Tag Archives: Magic

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 3)

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Synopsis:
As Fitz accompanies Prince Dutiful on a quest to lay the head of an ice-encased dragon on the hearthstone of the Narcheska Elliania’s mothershouse, he betrays his dearest friend and brings his own bastard daughter into grave peril.

Review:
Fool’s Fate is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion not just to the Tawny Man trilogy but to the entire tale begun in the Farseer trilogy and developed in the Liveship Traders. Hobb is after full-bodied resolution and she sure delivers. Everything is wrapped up and no thread, either physical or emotional, is left hanging. This doesn’t mean that she short-circuits a full emotional experience. She takes the characters as far as they can go, and then beyond that, showing that she has a deep understanding of the dramatic force of peripety.

I got lumps in my throat, both happy and sad ones, and I feel so satisfied, just as much as the first time I read these books. I can’t wait for my girls to be old enough to read them. I think they would be good for any middle or high schooler undaunted by length.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
Althea Vestrit always thought she’d captain her family’s liveship, the Vivacia, newly quickened by the death of her father, but her sister’s husband’s machinations strip it from her hands, delivering the ship into a situation that threatens to break her mind, which puts her crew in mortal danger.

Review:
I loved returning to Bingtown and my beloved Althea Vestrit in this re-read (actually a listen) of Ship of Magic. Few things have captured my imagination as Hobbs liveships, sailing vessels with figureheads who can speak and who remember the way up the Rain River where treasure beyond price awaits collection.

The baby’s awake, more when I read book 2!

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
FitzChivalry, the bastard, returns to Buckkeep to train Prince Dutiful in the Skill, even as tensions rise among the various factions of people who practice the despised Wit animal magic–including Prince Dutiful.

Review:
Golden Fool takes the story of Fitz and the Fool into a whole new direction, reminding me why I have always praised Hobb for her willingness to take risks. Not much more I can say without offering up too many spoilers for previous books, but if you’ve made it this far you’re probably committed to finishing the series without my recommendation.

Any fans out there?

The Inheritance and Other Stories by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm

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Synopsis:
A set of stories by two authors sharing one body: edgy sci fi by Megan Lindholm and longer fantasy by Robin Hobb.

Review:
I really enjoyed almost all of the stories in The Inheritance. I liked returning to the Rain Wilds in Hobb’s stories, especially because these stories were longer. But the Lindholm stories have an edge to them that I miss in Hobb’s works, and I yearn to see more of that anger and complexity in the Six Duchies stories.

This is definitely a must-read for any Hobb/Lindholm fan, and a good introduction to anyone who wants to check either of them out. (And by the way, they are the same person!)

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man)

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Synopsis:
Bastard assassin Fitz is brought out of hiding by King Shrewd’s fool, now living as haughty Lord Golden, in order to find missing Prince Dutiful, believed to have been seduced by a group of outlaws practicing an extreme form of beast magic.

Review:
Fool’s Errand picks up about 15 years after the end of the Farseer Trilogy, with the events of the Liveship Traders books happening in between.

I remember thinking that this series was much weirder than the relatively straightforward Farseer epic. I’m also hoping that certain of her prose tics that bug me won’t stand out so much since I’m reading, not listening. So far I’m pleased by her active plotting and how she’s developing the magic she invented in the first books. I don’t remember many details about where the story goes, so I’m excited to keep going.

Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

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Synopsis:
A continuation of the story of Kieri Phelan, the newly crowned half-elven king at odds with his elven grandmother, and Dorrin, the female Duke of Verrakai, seeking to use her power to pursue vengeance against her family of evil mage lords.

Review:
I had trouble getting through Kings of the North. It felt like a lot of exposition and water-treading. I love these characters and have been enthralled by the series to date, but just didn’t really enjoy this installment. But will definitely give the next one a try. Elizabeth Moon is so talented a world builder and storyteller that I won’t hold this experience against her at all.

Wise Man’s Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2)

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Synopsis:
Kvothe the Bloodless continues his tale, which encompasses the furtherance of his studies of the arcane at the University, a quest to hunt bandits for the richest man in the land, a detour into Fae, training among a tribe of elite fighters who do most of their talking with their hands, and continued revelations about the demonic Chandrian.

Review:
Wise Man’s Fear was over way too soon, despite it’s length–and that’s the sign of a truly great read, in my book. I had a blast returning to Kvothe’s world, where sympathy means magic not counseling, with fierce men and fiercer women, full of poetry and tragedy and blood. I was pleased to see the further development of Kvothe’s relationship with Denna the courtesan, and to see him make the transition from boy to man (if you catch my meaning).

The book is suspenseful and gripping, but of course you know all this if you read The Name of the Wind. Rothfuss is the real deal and I’ve got high hopes for his ability to resolve this story in a more than satisfying way.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)

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Synopsis:
The early rise of the mage who who became the Kingkiller and who now owns a humble tavern.

Review:
This my second time reading The Name of the Wind, in anticipation of the upcoming release of Wise Man’s Fear. I’m very very very very exciting. The book mostly held up well on a second reading. I was surprised at how fresh it seemed to me, a testament to the depth of Rothfuss’s vision.

You can read my original review here.

Shadow Gate by Kate Elliott (Book Two of the Crossroads)

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Synopsis:
The Hundred swirls with intrigue, magic, and war as long-gone Guardians awaken and the eagle-riding reeves join with fierce outlanders to make war against a sorcerous foe, while an avenging demon casts new light on the accepted practice of slavery.

Review:
Shadow Gate was a good second book. It told an exciting, thrilling story while laying the groundwork for a big conclusion. Not much more to say until I read the finale, up next.