Recommendation for Novel featuring a Paladin

[Sly Kamaui]

Hello all,

One of my friends is entirely into paladins. Could anyone recommend a book(of Faerun or otherwise) that heavily features this class?

[Bardess]

Elizabeth Moon, the Saga of Paksenarrion.

[Rathendar]

The Deed of Paksenarrion, ma'am... but i second this recommendation!

[Sly Kamaui]

Then it has been settled. The omnibus has been purchased and will be in the mail within 4 to 14 business days. :P
Thank you for your assistance.

[Thanael]

Bound by Iron features an ex military veteran paladin investigor teaming up with a chaotic bard/journalist in Edward Bolmes' excellent Eberron novel from the Inquisitives series.

[Wolfthulhu]

The Elenium and The Tamuli are are two Paladin trilogies by David Eddings. Great books!

And of course, the previously mentioned, The Deed of Paksenarion.

The two authors give very different types of paladins, Paksenarion is more in lines with what most people would consider the 'traditional' D&D paladin, while Eddings actually deals with several different paladin orders and his heroes tend to be more 'ends justify the means' kind of paladins and tells a more gritty story.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but The Dresden Files has two very good examples of what Paladin like behavior should be. Michael Carpenter is a VERY good example of how a paladin should act. ALso Karen Murphy is very Paladin like. Both are far from lawful stupid. Were I to play a Pally I'd use them as examples.

[Andrew Betts]

Three Hearts for Three Lions by Poul Andersen I believe was the original Paladin inspiration.

Sly Kamaui wrote:

Hello all,

One of my friends is entirely into paladins. Could anyone recommend a book(of Faerun or otherwise) that heavily features this class?

[CapeCodRPGer]

Harry Flashman is the very definition of a paladin. Any of the Flashman books will be good. * ducks*

[QXL99]

Thanael wrote:

Bound by Iron features an ex military veteran paladin investigor teaming up with a chaotic bard/journalist in Edward Bolmes' excellent Eberron novel from the Inquisitives series.

I agree--best 'wounded and weary' paladin story ever.

[mousestalker]

CapeCodRPGer wrote:

Harry Flashman is the very definition of a paladin. Any of the Flashman books will be good. * ducks*

You are a wicked, wicked man

/Squirrel Girl

[Rynjin]

Tiny Coffee Golem wrote:

Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but The Dresden Files has two very good examples of what Paladin like behavior should be. Michael Carpenter is a VERY good example of how a paladin should act. ALso Karen Murphy is very Paladin like. Both are far from lawful stupid. Were I to play a Pally I'd use them as examples.

^^^^^

All of my that. Michael is a perfect example of Paladin-Done-Right, and the other Knights are interesting examples of Paladins-Done-Differently-But-Still-Really-Good.

[Rathendar]

I also agree that Michael is a very well done paladin as well, but he is a supporting character so his roles and examples in the entirety of the series mean a large amount of reading(and purchasing) to capture his portrayal well.

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

T.H. White, The Once and Future King, but, for max paladin-action, skip to the third or so book.

[Cat Daemon]

One of my players considers the Heralds in the Valdemar books to be paladins hiding under another name.

[limsk]

Drenai novels featuring Druss by David Gemmell: Legend, The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend, and The Legend of Deathwalker

Druss' code is pretty much the paladin's oath.

[SmiloDan]

Paladin by CJ Cherry.

Naturally.

Also, check out Michael from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

[whitdragon]

SmiloDan wrote:

Paladin by CJ Cherry.

Naturally.

Also, check out Michael from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

David Weber has some the war gods own and a couple more. I especially enjoy his takes on his gods interactions.

[Aelryinth]

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson was indeed the foundation and inspiration for the D@D paladin. The title is a reference to the heraldic device of Rogar Carlson, the hero of the novel.

I'm suprised nobody mentioned the classics. L'Morte d'Arthur and whatever you use for the Peers of Charlemagne. Nobody thinks of the Knights of the ROund Table without thinking 'paladin'. Galahad and Percival are iconic too good to be true paladins, as was Lancelot before he had the small problem of falling in love with the wife of his king.

If you're into comic books, the closest thing to a paladin there would be acting like Captain America or Superman in terms of an honor code, sans the no-killing part. Thor is played like a paladin at Marvel (and can kill) as he's also fairly pious regards his dad Odin.

Still, the Round Table stories give you a decent range of classic paladins, and then you have to interpret them to 'modern' times. The Knights of the Sword in the Dresden novels are ALL great paladins, and Karrin Murphy qualified as one, too.

==Aelryinth

[Aelryinth]

Oh, and whatever you do, do NOT read Thornhold or Thornkeep or whatever it was (FR book). It's got one of the best examples of a Lawful Stupid paladin you will NEVER want to see.

==Aelryinth

[Rockheimr]

The Ancient Blades Trilogy, by David Chandler, feature a pretty great depiction of a traditional 'goody' paladin type in Croy - the thief central character's side-kick (though he'd never think of himself that way).

[Ermehtar]

The War God series, or Bahzell series, by David Weber has a good example of a practical paladin.

[baldwin the merciful]

Wolfthulhu wrote:

The Elenium and The Tamuli are are two Paladin trilogies by David Eddings. Great books!

And of course, the previously mentioned, The Deed of Paksenarion.

The two authors give very different types of paladins, Paksenarion is more in lines with what most people would consider the 'traditional' D&D paladin, while Eddings actually deals with several different paladin orders and his heroes tend to be more 'ends justify the means' kind of paladins and tells a more gritty story.

I totally agree.

[Cpt_kirstov]

I agree with the Dresden Files.

Also Villains by Necessity By Eve Forward (who also painted the master versions of the D&D minis) Has some interesting Pally/Anti-Pally philosophy that fits well with the paizo 'moral grey area' encounters.

[Fredrik]

Lawrence Watt-Evans's short series The Lords of Dûs is one of my favorite stories, and rather unusual. The protagonist is an anti-hero, but only because he's an anti-paladin; the whole theme is fighting fate (on a scale both personal and global), as he does his darndest to be good.

[LazarX]

Aelryinth wrote:

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson was indeed the foundation and inspiration for the D@D paladin. The title is a reference to the heraldic device of Rogar Carlson, the hero of the novel.

I'm suprised nobody mentioned the classics. L'Morte d'Arthur and whatever you use for the Peers of Charlemagne. Nobody thinks of the Knights of the ROund Table without thinking 'paladin'. Galahad and Percival are iconic too good to be true paladins, as was Lancelot before he had the small problem of falling in love with the wife of his king.

If you're into comic books, the closest thing to a paladin there would be acting like Captain America or Superman in terms of an honor code, sans the no-killing part. Thor is played like a paladin at Marvel (and can kill) as he's also fairly pious regards his dad Odin.

Still, the Round Table stories give you a decent range of classic paladins, and then you have to interpret them to 'modern' times. The Knights of the Sword in the Dresden novels are ALL great paladins, and Karrin Murphy qualified as one, too.

==Aelryinth

I'm not sure Arthur himself qualifies, especially the newer retellings of him tend to emphasize his nature as a Royal Jerk with Sense of Self Entitlement.

[yellowdingo]

Write your own?

[pennywit]

Rathendar wrote:

I also agree that Michael is a very well done paladin as well, but he is a supporting character so his roles and examples in the entirety of the series mean a large amount of reading(and purchasing) to capture his portrayal well.

The Dresden Files books that are multiples of five -- Death Masks, Small Favor, and Skin Game -- all provide some pretty good material.

Major Dresden Files spoilers:

These five books all feature Nicodemus and his henchmen, a coterie known as the Knights of the Blackened Denarius. The thirty members of the Knights of the Blackened Denarius each carry a silver coin (yes, those pieces of silver) that contains the spirit of a fallen angel. They're major bad news.

Opposing them are the Knights of the Cross, mortals who wield holy swords -- i.e., paladins. These mortals feature heavily the series, but they are especially evident in these three books. I think that the most recent book, Skin Game, especially offers some great material for paladin players.

Michael Carpenter, a retired Knight, shows how a paladin should act in Skin Game. He does his best to act in accordance with God's will. He seldom condemns people as outright evil. He also, at key points, offers opportunities for forgiveness and redemption. At the climax of the book, Nicodemus (the villain) is seemingly on the ropes, having given up much that he loved for the sake of ambition. He briefly battles Harry and Michael, then is seemingly at Michael's mercy. Michael has Nicodemus (who is bonded with a VERY dangerous fallen angel) at swordpoint, and Michael offers Nicodemus a chance at redemption. Nicodemus turns it down ... and AFTER Nicodemus turns down the chance, Michael goes into full holy warrior mode.

Karrin Murphy, another character, offers a take on a fallen paladin. She starts the series as a police officer, committed to the law and to protecting the people of Chicago. Over the course of the series, she remains committed to protecting her friends and the people of Chicago, but she loses her job with the police department, and eventually her faith in the law. Early in the series, it's implied that she will someday take up a sword and become a Knight of the Cross. By the time Skin Game rolls around, she's compromised a lot of her ideals so she can better protect Chicago and her friends. In a pivotal scene in Skin Game, she uses a Sword of Faith against Nicodemus. However, she does so improperly, using the sword in anger and attempting to condemn Nicodemus to Hell as she strikes at him ... and the sword shatters.

[Sera Dragonbane]

Rise... rise from the dead!

[SmiloDan]

Azure Bonds by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb.

[SmiloDan]

The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers is about a gunslinging paladin of the dead god Morgan.

[Mikaze]

Cat Daemon wrote:

One of my players considers the Heralds in the Valdemar books to be paladins hiding under another name.

I....am amazed this never clicked in my head.

I could nitpick, but it's actually a rather good fit in many ways. And now I'm wondering just how much Vanyel Ashkevron is in my current paladin's DNA...

[limsk]

Sturm Brightblade from the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

[Kajehase]

Re-reading Jacqueline Carey (starting the thread on Wednesday morning CET, Mikaze), I'd say Joscelin makes a good example of a paladin. Both the good kind and the lawful stupid kind come to think of it.

[Mikaze]

Kajehase wrote:

Re-reading Jacqueline Carey (starting the thread on Wednesday morning CET, Mikaze), I'd say Joscelin makes a good example of a paladin. Both the good kind and the lawful stupid kind come to think of it.

Yeah, he has his moments. :)

Also, looking forward to it!

[Lord Snow]

SmiloDan wrote:

The Horns of Ruin by Tim Akers is about a gunslinging paladin of the dead god Morgan.

If gunslingers are fair game for "paladins", might as well mention the Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, who also happens to very much have the nature of a paladin.

also, some of the Pathfinder novels from Dave Gross feature actual paladins in the truest D&D sense of the word.

[LazarX]

Aelryinth wrote:

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson was indeed the foundation and inspiration for the D@D paladin. The title is a reference to the heraldic device of Rogar Carlson, the hero of the novel.

I'm suprised nobody mentioned the classics. L'Morte d'Arthur and whatever you use for the Peers of Charlemagne. Nobody thinks of the Knights of the ROund Table without thinking 'paladin'. Galahad and Percival are iconic too good to be true paladins, as was Lancelot before he had the small problem of falling in love with the wife of his king.

==Aelryinth

All the folks who mention Arthur's Knights miss the real progenitor of the trope if you're looking to go old school... The Song of Roland which is the real origin of the Paladin concept as we know them and where they are first named as such. Don't be offput by the fact that a couple of named Paladins are actually sorcerers.

[thejeff]

LazarX wrote:

Aelryinth wrote:

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson was indeed the foundation and inspiration for the D@D paladin. The title is a reference to the heraldic device of Rogar Carlson, the hero of the novel.

I'm suprised nobody mentioned the classics. L'Morte d'Arthur and whatever you use for the Peers of Charlemagne. Nobody thinks of the Knights of the ROund Table without thinking 'paladin'. Galahad and Percival are iconic too good to be true paladins, as was Lancelot before he had the small problem of falling in love with the wife of his king.

All the folks who mention Arthur's Knights miss the real progenitor of the trope if you're looking to go old school... The Song of Roland which is the real origin of the Paladin concept as we know them and where they are first named as such. Don't be offput by the fact that a couple of named Paladins are actually sorcerers.

<Looks in quoted post, sees "Peers of Charlemagne">

But yes, that's where the term comes from and some of the basics. Got far more elaborated in later works. The Song of Roland doesn't really go into much of what we'd think of as paladinly virtues. More just great warriors killing lots of Muslims. Nor do the earlier Arthurian works for that matter.
The other stuff comes later, in the later Arthurian variations and to a lesser extent in French and other European traditions. Mostly, I'd say, when the Grail entered the Arthurian tradition. That's where the perfect godly knight thing really came to the front.