which are sometimes the converse of each other). Her world-building is very detailed; it brooks comparison with Tolkien's or, at least, Paolini's on that score. She also brings a high level of realism to the fantasy genre; as a Marine veteran, she knows a great deal about what the experience of initiation and training into a military unit is like. Indeed, other than the fact that Paks trains with a sword rather than a rifle, her life as a recruit is probably much like that of real-life modern "grunts" going through boot camp; and Moon recounts it in great detail. The realistic note continues through the book; though magic operates in this world, it doesn't appear much here. (Elves, dwarves, orcs and other such species exist, but outside of old songs and stories, Paks only hears rare references to them, or gets rarer glimpses of one; magical healing of wounds is possible, but under limitations that make it pretty rare, and certain individuals and objects associated with various religions have supernatural powers, but these usually don't materially effect the story and aren't often in view.) Realistically as well, Moon is willing to suddenly kill off characters, including characters you'll have come to like and care about --exactly the way that real-life humans may die suddenly in combat situations, whether everybody likes and cares about them or not. Characterizations here are, not surprisingly, very realistic and vivid, and this is true of many secondary and minor characters too.

Some fantasy fans may want a higher level of magical content in their reads, and find this one too much on the "mundane" side (though I don't have a problem with this myself). Some readers won't be happy to have characters they like, and expect to play more prominent roles, killed off. A bigger problem, though, is pacing. Usually, I have a pretty high tolerance for a slow narrative pace (and the time it takes Barb and I to get through a book with me reading aloud to her, what with our limited time for this, tends to make ANY book seem slow-paced). Even so, I found this one glacially slow. Moon takes us through every aspect of "boot camp" life, every stage of every journey, every part of a siege, etc. You learn a lot about the world and the characters this way, but some scenes don't add anything along that line. There are exciting, action-filled scenes, too; but many readers would find this narrative draggy in quite a few places.

Religion in Moon's world is polytheistic, with cults of various gods (some of whom are quite nasty) and saints; some of these, both good and evil, appear to have actual power behind them. This aspect isn't developed much in this first book, but there are indications that one sect, that of St. Gird, will play a much bigger role in the next book. Ethical insight is more in evidence here than theological. For much of the book, to be sure, Paks' character frustrated me in this regard. She's likeable enough as a person, and she does have a moral code; but she simply doesn't think about the ethics of taking human life on the battlefield in wars over things like trade or border disputes, where her company happens to be on whichever side hired them first. To her, that's just what mercenary soldiers do; it's simply a morally neutral job that she likes and is pretty good at --though, to her credit, it's important to her that she's part of an "honorable company" that doesn't murder noncombatants or rob innocent peasants. (I felt, for much of the book, that though Paks is the viewpoint character, we're annoyingly not privy to her deep thoughts --until I realized that, duh, she's just a basically good-natured but simple young girl who doesn't HAVE really deep thoughts!) But there are indications that Moon doesn't share Pak's simplicity here, and that our heroine's ethical sensibilities are in for some growth and development in the succeeding books; and this one ends with a crisis of genuine moral decision, in the tradition of serious fiction that aspires to do more than just entertain, and that for me lifted the rating to four stars.

Finally, I have to comment on two aspects where I found the realism of the tale a bit questionable. First, that a character, male or female, chooses to be chaste in relating to the opposite sex (that doesn't entail a vow of celibacy; married sex is chaste!), even though he/she has normal drives that need to be disciplined, isn't something I find unrealistic; rather, it's refreshing and commendable. But a total lack of interest in sex, to the point that a character is essentially asexual, is something else again, and does NOT strike me as realistic (especially in the late teen years, when hormone levels are still high from puberty); that makes Paks' character hard to relate to in that respect. Second, I appreciate Moon's depiction of a society where women can occupy positions of authority and can train and serve as warriors in full equality with men. But I wonder about the practical effects of mixed-sex units sharing the "jacks' and the sleeping quarters, especially when sex between soldiers isn't forbidden. (Unless the herbal contraceptives that are set out on the mess tables are more effective than the herbs used in our world, I can see one potential problem immediately.) The addition of homosexual soldiers to the mix (which Moon depicts in the book) adds another wrinkle of complication. (And no, that doesn't mean I "hate and fear" homosexuals!) In real life, I'm not so sure that all of this would work as smoothly, or that most people would handle the close proximity as well, as Moon depicts (and she does deal in detail with a case of sexual harassment, even here!); but I could be wrong, and that's not to say that I have all the answers. (I've generally tended to think that men and women in the military should serve in segregated units; and women's units like the all-female elite corps in the army of the old Dahomey empire, or the Russian Battalion of Death, certainly have set a great precedent. But I suppose it's arguable that mixed units create a more natural atmosphere than segregated ones do, and might also minimize or prevent some sexual problems; so the effects wouldn't necessarily be only negative.)

Note: Moon begins the trilogy with what's apparently a "frame" device. One of my Goodreads friends who reviewed this book felt the other half of the frame should have come at the end of this one; but I'm guessing that Moon's intent was to put it at the end of the third book, so that the whole trilogy fits into the "frame."(less)

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Mar 16, 2013 Andre rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy

No Spoilers

I enjoyed this book very much, but then I like military fantasy. The beginning chapters that treat Pak's training and establishing herself within a mercenary company, may seem long and slow to those who enjoy more paranormal/superhero-television inspired pop-fantasy, but for those who understand that joining a successful military unit has its own arc and logic and are at peace with that, this book may satisfy the craving.

That being said, some of the combat descriptions are less than u...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Josh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is fantasy, but not epic fantasy. There isnt that "the world is at stake" feel of epic fantasy. I would call this military fantasy. It follows the story of Paks as she joins, trains and fights as part of a mercenary army. There isn't much in the way of magic, at least what there is mostly behind-the-scenes.

Unfortunately for all its length, it isn't much more than a military adventure story. None of the characters really get any development or stand out except Paks. In fact, there are too ma...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Catherine Fitzsimmons rated it 2 of 5 stars

This pick from the Baen Free Library (or whatever it's called now) was fairly high up the list because my husband quite enjoyed a scifi series by the same author, and I've read a short story I quite enjoyed as well. This older fantasy of hers is the first book telling the story of Paksenarrion, a sheepfarmer's daughter who flees her home to join a mercenary group.

My reactions to this book are a little mixed. At times, it was very easy to read; not necessarily hard to put down, but very easy to j...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Dan Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this one up because my wife recommended it. She said, “It saved fantasy for me.” That was high praise, but I can see now that it was worth it. I am also tempted to say that it saved fantasy for me, but I’m not sure I’ll find much else like it.

I do enjoy Urban Fantasy, but I confess I’ve never really enjoyed much traditional fantasy, i.e. epic sword and sorcercy, though I could never quite put my finger on it. The best I could say was that, “I just couldn’t get into it.” I figured that t...more I picked this one up because my wife recommended it. She said, “It saved fantasy for me.” That was high praise, but I can see now that it was worth it. I am also tempted to say that it saved fantasy for me, but I’m not sure I’ll find much else like it.

I do enjoy Urban Fantasy, but I confess I’ve never really enjoyed much traditional fantasy, i.e. epic sword and sorcercy, though I could never quite put my finger on it. The best I could say was that, “I just couldn’t get into it.” I figured that the genre simply was not for me, and I stuck to my science fiction.

After reading this book, I think I figured out my problem with most fantasy. It’s the long expository openings setting the scene and showing off all the world-building the author has done. I can’t really blame most of these authors, because this seems to be The Way It Is Done, in a mold set first perhaps by Tolkien himself.

Well, with all deference the old master, this usually bores me to death. It’s the kingdom of Blahdyblay, ruled by the Lords of Nuchinsuch since the ancient days of Dear-God-my-eyes-are-bleeding! We’re usually seven or eight pages in before anything actually happens, except in rare cases, where we start with some brief excitement, only to be followed by page after page of exposition. Look, I’ll give you the One True Ring if you’ll just shut up about the damned jibbenweed smoke for five minutes!

Sheepfarmer’s Daughter does not suffer from this problem. Admittedly, it starts with a now unfashionable prologue, but even then, it introduces a mystery. Then, chapter one starts with our protagonist, Paks, doing stuff. She’s in a struggle and is making a change in her life. She’s already five steps into the mythical Hero’s Journey, and she’s just getting started.

Yes, the book shows signs of quite a bit of world-building. There are old alliances, gods and saints, raging ogres, fallen kingdoms, and so forth, but it doesn’t come in a front-loaded infodump. Instead, it is revealed to us through the eyes of an wide-eyed foot soldier, one muddy step at a time. The narrator doesn’t tell us about the southern farm lands, the impenetrable fortress, or the honorable allies. Instead, Paks marches through them, butts up against them, and fights alongside them. We don’t so much see the world as we feel it.

Beyond that, the story is good, and it is both gritty and noble. People die, Paks gets hurt. Wounds heal slowly, and scars accumulate. But honor is upheld, and despite all the setbacks and painful losses along the way, the good guys win in the end. Since it’s also the first book in a trilogy, I should also say that powerful forces are at work in the world, and we see them moving slowly and at oblique angles. I don’t yet know where they’re going, but I can see that they’re going to pull Paks deeper into the crucible and explain the mystery that was laid out in that prologue.

So, it was very good – beyond five stars. It’s the first of a trilogy, so I’m looking forward to diving into them, even though they’re each about 500 pages long. And what’s more, Elizabeth Moon has returned to this world after several years, so even after I finish this trilogy, there will be more waiting for me. I’m tempted to dive in headfirst, but I think I’ll stretch it out a bit and savor this one for the next year or two.

(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Robin rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked up "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" because I'd heard many good things about this epic fantasy. It begins very well, establishing Paks's independence, her dedication, passion, her desire to do what is right and good.

The story then devolves into a daily account of How to Become a Soldier and, once she's received her training, Paks's story moves into scene after scene of military maneuvers sans any real political groundwork. There are pages of scenery descriptions which, while they are lovely...more I picked up "The Sheepfarmer's Daughter" because I'd heard many good things about this epic fantasy. It begins very well, establishing Paks's independence, her dedication, passion, her desire to do what is right and good.

The story then devolves into a daily account of How to Become a Soldier and, once she's received her training, Paks's story moves into scene after scene of military maneuvers sans any real political groundwork. There are pages of scenery descriptions which, while they are lovely, do nothing to move the tale along. And then there are lists. Paragraphs long!

Now and then a little magic is thrown in as if the author sometimes remembered the book was supposed to be a fantasy. Paks sees, at a distance, some dwarves and an elf, we're told about gnomes, and there are legends of orcs — but there is never any interaction with them. There is a religious medallion that may or may not be magical, and one of the brief 'magical moments' deals with another medallion and a magical sword. Luckily, there is a battle toward the end that includes some flashing lights and dark, swirling smoke…

Most of the characters, including Paks herself, are rather flat and one-dimensional. Worse, it appears as if the author had a limited list of names to choose from, for there are multiple characters with the same names, and/or characters whose names are different by one vowel or consonant. It made for some confusing, frustrating reading.

Near the end of the book, which is told from Paks's POV, there's a chapter thrown in from the viewpoint of another character — not even a character Paks has had much interaction with, but the son of a commander who's a friend of *her* commander. This chapter doesn't even have the courtesy of following the timeline, and seems to have been inserted for the sole reason of tossing in a (tastefully handled, to be sure) torture scene. In the end, the torturee doesn't even make a comment about how the captured bad guy should die, although he is included (verbally) in the scene.

The book *ends* with plenty of pointers to "something uncommon" about Paks, but she is determined to continue her Life as a Soldier in spite of the presence of the exciting (and magical, woohoo!) Marshal and/or paladin. I wonder if the second book includes as much marching and rain and latrine-digging, but I don't have any real inspiration to find out.(less)

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Jun 20, 2012 Ori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I've heard many great things about this series, so I was pretty eager to pick it up. Girl runs away from home to become legendary warrior? I'm sold.

I quite like that the world doesn't revolve around the protagonist -- for this first book, anyway. There are many scenes that take place without her playing a pivotal role, and she is really just an ordinary soldier (at first, anyway). I like that there isn't anything extraordinary about her that she hasn't trained extremely hard to earn.

Still, I di...more

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May 05, 2012 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The Sheepfarmer is Paksenarrion's father Dorthan, and a nasty character indeed. Paks wants nothing of his plans to sell her into virtual slavery, and so escapes and goes to join one of the few mercenary groups - a Company - who accept female soldiers.

So begin the Deed of Paksenarrion, the first in a three-book trilogy by Elizabeth Moon; one of few authors who manage to keep fantasy trilogies at, yes, three books.

This is military-fantasy, which implies battles, death, war, and suffering. It shoul...more The Sheepfarmer is Paksenarrion's father Dorthan, and a nasty character indeed. Paks wants nothing of his plans to sell her into virtual slavery, and so escapes and goes to join one of the few mercenary groups - a Company - who accept female soldiers.

So begin the Deed of Paksenarrion, the first in a three-book trilogy by Elizabeth Moon; one of few authors who manage to keep fantasy trilogies at, yes, three books.

This is military-fantasy, which implies battles, death, war, and suffering. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are battles, death, and so forth - even so, reading reviews of this book, it would appear that many write opinions without first reading the story.

First, the language is easily read. It is not dumbed down; it is easy, not simplistic. The Saga style of either Snorre or Tolkien, different as they are, may not be expected here. Some, very minimal, repetition is evident. It is not a distraction.

The setting is a fantasy classic: inspired by the middle ages, somewhat brighter than our own, with a dash of roman, a touch of magic, an elf or two, and the occasional wandering dwarf.

In the tradition of "Das Boot", it is also written to be realistic from the point of view of the sword-fodder in the first ranks. What you see, is what Paks see - the mud, the fatigue, the food, the face of the enemy in front. There's few eagle-eye views here, very little in the way of inspired, brilliant tactics from the lowly footsoldier. For a long time she go where she is told, and fight whom she is directed to fight. It changes as book progress; her view of politics and of warn becoming ever so slowly more refined.

Her character evolve as well - equally slowly. The book take place of a mere three years, and it is a very different Paksenarrion at the end - with a few more scars, a few more bruises, and a few more aches in her heart for lost friends.

For the rest I suggest Elizabeth Moon's own remarks in the wikipedia article.

Finally, since I DID make the mistake of reading other reviews: there IS sexism in the book, there are no elves flying to the rescue, there is quite a different set of angles than in most "high" fantasy; there is no "one true god" ... in short, people, READ the book before reviewing.(less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Anke marked it as abandoned · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who'd like to read detailed descriptions of military boot camp in a fantasy world

Shelves: ebooks

This is available to download for free from the Baen website, if you want to try it yourself.

The prologue tells us of a written account of Paksenarrion's (here not specified) deeds delivered to her humble family. It amazes them. Since chapter one jumps back to when she ran away from home, that prologue smells to me like a cheap ploy to build interest.

In the following, we get rather a lot of detail about basic training in a mercenary army. While we hear how to handle a spear, what the food's like...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Monica! rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, swash-swash-buckle-buckle, the-sparkles-mean-its-magic, you-go-girl, hark-a-questing-beast, but-wait-theres-more, ten-year-old-me-says-squee

I vaguely remember reading this as a child, but the plot in my mind consisted solely of "Some girl with blond hair is all 'I'm off to be a soldier bye dad!' and then she rides a donkey." So I thought I would give it another go fifteen years later and see what I thought.

There's something sort of refreshing about a heroine who is also a mercenary soldier. From the looks of the storyline, the next couple books will probably quickly become bogged down in "Paks becomes a paladin" and "Paks becomes re...more

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Jan 28, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I really, really liked this book when I read it in high school. I loved the idea of a history of a hero, from her humble beginnings on through her greatest deeds. I remember Pakse and her companions so well, and I thought the descriptions of army life: recruitment, arming, training, were well done, with just enough detail to be thorough, not enough to drag the story down. There was no rush to spit the story out, it had clearly been plotted for three books, and I looked forward to two and three....more

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Dec 25, 2010 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Paks runs away from an unwanted suitor to join the mercenary army. She trains with other recruits in close fighting and swordsmanship and soon tests her mettle in battle. When one of her friends is injured and Paks heals the gash with her touch, this comrade leaves Paks her sacred medallion after a subsequent mortal wound. The amulet appears to protect Paks, even against a powerful mage. Her own commanders begin to question her destiny, but Paks wants only to stay with her friends. She may have...more

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Aug 19, 2010 Ross rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book begins with an 18 year old girl leaving home to escape a forced marriage. She joins a mercenary fighting unit as a recruit to be trained as a sword fighter. At this point I thought the book was going to be a fantasy like "Xena, Warrior Princess." After reading a little more, however, it became a sort of combination of "Nancy Drew" and "Harry Potter" in Tolkien's middle earth. If you liked those books then this book could appeal to you. This is not a bad book for the right tastes. If yo...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Liz B rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I was definitely engaged in this book, although upon reflection I'm not entirely sure why. Paks is a pure and almost childlike character throughout--she believes ardently in honor and good, and for the most part, her belief in her leader and comrades is justified. I like heroes and heroines who present as more complex and tormented, generally.

Next--this novel is very much the first book in a series, and nothing much important happens. Paks learns to fight; she overcomes a few problems; she turn...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Lindsay Stares rated it 4 of 5 stars

It wasn't tremendously ground-breaking or anything, but it was solid enjoyable D&D-style fantasy, medium magic level, with good action, good description, good characters. I don't need everything to have a twist, i.e. to be fantasy but with (insert odd addition to setting or race here), and it's nice to see a new fantasy that doesn't make me feel like it's trying too hard.

I liked the prologue, which foreshadowed the story with a nicely mythic tone. The first chapter begins in an awkwardly cli...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, fantasy, free, maps

Really engaging characters, well-developed. Paks is more credible than Harry or Kvothe, et al. because she's so fallible. Really appreciate that Paks is not immediately the best there ever was at everything. And as her specialness is revealed, even she resists it.

Good storytelling, if a rather pedestrian plot. I like that Paks isn't the center of the universe. And sometimes their are things she just doesn't get.

Quibbles: Trays and serving lines? Wayside inns capable of feeding hundreds of "drop...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Kyle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Note: You can read a sample of the first 20 chapters here, and the entire trilogy in eBook format is only $6.00 from Baen books (click here).

Sheepfarmer's Daughter is the first book in the "The Deed of Paksenarrion" trilogy. I came across this in an Epic Fantasy recommendation thread on Amazon. This book is epic in the sense it follows the life of Paksenarrion Dothansdotter, but it only hints at the fantasy side of things with a few references to dwarves, gnomes, and orcs. It does introduce seve...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Vincent Wood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Somehow when this book was originally published, in a time when I practically considered libraries and book stores as my second home, I had never heard of it. It was only by chance that I discovered this book now and I am glad I did.

For those of you who are reading my review before reading the book summary, it is about a young woman named Paksomethingsomethingsomething who to escape a forced marriage runs away from home and joins the military. Luckily the author must have not wanted to constantl...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: March Fantasy Read - Sheepfarmer's Daughter	34	61	Apr 12, 2013 04:27am
fast paced?	10	33	Aug 30, 2012 07:55am
Fantasy Aficionados: February 2012 Epic Read--Sheepfarmer's Daughter	86	80	Mar 08, 2012 12:52pm

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Sheepfarmer's Daughter (The Deed of Paksenarrion #1)

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