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Renegade's Magic (Soldier Son #3)

by Robin Hobb

3.39 · rating details · 2,709 ratings · 186 reviews

Loyal, privileged, and brave, Nevare Burvelle proudly embraced his preordained role as soldier in the service of the King of Gernia--unaware of the strange turns his life would ultimately take. Exposed to a plague of enemy sorcery that felled many of his compatriots, he prevailed, but at a terrible cost to his soul, body, and heart. Now he stands wrongly accused of unspeak...more

Hardcover, 662 pages

Published 2008 by Eos (first published 2007)

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Apr 01, 2008

Robert Beveridge rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: cuy-co-pub-lib, finished

Robin Hobb, Renegade's Magic (Eos, 2008)

Note: this review necessarily contains spoilers for the first two books in the series. If you have not yet started the series and are planning on reading it, skip this review.

Someday, I fantasize, Robin Hobb will write a main character who learns from his mistakes. That day has not yet come. But I hope it will someday. Here, we have Nevare Burvelle, a character who has had it drilled into him that the Speck magic which has claimed h...moreRobin Hobb, Renegade's Magic (Eos, 2008)

Note: this review necessarily contains spoilers for the first two books in the series. If you have not yet started the series and are planning on reading it, skip this review.

Someday, I fantasize, Robin Hobb will write a main character who learns from his mistakes. That day has not yet come. But I hope it will someday. Here, we have Nevare Burvelle, a character who has had it drilled into him that the Speck magic which has claimed him finds a way to get its revenge every time he tries to use it for his own ends. And yet, what does he do in the opening pages of this book? You guessed it.

The story picks up just after we left it in Forest Mage, with Nevare having faked his own death and fleeing to the protection of the Speck, who have recognized him as a great one. Jodoli, and others, have seen in dreams that Nevare is the one who will finally find a way to drive the Gernians away from the Speck forever, but neither the other Great Ones nor Nevare himself (nor Nevare's alter ego, Soldier's Boy, who has one again awakened and is attempting to assert his dominance over Nevare) is sure how this is going to happen. It eventually dawns on Nevare-- and, soon after, Soldier's Boy-- that in order for the magic to fully use him, Nevare will have to become whole, rejoining himself with Soldier's Boy to form a complete human being-- the one thing Nevare most dreads. And, just to make matters interesting, Orandula, the old god of death, has decided to take an interest in the proceedings thanks to a seemingly minor act Nevare committed way back when.

As usual, getting lost in Hobb's writing is a simple task, no matter the subject to which she turns her hand. This is a good thing, because when it comes right down to it, Renegade's Magic is kind of flimsy. I can't say why this is without going into major, major spoilers for the book; let's just say the climax (which comes a good hundred pages before the end; I think, and I rejoice if it's true, Hobb is setting us up for another go-round with these folks, the same as she did with the ending of the Farseer Trilogy) is a long time coming and a bit of, well, an anticlimax. We could see it coming from a mile away (and a year away; it's pretty obvious what needs to happen even in Forest Mage). It is, however, testament to some excellent planning that Hobb executes the climax in the way she does; she's obviously been writing toward this moment since the very first words of this trilogy, and she weaves a number of disparate and seemingly meaningless clues into her solution to this whole mess. She also sets up some interesting alternatives and gives us a first look at “the folk from over the salt water”, as the Speck call them (who, I am still convinced, come from Bingtown...), which add a bit more meat to my idea that she's not yet done with Nevare and his merry band.

The disappointment over the climax is faint, however, because of how well it works. This book is definitely a triumph of style over substance; it's good not necessarily because of what it is, but because Robin Hobb wrote it. Nevare has been driving me nuts this whole trilogy, just as FitzChivalry Farseer did before him, but it matters little; I'll keep coming back to Robin Hobb because she can write up a storm. ****
(less)

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Aug 08, 2011

Kevin Xu rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: re-read

I finally finish the book after a little over a year, reading this for the fourth time. I found this book to be not as basd as I thought it was before, but I still found no reason for Hobb to have all the magic of the trilogy to be within this book. I also thought that Nevare could have been a much better characterif he took more control of certain situations. Overall, this book wrapes up the trilogy nicely, but I think for Hobb, she could have done better.

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Dec 27, 2007

Caroline rated it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2007

Like the first two in this trilogy, this was a very slow-moving book in parts. Contrary to the popular reaction to this series, I actually didn't mind the more "boring" bits of it, and actually enjoyed how much Robin Hobb obviously got into the world-building of it all.

This one goes into a lot of details about Nevarre's other self, Soldier's Boy, and what it takes to maintain him as a Great Man. Nevare is tasked with saving the Specks from the encroaching road that his peop...more

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Mar 26, 2008

Nathan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Robin Hobb fans, Fantasy Lovers

Shelves: reviewed-2008, fantasy

Robin Hobb fixes a lot of the problems (but not all of them) from previous books in this series.

It's not quite as much the 'idiot plot' as before (where her characters have to be idiots to find themselves in the situations that they're in), and they act in a much more reasonable fashion.

A lot of plot elements that drove previous books get explained, but they take a little too long to be explained.

What rescued this book for me were Hobb's skillful writing style...more

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Jun 07, 2008

Tucker rated it

· review of another edition

Let me start off by saying I would never like to be the protoganist in a Robin Hobb book because no matter how hard they struggle life just keeps kicking the crap out of them. While admittedly I don't believe this is Robin Hobb's best work, it is still a very interesting story that has many twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. The concept of this trilogy is very interesting in that the protagonist becomes a weapon for the enemy of his people against his will, w...more

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Jan 04, 2009

John rated it

· review of another edition

It always seems like something of a waste to review the third book in a series, because rarely will a reader start with that book, and if said reader has already invested himself or herself in the first book or two of the series, then probably the decision about reading the final installment is pretty much decided. Still, by the end of a series, one can look back and give a sort of review of the whole and a recommendation about whether or not to start it. The long and short of it is that I'd hap...moreIt always seems like something of a waste to review the third book in a series, because rarely will a reader start with that book, and if said reader has already invested himself or herself in the first book or two of the series, then probably the decision about reading the final installment is pretty much decided. Still, by the end of a series, one can look back and give a sort of review of the whole and a recommendation about whether or not to start it. The long and short of it is that I'd happily recommend Robin Hobb's Soldier Son Trilogy.

Hobb has created an interesting world, a setting worthy of the epic fantasy she spins, though rather different from the typical fantasy milieu--rather than medievalism, we get something closer to the 18th or 19th century, technologically speaking (plus magic, of course, though no one "civilized" believes in such things). The trilogy follows one character, Nevare Burvelle, a Gernian caught in the middle between his own culture and that of the forest-dwelling hunter-gatherer Specks. His soul has literally been split with one personality loyal to each culture. Through most of the series, Nevare's Gernian self has been in control, but now that narrator becomes largely an observer of his other self controlling the body they've shared.

The dual conflicts between the two Nevares and the two cultures are both well drawn. As usual, Hobb's characterization is strong. She creates an interesting cast of characters who seem, in their limitations, quite real. The conflict is very real, seemingly insoluble even the intervention of strong magic, and perhaps impossible without it. The magic here is no deus ex machina, however: we've had a good idea throughout of what the magic can and cannot do. The difficulty of the problem is no small part of the interest here.

There were a few times where I felt like Hobb had forgotten something in the process of the writing (minor point, and minor spoiler: the Specks were traveling during the day, even though they were extremely sensitive to light--they were in a forest, but a point had been made earlier that it was a deciduous forest in winter, and hence they migrated to shadier places for the winter). One the cultural conflict has been resolved, there are some more personal loose ends to wrap up, and I thought that Hobb telegraphed those moves a bit more than I would have liked. Still, on the whole, this was a strong end to a strong trilogy. (less)

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Jul 13, 2011

Tracey rated it

Recommends it for: not a soul, sorry

** spoiler alert ** I love Robin Hobb. I really do. I’ve reread the Farseer trilogy a couple of times over the years. I loved Tawny Man. (Not so much the Madship series, but there you are.) But this Soldier Son trilogy… It’s unique; there’s a lot in it that I’ve never seen before. The character of Nevare is also unique: starting out as a fairly typical soldier’s son, he leads us through the training (that I enjoyed), then through being taken over by the magic… Neither of these is part of ...more** spoiler alert ** I love Robin Hobb. I really do. I’ve reread the Farseer trilogy a couple of times over the years. I loved Tawny Man. (Not so much the Madship series, but there you are.) But this Soldier Son trilogy… It’s unique; there’s a lot in it that I’ve never seen before. The character of Nevare is also unique: starting out as a fairly typical soldier’s son, he leads us through the training (that I enjoyed), then through being taken over by the magic… Neither of these is part of the uniqueness, but the way they are handled is.

What I didn’t enjoy is Nevare’s utter wishy-washiness. I understand the reasoning behind it, given the … unique situation with his character revealed to the reader a ways in. But the understanding came quite a while into the trilogy, and by then it was rather too late. “I’m going to be a true soldier’s son, the best.” “Well, no, I’m going to do what the magic prompts me to, because those I love could be hurt.” “No! I will follow my dream and go be an officer.” “The dreams are telling me to do what the magic tells me to, and I’d better. And I’m too fat.” “I’ll lose weight!” “No, I won’t…” And so on. I wanted to knock his heads together.

Reason number two that I doubt I’ll read this trilogy again is that it’s very nearly humorless. I’m not much for the guffaw-a-minute spoof books, but halfway through the first book of this one I realized that the outlook was very straight-faced, almost throughout. So, in fact, is Nevare. I mean, of course his life is tough, but if I’ve learned anything in the past couple of years, even in the midst of chaos there is the occasional laugh.

Reason number three is almost cosmetic, I suppose, but it’s still strong: the jacket art for Renegade’s Magic (the American version, above). Don’t get me wrong – it’s beautiful. But it is one of the most spoilerific jackets I’ve ever seen. Only a couple of chapters in, Nevare has a realization of what could end the whole war between the Gernians and the Specks, and immediately stifles the thought for fear Soldier’s Boy will “hear” it… and suddenly it’s very very clear where the climax will go. Without that really very nice painting, there would at least be some doubt. With it, the rest of the book was eminently predictable.

It’s quality writing, as always from Robin Hobb, consistent and solid (though the grammar goes surprisingly wonky at times). I just did not enjoy it remotely as much as some of her other work. I won’t trade it in – but I sincerely regret buying it in hardcover, and I doubt I’ll read it again.(less)

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May 19, 2011

Dev Null rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy

Phew, that was terrible. Add this to the list of things I wish I could give 0 stars to.

Did I say in my review of Shaman's Crossing that she had avoided "the glassy-eyed back-to-nature-worship so common amongst fantasies that try to include "native" cultures"? Well too bad, because this book has that in spades. The Specks just mill about "at one" with Nature - whatever that means - and therefore Nature automatically provides them with boundless effortl...morePhew, that was terrible. Add this to the list of things I wish I could give 0 stars to.

Did I say in my review of Shaman's Crossing that she had avoided "the glassy-eyed back-to-nature-worship so common amongst fantasies that try to include "native" cultures"? Well too bad, because this book has that in spades. The Specks just mill about "at one" with Nature - whatever that means - and therefore Nature automatically provides them with boundless effortless food. Which Hobb describes endlessly and in excruciating detail, almost as if we cared what these people were eating.

Did I say in my review of the second book that Navare is passive? Hah! In this book, he spends literally the entire book riding around as a spectator in his own body, held prisoner by his psychotic schizophrenic alternate personality. Yeah. He can't even control his own body he's such a passive character. Yech. And then, as if that weren't enough, at the end of the book it turns out that the only things which Navare has managed to do for the entire series which had any consequence whatsoever, he not only was not in control of, but he wasn't even _aware_ of doing. Turns out his alter-ego did all the useful stuff with his body, and managed to hide the knowledge of them from him (and us.)

I am a bit annoyed at reading hundreds of pages of boring minutiae while having hidden from me the only things of import that were actually happening at the time, only to have them sprung on me at the end of the book. And yet, for all that, the "twist" at the end still manages to be predictable and mundane. The discovery of (view spoiler) I saw coming from about the middle of book 1, when (view spoiler), and for no apparent reason a big deal is made of it. Its so obvious Navare's journal will be read from the moment he makes everyone promise not to that I can't even justify calling that a spoiler. And the moral of the whole long tired story full of ineffectual characters seems to be that fate is inevitable, the future pre-ordained, and nothing puny humans can do will have the slightest effect on anything; we're all prisoners and spectators in our own lives, just like Navare. In which case I guess I can blame fate for the days I wasted reading these books... but I doubt it.(less)

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Apr 06, 2011

Emma rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2-stars, epic-fantasy, fantasy

I loved Shaman's Crossing and thought Forest Mage was okay, but Renegade's Magic was just too much.

The narrative point-of-view is probably the biggest problem here. Again, we have first-person from Nevare's perspective--the problem is, Nevare's alter ego takes over his body, and he spends most of the 700-page book as an observer. At this point, I've had it with Nevare's impotence. I don't require incredibly decisive protagonists (thought he was great in book one, when he was relatab...moreI loved Shaman's Crossing and thought Forest Mage was okay, but Renegade's Magic was just too much.

The narrative point-of-view is probably the biggest problem here. Again, we have first-person from Nevare's perspective--the problem is, Nevare's alter ego takes over his body, and he spends most of the 700-page book as an observer. At this point, I've had it with Nevare's impotence. I don't require incredibly decisive protagonists (thought he was great in book one, when he was relatable), but when they lack free will and literally cannot control their own actions, it bothers me. There are a number of ways the author could have made this trilogy more palatable: for instance (1) by writing it in the third person, using 3-4 POV characters, (2) by using a different narrator for each book and having Nevare narrate only #1 or (3) by letting Nevare become an army officer and come to similar situations of his own free will. Hobb does none of these, so the reading becomes increasingly frustrating.

Like Forest Mage, Renegade's Magic comes in around 700 pages long and probably should have been 150 pages or so shorter. In earlier books the plot might have been slow but was always moving; here we get a dozen appearances by Orandula where one would do. Dialogue started to bother me here as well, as it has little in common with the way real people talk. Worse, interesting and important plot events happen in Nevare's absence. There's barely a climax--certainly nothing worthy of 2000 pages' reading--and the resolution was unsatisfying. Plus, there are some key continuity errors. For instance, Epiny has a brother. His name is Hotorn. The author seems to have forgotten his existence, along with that of Nevare's younger brother. (Someone please correct me if Hotorn died and I just forgot.)

There are still things to like here: we see more of the world and especially the Speck culture, which is fascinating, as are many of the supporting characters. There is also a handful of very well-written and memorable moments. I wish that certain supporting characters would have played larger roles, though; in a book that plumbs so deeply into the psyches and relationships of the characters, it's not good to be left wondering why certain characters (Nevare and Epiny, Nevare and Amzil) care about each other so much. And using only Nevare's perspective while he spends most of the book with the Specks means key supporting characters like Yaril never appear at all, while others have minimal screen time.

I still recommend Shaman's Crossing, but cannot recommend reading further in the trilogy. (less)

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Oct 27, 2010

Latoya Michel rated it

· review of another edition

Robin Hobb is by far one of my favorite authors. However, like it was mentioned earlier, I find that her main characters tend to be really slow at learning from their mistakes. Nevare, though an excellent character, seemed very self-absorbed, to the point where I wish I could physically 'shake him' and tell him "get over it already!"

I loved this book more than the "forest mage". I think it was due to the story being pushed forward. I found the constant verbal abuse ...more

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Jun 08, 2009

Robin Wiley rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

I liked this book alot. I read this trilogy straight thru with no breaks.

But, I'm struggling figuring out who to recommend it to.

When I read fantasy, I like action, and sarcasm, and great characters. I like well developed religions and worlds. I like critters, full of magic and danger, the bigger the better. I like magic that has to be learned, and when weilded, can cause serious destruction.

Religions - check. World - check. Magic - check.

...more

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Feb 15, 2011

Scott rated it

· review of another edition

A great conclusion to a wonderful trilogy. The world that Robin Hobb crafted for these books is astounding, it manages to be familiar yet foreign at the same time, but for the addition of magic I could of been reading a historical novel set in a fictional kingdom of our own world. From Nevares childhood home in the plains, the Cavalla Academy at Old Thares where his taught to be an Officer for the Gernian Cavalry, to the Fort of Getty's at the edge of the Gernian empire, a great forest shadows G...more

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Jul 01, 2010

Julie rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

I've finished! The last long book of a trilogy of long books. Not that it wasn't worth reading, but it felt every bit as long as it is.

The main character has been split in two and is trying to reconcile the needs and wants of both his halves to try to make both of his peoples live in peace. Only he seems to be making it worse for both groups, and all his friends and family in the meanwhile.

I could never really predict where the story was going. There was a resolution I lo...more

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Jun 04, 2009

Evie Byrne rated it

· review of another edition

]
She pulled it out of the fire. Sort of. This one wasn't as bad as #2, but I don't feel it deserves a 4. Maybe #2 should have been a 2.

I don't know what to say, because I'm a sucker for her writing. Because when she's good, she's really, really good. Her settings and characters are wonderfully rich--I love to dive into her books and live there. But overall this was a dreary, depressing series.

I was so happy when it opens this book open with our hero taking control...more

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Apr 29, 2009

Tracy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, fiction, kindle

The last one probably was more of a 2.5 and I am tempted to downgrade it to a 2 - and probably will at some point as I process! This one is a solid 3 - it's still doesn't reach the interest levels of the first book, but the characters are more sympathetic. The book suffers by a lack of Epiny and Spink - there's nothing like taking the most engaging and sympathetic characters and reducing their presence to almost nothing. Instead, most of it is very Speck-centric except not even really about t...more

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Oct 21, 2011

Althea Ann rated it

· review of another edition

Reviewing the whole Soldier Son trilogy in one review, since it's one ongoing story.
(Shaman's Crossing, Forest Mage, and Renegade's Magic)
I consider myself to be a fan of Robin Hobb. I've read everything published under her name, with the exception of the two most recent 'Dragon' novels. I've given every single on of those books 4 or 5 stars. I've also read about half of what she's published as Megan Lindholm, and loved most of that as well.
Unfortunately, I feel that the Soldie...moreReviewing the whole Soldier Son trilogy in one review, since it's one ongoing story.
(Shaman's Crossing, Forest Mage, and Renegade's Magic)
I consider myself to be a fan of Robin Hobb. I've read everything published under her name, with the exception of the two most recent 'Dragon' novels. I've given every single on of those books 4 or 5 stars. I've also read about half of what she's published as Megan Lindholm, and loved most of that as well.
Unfortunately, I feel that the Soldier Son trilogy is her least successful work to date.
It's not terrible, but it didn't hold up to my high expectations.

I think that part of this is that while her previous epics have shown the reader a rich tapestry of a world, with multiple important characters and settings, this story follows one person, Navare (the Soldier Son) for over 2000 pages. And, to be honest, he's rather a tiresome person. I don't demand that characters be likable, but I just didn't find him interesting. He's a bit of an annoying prig. I wished that some of the more minor characters in the book had been fleshed out more, and that we had a chance to see things from their point of view. (Epiny! And her magic! It just gets dropped...) The third book is largely concerned with the conflicts of Navare's suddenly-split-personality. It's him arguing with himself for hundreds of pages. (Tiresome vs. annoying!) I feel like it's partly because other characters weren't developed enough.

The story also moves very slowly. I felt like Navare's journey could have been condensed into one book, one-third of the length, and it would have been improved. I love long books, but this story seemed to have two main themes: the problems of cultural imperialism, and the importance of not judging people based on their physical appearance. Now, these are two very valid and important themes, but part of the reason that I do really like long books is that they have room in them for lots and lots of different ideas and themes. Not just two, repeated frequently. I also felt that these two themes weren't dealt with very satisfactorily: OK, it's bad and wrong to disrespect another culture, regard them as primitive when they aren't, and to destroy their native lands. I'm with that. It's also inevitable that, due to economic and other factors, peoples move, expand, and come into conflict with each other, bringing about cultural change. I also agree that is true. So the solution? Cause an economic distraction somewhere else causing everyone to run off elsewhere. Eh, well, maybe. Not terrible, but not really a full analysis of the problem, either.
However, I had a bigger problem with the other issue. After a million or so pages of Navare being prejudiced against because of his magically-induced obesity, and having it pointed out ad infinitum that what one culture may consider reprehensible and disgusting, another culture may respect, etc, the story ends up with Navare (again magically) being restored to his former thin, handsome appearance. It really undercuts the whole message of the book.

However, like I said before, it wasn't terrible. Hobb is still an excellent writer, and I did like that each of the cultures in the book was portrayed as having both positive and negative qualities. It was interesting and thoughtful enough to get me through all three very long volumes. It just wasn't as good as I'd expected.(less)

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Aug 30, 2010

Kathysue rated it

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Starting this 3rd in the trilogy, felt like putting on that old and favored sweater. Warm and fuzzy feeling, and very comfortable, even though you know that you look terrible in it.
As the book went on, I could feel those comfort threads start to unwind as Robin Hobb does something very different with her main character... making him unlikable, and very unheroric. I felt the discomfit and hated myself for reading about how much this character hated himself. It was almost unbearable, but I ...more

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Jul 02, 2011

Traci rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

3.5
I wasn't supposed to like this book. Maybe it's a case of expectations being too low to be met. Maybe I have read worse books than the average reader. Or maybe I am so hooked on Hobb's writing she could make stereo instructions interesting. Maybe it's just my belligerence showing. Whatever the reason I enjoyed this book. My biggest problem with this series has been the similarity to American history. It just sort of took me out of my fantasy zone. In this last one I liked the switch of s...more

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Feb 15, 2008

Laura rated it

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I was afraid to try this book because I disliked the second one so much. I was pleasantly surprised. The fatness had a purpose in this book. Nevare was back. The series was resolved. I would give it 3 1/2 stars. It was worth reading if you made it through the second book. I would not recommend the whole series. But...if you read the second book...I might suggest you give it a try.

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Jan 10, 2011

Kathryn Wilson rated it

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Shelves: it-was-ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 31, 2011

Holly Cordner rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

If you've made it this far into the series and your still willing to give Renegade's Magic a go, then nothing I can say will likely influence you one way or the other. In this final For the dedicated reader who gets past the (in my opinion) boredom of the first book and (again) depression of the second, Renegade's Magic takes them inside the Speck culture. The book's main character, Nevarre, actually spends most of this book unable to do much but observe, which can be frustrating at times. The r...more

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Sep 18, 2009

Jennifer rated it

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The third book in the trilogy manages to pick up the plot to bearable levels. Hobb's main character still remains mostly unlikable, but at least a reason is given for his passiveness and wishy-washyness this time around, as we learn more about his split personality problem. Nevare spends much of this book a "prisoner" in his own body, which means he's still really passive, but at least he really can't seem to help it. I was relieved as events unfolded toward resolution at last, most...more

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Jun 26, 2009

Wayne Wilson rated it

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The 3rd in the series and everything was wrapped up quite nicely. I liked this series and it I found it a fun fantasy escape. The main character, Navare, finally starts using his magical powers and yet he never quite grabs all the power. I was frustrated by his split personality and I thought he was too in touch with his feminine side. Since the author is a woman I kept thinking that she was putting too much of herself into this main protagonist. The way Navere solves problems is just not how I ...more

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Jul 31, 2009

Mieneke rated it

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Shelves: 2009, fantasy

I liked this concluding volume in the Soldier Son trilogy. It finally made Nevare take his fate in his own hands and discover what the magic wanted of him.

For me the crux of the book was the continuing reappearance of Orandula, the god of Balances, who kept demanding Nevare's repayment of his debt in the for of either a life or a death. To me it conveyed the lesson that it's important to make choices, even though you're not sure whether it's the 'right' one. To choose, to take contro...more

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Feb 27, 2010

Melissa rated it

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Shelves: 60-books-in-2010

Life doesn't get much easier for Nevare in this book, but it does get more interesting. Although this book still has some of the repetition problems, the pace really picks up. We learn more about the Specks, the magic, and Soldier's Boy. Sometimes the dialogue between Soldier's Boy and Nevare got a little confusing, but it was overall an interesting character study. This book really keeps you going till the end - just when you think Nevare's troubles are over, something else comes up. In the end...more

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Jun 22, 2009

Nightmajik rated it

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Shelves: 2009

The entire series was rather up and down for me. I enjoyed the first book very much, but was left confused as the series proceeded. I didn't feel any continuity between the first and second books, and was frustrated with the story to the point that I didn't even want to read the third book for a while. Once I finally picked it up, I was glad to see some questions answered, and some sense of continuity finally appeared. I don't think I would read it again, however, as I did not feel strongly atta...more

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Jun 07, 2011

Brian rated it

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Not Hobb's best work.
Book 1 was the best of the trilogy and they declined from there. I felt as if the series, especially book 3, could have been condensed considerably. A lot of repetitious wording and a bit of tedious prose describing things that probably didn't need as much detail.
I couldn't help but feel this series was a piece meal of ideas that somehow didn't quite make it into other books and because of that, the central plot and some of the ideas never seemed to really en...more

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Apr 20, 2009

Stephanie rated it

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Shelves: for-lovers-of-the-genre, i-own-this-book

I was quite disappointed with this trilogy in comparison to Hobb's other works.

It was still readable, but her character(s) were not very endearing. The main protagonist has a split personality and both sides are equally annoying. The question remains for a good part of the book as to whether they should merge as one and the "good" side continues to fight against it. But I found myself thinking oh, god - just do it already and move on already. The secondary characters w...more

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May 25, 2009

Brian Maicke rated it

I was relatively happy with the way this wrapped up, but the pacing of the third book was very slow for me. I really enjoyed the first book of the series. The second book brought out that horrible tragedy that invariably falls on the main characters of a Hobb series, but was also enjoyable in its own twisted way. The third book however just seemed to go on too long without anything really happening. I didn't feel the tension that I normally do when she is bringing a series to a close. I'm not so...more

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Jun 22, 2011

Ron rated it

· review of another edition

A major disappointment from an author I usually trust. Liked the first book (Shaman's Crossing) but the second (Forest Mage) took a dive and this one was a real slog. I expect a character to be a bit unaware or naive at the begining of a trilogy, but if they haven't wised up or taken decisive action by book three, it becomes a chore to read. I can only tolerate so many pages of stupid in a protagonist. The last 30-40 pages were a redemption of sorts but too little too late and it did not make up...more

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About Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washi...more

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Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1)

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“Anticipating pain was like enduring it twice. Why not anticipate pleasure instead?” — 21 people liked it

“It was hard to reconcile the drumbeats and lifted voices in the night with my memories of flames and the screams of dying men. How could humanity range so effortlessly from the sublime to the savage and back again?” — 3 people liked it

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Renegade's Magic (Soldier Son #3)

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