Sheepfarmer’s Daughter, the first book of The Deeds of Paksenarrion series, has vaguely been on my radar for a while, particularly in the last couple years since sharing a book club with a big Paks fan. And with Knights and Paladins on this year’s Bingo board, I decided to pick up Elizabeth Moon’s debut novel and read about a famous fantasy paladin.
Sheepfarmer’s Daughter is very much an origin-story novel, with heavy foreshadowing about the lead’s future role even while her present is spent as a mere mercenary soldier. The opening is familiar enough for experienced genre readers—the lead flees a small village and an unwanted marriage to seek her fortune in the wider world—before quickly transitioning into a thoroughgoing military fantasy. The lead must train, learn to be part of a unit, and adjust to the rhythms of mercenary life, all while knowing very little about the broader politics of why her company is being sent in one direction or the other. It does progress toward a couple major conflicts, all while shaping the lead into the figure she will be for the rest of the series, but that progression is less of a slow buildup and more day-to-day military life punctuated by character-defining events.
The military story structure has never been my favorite, but it’s the standard for a reason, and the author’s own background clearly informs that depiction of day-to-day mercenary life. If I don’t love lingering on life in camp, that’s more a function of me reading outside my ordinary subgenre than it is an indictment of the novel. That said, there is some roughness that one may expect from a debut work, showing up particularly in the transitional elements. There are several instances where a new chapter opens miles or months away from where the previous chapter had closed, typically with very little signposting. There are moments where the abruptness of the transitions positively serve the story, but it often introduces a period of confusion for no apparent purpose. The same thing occasionally occurs on the sentence-level as well, where the text does not adequately orient the reader to the reference the narrative seeks to capture.
Fortunately, there are some real strengths that do a lot to counterbalance the few points of weakness. And for me, the biggest selling point comes in the care and camaraderie that typifies the company. The genre is no stranger to larger-than-life soldiers with otherworldly skill and rock-solid ethics, but fantasy armies seem to be dysfunctional as often as not, with bellicose leaders who ignore or actively encourage bad behavior in the ranks, orchestrating short-sighted tactics that leave their people at risk for little reward. But nothing could be further from a description of the mercenary company at the heart of Sheepfarmer’s Daughter. The camaraderie isn’t always easy, and bad apples can slip into the ranks, but the leaders consistently display an even-handedness and commitment to doing right by their people that permeates the entire story, even in its darkest moments. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter certainly features some military ugliness, but it’s handled in a way that truly justifies the lead’s loyalty for her company. While it’s not a book that makes me want to join the military, it portrays a culture of care and respect that’s easy to aspire to.
The novel’s other major strength comes in the climactic moments, particularly the midway climax. The military fantasy pacing may not be my preference, but it still puts the lead in a few situations that will keep readers on their edge of their seat, with one extended sequence serving both as the fulcrum of the broader narrative and as the most gripping action and characterization in the entire book. Fans generally seem to think that the author grows in her ability over the course of the series, but there are real flashes of greatness here in the first book.
The ending is one that opens more arcs than it closes, but it does provide some big moments and enough closure to justify it being its own book instead of a piece of another. And in fairness, it’s hard to expect much more from an origin story. Were I a huge military fantasy fan, I’d immediately be on to the next book (to be honest, I’d probably have finished it long since). But even in a subgenre I don’t often love, Sheepfarmer’s Daughter offered plenty of highlights and reasons to keep reading.
Recommended if you like: military fantasy, organizations where people look out for each other.
Can I use it for Bingo? It’s hard mode for LGBTQIA Protagonist and Knights and Paladins (if you count paladin origin stories). It’s also Published in the 80s, is a Book Club selection, features Gods and Pantheons, and features a Stranger in a Strange Land.
Overall rating: 15 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.