Customer Reviews

Vows and Honor 01: The Oathbound

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though I have read almost all of the Velgarth books before, this was actually a new one for me, and I was eager to see what I'd make of it. I am sorry to say that I'm of mixed opinions.

One one hand, you can see that Lackey has advanced rather smoothly in her style in only the short time since publishing her first novel, and it was easier to fall into than, say, Arrows of the Queen.

This book also features Tarma, who is one of the very few human asexual characters I've found in fiction who are presented in a positive light. As a person who identifies as asexual myself, finding those rare few role-models is a treat, and this books deserves some praise on that alone. Think it's hard finding gay or trans role-models in fiction? try looking for an 'ace' hero and suddenly finding a gay or trans hero seems like a walk in the park!

On the other hand, this book did suffer from some very noticeable flaws. This book, the first in the Vows and Honour series, takes place after the previous publication of a few short stories involving Tarma and Kethry, including the tale of their meeting and vow-sharing. As a result, you open this book and feel like you've come in during the middle of the tale, which doesn't leave one with a very favourable impression.

The pacing suffered at times, too. This often felt like a collection of short stories that only halfway through turned into a cohesive novel. One quest presented devoted more pages to the character conversing in a common room than it did to one of the characters getting kidnapped by her twisted ex-husband, and the tension there was very difficult to feel. Some plot twists weren't twisty in the slightest, and sadly, the meat of the story could be seen coming a mile away.

Also in the "it felt like a book of short stories" vein, there was a great deal of repetition. The reader is constantly reminded of the fact that Warrl's shoulders came up to Tarma's waist, that Need was a magical sword, and that Kathry had amber-coloured hair. Perfectly fine to remind someone of if they're reading a collection of stories that were originally published far apart, but as for one book meant to tell a complete story, it got tedious.

Everything being taken into consideration, that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy reading this book. It definitely had its moments, even if it took a while to really get started. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to those who aren't already fans of Lackey's work, I'm still glad I took the time to read it, and nothing will change that.

Her literary device in this particular book is not really the Lackey I'm used to. The book starts off very slow, which would be ok, if the middle of the book wasn't clogged and slowed down with a complete (far too detailed) recount of the beginning. She goes into such detail (specifically with the tales told to the priest) that you could start the book there and miss litte. Her character descriptions get old quickly, repeated use of similar descriptions over and over are all over the place. In fear of being too picky, I might mention there are many issues with her writing at the core, things like the word "contrived" used to describe the familiar, then used again in the very next sentance as dialogue from a character. Ok for die-hard fans, but I wouldn't suggest it as a start to anyone new to Lackey.

Tarma is a shin'a'nin sword sworn. This means that she has dedicated her life to the goddess in hope of saving her clan, which was all but wiped out years before. Kethry is a noble born sorceress who, after fleeing a forced marriage, has become a blood sister to Tarma and is intent on helping her bring her clan to life again. Unfortunately this is easier said then done. Traveling as freelance mercenaries, Tarma and Kethry move from town to town in hope of work to help them make money. But when they find work it is far from simple. And when they can't find work trouble still seems to find them. Kethry carries the magical sword Need, that is made for a woman only to fight with and will never harm a woman. And when Need feels a woman in trouble it immediately rushed off to save her, dragging Kethry and her blood sister around behind them. What kind of adventures will they face?

Having already read seven other Valdemar books, I was very excited to pick this one up. Like many of Mercedes Lackey's other earlier books, it's filled with a real energy that just makes Tarma and Kethry's adventures just thrilling. The characters of Tarma and Kethry are strong and exciting. You can tell that they really have a strong bond with each other. I can't wait to read the other Vows and Honors book and the short story collection that goes along with it. The only problem I had with it has to do with the fact that although this is the fist Tarma and Kethry book, it starts very much int he middle of their story. The first Tarma and Kethry story is a short story in a separate anthology, one that I haven't read. Although Mercedes Lackey does a good job of explaining what happened in the past I would have liked it a lot more if I had actually got to read the story that happened before hand. It really sounds interesting. But beyond that I really liked this story and I know that any fans of Valdemar will love it too.

It's amazing, lol. I loved all the tid-bit of words in Tarma's native tounge. It has an excellent plot and the book just keeps getting better as you read on. For those people who didnt give this book 5 stars, you need to re-read this book and find out what you missed, because you must not have gotten it all. One of the best book ever written along with all the rest of the Valdemar books. makes me wish I could travel to valdemar!

Tarma is a Shin'a'in warrior of the Dhorisha Plains, sworn to serve her Goddess. Kethry, a former noble, is a White Winds sorceress working toward Adept status. The two are paired together by the that oath they have sworn, and they begin their journey as mercenaries. Along the way, Tarma and Kethry encounter a number of dangerous foes that they alone may have the strength to defeat...

"The Oathbound" is the first book in Mercedes Lackey's Vows and Honor Series. It was my ninth Lackey book, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by it. I picked it just to get the background on what was happening the world of Velgarth 100 years previous to The Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy. I found myself unable to put it down towards the end. The action was intense for the last 150 pages or so.

Tarma and Kethry were very engaging characters, and I loved their interactions with each other and how they were so accepting of the other's differences. It was refreshing to see people from completely different backgrounds become best friends with no prejudices.

However, I would not recommend this book to young readers. One of the characters is perversely sexual in a purely evil way.

Bottom Line: A fun read (Yeah, Girl Power!) for all mature readers, not just sci-fi/fantasy people.

Another great series for fans of action heroines -- get and read them all (how come there's only 2?)!!

This should be read with a copy of _Oathblood_ (see my review) handy, because it occurs after "Sword-Sworn", in which Tarma and Kethry first met. Tarma is a Shin'a'in horse-nomad from the Dhorisha Plains, last survivor of Clan Tale'sedrin. Kethry is a White Winds mage, an order that's dirt-poor and few in number because they're sworn to certain standards of ethical behavior. The pair met during Tarma's long hunt for the bandits who murdered her clan.

Tarma must return to the Plains soon; the shamans decreed that if she didn't return from her quest within the agreed-upon time period, she would be mourned and the Tale'sedrin banner buried with the rest of the dead. First, though, she and Kethry have to scrape up some cash for the journey. And the place they have to start is the only nearby city: Kethry's hometown, Mornedealth.

The novel is somewhat episodic, rather than one flowing narrative, but that's logical: they're just taking up their mercenary calling, and need to establish reputations as independent adventurers before they can get steady jobs. (And before they can do that, they need to straighten out their status with the Clans.)

The first 3 chapters or so explore Kethry's past - the partners don't know each other well, and as Tarma's teachers point out, before Tarma broods over her past, she should consider another's. (Tarma's past is presented in "Sword-Sworn", in _Oathblood_.) They need to acquire enough money to return to the plains before any ugly problems crop up from Kethry's past history in Mornedealth.

When they finally escape the city (see the story for details) for the plains, Clan Liha'irden reacts to the outlander mage, now adopted of Tale'sedrin, about how you'd expect them to react, given that this isn't a "happily ever after" story. We learn why each of the teammates would like to start a school, some of the background of the White Winds mage school (particularly Gervase, the Wizard Lizard), and why Warrl, who "ought" to be a mage's familiar, partners Tarma instead. Then the companions begin their careers as mercenaries, building up a reputation and a cash reserve to get Tale'sedrin on its feet. (The point where they get regular work is the next book, _Oathbreakers_). Only two of the incidents along the way were actually separate short stories (see _Oathbound_ review for details). Unfortunately for Tale'sedrin, one or two of those early 'episodes' aren't quite as finished as they seem at first...

I really, really enjoyed this book. The story is of two oathbound sisters, a Shin'a'in swordmaster and a White Winds sorceress, who face trials and tribulations while attempting to rebuild their clan.
I liked that Tarma and Kethry did not mesh together perfectly. After all, they had been together only a short time. It would have been ridiculous to portray them as best buds, when they really didn't know that each other that well. There are moments when the two women are awkward around each other, which you don't see in the later books, Oathbreakers and Oathblood.
Anyways, this is an extremely enjoyable book. I only wish I could give it more stars!

Since Mercedes Lackey's strength as an author lies in her ability to develop unique, interesting, lovable characters, the fact that the plot is a little disjointed in this book does not detract too much from my enjoyment of it. As usual, the main characters are caring and strong without being perfect. They learn from each other and grow as the book progresses. The bad guys are really bad, but driven by understandable, if not likeable, motivations. My only problem with this one is that it seems like a series of short stories instead of a stand-alone novel. I could use a little more complexity in the plot.

towards the end of the first chapter i relly gotinto the book, but it took me about two months to actually finish the chapter. after that, the other two books were decoured within a day. but the beginning... i had just one small problem. never having known what happened before the story started, i was bored to tears. here was a book i had wanted for a long time, and what was it? about cold! after that, it livened up, and after reading the next two books i understood the first better