The Paladin

By C.J. Cherryh

Book Overview

Now betrayed by the Emperor he once protected, master swordsman Saukendar leaves the way of the sword behind him forever--so he thinks. When a headstrong peasant girl burning to avenge her murdered family demands that he train her, Saukendar is faced with a momentous choice. Send Taizu away, never see her again--or join her and destroy the tyrant who has nearly destroyed them both.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671654179
• ISBN13: 9780671654177
• Release Date: July 1988
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Read my original copy ragged

I loved this book, I will always love this book. (And now I'm buying it again) Because, unlike much of the books in the genre it doesn't hit you on the head with senseless brutality, but puts a little more thought into the art of martial "arts." And it has humor. It brings this big breath of the real world into these characters with its humor. It has plenty of action, has plenty of do-or-die and save the world kind of stuff without being silly. But what really makes it, is that the characters grow and find redemption, which is ultimitely more important. I've kept it around long after other ones have gone into the garage sale box.It ought to be a movie.

The dichotomy of legend and man

I realize this book was written 14 years ago...so sue me. I'm late. "The Paladin" is a sterling example of Cherrye at the peak of her art. She uses terse dialog and concise action to convey not only an exciting adventure story, but also a poignant story of two damaged people discovering a life beyond bitterness in each other.Taizu is little more than a child, and she has fought-- not always successfully-- the dangers of both travel and brigands in order to find Saukandar, a warrior who was once the Emperor's closest advisor and who now resides in seclusion. She wants his help to make her a warrior, so that she can seek revenge against the politician who slaughtered her family. He wants her to leave him alone-- then, he simply wants her. They are separated by years, by class, and by motive, and by the end of the book, they are inseparable. Saukandar's journey from grumpy old man to irrascible and wily fighter is believable and real, as is Taizu's growth from ragged urchin to demon warrior. Between the two of them, they prove to be more than enough to save their Kingdom from corruption-- and themselves, from loneliness more aching than death.

LEGENDS RETOLD.. CHECK YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AT THE DOOR.

Like Rusalka and the sequels, Paladin is based on one of the classic stories of a fascinating culture. This time, like Cuckoo's Egg, the source is the warrior culture of medieval Japan, and the story is the moral tale of the retired courtier and swordmaster. The resemblance ends there.. this one ends the way you always wanted it to. People and the right, not duty, and not tragedy, come out on top. Cherryh never forces a happy ending on a story..but Taizu does. Always. Good for her! Shoka keeps trying to follow his cultural programming to be a classic tragic hero, the peasants to be victims, the lords to domineer..but she won't let it happen. Taizu gets her revenge, ghita gets what's coming to him, and Shoka gets his life back, and his revenge on Taizu for making him take it..Paladin is worth reading just for the innuendo Shoka pumps into his conversation with the merchant. Paladin is the story behind Taizu's legend, not Shoka's. It should have been the central myth for some culture, somewhere.

One of C.J.Cherryh's finer works.

In search of the means of revenge the scarred, peasant girl, Taizu turns for help to the reclusive sword master, Shoka, on his mountain retreat. Shoka refuses her request as he does all others, his skills not for hire. But Taizu persists and Shoka acquiesces, reckoning it unlikely that she will master the sword, or even if she does, time will have mellowed her outlook and she will be content to remain as his companion. Two years pass, and although Taizu has gained skill with the sword, and she and Shoka have shared his bed, her hunger for revenge is undiminished. So Shoka is left with no alternative but follow her. During their cross-country progress, news travels fast. And as well as attending to Taizu's demands Shoka becomes the figurehead for a rebellion against Lord Ghita and his allies who have taken control of the Chiyaden throne.This book is similar to The Goblin Mirror, Cuckoo's Egg, and Rimrunners in its easy to read style whist retaining her use of intense viewpoint to embellish the characterisation in a way which doesn't tend to overwhelm the plot like some of her more densely written books can, to the point of tedium: Fortress of Eagles being a good example. The Paladin, whist not having the breadth of scope of some of her other works, is nonetheless, significantly better than the majority of her rivals' fantasy-genre offerings, with its tight, straightforward prose, and its clever developments of what at face value would be considered of little significance. But this is a C.J. Cherryh trademark: a sort of, when a butterfly flaps its wings in Peking, what's the consequences, sort of thing. Which, for me, is one of the main reasons why I look forward to reading her work as much as I do. They say `never judge a book by its cover', but I think the Brian Salmon (for Mandarin UK) artwork is a better match for the story than the current one. Taizu looks a lot more like the peasant girl she's said to be.

Engrossing and rewarding

You rarely get books as good as this on the fantasy shelves. A delightful character study of a crotchety retired swordmaster (Saukendar) and the wilfull, obstinate peasant girl (Taizu) who proves to be a match for him. Enthralling from beginning to end, never drags at any point and always completely believable. There's so few supernatural elements in the book it probably shouldn't be classed as fantasy but I'm glad it was or I may never have found it. Why this isn't far more popular I've no idea, it's one of the best you'll find on the fantasy shelves of your bookstore.