Kings of the North

Paladin's Legacy, Book 2

By: Elizabeth Moon

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Elizabeth Moon returns to the fantasy world of the paladin Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter - Paks for short - in this second volume of a new series filled with all the bold imaginative flights, meticulous world-building, realistic military action, and deft characterization that readers have come to expect from this award-winning author. In Kings of the North, Moon is working at the very height of her storytelling powers.

Peace and order have been restored to the kingdoms of Tsaia and Lyonya, thanks to the crowning of two kings: Mikeli of Tsaia and, in Lyonya, Kieri Phelan, a mercenary captain whose royal blood and half-elven heritage are resented by elves and humans alike. On the surface, all is hope and promise. But underneath, trouble is brewing. Mikeli cannot sit safely on his throne as long as remnants of the evil Verrakaien magelords are at large. Kieri is being hounded to marry and provide the kingdom with an heir - but that is the least of his concerns. A strange rift has developed between him and his grandmother and co-ruler, the immortal elven queen known as the Lady. More problematic is the ex-pirate Alured, who schemes to seize Kieri’s throne for himself - and Mikeli’s, too, while he’s at it. Meanwhile, to the north, the aggressive kingdom of Pargun seems poised to invade.Now, as war threatens to erupt from without and within, the two kings are dangerously divided. Old alliances and the bonds of friendship are about to be tested as never before. And a shocking discovery will change everything.

©2011 Elizabeth Moon (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Strong Book, Weak Narrator

I read the book in paperback some years ago, so I know it's a typically strong Moon work. Good plotting, good characterization, fun read.

A good narrator will add interest to the text with emotive reading that matches the emotions intended by the writer, possibly with changes in voice, depending the character being voice, and a good understanding of pacing.

A fair narrator will not distract from the book, allowing the text to carry the story and staying out of the way.

This narrator, new for this book in the series, is ... not good.

She manages to make sympathetic characters sound alternately angry and whiny, uses pacing that gets in the way of the text, and seems not to understand what she is reading.

I hope not to hear another book read by her.

happy the story continues

just as the title says I'm happy the story continues and look foward to the next book. I will say I was bit concerned when I saw Jennifer van dyke wasn't narrating this as she did the other books, but Susan Ericksen did an amazing job. After a short time to get used to her style I settled back comfortable listening and enjoying the story and was happy with the many kinds of talents and voices she brought to the world. well done.

if you havnt yet read the deed of poxinarion then read these books I highly recommend it.

Why the narrator change?

The narrator was good but having such a change from the previous narrator was not good. The pronunciations were different as well as the accents.

Love!!!

I am loving this whole series! Elizabeth Moon does a wonderful job of writing so it keeps me wanting more!!!

Worst Narrator in 10 years

What didn???t you like about Susan Ericksen???s performance?

Imagine a Jewish mother from New Jersey with a speech impediment reading very slowly to try to mask her accent(s) and failing miserably. It is impossible to believe that this person is a "professional" narrator or that any director would let this out. 10 years and 500+ Audible books and this is the worst yet. A speech synthesizer voice would be better.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Coffee-talk Lady reads Shakespeare.

Good, but could have been better

The story picks up immediately following book 1, but with a different narrator. While the pronunciations were mostly similar enough to avoid any confusion, Susan Ericksen voices internal character thoughts in a somewhat whiny way or tone. It becomes grating at times. Character voices are sometimes too similar unless the character is considered someone outside the North - then they get a unique accent. As compared to the first series, the Legend series is slightly less satisfying as the plot constantly switches to different characters. If this were a much longer book, I would not have minded so much, but the plotlines for some characters seemed rushed or sometimes inserted without a full exploration. Good, but could have been better.

Great book, but unhappy with the narrator

Where does Kings of the North rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top twenty for story, lower 20 for performance.

What other book might you compare Kings of the North to and why?

The other two books in the series are comprable, but the narration is much better.

What does Susan Ericksen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I did not like the narrator, but she did get better with her characterizations as the book went on. Still, she does not have the range of talent of the original narrator for the series. I like the variation in voice technique the audio books give rather than me reading it myself with just my own mind voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Actually listened to it multiple times over several weeks.

Any additional comments?

Since I got Bells Palsy, I am having trouble with the sight in my right eye and find it difficult to read as many books as I used to read. Auto books allows me to keep up with my reading pace.

Great book AND narrator

I don't know why everyone was whining about the narrator for this book. Susan Ericksen does a great job with this book. I knew she was a good reader from other works I have heard her read. I actually liked her better than the original reader. I had no problem at all keeping up with her pronunciations. Don't let the complaints about her deter you from listening to this book because I think it's probably the best in the series.

I was irritated in the first book about how easily Ms. Moon killed off characters that she let us get attached to.but book by book she's gotten better and better at building the characters and allowing them to survive the rest of the story.

I'm going to be really sorry when this ends. I'm as attached to the Fox and Pax as I am to Jamie and Claire.

Good story poor narrator

This book is a great continuation of the Paksenarrion world. Looking forward to book three. I find it interesting though that it is referred to as Legend of Paksenarrion as she hardly ever is present in this story. I understand that sometimes it is necessary to change narrators, but this series went from someone who was fun and exciting to someone who could put me to sleep. Still it was a good choice.

All characters sound angry

I feel like I'm being barked at, takes a lot of energy to follow the story.

Jennifer van dyke is a tough act to follow But not that much?