Dragon Haven

(Slight note, unrelated: I've just started using the new interface, not entirely convinced by it.  So if this post doesn't work/looks weird/does strange things, that's why...)

This is the second book in Robin Hobb's most recent trilogy, and it's really good.  Meant I did absolutely no work for an entire day as I just lay on my bed and read this book.  I blame the person who kindly leant it to me.  I was meant to be doing uni work.  Actually, I'm meant to be doing uni work now as well, but as you can see, that's not happening.


While I've read a lot of fantasy since I first started reading Robin Hobb, I think her novels remain my favourite fantasy.  They're just so rich and detailed, so intensely real and so magically other.

Dragon Haven continues the tale of the crippled dragons and their keepers as they hunt for the mythical city the dragons sort of remember.  Romance, intrigue and the struggle to survive all give the novel depth, coupled by the wonderful missives by carrier pigeon that appear at the start of each new section, giving you character by proxy.  I love those bits, it's a really intriguing idea, to show how much (and how little) you can discover about these two characters by the notes on the edges of official post.

The dragons go stronger as they travel, and the people, cast-offs for the most part, along with a silent liveship and his tough captain, a trader lady indulging her dream of learning about the dragons and her attendant who doesn't want to be there, also grow and develop.  It's a brilliant cast, and you find yourself caring intensely about the characters.  Loved it, from start to finish.

This is definitely a recommended read, though it's worth reading the first, Dragon Keeper, first (and preferably sooner before this than I did), and you'll need plenty of time to set aside because you won't be able to put it down.

Fool's Errand

I was something of a fool for starting to read this book in the evening. In fact, very much a fool. Despite the fact that I've read it once before, I was still compelled to read it all the way through in one go. Which with a book that comes in at 660 pages is quite a lot of book to read all in one go. Worth being knackered in the morning though.

Fitz, now calling himself Tom Badgerlock, reckons he's earned his retirement, even if he does miss some of those at the court. But he's got Nighteyes, his faithful wolf and Wit partner, he's got Hap, an orphan who he took on, and he's got Starling when she flits into his life to share his bed. Until Chade comes to visit, his old mentor, the man who does the quiet work for the throne. And then, shortly after Chade, the Fool. Times are changing, the Fool needs his Catalyst back. The prince has gone missing.

Which means that Fitz is launched once again into adventure and intrigue, with a gripping plot, fascinating characters, and a briliantly imagined and evoked world. I'm not entirely sure how best to describe this book, other than to say that by my reckoning Robin Hobb is the best fantasy author I've ever read.

Read it. Just don't start reading it in the evening or when you haven't much time. It's one of those books you can't put down no matter how smart it would be and how much you're yawning at half two in the morning...

Dragon Keeper

Wow. That's my first statement, the only thing I can really think to say about this book. Wow. I was expecting a fantastic piece of fantasy, but Robin Hobb just gets better and better with every trilogy she releases. It was a stay up until two in the morning sort of book, despite the fact I wasn't feeling well, and was absolutely shattered. I couldn't bring myself to stop. The first one she's done in third person, but none of the richness of the characters is gone. Nor have the settings suffered. In fact, I expect this will be her greatest trilogy yet (though out of my love for Night Eyes and Fitz I have to say that the Farseer trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy are both awesome). But this just took the experience to a whole new level. It's in the same world, set after the Tawny Man trilogy, but it's a whole new set of characters. And wow. I know I keep saying that, I'm sorry, but if you read this book you will completely understand why I describe it as a wow book. It's a broader book than her others have been, spreading over a period of several years and encompassing a vast swathe of characters.

The dragons have hatched, the first set of dragons in living memory. But all is not well. They emerge from their cocoons as broken scraps of creatures, not a single one free from defects. And so they remain, sat at the bottom of a city. A handful of lives are picked out from the world in which they inhabit, lives that have been changed by the dragons.

Absolutely amazing. I can't recomend this book enough. Although I supply one warning (other than the fact that it'll keep you up until you've finished it). The third book of the trilogy is not out yet. The second has only just be released (though I've seen it in the Harris library! yay!). Actually, looking at Amazon, it appears that there might just be the two this time... Any rate, I'm convinced that Robin Hobb is just about the greatest fantasy author ever.

Renegade's Magic

What an awesome book! I mean, Robin Hobb is one of the greatest fantasy writers ever, and this one just tops off her amazing Soldier Son trilogy. I couldn't stop reading, I was so terrified for Nevarre. I thought he was going to have a horrible ending. Not as fast paced as the Farseer and Golden Fool trilogies, it's nevertheless utterly gripping. A big book, admittedly, but well worth the time it takes to read. The description is stunning, and I mean stunning. If you ever have to analyse a piece of descriptive writing, Robin Hobb continues with the standards set in the first two books of the series with regard to the sheer detail she puts into her world. From the berries and the leaves, to the Specks and their magic and customs, this is a world you find yourself understanding as though it were our own.

A brilliant summation of what happens after the magic claims Nev totally and he has to enter the forest. Imprisoned within the body of Soldier Boy, unable to let himself submit to his powerful alter-ego, Nev becomes a spectator in his own life. But in order for the magic to work, for the land to be cleansed, Nev must become one with Soldier Boy. They can only save their people—both their peoples—together.

I won't tell you any more about the plot, but it's intricacies leave you gripped and the final ending is as satisfying as that in the Golden Fool trilogy. In case you haven't gathered already, I highly recommend this book—although you'd be best to read the first two (Soldier Son and Forest Mage) first.

Forest Mage

This is the second book in the Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb, and wow is it good. I was up late reading this, despite the fact I had an exam the following day. So if I fail, I'm blaming this book. It really is fantastic. It takes the story onto a whole knew level as Nevare finds himself disgraced and forced to flee from everything he thought would be his, attempting to live out the life the Good God ordained for him, whilst fighting against the unwanted magic which is trying to claim him for its own. Alone, with nobody he can rely on, and the magic working against him to force him into its will, Nevare is desperate to escape its clutches and return to what he thought his life would be, before being forced to come to the conclusion that it is too late. Stunningly well written, vividly portrayed, I thought the Farseer trilogy was good. This just proves that Robin Hobb is perfectly capable of writing another trilogy of similar epic proportions. I think that's the only warning I'm forced to give about this book. It is long. Weighing in at nearly seven hundred pages, it is a big book (even by my standards). It is very descriptive. If you're not prepared to be totally immersed in a world, in a book filled with fantastic description of nature and you can't stand a main character who is afflicted with disease and does get depressed, steer clear. But this is a fantastic book for anyone who enjoys discovering a new world that is so well created it seems almost more real than this one, someone who wants to see nature's beauty, and who is ready for another look at magic. A magic the like of which I've never before encountered, it has to be said. So I found this book fantastic. Looking at reviews on Amazon while trying to find the page count (I borrowed it from a friend), they were mixed. It has been criticised for being too descriptive. Personally, I think that's rot. Action driven it isn't; at the heart of this piece is the character, and that is what makes it so utterly gripping. I have to be honest. Looking at the blurb made me feel slightly dubious about whether I'd enjoy it, but the book had me hooked from the start, and the ending's left me desperate for the next book. So I'll just have to hope Hil hurries up and reads it fast!

The Golden Fool and Fool's Fate

I've only just realised I never posted about this. Boy am I behind. It's the second in the Tawny Man series by Robin Hobb, and Fool's Fate is the third and they are so good, and boy do I think Fitz is a great character. Web's a pretty neat guy too. Sorry this is so late and brief, it's a while since I read them now, and the series has kind of merged into one, like a good series should do (in my opinion at any rate, if it's too obvious they're separate books, they don't flow together properly and that's not so good). Fool's Fate is absolutely amazing, with the dragons and Fitz' daughter and finally healing the rift between Fitz and the Fool (well, it had to come at some point). I was a little bit disappointed that Fitz didn't bond again, but I can see why he wouldn't, and it makes sense, and the ending's really good, nice and complete, but not too final. There could be another book quite easily, but there doesn't have to be, if that makes sense? Anyway, I love these books. You really should read them.

Fool's Errand

Wow. This book kept me up till half two in the morning. I literally could not put it down. It was incredible. The first book in the second trilogy about Fitz, now Tom Badgerlock. I cannot believe that... Well, I don't want to tell you, because it might spoil it. But it involves Nighteyes, Fitz's wit-bond partner. I absolutely loved it. It's fairly long I guess, but it's fantastic, really recommend it. Robin Hobb is definitely now one of my all time favourite authors. I don't want to write too much and spoil it for everyone, it's too good for me to dare tell you how it goes. But basically, Fitz is found again and taken to find the Prince who has run away.

Assassin's Quest

This is a brilliant end to the Farseer trilogy. And what makes it even better is that I know there's a trilogy following on from this. I can't think of a single loose end I'd like tied off, only that I wish it had lasted longer. Again, this is a very long book, over 800 pages, so don't read it if you haven't time to finish it, else it will gnaw away at you and drive you insane. Anyway, it's a very, very good ending to the trilogy. It draws on that annoying circle thing that so many trilogies do, but it does it in a way which isn't OTT, like the third books in the trilogies by William Nicholson. Although it would probably make sense without the rest of the trilogy, you really should read them in order. Anyway, it's pretty amazing. So there you go. Read it.

Royal Assassin

The second book in the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Kept me up until half two in the morning night before last, and I still hadn't finished it. Only finished it late in the afternoon. Hardly surprising, looking at it, it's 750 pages. It has firmly cemented Robin Hobb as one of my all time favourite authors, it's so amazing. You really have to read it. It carries on from the first (obviously...), and it's great to see how FitzChivalry is growing up and learning and taking command of himself. He's really growing up, and he's making mistakes. The book is riddled with court intrigue and all manner of incredible things, and I absolutely love it. Definitely one of the best books I've ever read. So, I just hope that the third book is as good, because to my mind, the third book of the trilogy is the one that really tests how good the writer is, because it's how they finish the thing off and wrap it up. I reckon trilogies are a different way of writing to series, even though they may seem similar. Because with a trilogy, the third book has to wrap the whole thing up in a satisfying way, leaving the reader with no pressing, annoying questions, and it has to be complete of itself, it can't just be long strings of explanation. With a series, it's easier. You have no set point for the book to finish, if you leave any unanswered questions, people just assume it's going to be revealed in the next book, and when you get asked about things, you can put them into the next book, you don't have the finality of a trilogy. That's just me though.

Assassin's Apprentice

The first book in the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb, and it's absolutely fantastic. I now have to find the rest of the series, and read them, because the first one is captivating enough, and then there's the first bit of the next book stuck in at the end, just to make good and sure you want to read it.
Don't know really what genre to class it in. To be honest, a big part of me things it should be in the teen section, because it's about a boy growing up and trying to find his place in the world. As he's a royal bastard (as in illegitimately conceived, not as in the other meaning... :D ), that's pretty difficult. And so he's trained as an apprentice. A web of lies and betrayal form, nearly trapping and killing him, and it's absolutely incredible. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may latch on to my list of books you absolutely have to read and which comprise my all time favourites. And I don't say that lightly.
So, an intriguing read. Classed as fantasy by the library, and I suppose it is. But it's definitely more of a character driven fantasy than what I would class as a true fantasy. There are no fantastical creatures, horses and dogs and other such common place animals abound though. Think a mideaval kind of setting in a land created by the author but with little truly different to our own at that time. Apart from the Skill, which is a kind of magic I suppose. And there are a few other similar such 'magic' things too. A surprisingly high number of illegitimate children of the royal family. Oh, and the Red Raiders, which leave people 'Forged', in that they strip them of all human decency, so that they become a terrible blight upon the land. People would rather die than be Forged and cause terror. The kingdom is starting to split up, as the costal people want more protection from the sea-borne raiders, while those who live inland do not want to pay increased taxes to protect their brethren. Nobody knows what the Red Raiders want.
And all this is told by Fitz, looking back on the events of his youth whilst writing a history of the land. There are interspersions of the history, mingled in with his telling of events, and subtle hints as to what is to come in further books. It's an absolutely incredble book at any rate, and one which I would highly recomend for anyone with a bit of time--it's a fairly long one, as it needs to be to contain such a magnificent and well thought through plot, though it still feels spontaneous, rather than forced.
As you can probably tell, I thoroughly enjoyed that book. I'll stop raving about it now though.