Renegade's Magic: Book Three of The Soldier Son Trilogy
by Robin Hobb
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Read in March, 2008
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 him finds a way t...more
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 t...more
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Read in April, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in July, 2008
I really don't know what to say about this book. The main character is again starting a new life. He started his life as a nobles soldier son in the first book, but it was taken away from him by magic. He was forced to create a new life as a common soldier in the second book, taking happiness wherever he could find it. Again it was taken away by magic. Now he is forced to live a third life that seems to be the will of the magic, but it soon becomes obvious that this life too will end badly. We j...more
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Read in January, 2008
This is the third book in the Second Son trilogy. And, like many fantasy trilogies, you absolutely, positively must read the first two books in this series before you read the third book.
I found the series to be quite fascinating and enjoyable. The characters became richer as the books went on. There really are no fully evil characters, nor any fully good characters. The characters are all flawed in some way.
The plot is a bit on the thin side. Robin Hobb is a very deliberate write...more
I found the series to be quite fascinating and enjoyable. The characters became richer as the books went on. There really are no fully evil characters, nor any fully good characters. The characters are all flawed in some way.
The plot is a bit on the thin side. Robin Hobb is a very deliberate write...more
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Read in December, 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 people are b...more
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 people are b...more
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Read in July, 2008
Most of this book didn't impress me very much. I thought it could have been cut down a lot, and made more interesting just by that. I thought that the resolution to it all got so painfully obvious by about two hundred and fifty pages in that anything more was simply labouring the point.
But.
The last one hundred and fifty pages or so were brilliant. Things came together, and you could finally see how everything was meant to work out. Everything suddenly made a lot more sense, and character...more
But.
The last one hundred and fifty pages or so were brilliant. Things came together, and you could finally see how everything was meant to work out. Everything suddenly made a lot more sense, and character...more
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Read in July, 2008
I liked the first novel in this series enough to read the second and see if things got better. The second improved sufficiently that I bought the third (in hardcover no less) and read it. The problem was that I was still waiting to really like the character, waiting to feel that the disparate threads of the story were coming together, waiting for there to be a coherent message. None of those things happened. At least not in the settling, satisfying way I'd wanted them to. That's not to say that ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Robin Hobb fans, Fantasy Lovers
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 and engaging characters...more
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 and engaging characters...more
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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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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Genevieve by:
Sean
I won't lie. I enjoyed this book! I was tempted to rate it at a 4 - hell, it even made me cry a wee bit. I would've rated it a 4 except for one thing: this isn't the only Robin Hobb book I've read! From many other offers, I would've been impressed with all of the wonderful aspects of this novel; however, I know that THIS author is better. The ending, though well-written, was pat verging on trite. To be terribly honest, there were even times when the writing itself was sub par (for h...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
nobody, read her earlier work
Sadly, this whole trilogy has been a disappointment for me. Robin Hobb demonstrates her excellent writing and world-building skills, but sadly fails to create one interesting character or enough plot to fill one long novel. For all the 2000 or so pages, the plot is rather limited and linear, and there just aren't enough interesting threads for any satisfaction to be gleaned from their eventual pulling together. Various dei ex machina appear to bring about the conclusion (including one tho...more
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This trilogy ends in a rather boring way - Nevarre, as others have pointed out, is a rather boring character. He wants to be a good soldier, he wants to serve his country, and when he moves into introspection it is a painfully drawn out process. Nevarre is not even in control of his body for the majority of this book - his other self, Soldier's Boy, takes control of his body, joins the Specks, and begins the fight against Nevarre's people, while Nevarre hangs around in his head wringing his ha...more
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The third book to the most tragic trilogy Ms. Hobb has written so far and it drags. Yes, it drags most horribly as the protagonist's split selves continue to argue about being trapped between two societies for pages and pages and pages. And, as a warning, IT NEVER STOPS. After slogging through it all, I was rewarded by the ending which does give the protagonist back his autonomy to a startling degree, something I had practically given up on. On the whole, the volume is dull and merely a catalog...more
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I know, this book isn't out in the states yet, but like this author so much that I managed to get a copy from England. That said, this is not Robin Hobb's best work. I have friends who really like the Soldier's Son trilogy, but to me it just doesn't stack up to the Farseer or Liveship books.
I was disappointed by the ending - Hobb really has trouble finishing series - but for spoiler reasons I won't say why. Suffice it to say that if the book had ended 100 pages sooner at the faux ending...more
I was disappointed by the ending - Hobb really has trouble finishing series - but for spoiler reasons I won't say why. Suffice it to say that if the book had ended 100 pages sooner at the faux ending...more
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Read in April, 2008
I feel slightly let down with this trilogy after Robin Hobb's previous stellar work. Far too much introspection by an extremely weak main character. Despite that, I never found myself hating Nevarre and wishing to set the book aside. Honestly, he would have been a perfectly fine and interesting character had we been given the story from multiple perspectives. As things were, this one was far too tedious, lacking in substance for me.
I only recommend this one as a completion if you've made...more
I only recommend this one as a completion if you've made...more
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Read in July, 2008
Yes - this last one was much better. The first half of the book moved pretty slowly but then it just sped down hill! The ending was pretty darn happy, especially compared to her other series but Nevare probably deserved it more than her other characters too.
Nevare/Soldier's boy tries to stop the road using their magic but nothing seems to work as it was planned and the magic doesn't seem to be guiding him any longer. How can the road be stopped to save the ancestor's trees? The answer ...more
Nevare/Soldier's boy tries to stop the road using their magic but nothing seems to work as it was planned and the magic doesn't seem to be guiding him any longer. How can the road be stopped to save the ancestor's trees? The answer ...more
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Robin Hobb remains one of my favourite authors, and The Soldier Son Trilogy ended well.
What I have learned from this book is that any story cannot go on and on and on. My interest waned after a while and the pacing started to crawl -- I'm not sure if it is the reading and the writing that is at fault -- I only know its effect. It took me three weeks to finish this book when I took less than one week to finish her earlier books. I must beware this loss of pacing effect on my own writing. ...more
What I have learned from this book is that any story cannot go on and on and on. My interest waned after a while and the pacing started to crawl -- I'm not sure if it is the reading and the writing that is at fault -- I only know its effect. It took me three weeks to finish this book when I took less than one week to finish her earlier books. I must beware this loss of pacing effect on my own writing. ...more
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recommends it for:
fantasy readers
I do so admire Robin Hobb and her amazingly creative fantasy worlds. I love the fantasy genre and am impressed when an author can create an original theme.
Renegade's Magic is the third (and final) book in the Soldier's Son Trilogy. I believe I have read every book written by Robin Hobb (pen name--so maybe not every book by author).
I work at a library and try to read as many different authors inorder to advise patrons. I have only a few authors that I try to read all that they have.
Renegade's Magic is the third (and final) book in the Soldier's Son Trilogy. I believe I have read every book written by Robin Hobb (pen name--so maybe not every book by author).
I work at a library and try to read as many different authors inorder to advise patrons. I have only a few authors that I try to read all that they have.
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I have yet to read anything by Robin Hobb that I could put down for any length of time. Simply an amazing author who brings the setting, the characters, and the story to life...to the point where you feel the character's pain, you can almost see, hear, and smell the world they live in, and you want to be there to help the character make it through their trials and tribulations...simply because you DO care that much.
I honestly wish I could write the way she does.
I honestly wish I could write the way she does.
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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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