[2] A single-volume prequel about the life of Paksenarrion's guiding saint was published in 1990, followed by a sequel tying characters from both works together.

The original trilogy and the two Gird-related books were first published as mass-market paperbacks, before being collected as trade-paperback omnibus editions.

The story begins by introducing Paks as a headstrong girl of 18, who leaves her home in Three Firs (fleeing a marriage arranged by her father) to join a mercenary company.

[citation needed] Suanna Davis discussed the series as one of the examples in her article on Representations of Rape in Speculative Fiction, in the context of Paksenarrion's backstory as survivor of an attempted rape from a superior officer as a new recruit, an event that happened in the first book of the series.

[3] Jennifer O'Sullivan discussed the series through the lenses of the feminist theory, concluding that "her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals".