Ask Robin Hobb - Thursday, April 11th! discussion
Ask Robin!
Dear Robin,My boyfriend and I love your books. We're collecting all of them. At this moment we both are reading the Rain Wild Chronicles and absolutely love the books! We are looking forward to 'Blood of Dragons'.
We were both wondering if there will be more books that are set in the world of the Rain Wild chronicles.
Thank you and please keep writing :)
Kind regards,
Kim and Roel (The Netherlands)
HI Robin,LOVE your work! I'm forever grateful to my sister for introducing me to it and am really thankful to you, too, for sharing it with us. She and I have both--on more than one occasion--tried to get our beloved dogs to tap into their Wit for/with us.
I keep being struck at how memory and history (or preservation of memory & history) are a consistent thread in your work. From the birdkeepers records, to Fitz's scribing, from Starling's songs to Alise's note-taking, from memory stones to the dragon practice of literally consuming (and being cocooned by) ancestral memories, there is a lot of history being recorded for later generations. So I guess I keep coming back to a few questions:
--are the dragons remembering the same things? In other words, are we seeing Kelsingra as it is, or, is it 'awakened' to us in a different way based on which dragons are there at any given time?
--Why is Sintara is able to awaken Kelsingra (or that it remembers her) so easily? Why can she awaken it in ways that others can't?
--Are the memory stones and the skill pillars, or even the Skill River or Skill Road, linked somehow into this idea of the past? Or maybe a way of making the past come back to the present? Does Fitz's use of them, for example, jive with Rapskal's, or, are they tapping into different sorts of magic? Or maybe they are tapping into different strands (Wit vs Skill, etc) of Elderling magic?
thanks for your time!
farrah
Hi Robin! I'm Ed from DC. Like everyone else here I am a big fan of your work. Do you know if the Tawny Man series will ever be put in audio format?
Hello Robin, I'm Valentina, another fan from Italy. I'm a translator and I read all your series in English because I wanted to get every nuance and little emotion I could get from your world. I just want to tell you want a wonderful experience it has been. I'm not ashamed to say I cried reading Fool's Fate; your characters felt so real that when I had no longer something to read, I missed them.
I so admire the perfect balance you have between plot and emotional insight, how you manage to pull and twist all the right strings.
Speaking of the writing process through series, I was just curious to know if you had at least a general series of events in mind. Or maybe you expanded the plot the more you expanded your world.
Thank you so much for your novels, you gave me some many emotions and so much inspiration. I will always wait to read more from you.
I wanted to thank you especially for the Fool. Here is a little painting I made of him.
Many thanks,
Valentina
Hi Robin, I am Dave from England and got into reading your books through a good friend of mine who recommended Assassin's Apprentice after she had been recommended it by one of her friends. Word of mouth tends to be the way with your books and we find that anyone we introduce to them absolutely love them, so thank you for your fantastic books and I hope there are many more to come.I have only just started Dragon Keeper (I have read Farseer/Liveship/Tawny trilogies previously) and already I am hooked and can't put it down...work gets in the way too much.
What I wanted to know was about the UK tour you keep teasing, with it's end in Brighton. I am hoping you would have more information about where it will be taking in and also whether you will have much time to explore parts of England yourself? It always feels like any movie/tv versions of the books could easily be filmed over here so I tend to feel at home reading them.
Hi Robin,Just finished BoD and loved it. Especially when *cough* Kalo had that really nice and tasty lunch.
Hello Robin , my name is Catherine original from USA I moved to England where I first discovered your wonderful books and became an instant fan. I went to a reading you did of Solider Son in Scotland. I have sense moved back to Boston area USA and remain a huge fan. I have a set of books written and signed by you that have followed me around the globe :) im always excited when I hear of your upcoming books. My question is : will you be writing any new worlds in your future books ?
Many thanks
Catherine
Hello, Robin. Thank you so much for your worlds, your characters are so memorable and have enriched my life (in fact, my husband and I named our dog Smithy!). My question is regarding the Farseer Trilogy...The entire "going into the dragon" process with Kettle, Verity, etc...do you feel like that might be a bit of a metaphor for writing? Giving pieces of yourself and your experiences, and cobbling them into a new creation that will serve others, etc?
Hi Robin,Big fan from Ireland here and I just wanted to ask, How did you come up with a character as complex and mysterious as The Fool? Did anyone in your personal life inspire you or was it merely a creative epiphany?
Thanks,
Brian
Hi Robin! There's something I forgot to ask you when I (finally) met you at Dragon Con. I've always wondered who your favorite character of yours is. I always liked Fitz, and Kennit, and also surprisingly I really liked Malta toward the end of the second trilogy... but my standing favorite has always been The Fool. Who is your favorite character? :)~Leora (The chick who talked you into getting Pandora Celtica's CD)
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Hi! I'd like to start out saying that (so far) I absolutely love Blood of Dragons and have really enjoyed all of the other books published in the series (as well as the previous three series that are linked to it). But I do have a question about what seems to be an unusual (especially for you, since you always have everything tied together so well) continuity error in the newest book?I noticed that Malta is blonde/golden haired now, when previously she always had dark/black hair - even when she was shown in the last two Rain Wild Chronicles books after she had completed her Elderling changes. Is there a reason for her sudden change in appearance that I am missing? I know this is just a little nit picky sort of question, but I couldn't help but be curious about it. :]
Are you planning on doing any other work in the Soldier Son world?
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And which of your characters did you find went through the most changes from your first idea of them to what they ended up like once you had finished writing about them?
I think every one of my characters changes and grows within a book. At least I hope so! IF they don't, then the charater development is terrible! :)When I start a book most often the charater just steps out onto the stage with a past and a name and starts talking. I actually feel more as if I'm following where the character goes rather than saying, "It's page 231; you are supposed to decide to throw down your sword." Sometimes, if you are following the character, he completely ignores the outline. Then the story can go some really interesting places.
And this I will ask and try to avoid spoilers for people who haven't read Blood of Dragons yet, the effects of Silver, as raised by Mercor. Do you currently plan to address those in later books?
Blood of Dragons concludes the Rain Wilds Chronicles. I don't have immediate plans to go back to those characters or situation right now.
I really want to read the piebald prince, too, but I can't get a copy. Do you know where I can find one, or is it being released as a ebook or anything like that? The answer to this varies from country to country right now. Checking the publishers website is the best way to find out. I wish I could be more specific!
Thanks for some good questions.
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1. The Fool is an..."
1. The Fool is an immensely complex character. Did you have everything about The Fool decided from the beginning, or did this character continue to develop over the course of the series, perhaps in ways that you did not expect at the onset?
I think all the characters evolve and change as I write them. In the original outline for the Farseer Trilogy, the Fool had exactly one sentence. I thought he would enter, do what he was required to do, and then step off stage. He had other ideas. Although I know a great deal more about the Fool than I could put into the books, there are still things I don't know about him.
2. When you wrote The Fool, was your intention to deliberately write a character who does not fall into the gender binary, or is this just part of the character's air of mystery?
I don't really think of my characters that way. It's not like I think, "Well, I'm going to a write a book. Let's look at the ingredients shelf. We need three characters of different races, four characters with deep psychological problems, at least one gay character, oh, and better make sure the ratio of male to female is correct." That's no way to tell a story! The characters are where my stories start, and I never know who is going to step out of the darkness and say, "Pick me! Write my story." But once they intrigue me, it would be horrible to say, "Well, I'm sorry, but you can't be blonde, as there are too many blondes in fantasy right now, and I'm going to give you a limp to make you more interesting." no. They come as they are and I have to listen to them.
3. Were there any winged Elderlings in ages past? Or is Thymara the first? If so, is this because these was a taboo against it that Sintara simply didn't remember from her ancestors?
I'm going to be mean and tell you to go back and read carefully. And you may find that Sintara does not know as much as she thinks she does. :)
4. I've always held a certain curiosity about the lands south of Jamaillia City: The Spice Islands, and beyond. They're mentioned occasionally, but do you ever think they might serve as a setting in a future novel?
If I get an idea for a compelling story that takes place there, I would certainly write it!
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I have a couple short questions for you. :D Can you tell us anything ab..."
Answer to Lauren's question #54
I have a couple short questions for you. :D Can you tell us anything about the White girl in the square during Assassin's Quest? Did she have a catalyst? That little flash always fascinated me, and I think about it still.
Again, I'm going to be mean and advise you to go back and read carefully. All the puzzle pieces are there, especially in The Tawny Man Trilogy!
I have to echo everyone else: Fool broke my heart. Will we ever see him again in a book?
That all depends on him. If he wants to tell me a compelling story for me to write, I'll do it. But I won't go back to write an ordinary story just because he's a cool character. It wouldn't be very good.
Lastly: what is your writing process like? Do you write everything sequentially? Is there any part of it that you tend to work out first?
I generally know where a story begins and where it ends. Often I have some landmarks along the way. But how a story unfolds always contains some surprises for me. I'm glad it does. If I knew exactly everything that is going to happen, every incident in the book, think how boring it would be to have to write it all down.
Hi ! I am not here to ask a question instead I am here to say Thank You. I started reading your books when I found the assassin and have continued to read your books from then, your books have been past around the family as they all have different tastes, but you have entertained us all.I am now reading the last few chapters of "Blood of Dragons" as usual it has kept me up to the early hours of the morning and only through tiredness have I put it down. Thank you for all you have written, for the hours lost due to your imagination. Also you talk to to your fans and I feel privileged to have spoke to you on here and on facebook. You are a wonderful individual, may you know only love, light and laughter.
Hi Robin, thanks for spending time with us today.I could ask a million questions about your books, but for the moment, something that continually nags me is the pronunciation of names.
Does:
Alise rhyme with /saw-LEASE?/or /uh-LEASE/?
Chalse /gal/ or /gaul/
Sedric /SEA-drik/ or /SAID-rik/
Chade is shade. Yes?
Althea /al-THEA-uh/ or /AL-thea-uh/
Brashen /SLASH-en/ or /SLAW-shen/
Jamailia /juh_MAIL-ee-yuh/ or /juh-MALL-yuh/
Kennit /KEH-nit/, yes?
Burrich /BURR-ik/ or /BURR-ich/
Ketrikan /KEH-tri-can/ or /keh-TRI-ken/
Thymara /thigh-MA-ruh/ or /THI-muh ruh/
Reyn /rain/ or /rehn/
Tintaglia /tin-STAY-glee-uh/ or /tin-STAG-lee-uh/
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Question for Robin: Have you considered writing a sequel to Wizard of the Pigeons? That book was probably one of the more bizarre books I've read, but it was brilliant. :)
Thank you! It's always fun when I hear good things about a book I wrote so long ago. When it first came out, contemporary fantasy was a pretty rare beast. Will there be a sequel? Does it need one?
Every story must, ultimately, have a beginning and an end. If it doesn't, it's not really a story, is it? It's more like the Saturday morning cartoons used to be.
I think there has to be a time when the storyteller's voice falls silent and the audience wanders off,to ponder what might have come before and what might come next.
That said, if I got a truly compelling story idea and those characters and that setting were the only possible vehicles for it, then I wouldn't hesitate to return to it.
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Roxy, I have so many story ideas! It's always hard to decide which one to write next. Will I come back to Buckkeep, or Trehaug or Jamaillia? Certainly there are lots of story possibilities there. Right now, I'm rather between books and looking at all the possibilities. I don't really know myself.
Dear Robin,I could gush about you for hours (sure I have done in the past to friends who have all had no choice but to read your books ) I have been reading your books for years and your characters feel like familiar old friends to me, that is how much they have remained in my memory. I re-visit them often. Thank you for my fond old friends that have appeared thanks to your wonderful writing and imagination.
I actually have a date with Blood of Dragons tonight and look forward to it very much.
My question is slightly different...how did the officekat get the name Diego? Imagine my laughter when I learnt through social media you have a cat with the same name as my son :)
All my thanks, all the way from Amsterdam
Jess x
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What is next after this series?"
Hi Shannon!
I'm still debating that with myself! :)
Robin
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From Peter, post 62: Your books are amazing and give me an incredible amount of inspiration to keep writing my own book. Which bids me to ask you, what inspires you to keep writing? Especially if you ever face times when you no longer feel a desire to keep writing at all.
Peter, there was a time when I thought I would write until I was found slumped on my keyboard. These days, I'm not sure about that. There are so many things I've never done in this life, and my years of being fit enough to do them are dwindling. So, yes, there may come a time when I say, "That's enough, I'm done." I think I write today for the same reason I started writing. Love of story. When you want to read a certain sort of story and you can't find it, the only solution is go and write it yourself.
Also, I was wondering if you will ever step out of your Realm of the Elderlings again, like you did with the Soldier Son trilogy?
Oh, definitely! Celtsie is standing on the sidelines, shouting "pick me, pick me!" and that's a world I've never written in before. But will she get her turn next. Maybe not. Maybe when I'm 70! :)
Robin
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Hey, Pedro, I think we exchanged some email about this? So, unless someone else asks the identical question, I think I'll avoid any spoilers about it!
Robin
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Yours,
LadyD
Hello, Lady D!
Some of these questions seem to hit the same area over and over, but no worries. The answer is yes, absolutely, there can be more to these characters and tales. Will there be? Ah, that's the real question. As I've mentioned here (but not before you asked this question!) what I require is a truly compelling story idea, one I would desperately want to write even if I'd never written a single word in the Realm of the Elderlings. We'll see if that comes to me. Thanks for asking.
Robin
Hi Robin. My name is Ronnie, and I'm a big fan. I happen to be traveling to Southern CA later this month, when you will also be there. I would love to attend a book signing or any of your panels at the Festival of Books while you're down there. I happen to have a hardback copy of Assassin's Apprentice from the UK that I would love for you to sign! Where is the best place to find you Saturday, April 20th?
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Spoilers!
I haven't read that far please hide the bit about nighteyes and I'll pretend I never read it! lol"
Robin, I'm not Italian, and I've never met you! Lucky you.
Ho..."
Did you originally intend to tie the Assassins and the Dragon's/Liveships into the same world? I know some authors prefer to branch out and not get pegged down to one box. But I'd love to give some love to you for filling out the world we have adored and enjoyed so much and sticking with it as much as you have!
I love your style, your books have a distinctive flavor to the layout and how they read. They synch very well with how I think, so I am at home reading your books. My favorite authors, in no specific order are you, Melanie Rawn's sunrunner books, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, Peter Brett. I find you guys really came out in increments and carried the Genre when it was starting to die out.
So Paul wrote! I'll add that you've mentioned some of my favorite writers!
Did I know that Jamaillia and Bingtown existed when I was working on the Farseer books? Absolutely. I think a fantasy writer needs a bigger view of the book's world than can be totally shared with the reader. I sometimes think of fantasy worlds as ever expanding jigsaw puzzles. So many stories can be attached to the edges. But one has to remember that if a story doesn't end somewhere, then it's not really story. How a story ends and where is as important as how a story begins.
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In message 66, Julie wrote:Hi Robin, I love re reading your books, for me it's like visiting old friends, the stories are all so well written and every character has a depth to them that helps your readers to connect with them.
Which of your characters do you find the most compelling ? And which one, if any of them, would you say has the most of your own characteristics ?
My favourite characters will always be Fitz and the Fool, thank you
Hi Julie! I truly hope that none of my characters have 'most of my own characteristics'. I try very hard to write characters who are products of their own worlds and times, with their own values and ideas which may be very different from mine.
Who is the most compelling? Well,the fun part of being a writer is that it's like making a wonderful film, with no limit on my budget. I can design the sets, the costume, the lightings, I write the script, and then I get to perform all the roles as I step into each character's skin, zip up, and adopt that point of view. So, to me, they are all compelling and fascinating. I think it would be awful to have to write characters you didn't love!
Thanks for a good question!
Robin
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Amanda wrote in #68 Very excited about this group! I know you are a Washington state resident, Robin, (as am I!) and I've always wondered if you got any of your inspiration for the beautifully described scenery in your books from any local areas?
Oh,the Pacific Northwest has inspired at lot of backdrop for me! A side note. When I first began writing the Farseer trilogy, and I got the wonderful John Howe as a cover artist, I was astounded at how accurately he could 'see' what I saw and paint it accordingly. When we began to correspond, we discovered we shared a geographical palette, as he had spent his younger years not far from here, on the other side of the US/Canadian border.
Now something called The Hobbit is keeping him busy as a conceptual artist, and I'm seeing New Zealand creep into his paintings. It's wonderful.
Robin
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My..." Question 69 from Jack: My question is, if Pat Rothfuss asked you to do an episode of Storyboard with him, would you? You come up a lot when they are talking about people who 'do it right'. It would be really fantastic to hear some of your processes.
I would really want to, but the truth is that even as I'm answering these questions today, I'm looking anxiously over at Project X, The Next Book, and wishing that I were writing that instead. As a writer of fiction, Social Media and essays are not really my natural habitat. Sometimes I feel like a frog at a tea party. I'm happy to be invited, but left to myself, I'd be at the edge of the pond, watching out for snakes and looking for mosquitoes!
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I was most intrigued..." Question #70 from Zoe: I was most intrigued by the idea of the White Prophets and their Catalysts and was wondering if we'll ever see some stories from other eras (I kind of wanted to know what happened to Wild-eye, or even Prilkop).
Also, how do you go about constructing such three-dimensional characters? Do you start out a story with the characters already in mind? And finally, will we ever see the Fool again?
It's hard to say what I would delve into if I returned to The Realm of the Elderlings again. I have a great fondness for Wild Eye, but I don't know if there's enough there to make an entire novel. Sometimes the fun part of the chapter introductions is finding something I really want the reader to know, and then putting it in the right framework. Often I can find some cool little incident that I wouldn't otherwise be able to tell.
For me, a story always begins with the characters rather than with a plot line. I think the characters are created in a part of my mind that I don't have conscious access to. They step out onto the empty stage and start talking, and the world starts to fall into place around them, exactly as if you were pulling a camera back to provide a wider image.
Will we see the Fool again? Next time he wanders through, I'll try to ask him but there is no guarantee he will respond. :)
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In question 71, Davis asked: My question is if you're going to reveal any more about the magics of the world. Specifically the Wit (beast bonding interests me more than the Skill), but also the others (I think divination/scrying is mentioned?).
I think that each book expands a bit more on the various magics and how they work. If I go back to write more in the Realm of the Elderlings, then there will undoubtedly be more about those magics. I've often wondered just how much scrying Chade was doing off stage. :)
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I must say that I haven't had the chance to read most of your books yet(between catching up on The Wheel of Time, the Mistborn trilogy, and A Song of Ice and Fire), but I definite..."
Question 72, and Austin asked: As an aspiring author, and dragon fanatic, what advice would you impart?
I think that all creatures in fantasy, no matter how fantastic, have to part of the ecology of that world. For me, dragons are very large predators, at the top of the food chain. So I think about what attitude would a predator like that have, and how large of a territory, and how they would most likely breed to increase the species. Think of how many cubs a lion has compared to how many baby mice one mouse can produce in a year. If you think about the biology first, then I think the creature becomes more fantastic rather than less.
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I'm actually pretty accessible and am almost always open to a coffee break. Next time you'll be in the area, contact me a a few days ahead of time,and we'll go for coffee. :)
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I think every story ends where the next one logically begins. There is more to Nevare's story, of course. Characters have to exist before their stories and continue afterwards, but the question always is, Is that story compelling? Does something happen in his life that demands a telling? And I don't know the answers to those questions yet. If he comes and sits on the bedpost and start telling me stories,then likely I'll bring them to the keyboard.
Robin
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I'm from the Netherlands and I've got ALL your books. My question: Is Blood of Dragons the last book in this series, or will there be other rain wild books. Will any of the other cha..."
IN message 75, Liesbeth asked: Is Blood of Dragons the last book in this series, or will there be other rain wild books. Will any of the other characters of all the previous books return to us in some future book?
Blood of Dragons is definitely the last book in the Rain Wilds Chronicles. Will there be other books set in the Rain Wilds. I don't know. Will some of the other characters return in other stories? I don't know that, either.
A lot probably depends on how long I live,and how long I keep writing. :)
I can only write one book at a time. And there does come a time when a writer must look at his characters and say, "Take a break. You deserve. Live happily ever after, off the edges of the page."
Robin
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My name is Jess, and I'm a devoted fan. I was actually privileged enough to meet you once a..."
IN post 76, Jess asked: Will you ever be returning to Gernia and the other lands of the Soldier Son Trilogy? I know the majority of folk prefer The Realm of the Elderlings, and while I count myself among them, I was also a great fan of Nevarre's world.
Both the Wit and the Skill seem conspicuously absent in The Realm of the Elderlings outside of the Six Duchies. The Skill is indicated to occur primarily where Outisland and Six Duchies lines mix, so I suppose this makes sense (and the way in which dragons communicate sort of abuts it), but the Wit seems to occur in outside folk, as well (like Burrich's family). Is there a reason for this? Did you just feel like perhaps you'd already walked that road with Fitz? Or am I mixing it up and the speech of dragons is more akin to the Wit (or perhaps neither magic)?
I've heard George R.R. Martin is a great admirer of yours. Is the feeling mutual? I've seen it written that he's cited you as his favorite modern fantasy author, though I don't know the provenance of that quote.
As mentioned before, I don't know if I'll ever return to Gernia and the world of Soldier Son. It would have to be a compelling story that demanded to be told.
The Wit and the Skill do occur in the books in various forms and among various folk. There are lots of hints dropped as to who may or may not have it in the Mountains, for instance. Some things have different names in different places. (Can you tell I'm tapdancing around spoilers?)
I would be very flattered to think that George Martin considered me one of his favorite writrs. I do not know George Martin on a personal level; we've had coffee together a couple of times, but I would not venture to say I know him as a person. I do know him as a writer. I'm probably the only person in the US who is refusing to watch the television adaptations because I love the books so much and I don't want my mental images of the world and characters to be affected by outside influences. I love the books, and the books are as much of George Martin as I can truly claim to know. But I'll add that if you've never read "The Pear Shaped Man" then there is a whole aspect of George RR Martin that you are missing!
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I'm a bit ashamed to admit it but I've read only 6 books of yours (The Farseer Trilogy and The Tawny Man). They were great!
I have two questions. Do you have or plan to have any other book..."
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I'm a bit ashamed to admit it but I've read only 6 books of yours (The Farseer Trilogy and The Tawny Man). They were great!
I have two questions. Do you have or plan to hav..."I have two questions. Do you have or plan to have any other books that contain or are closely related (i.e. their descendants/ancestors/etc) to the characters in those trilogies? Possibly sequels? *puppy eyes*
What reading order for your other books do you recommend me (considering what I've read so far)?
Hi Michael!
Chronologically, the Liveship Traders occurs between Farseer and Tawny Man. And there is a bit of character crossover there. :) The Rain Wild Chronicles follws after Tawny Man, and yes, some of the characters from the earlier books do make appearances there.
I'd suggest that you go back and read Liveships to fill in a bit of the history of that world and then maybe go on to the Rain Wild Chronicles.
Thanks for asking.
Robin
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Soldier's Son Trilogy.
How big an influence, if any was Carlos Castaneda on the magic in the series? Or did you research Shamanism in general?
Have to say that I wanted to slap Nevare a..."
In post 78, Paul asked: How big an influence, if any was Carlos Castaneda on the magic in the series? Or did you research Shamanism in general?
Ah, Carlos Castenada! Amazing books, but I can honestly say that I don't think they were a huge influence.
I've encountered Shamanism in a lot of research, in fiction, and in conversation with Native Americans when I was a kid growing up in Alaska. I've always been impressed with how much of it seems to cross cultures and geographic distances.
So I guess the answer to your question is that I've done a lot of reading on that topic. I'm still fascinated.
Robin
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In message 83, Joy asked: A fan from downunder. Are there any plans to visit Australia? Also on average does it take to write such wonderful stories from start to finish ie a published novel.
Yes. I am definitely coming to visit Australia in 2014, for SupaNova. I will be in Perth and in Sydney, and possibly in a few other cities on my own. I'm really looking forward to it.
It takes me a year to write a book. And that means steady work, almost every day. Then I turn it in. And there is a year of pounding on it, cutting, shaping, adding, cutting again, until both the editor and I are happy with it. So by the time a story hits print on the bookstand, I'm often a year or two deep into the next book.
Robin
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I am a fan from Estonia! Where they are still in the process of translating the Farseer Trilogy. Yes, the third book is yet to come...
So I moved to read them in English like all the other of ..."
In message 84, Manni asked:
So I moved to read them in English like all the other of your fans here had to do.
Just the other day, I discovered that another of my friends is also a fan! Had a lovely time discussing your books (she is a little worried that she won't be able to read all the books because her english is not so good).
It' just that... would you ever consider meeting with fans around this part of the world too? Eastern Europe, I mean. Baltic states.
What would you say to fans who, most likely, have to wait another ten years (thats about the time the first book got translated) to read the next first book in from another of your series and still be loyal fans?
Just last month, the Estonian publisher invited me to visit Estonia, a part of the world I have never seen. I understand you have a festival called headread. (You can find it at headread.ee) With great reluctance, I had to turn down the invitation. I do hope to have the chance to visit at a later date, however.
I will add that I am astounded and envious of folk who can comfortably read in more than one language. I am only fluent in English. Latin allows me to pick my way through French, Spanish and Italian, getting a vague idea of what is written. But I do envy folk with more than one language.
To people who have to wait for my books to be translated, I have only two words. Thank you. So much. (Well, that's four, I guess!)
Robin
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I'm a huge fan of the whole Elderling world; it really is one of the best worlds I've ever been a part of as a reader.
I am yet to read Blood of Dragons, but my question is: Is this it for the ..." In post 85, Mette asked: I'm a huge fan of the whole Elderling world; it really is one of the best worlds I've ever been a part of as a reader.
I am yet to read Blood of Dragons, but my question is: Is this it for the Elderling world? Will there be more books or do you feel like this is as much as you should tell?
Mette, I just don't know. If the right story comes along, I won't hesitate to return to that world. But I don't want to deliberately set a story there just because it's a popular world. I feel that every story has its own native, natural setting.
So it all depends on whether a story comes to me. Or not.
Thanks for asking.
Robin
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I just wanted to say how much I lo..." In message 86, Chantel wrote: I miss all the characters which is probably why I've read all the books a million times.
Chantel, thank you! There are books in my life I've read multiple times, but they are a treasured few. So that is a huge compliment to me.
Robin
Are you going to come back to Dragon*Con this year or at all?
why does Malta become a blond in the Chronicles?
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Robin, I've always had the sense that Fitz' narrative "voice" in the Tawny Man Trilogy was far older and wiser than the one he used in ..."
In message 87, Sendrien wrote:
Robin, I've always had the sense that Fitz' narrative "voice" in the Tawny Man Trilogy was far older and wiser than the one he used in the Farseer Trilogy. Whether or not this was intentional, or merely the result of the passage of time in between these two trilogies, I'm curious to know if you think that an author can convincingly write "older" than his or her own experiences? For instance, could you have written Tawny Man as you did, without the years that passed since Farseer?
I think it's a matter of listening to the character. When Fitz comes back to the table to talk in The Tawny Man, he is older, and perhaps a bit wiser and he has a different perspective on things. That change in perspective is a part of the story. So, can an author write a character that is older than the author is?
Yes. If the author does the research and listens carefully. I think every generation is a bit guilty of dismissing the wisdom of the older generation. After all, what do they know? They didn't have television or space travel. Or they didn't have the Internet and personal computers? But those are surface things compared to what people learn as they age. My Dad never mastered email. But he still had a lot to teach me, even when I was forty.
Robin
Dear Robin,I am Miri and I am from Israel. I am HUGE fan of all your wonderful books and have read them over and over again. I can never have enough of them.
Fitz and the Fool will ALWAYS be my absolute favorite characters. To me they are beyond words. They have so effortlessly reached such deep emotions in me like no other characters had before or since. My heart will never be completely whole again.
I feel like I have so much to say and so many questions to ask but I'll only say this: Thank you for giving us such wonderful and complex stories and characters. Please PLEASE return to Fitz and the Fool in one way or another. They deserve the proper closure they never got.
All the best :)
Miri
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How much pressure do you have to write a novel every year?
Also, I thought you were a guy for at least a year. Was this uncertainty about gender intentional?
Hi Carolyn!
Pressure to write a book a year? Well, of course, that is what the publishers like best. And the readers too, I think. It can be hard to follow a story if several years lapse between installments. For the writer, I think there is the desire to get to the end of a tale. With that said, well, it isn't easy. And as I get older, I look ahead and wonder, will this be my last book? Is it time to stop and actually have a life for a while?
And yes, when I chose the name Robin as a pseudonym it was a choice to choose an androgynous name. The Farseer books were written as first person male, and so we chose to lower the 'threshold of disbelief' for readers when they first came to Fitz's tale.
Robin
Ask Robin Hobb - Thursday, April 11th!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Dragon Keeper (other topics)Dragon Haven (other topics)
City of Dragons (other topics)
Blood of Dragons (other topics)
I was so moved when I finished reading about the Farseer books that I had to take off work the next day to let my emotions settle. I treasured every page of those 9 books. Thank you.
I'm sure you hear this a lot, but please write more about the Fool. Also, Fitz will have to carve his dragon one day. What a story that would make!