Bastard son of a peasant girl and Prince Chivalry, heir to the throne of the Six Duchies, the boy known as Fitz created trouble for the crown the moment he was born,
but perhaps his worst luck came through his blood. From his Farseer father he inherited the Skill, a magic ability to mindspeak others, but from his wildborn mother he
got the ill-omened Wit, enabling him to sense animal thoughts and bond with them... a "gift" that can lead people to abandon humanity and live as a savage beast. His
honor doubly wounded by fathering a bastard without siring a legitimate heir with his fragile wife, Chivalry abdicated and removed himself to a quiet province of the Six
Duchies, leaving the aged King Shrewd to choose between his secondborn Prince Verity and the foppish, favored son of his second wife, Regal. As for Fitz, he finds himself
thrown to the care of his father's former stablemaster, gruff Burrich, while the nobles figure out what to do with him. Some would see the bastard elevated and
acknowledged as Chivalry's heir, while others want quietly eliminated as a potential rallying point for his father's many admirers. The growing threat of the Red-Ship
Raiders, devastating attackers from the northern seas, only makes the political climate and Fitz's situation all the more precarious. After a number of lessons from a
number of people, he finds himself unofficially apprenticed to one of the least-known of Shrewd's subjects: Chade, the royal assassin. It's not a pleasant job, but for a
boy to whom everyone is a potential enemy, knowing how and who to kill just might save his life - not to mention the Six Duchies.
Review
The Farseer Saga preceded Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy (reviewed below), which has long been a personal favorite. Both trilogies (plus her more
recent Tawny Man trilogy, which takes up the saga some years later, and the Rain Wilds books) take place in the same vast world. I admit that part of me
kept looking for crossover, but these were nearly nonexistent. Taken on its own, I mostly enjoyed the setting and the characters. The Six Duchies may not be the most
original fantasy world created, but it had some nice touches of realism to it and some unexpected twists. Fitz got whiny and morose from time to time, and I found Hobb's
gimmick of having the whole tale narrated by an elder Fitz reminiscing on his youth to be tedious at best and annoying at worst. (Thankfully, Hobb abandoned both the
storyteller gimmick and the first-person narrative style in her Liveship Traders books.) The plot itself felt drawn out; I wonder if the saga was originally just
two books long (or one), but at some point was artificially inflated with filler in the hopes of greater profits. In any event, I found myself intrigued enough to look
for the second book.
FitzChivalry Farseer, apprentice assassin for King Shrewd, returns from the mountains a changed man. Wracked by the physical and emotional aftereffects of the attempts
on his life while in the Mountain Kingdom, he finds his tastes for his profession and courtly intrigue in general have gone sour. Try as he might, however, he cannot
extricate himself from the machinations of the king's feuding sons and the growing rifts between the Inland and Coastal Duchies, nor can he ignore the growing threat of
the Red-Ship Raiders. Their victims, "Forged" into puppets with little more than the basest animal drives, overrun the land, a torment worse than death for those who see
sons and daughters and mothers and fathers killing without reason or remorse. Meanwhile, age and illness have caught up with King Shrewd, whose kingdom may not outlast his
own impending demise. One slender thread of hope remains, in ancient tales of the "Elderlings" of the distant Rain Wilds... but in searching for these allies, the
King-in-Waiting leaves his father's kingdom and his young mountain-born bride exposed to treachery and treason. Fitz must untangle the growing web of deceit to protect his
leige and the rightful heir to Shrewd's crown, a task made more difficult by his growing Wit magic and his own heart.
Review
It seems that more happened in this book than in the previous Farseer volume, but to me it still felt overlong in stretches. In true middle-book-of-the-trilogy
fashion, it puts the Six Duchies and its many characters into a truly dark and dire situation for the start of Book 3. Also in true middle-book fashion, it feels adrift
in some ways, unable to wrap too many things up and unable to start too much of its own. I suppose I ought to track that third book down to see how it ends, but the overall
listlessness of the series (and my disenchantment with her more recent Rain Wilds Chronicles, reviewed below) hasn't made it a high priority.
Bingtown was built on, and continues to thrive because of, the Old Trader families: their tenacity, their trading and sailing skills, and their liveships. These vessels
are crafted of wizardwood and mature into living, sentient ships over time. Not only does this give the Old Traders mastery of the seas, but the liveships are the only
vessels that can navigate the strange, magical Rain Wilds River. Of course, there is a heavy price to be paid for such magic, as there is a heavy price for those who trade
with the Rain Wilds Trader families for their coveted magical goods (including wizardwood.) For a long time, the Old Traders and the later wave of Three-Ships immigrants
lived in plenty, independent from the whims of the Satrap who originally granted them the land. Now, the new Satrap has forgotten the old bargains, and is sending in new
waves of traders. These newcomers know nothing of the bargains and pacts that make Bingtown thrive. They only see the treasures of the Rain Wilds River (the exclusive
territory of the Old Traders) and the liveships, and covet both. Their influence is tainting the old trading town, and their ignorance may bring destruction of a far
greater magnitude than any could imagine. The Vestrits, an Old Trader family, are in the same situation as many of their peers. Still in debt from the purchase of their
liveship, unable to compete with the influx of wealth and cheap slave labor from Chalcedean settlers, they are watching their peace and their society erode before their eyes.
With the death of the old captain Ephron Vestrit, the liveship Vivacia quickens to sentience, but what should be a momentous and hopeful occasion instead spurs
animosity and trouble for all concerned. Althea Vestrit, Ephron's oldest daughter and rightful heir, is stripped of the vessel in favor of her sister and her newcomer
husband, the cruel and controlling Kyle Haven. Wintrow, Kyle's son, is ripped from the monastery life he loves and thrown into his father's life at sea; a liveship won't
sail without a blood-relative of its owner's family aboard, so Wintrow's presence is merely to appease the vessel. Brashen Trell, a man of Old Trader blood with a wild past,
is sent from the Vivacia with little more than the clothes on his back when Haven takes command. Now, the people and the ship must work out their destinies, together
and apart, if they are to have any hope of surviving to achieve them.
Review
A wonderful story, Robin Hobb creates a great world of wind and water, then populates it with characters of rare depth and realism. All must go through personal and real
torment in their journeys, each realizing that none are as world-wise or perfect as they originally believed. There is plenty of action and plenty of introspection. The story
took many unexpected twists as the characters matured and grew. As for the liveships, I loved Hobb's creations, and look forward to reading more about them - and about the
sea serpents, who seem to have a story to tell themselves. A great book, though the suspense of waiting for Book 2 to come out in paperback might do me in.
This is the continued story of Bingtown, the liveships, and even the sea serpents, as begun in Ship of Magic. Captain Kennit, the pirate who dreams of
becoming the first-ever King of the Pirate Isles, has captured the liveship of his dreams: none other than the Vivacia. Much battered by fate, she and young
Wintrow are both ripe for the pirate's charm and manipulation, leading them into his plans for dominance in the wild Pirate Isles. Althea Vestrit returns home after
a year away, finally bearing the ship's ticket that should earn her place on her family liveship, only to find Bingtown and her family scarcely recognizable and
Vivacia nowhere to be found. The New Traders and their slaves run rampant, the Old Traders grow more divided and less influential, and the Satrap has even
brought Chalcedean mercenaries into the harbor under the pretense of their being guardians against piracy. It's only a matter of time before something gives, and
Althea intends her family to be at the head of it when it does.
Malta Haven, Althea's niece, continues to court the Rain Wilds Trader Reyn Khuprus, and despite herself grows to have true feelings for him. Reyn, however, is deeply
troubled by the secrets of the ancient cities which his family plunders for magic, including the origins of the wizardwood from which the liveships are crafted.
Brashen Trell returns to Bingtown from his own voyages, bringing news of Vivacia's capture. When the Trader Council is no more united on this than any other
issue before it, Althea, Brashen, and even the strange beadmaker Amber pull together with a daring and desperate plan to rescue the Vivacia themselves aboard
the one liveship that no family wishes claim to, the ship that may well have killed its last crew, a ship that has been beached and neglected for years: the insane,
blind liveship Paragon.
Review
A wonderful sequel to a marvelous book. More secrets of the wizardwood and the Rain Wild Traders are revealed, and the already rich characters are allowed to grow
even deeper and more interesting. Some great plot twists and developments here, making me all the more eager for the third and final book to come out.
Bingtown is in shambles after Chalcedean raids and civil unrest, as all the enmity between New Traders and old blood flares in to violence. Up the Rain Wilds
river, the city of Trehaug is in similar disarray. An earthquake has destroyed most of the Elderling city the Rain Wild traders plunder for treasure, and the
last known dragon has at last risen to the skies to seek the remnants of her kind that still live. In the wake of these upheavals, secrets are at long last
revealed and the terrible truth of the Bingtown liveships comes to light.
Meanwhile, unaware of the disasters at home, Brashen Trell and Althea Vestrit, aboard Paragon, have arrived in the Pirate Isles to seek out
Vivacia, the Vestrit family liveship stolen by the pirate Kennit. What they find is not what they expected, but it is too late to turn back. Besides,
Paragon seems uncharacteristically eager to meet King Kennit of the Pirate Isles... an eagerness rooted in the source of the liveship's madness and the
fate of his former crew.
Review
This is an excellent conclusion to a memorable trilogy, and word is that this world will be revisited in future tales. It picks up pace steadily, with unexpected
plot twists and ever-growing characters, until you can't make yourself stop reading. Enough is finished that you feel satisfied at the end, while enough interest
remains to make you want another book or two. A great read, with a creative and original premise.
I see that Hobb returns to this corner of her wonderful world with her latest series; I'm chomping at the bit for it to come out in affordable paperback.
The war between the Traders of Bingtown and the Chalcedean raiders is over, and while the the dragon Tintaglia upholds her end of the bargain with the traders
- defending the Rain Wilds River from enemy ships - the humans work to fulfill theirs. The sea serpents, in truth larval dragons, have finally made their way up
the acidic river to spin their cases on the silver clay banks and complete their metamorphosis into full-fledged dragons, the legendary Lords of the Three Realms.
At last, the much-anticipated day of their emergence has come... but something has gone horribly wrong. The hatchlings are deformed, deficient in body, ancestral
memory, and - in some cases - mind. None can fly. Some cannot even walk, dying shortly after emerging, to be devoured by their famished kin. Tintaglia herself
seems to have given up hope, abandoning the hatchlings and the Rain Wilds River when she finds a new mate. Bound by their contract, the Traders continue feeding
the dragonlings, hoping against hope that maybe they will grow into self-sufficiency. With mounting costs and minimal rewards, rumors of bounties offered for
dragon parts by enemy Chalcedeans start sounding sweeter to the Rain Wilds Traders' ears.
Incomplete ancestral memories tell the dragonlings of a great Elderling city which once lay further up the Rain Wilds River, in the days before the massive
cataclysm that destroyed the Elderlings and turned the waters acidic. If there is to be any hope of them surviving, surely it is to be found among the remains of
the civilization where dragons and humanlike Elderlings once lived in peaceable coexistence. But, malformed and unable to hunt, the dragonlings cannot make the
journey alone. They will need human keepers to travel with them, on what will likely be a one-way journey into a land so wild and dangerous not even the hardiest
of Rain Wilds Traders have ever braved them and lived to tell the tale.
Review
I loved Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy (reviewed above), and am thrilled to see her continue to explore this part of her greater Farseer universe.
(I wasn't as impressed with her Farseer Saga, also reviewed above, and haven't read the follow-up Tawny Man trilogy; some reference is made here to
events in those books, summing up enough so casual readers shouldn't be thrown.) Her dragons are wonderfully unique, even if they are often remarkably arrogant around
puny little humans, and I enjoy her world of the mysterious Rain Wilds and the liveships. Unfortunately, this feels more like a piece of a book than a whole book in
and of itself. It ends on a strangely incomplete note, as if it were randomly cropped from a much larger work. (This may well be what happened; the second book,
Dragon Haven, is already out, a suspiciously fast turnaround time unless the two were written as one.) Roughly half of the book is merely a setup to the
journey, establishing characters and rivalries and motivations, which seemed a little much given the size of the book itself; the journey was barely underway when I
ran into the back cover. As I've come to expect, Hobb creates nicely-drawn characters, each one with strengths and flaws, and while I found one in particular
irritatingly selfish, I'm reserving full judgment until the end of the series; one of the most irritating people in her Liveship books become one of the most
powerful and intriguing by the end, after all, so something similar may be in the works here. On the whole, I liked what I read, but thus far I prefer the Liveship
Traders books. (When I finished, I strongly considered ordering the second volume, but I have to keep my reading slate relatively clean for the impending
arrival of the sixth Temeraire book. Sorry, Hobb, but right now Novik's producing more consistent work...)
Dragons are back in the world... but not as they once were. The first of their kind to undergo the metamorphosis from sea serpent to dragon in centuries emerged
from their cocoons malformed, many not even surviving their first year. But ancestral memories tell them of a great city far up the acidic Rain Wilds River, built
by the humanlike Elderlings in the days when dragon and man lived in reasonable accord: if there is to be any hope of a future for the young ones, surely it is to
be found there. With a contingent of keepers (castoffs from the Rain Wilds Trader families, so heavily marked by the mutations of the region as to be second-class
citizens and marked for early death anyway) to help them forage for food, they set off into regions no traders have explored and survived to tell the tale.
Well into the journey, the tensions of travel and hardship wear upon dragons and humans alike. No dragon can recall the distance or route to Kelsingra, and even if
they could, the land has been drastically altered in the centuries of their absence... assuming the Elderling city still stands at all. Even the captain and crew of
the Tarman, a wizardwood barge sent to accompany the dragons as far upriver as possible, are feeling the stress. But tension isn't the only force at work.
Between the harsh, acidic waters of the river, the rigors of survival, the close quarters, and the forceful presence of the dragons themselves, everyone finds
themselves changing in ways they never expected. Yet a danger still lurks among them, a shadow stretching clear from the distant, dying Duke of Chalced - even this
far from all known civilization, the call of Chalcedean gold offered for a dragon carcass might be too great a temptation to resist.
Review
Not the most helpful Description, I know, but it's difficult to not give away spoilers about Book One. Having finished this second (and possibly final) book, I
stand by my earlier conviction that the Rain Wilds Chronicles was never meant to be a multivolume story. The plot suffers under the unnatural extension. At
least half of both books boils down to padding. Characters prove themselves impossibly dense and self-pitying, mostly to boost page count as they prod old wounds
and endlessly ponder their pasts and futures, all while refusing to open their eyes to see what's right in front of them. Even those few I'd enjoyed from the
previous book got on my nerves, and it was only when I passed the halfway mark that they started to redeem themselves in any way. For all that extra length, though,
the ending feels oddly abrupt. Hobb still presents some nice ideas, and I still enjoy her world's dragons and Elderlings. I just wish she'd written a shorter story,
preferably with more likable characters and less pointless introspection.
(I also have to say that the cover art of the edition I read, with its unconvincing 3D dragons that don't even match the book, could've been better... a possible
sign that even the publisher recognized this as a B-grade effort from an A-list author.)
