Hobb, Robin
About the Author:
Born in California, USA in 1952, Robin Hobb majored in Communications at Denver University, Colorado. She also writes under the name Megan Lindholm.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
4.4 out of 5
(9 books)
TOP PICK:
Assassin's Apprentice
Assassin's Apprentice
The first book of the Farseer trilogy. Hobb takes the unusual approach of writing this story in the first person, a decision that pays off completely. Rather than a large scale event-driven story, Hobb focuses on characters, their interactions with each other and their reactions to the escalating Red Ship War.
The story begins with a child brought into the royal castle of the Farseers. Slowly the child, derisively named Fitz, comes to learn that he is the bastard son of the revered Prince Chivalry and as he meets his father's family, he begins to understand the significance of who he is.
This book's greatest strength is that Fitz is faced with the questions that each and every reader will be familiar with; Who am I? What is my place in the world? What does the future hold for me? This allows such a deep connection to Fitz, that you'll really feel all his sorrows and joys.
The background story of the Red Ships and the Forged serves excellently to apply pressure and urgency to the story. My one criticism is that having a character like Fitz, who is so easy to like, become something so abhorrent as an assassin, doesn't really sit well.
Followed by 'Royal Assassin'.
5 out of 5
Assassin's Quest
The concluding book of the Farseer trilogy is yet another triumph for Hobb. The author's great talent is in making characters whose life experiences are ones we all face in one form or another. The first book was about identity, the second about coming of age and this third book is about purpose. Fitz himself says as much on the very first page and the entire book thereafter is about his attempts to find a purpose for his life. At first his purpose is simply a thing of selfishness, his desire to kill Regal, but later his purpose becomes one of duty and of a need to secure the future for his daughter.
The high quality of the story is much the same as the previous books and the new characters (particularly Kettle and Starling) are as thoroughly realised as any of the more familiar ones. I do have a few negative things to say though; firstly, I felt that Hobb could have done more with the other Witted characters than she does. The second thing is the amount of pages wasted in Fitz trying to understand how making a dragon works, we, the readers get it almost immediately, so there's no point in dragging it out.
My final criticism isn't really one to judge the book on; I would have liked a happier ending for Fitz. He is such a tragic character and suffers so much through the trilogy, that I felt Hobb owed him something more than the life of a hermit. Perhaps the Tawny Man books will recitfy this. As I say though, another triumph for Hobb and well worth reading.
5 out of 5
Fool's Errand
The first book of the Tawny Man trilogy, set fifteen years after the conclusion of 'Assassin's Quest'. FitzChivalry Farseer has adopted the name Tom Badgerlock and is living a quiet life in the countryside along with his wolf, Nighteyes, and his adopted son, Hap. However the politics and duties of his links to the throne ensnare him once more when he is enlisted to help track down the missing Prince Dutiful.
It's been a very long time since I read Fitz's adventures in the Farseer trilogy and, in keeping with the early tone of the book, this felt like getting reacquainted with an old friend. We learn of his travels in the intervening years as he recounts them to other characters and get a sense of the battle between contentment and restlessness which overshadows his every thought. Eventually, when he returns to the life he once knew, we also get to see Fitz explore just who he is as a grown man. This is very much a continuation of the nature of the Farseer books, which charted his growth from child to adult, but here his eyes and thoughts are those of a weary veteran who is not quite ready to retire peacefully.
Hobb's writing is every bit as engaging as it ever was and the only way I can really fault this book is in the fact that nothing in how the story played out really surprised me. Even the death of a major character was heavily foreshadowed throughout the book. However, I have to give the author credit in sparing us too much heartbreak in the delivery of said loss, with it feeling like a release for the long-suffering character (unlike George R. R. Martin's gut-wrenching rug-pulls).
Another very good novel from an author whose talent for emotional pathos is unsurpassed.
4 out of 5
Fool's Fate
The conclusion of the Tawny Man trilogy. Fitz, Chade and Thick accompany Prince Dutiful to the Out Islands on his quest to slay a dragon, thereby securing a political alliance and the hand of Narcheska Elliania. However, the Fool has made his intention clear to preserve the life of the dragon at all costs as part of his role as White Prophet and another claiming that title, the Pale Woman, also has designs on both Fitz and the dragon.
This book is largely about Fitz trying to find an identity and a destiny for himself beyond the expectations of others and the confines of his duty. That's not to say he shirks those things, but for the first time we see Fitz really giving thought and effort at what he wants for himself as much as what he wants for Dutiful and the realm. It is a satisfying conclusion of his story arc overall, but I did feel that the resolution of the Burrich/Molly problem felt a little too convenient and neat. There are some social situations that are just too complex to end in a 'happily ever after'.
There is too much in this 800+ page book for me to really cover everything it encompasses, but suffice to say that we get a thorough exploration of every important relationship in Fitz's life and see all of them come to some sort of resolution that feels entirely in keeping with long path we've journeyed with the character through the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies.
4 out of 5
Royal Assassin
The Farseer trilogy book two. Where 'Assassin's Apprentice' was about a boy trying to find his place in the world, Hobb chooses a different theme for book two, but one which we can all still relate to. 'Royal Assassin' is about Fitz's coming of age.
Fitz not only has an increased importance in the court, but he also has to begin to take responsiblity for his actions and his beliefs. This is, of course, an experience which all normal adults go through and it is therefore both exciting and nostalgic to follow Fitz on his own journey through these dilemmas. However, it is Fitz's emotional coming of age that is by far the more compelling reading. His relationships with people like Burrich and Verity mature enormously, but it is his love for Molly that makes for truly heart-rending reading.
Considering how the story, his love for Molly and his attempts to save the kingdom from Regal end up, I wouldn't recommend reading this if you want a happy story. If you want a well-written, exciting book that engages both your emotions and your intellect, then you (like me) will love it.
Followed by 'Assassin's Quest'.
5 out of 5
Ship Of Destiny
The conclusion of the Liveship Traders trilogy. The stories of the Vestrit family and their allies continue apace in this, yet another excellent novel. Civil war breaks out in Bingtown, forcing its people to rethink their relationships to one another and the city's social structure itself.
I really enjoyed the new concepts of equality being explored by the characters here, but was a little disappointed that the so-called New Traders continue to be portrayed as a somewhat one-dimensional group, used solely as antagonists.
Meanwhile the tales of the Liveships Vivacia and Paragon continue to be as compelling as ever. I was especially pleased to learn the details of both Paragon and Kennit's pasts, as they were things that came as a complete surprise to me (although the clues were there, I suppose).
This book is another great read but is let down slightly by the too-convenient way in which several of the main story threads miraculously converge. Hobb uses the character of Amber (who you should recognise by now) to acknowledge the unlikelihood of this convergence, but acknowledging it doesn't excuse it.
Overall, a nice conclusion to a good series.
4 out of 5
Ship Of Magic
Set in the same world as the Farseer books, this is the first volume of the Liveship Traders trilogy.
The story follows the Vestrits, an honourable family from Bingtown who have fallen on hard times and are relying on the quickening of their Liveship, the Vivacia, to relieve their troubles. However, as you may expect if you've read the Farseer books, things begin to go tragically wrong and soon the Vestrits find themselves at odds with one another and caught in a dangerous cycle of debt, particularly to the mysterious Rain River Traders.
Hobb's use of the third person narrative this time around allows her to incorporate a wider scope of events and a greater cast of characters into this stunningly realised nautical fantasy. The author revels in holding back the full story from the reader, drawing us further along and deeper into her world in search of answers to the mysteries presented here. The overarching mystery relates to the living wizardwood that Liveships are built from and it's apparent connection to the wandering sea serpents.
I was convinced that Hobb had peaked with the Farseer books. I was very wrong.
Followed by 'The Mad Ship'.
5 out of 5
The Golden Fool
The second book of the Tawny Man trilogy. Having suffered a heartbreaking loss, Fitz throws himself into Tom Badgerlock's life in Buckkeep and once more becomes an agent of the Farseer crown. Foreign interests, including Prince Dutiful's betrothal to an Outislander and a request for military aid from the Bingtown Traders, vie with internal strife as Fitz works to root out the traitorous Piebalds.
To be perfectly honest, there's no real plot to this book but that, as it turns out, is not necessarily to its detriment. There are various plot threads woven throughout, but the truth is that this book is about Fitz having lots of work to do and not enough time to do it. As well as resuming his role as Chade's apprentice, he has to appear to be a servant of Lord Golden, whilst trying to form a new Skill-coterie for Dutiful, as well as do his best to be a father to Hap and, perhaps, somewhere in there, have time to have a life for himself. All of the books about Fitz are about a distinct stage of a person's life, with childhood, adolescence and coming-of-age being the main thread of the original Farseer trilogy. Here the stage of life being highlighted is one that we all go through; the time when we struggle to balance everything that is going on in our lives, social, professional and personal. I'm currently the same age as Fitz is here (35, if you must know) and these themes resonated with me very strongly.
This is not to say that there aren't any significant plot events in the book though. For me the highlight was Fitz's second showdown with the Piebald leader Laudwine, which is every bit as dramatic, violent and consequential as it needed to be.
However, ultimately, this book is not about the history of the Six Duchies, it's about Fitz himself and if you've been along for the ride for this long, you should find that more than enough to keep you reading happily.
4 out of 5
The Mad Ship
The second book of the Liveship Traders trilogy opens with the Vestrit family scattered and divided. Wintrow is held captive by both the pirate Kennit and his unwanted bond with the liveship Vivacia and Althea is returning from her travels as a sailor, only to find that she no longer fits the mold in her native Bingtown. The story thread which I enjoyed the most, however, was, somewhat oddly, the one which follows Malta's journey from spoiled and selfish girl to intelligent and responsible woman.
Overarching all these personal stories are the continuing mystery of the serpents and the wizardwood, as well as the growing threat of a war involving the Bingtown Traders, the slavers of Chalced and the Satrap of Jamaillia.
This is another excellently written book which deeply involves you in both its story and, more importantly, its characters. The only thing I can really complain about is the fact that the book ends on something of a cliffhanger, just as all the story threads are coming to a head. Luckily, I could go straight on an read the next book; if you can't, you'll be frustrated.
Followed by 'Ship Of Destiny'.
4 out of 5
Collaborations & Anthologies:
Legends II (here)
Read more...
Fantasy (here)