License: GPL
Sheep Farmers Daughter is an old favourite, which I have read lord only knows how many times. Elizabeth Moon has written a gritty, enthralling story of the making of a Paladin. This is the first book of a trilogy, and introduces us to a new universe through the eyes of a young innocent (which is a great device to introduce us to a universe from the viewpoint of someone who is not seeing it through eyes jaundiced by experience).
For me, books have always been an escape from the humdrum mundanity of everyday existence. Putting myself in the shoes of a character in the story is the whole point; and this story excels there: it is very believable. Not many people can tell a tale that comes alive, and Ms Moon is one of them. An ex-marine, much of the detail of the military life of Paks has been drawn from Moon’s own military experience. More than just that, the world is richly drawn, and interesting.
I read this book in a hotel room in Chicago, since, as usual, there was nothing really interesting on TV, and I don’t “get” the whole bar scene.