Fantasy Book Club discussion

This folder's for Mach.

Just kidding Mach. I like Hobb, too.

lol, yeah i can't handle critisicm of Hobb, say anything you want about George R R Martin, Robert Jordan and Rothfuss and i won't get mad i might even agree with you alittle but Hobb is untouchable lol.

Hey, you don't criticize Jordan, and I'll play nice with Hobb. Deal? :D And I may change my mind about her. It's not like I one-starred her or anything. :)

Okay Mach, I guess I'll join you here.

No need to worry about me critisizing Jordan Damali most of the time i am defending him.

Btw you like Fallon i would think Hobb would be rightup your alley then since they are similar in several ways.

My main complaint with Hobb is that she wastes too many words. Too much bloat.

Don't get me wrong -- I've read all six of the Farseer/Tawny Man books, and I enjoyed them all -- but she does get awfully long winded at times.

Damali, which book of Hobb's did you try? When I first read Assassin's Apprentice I found it too slow to my tastes. The only reason why I finished is because a friend really wanted me to. And the only reason I read the second book was because the same friend urged me to continue when she found out who my favorite character was. I liked it okay but it still wasn't something I'd usually love. But I figured one more book might as well finish. And that's when I fell in love.

I thought her latest was a little lacking in action.

I loved all of the Farseer/Tawny Man/Rain wilds books, but City of Dragons just seemed to meander a little. I still enjoyed it though and i will still go buy the next one the moment it comes out!

Hello there. I have actually Hobb's Ship of Magic but still unsure if it's good. Should I give it a shot?

Anyway, didn't know Hobb to be girl until now. :D

Traci wrote: "Damali, which book of Hobb's did you try? When I first read Assassin's Apprentice I found it too slow to my tastes. The only reason why I finished is because a friend really wanted me to. And the o..."

It was Assassin's Apprentice.

Rollie wrote: "Hello there. I have actually Hobb's Ship of Magic but still unsure if it's good. Should I give it a shot?

Anyway, didn't know Hobb to be girl until now. :D"

I enjoyed the Ships books. I'd say go for it.

Sandra: Thanks..I'll go for it then. :)

Ship of Magic is great, that trilogy and the Tawny Man are my favorites by Hobb.

Mach: From what I read above, I could say that you're the number one fan of Hobb here. :D I'll try Tawny man, too, anyway. Thanks. :)

I liked The Farseer a lot better than the Tawny Man, even though it took me a couple of tries to finish Assassin's Quest the first time around.

Rollie wrote: "Mach: From what I read above, I could say that you're the number one fan of Hobb here. :D I'll try Tawny man, too, anyway. Thanks. :)"

Rollie you must read The Farseer trilogy before you read Tawny Man. They are a continuation of the same story. Even though Liveship Traders is also linked with the other two, you can read it without spoiling anything for yourself. It's the same world but different place and characters.

Mach: Thanks for letting me know. It's safe then to read Ship of Magic. Can't wait to start reading it. :)

Yeah you can read Ship of Magic first it won't spoil anything as long as you read it and the rest of that series before Tawny Man.

The only thing I found annoying with Dragon Haven and City of Dragons were the spelling mistakes and the mistakes with character names. This happened a couple of times near the end of Dragon Haven when talking about the Hunters and at the beginning of City of Dragons. Not much of a complaint :P but still annoyed me a wee bit

Sorry for double post but I hate it when I have to wait a whole year for the next book in a good series *sigh*

I waited 5 years for the middle book of a series, one year is nothing compared to that.

I've been waiting since 2004 for the fourth book in one series that I read (and bought) with no book in sight....I am starting to hate the author lol (not robin hobb!!)

Alice wrote: "One of those authors I have been thinking about trying out for a very long time now. But I'll probably start reading Ship of Magic in the near future!"

One caveat: if you don't like Ship of Magic, don't assume you won't like the Farseer/Tawny Man books. I think the Liveship books are better, but some people find them too slow and without enough emotional engagement (it's third-person multiple POV). Farseer, on the other hand, is first-person from a single POV, so tends to be more love-or-hate depending on how you feel about the main character. You can hate Liveships but like Farseer, or vice versa.

[Technically you'll miss out a little by reading Liveships before Farseer, because there are some references, but I really wouldn't worry about it. The references are closer to being in-jokes rather than key plot points. [Though come to think of it, if you pay a lot of attention in Liveships it may reduce some of the surprise about the end of Farseer - but again, I wouldn't worry too much]]

I think she’s a superb writer – at least, so far as I have got – read the Farseer Trilogy and the first two of the Liveships, and the first of the Tawny Man series. She’s long in what she writes, but (IMO) more in control than (say) Janny Wurts who also writes lengthy and sometimes a bit long-winded. Hobb can be quite intense, so better if you have time available to get well stuck into the books.

I myself found the Farseer books better than the Liveship books; but it’s a close call. And I wouldn’t have missed either of them!

I've just found Robin Hobb and i'm in love!

I adore Tolkien, love Martin, like Jordan, but Rothfuss' first book has left me fairly indifferent.

Now, it's time for me to read some Robin Hobb as well! She's on the list, will get to it as soon as I read the next dozen Wheel of Time books!!!

I love Hobb. Farseer, Ships and Tawny all read. So emotional and I never felt long-winded. Don't think I ever cried as much in my life as I did over Tawny 1.

Helen wrote: "I love Hobb. Farseer, Ships and Tawny all read. So emotional and I never felt long-winded. Don't think I ever cried as much in my life as I did over Tawny 1."

I know. Me, too.

I am not an emotional person at all and it made me cry too, and it takes alot to make me cry, like the death of someone close to me. That's how you know you are reading good literature when it has an emotional impact on you.

I absolutely agree I got teary eyed near the end of the first book of the tawny man.

I don't cry a lot when I read. But I will tear up for three reasons,
When something is sad,
When something makes me too happy, and
When I find something beautiful.
And yes, Hobb did push all of my buttons.

Mach wrote: "I waited 5 years for the middle book of a series, one year is nothing compared to that."

Spare a thought for Donaldson fans. 21 years between "White Gold Wielder" and "Runes of the Earth". Or Jack Vance: 12 years between book 3 and book 4 of the Demon Princes series.

Anna-louise wrote: "I've just found Robin Hobb and i'm in love!"

I have to say, I've not found many people who only LIKE Hobb. The only three reactions seem to be hatred/boredom, "it was ok i guess", and adoration. [Except for Soldier Son, which seems to get more mixed reactions. Haven't read it myself yet.]

Soldier Son wasn't bad imo. The writing itself is just as good. Richly descriptive. The plot was a little more Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, American style fantasy than I like. But with lower exceptions it might not be as deplorable as one might think.

Has anyone read the Megan Lindholm stuff?

Mach, I agree, I felt like I'd lost family.

Helen wrote: "Has anyone read the Megan Lindholm stuff?

Mach, I agree, I felt like I'd lost family."

I read one and liked it. Wizard of the Pigeons. It seemed to me to be more about Viet Nam PTSD than about fantasy though.

I read that they were released or being released here in the UK now, might have to try.

I am reading Inheritance now a collection of Hobb and LIndholm short stories, the Lindholm ones seem more fast paced bur just as good. I am gonna try Alien Earth and see if it's any good. I can't believe i have read 13 Hobb books, i have not read so many books by the same author except by Jordan.

Helen wrote: "Has anyone read the Megan Lindholm stuff?

Mach, I agree, I felt like I'd lost family."

I have. Brilliant stuff. I read and enjoyed her Limbreth Gate trilogy (which is straight fantasy) as it came out, and much later, was blown away by Cloven Hooves. Like Wizard of the Pigeons, it's got a contemporary backdrop, and deals with the underlying mix of magic and psychological complexity.

I've just ordered Harpy's Flight. Thanks.

I haven't read any of the books, but I did read a Lindholm short story once. It didn't blow me away completely (but then few short stories do), but I found it very impressive.

I certainly intend to go back and try reading the books at a later date.

I won't get to it soon, I'm trying to read some that have sat on shelf for a while. However, it'll be ready.

I've read Alien Earth...it's different, I can't say I remember much of it but it's one I will read again if I'm stuck for something to read.

I've read Wizards and liked it. Not as much as her Hobb books but reminded more of a Gaiman style urban fantasy.
When I read Inheritance though I liked the Lindholm stories a lot more than the Hobb ones.

Robin Hobb has to be one of the first fantasy authors I can remember absolutely loving! I picked up her books by total accident one day off my local library shelves because I thought the spine said Robin Hood. Most fortuitous mistake of my life! I devoured the Liveship books (I love anything set on/next to the sea) and the same goes for Farseer. I still can't decide which series I like better.

And oh my gosh, Tawny Man, completely agree with the above comments about getting teary! The Fool has got to be one of the best developed yet mysterious characters in any fantasy book ever. I love him (her?).

After those three series I was prepared to love anything Hobb brought out but Soldier Son missed the mark by a mile IMO. I didn't finish the series and it kind of put a dampener on my excitement for the Rain Wild Chronicles. I did read Dragon Keeper and while it was alright I wasn't kept on the edge of my seat waiting for follow up books (both of which I haven't read but probably will get around to one day).

Of Robin Hobb's books, I love the Farseer series the best. The Liveship series bogs down in parts, but is very inventive. The first two books of her Shaman series are excellent, but the finale in the third book bogs down. She is one of the best writers in the genre today at building complex cultures and the anthropologist in me wants to applaud :o]

So many books...so little time. Robin Hobb is definitely one that I need to get into. I was thinking of starting with Farseer - is that what others recommend or should I start with something else?

Farseer is definitely the place to start. Assassin's Apprentice. It's the Farseer trilogy, then the Liveship trilogy, and then the Tawny Man trilogy. And then there's her new Rain Wilds Chronicles that use elements of the Liveship books, I think, haven't read those yet.

What Traci said. You **must** start with Assassin's Apprentice. So sayeth I.

I skipped the Liveship books altogether, though, and I don't think it affected my enjoyment of all the Fitz/Tawny Man books.

Thanks guys! I appreciate being pointed in the right direction.