Beth Cato's Reviews > Oath of Fealty

This brand new book in the Paksennarion series takes place where Oath of Gold left off. Unlike the previous books, this one does not focus on Paks; instead, we follow several familiar characters as their lives take unexpected turns. Kieri Phelan leaves behind his mercenary company and delves into the truth of his half-elven heritage as he nears his coronation as king of Lyonya. Meanwhile, dark magic lurks in Tsaia. The Verrakaien magelords are held responsible, and all their kin are stripped of land and title--all except for Dorrin Verrakai, one of Phelan's mercenary captains and long estranged from her family. Dorrin must face the darkness of her past and utilize her own untrained magic if she's to cleanse her family's land of taint.[return][return]At 500 pages, this book was a fast and enjoyable read. I'm a big fan of Moon's books; I read the original Paks and Gird books last year, and then her scifi Vatta's War series a few months ago. Moon's writing skill has increased since she first created Paks' world twenty years ago. Oath of Fealty features the interwoven threads and political intrigue like her Vatta's War books, but in a fantasy setting. That's not a complaint.[return][return]Reading this felt like sitting down to talk with friends I haven't seen in a long time. I look forward to the release of the next book.