This medieval fantasy tale is fifth in a series
called Paladin's Legacy. A paladin was a warrior
knight
sworn to do good. However the start of the story shows
bitter enemies and deeds as one warlord hates another. A
CROWN OF RENEWAL might be just what the war-torn land
needs.
Gnomes, flayed enemies and magical curses populate the
early chapters, as the action follows on from the previous
books. Fevers, poisoned wells and forced labour are
everyday occurrences. A man named Selfer is an army captain
who tries to maintain discipline among bored troops,
awaiting attack. Out of the stronghold on the North
Marches, a group of sinister black-cloaked inyisin menace
an unwary patrol led by another Captain, Argolin, until the
arrival of horse-nomads with spears who hate the
blackcloaks.
Paks is a female warrior, a paladin, who lectures recruits
on the necessity of darning socks at the same time as
knowing how to fight off a dragon. I was pleased to see
this strong capable female character enter the story,
bringing news to an elvenhome. Elves depend on nature magic
and Paks has a chance to catch up with some of her friends.
Later we learn the differences in development between
elven, human and half-elven children.
While there is a great deal of battle, scene-changing and
detail in the story I had not read any of the earlier
instalments so I found myself at a considerable
disadvantage. Quite a lot of chapters begin with 'Dorrin
woke...' and I had to keep checking as to who this
character was; she is shepherding a box of crown jewels
around the ocean and had once been a mage. There are many
plotlines and characters to keep track of in CROWN OF
RENEWAL, but overall the series appears full of action and
world-building with plenty of opposing forces. I suggest
that lovers of heroic fantasy should get hold of the first
book 'Oath of Fealty' and take it from there.
Elizabeth Moon has also written exciting spacefaring books
such as the 'Serrano Legacy' series which begins
with 'Hunting Party'. She was a Marine before becoming a
writer which lends realism to her conflicts.
Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly
imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to
the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster
Bujold. In this volume, Moon’s brilliant masterwork reaches
its triumphant conclusion.
The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land
has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the
kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king,
struggles to balance the competing demands of his heritage
while fighting a deadly threat to his rule: evil elves
linked in some way to the rebirth of magic.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia, a set of
ancient artifacts recovered by the former mercenary Dorrin
Verrakai may hold the answer to the riddle of magery’s
return. Thus Dorrin embarks on a dangerous quest to return
these relics of a bygone age to their all-but-mythical place
of origin. What she encounters there will change her in
unimaginable ways—and spell doom or salvation for the entire
world.
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