Tag Archives: Trilogies and Series

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
Fitz the bastard struggles to be a King’s man and his own man, while dastardly Prince Regal threatens to usurp the throne while King in Waiting Verity is off on a quest to find the mythical Elderlings.

Review:
Royal Assassin marks a solid midpoint in an ambitious trilogy, with all the characters put at great risk from each other and themselves. Antagonist Regal remains too cardboard to feel like a true threat, but overall the characters are solid. I’m not sure the Skill magic totally works for me–at times, it seems like nothing more than Thinking.Really.Hard!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!smoke!!!!!!!!!!! But I mostly overlooked the flaws and enjoyed the ride.

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Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
The bastard son of a prince gets training in the art of deception, eavesdropping, and murder, while failing to master the royal Skill, a sort of telepathy that is the Six Duchies chief weapon against the Red Ship Raiders, who harry the coast leaving only zombies in their wake.

Review:
This is my second read of Assassin’s Apprentice, and it’s been an odd experience. Actually, I listened to the audiobook version, and while I enjoyed the narrator’s performance I was disappointed to find Robin Hobb’s prose to be a little clunkier than I remembered. I got a little tired of “rueful” smiles and people replying “mildly.” The story felt lighter than I remember, too, though I could see the seeds planted for the threads I know the later story will encompass. It was thrilling to see mention of the Rain Wilds, given how largely they figure in later books. I am hoping the rest in the series hold up better.

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A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)

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Synopsis:
The war of the Five Kings heats up, with intrigue, conspiracy, regicide, betrayal, and black magic abounding.

Review:
First of all, I am outraged beyond belief that Random House couldn’t get Roy Dotrice to perform the audiobook version of fourth installment of this series. It’s breaking my heart that I can’t continue listening to his incomparable narration. His work is masterful, bringing all the intensity of the plot and subtlety of the characterizations to life. It’s really depressing to me.

A Storm of Swords is book three of a proposed 7-part series. As most fans know, it remains to be seen whether the series will be completed, which is a source of great stress. However, I’m all for George RR Martin taking as long as he needs to complete A Dance With Dragons (book 5). This second encounter with the series is proving to me how deeply layered his work is. He stints on nothing. If he needs time to get it right, so be it.

The emotional impact of the key sequences in the story–the Red Wedding in particular–are all the more heightened because I know they are coming and I can see how Martin is preparing the way for the devastation. I’m also able to track the characters so much more easily because the names are familiar to me.

I remember loving Sansa so much the first time through. This time, I’m loving Samwell Tarly in a big way. He’s such a great character, so brave despite his protestation of cravenness.

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.

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Clash of Kings by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
With four kings fighting for control of Westeros and a dragon queen rising in the south, the scattered children of the executed traitor Eddard Stark try to survive the perils of civil war.

Review:
Continuing to love re-reading this series. I am just so in love with the complexity that Martin brings to his characters and the world. Yes, A Clash of Kings gets really dark, but the second time around I noticed how much hope he puts into the story. Martin is a master of structure and pacing, and I wish his imitators would learn how to infuse their works with as much depth as he does.

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.

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Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott (Crossroads, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
A democracy known for peaceful governance by reeves riding giant eagles falls into chaos and possible civil war when the reeves of the north stop responding and a military captain fleeing his murderous brother lands right in the middle of it; meanwhile, a slave sells an eerie, ghost-like girl into prostitution in order to free his sister, who, as a temple prostitute called a Devouring girl, has a few tricks up her sleeve as well as a personal stake in the larger story.

Review:
I hate synopsizing epic stories like this. I’m always more attracted to these books by reading a chapter excerpt. I really enjoyed Spirit Gate, which had a richly realized world and truly compelling characters. Kate Elliott has come up with systems of governance and theologies that fuel the story in really dramatic ways.

The characters really pulled me in. All of them have shades and nuances, not to mention personalities. I especially loved Mai, a market girl from an oppressed land who has learned to hide her emotions. She’s a skilled negotiator with a surprisingly soft heart, wise to many of the ways of the world but an innocent in many others. The other women were quite fascinating, too, and none of them felt like stereotypes, even Zubaidit, who could’ve been just a sexbomb.

I’ve already started Book 2 and am already stoked to see the surprising return of the first character who pulled me in. This is going to be good!

Game of Thrones by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
Political powers battle for control of the Iron Throne, while to the north supernatural powers threaten, and in the south a dispossessed royal begins to raise an army.

Review:
I wanted to reread Game of Thrones before the HBO series launches in April, and decided I’d give the audiobook a try. I am so glad I did. The narrator, Roy Dotrice, not only has a magnificent voice but sets all of the characters apart from each other. He’s just amazing.

As for the story, well, it’s just as captivating as I remember, perhaps even more so because I know where Martin plans to take the characters (at least as far as book 4 of the planned 7-part series). I definitely got a lot more out of it because I knew to pay attention to seemingly minor figures like the Hound and Renly Baratheon.

And because I wasn’t caught up in the “what happens next” suspense, I could really enjoy the big set pieces, like the Hand’s tourney and the battles seen through Tyrion’s and Catelyn’s eyes.

I am so excited for the HBO series. Have you seen the 10-minute extended look?

Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold (The Sharing Knife, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
Wedded against custom, magical Lakewalker Dag and his farmer bride Fawn return to Dag’s family home, where they face rejection and ostracism, but when Dag is called out on patrol to battle the most fearsome malice he’s ever seen, they learn that their bond is more than just one of love and may change the world they know.

Review:
If Legacy weren’t such a strong book I totally would’ve put it down the second my copy of Mockingjay showed up, but Lois McMaster Bujold is such a good storyteller that not even the fate of Katniss Everdeen could tear me away.

I really loved the prosaic details about camp life, and watching Fawn learn a new culture. The Lakewalker society is very well detailed. The love story deepens in a wonderful way, and Bujold gives tantalizing hints about the story’s mythology that I hope will be expanded upon on Book Three.

But I can wait no longer, so Fawn and Dag will have to wait! Am hoping I can exercise a modicum of restraint and not stay up all night reading Mockingjay. But if I do, I’m doubly hoping that my newborn stays asleep so I can finish it!

Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold (The Sharing Knife Book 1)

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Synopsis:
A farm girl inadvertently helps a fierce Lakewalker defeat an evil malice, and irrevocably ties her destiny to his.

Review:
Beguilement is the first installment of a four-book series about Lakewalkers, who are gifted with a kind of magical second sight that allows them to fight evil creatures that steal the life forces of people and animals. Fawn is a farm girl who dreams of a better life, but circumstances have trapped her. When she meets Dag, a Clint Eastwood-esque Lakewalker, she ends up in a fight for her life and that of the whole world. She and Dag embark on a trip to figure out what they’re meant to do with their entwined fates, and fall in love along the way.

There was a lot more romance in Beguilement than I’m used to seeing in fantasy novels, but I was completely swept away by the story. It wasn’t cheesy or overdone, and the mythology really worked, too. Looking forward to seeing how things develop.