Beast Magic
It feels good to be reading with greater regularity. I've decided to bring a book onto the bus with me every single day, and to force myself to read it on the way into work as a way of waking my mind up in the morning. Lately, I've been reading Robin Hobb's Fool's Errand, which is the first of a fantasy trilogy. I had read another trilogy of hers over a year ago and felt pretty burned out on the world and characters that she created by the end of it. I really enjoyed the adventure, but I just needed a break from FitzChivalry Farseer and his supporting cast.
The book that I'm reading now follows the same characters and picks up the story 15 years later. Currently, I'm over 130 pages into it, and I'm right back to being in love with these characters and this world. What sets Hobb apart from other fantasy writers is her ability to ground her characters and settings in reality. While stuff like Lord of the Rings is grand in scope and tells an epic, end-of-the-world style tale, Hobb uses a first-person narrative that focuses on the inner thoughts of her lead character, and on his personal trials and tribulations. It makes the books feel more relatable and genuine. Another way she does this is through the way she handles magic; simply put, it barely exists. What magic is there feels plausible, and while it does sometimes lean towards the traditional idea of fantasy, it never feels generic or passe. These two things make her books feel relevant and conceivable, while still being set in a reality outside of our own.
I'm not entirely certain why I'm writing this now, except that it feels good to write and to get my thoughts down in a semi-coherent fashion, even if it's only for myself. I hope that the words of Hobb and every other author I read beyond her will help to sharpen my mind and hone my intellect, for as much as I am a teacher (no pretense or arrogant pride intended), I still feel as though I have fallen behind in my duties to my mental health.
The book that I'm reading now follows the same characters and picks up the story 15 years later. Currently, I'm over 130 pages into it, and I'm right back to being in love with these characters and this world. What sets Hobb apart from other fantasy writers is her ability to ground her characters and settings in reality. While stuff like Lord of the Rings is grand in scope and tells an epic, end-of-the-world style tale, Hobb uses a first-person narrative that focuses on the inner thoughts of her lead character, and on his personal trials and tribulations. It makes the books feel more relatable and genuine. Another way she does this is through the way she handles magic; simply put, it barely exists. What magic is there feels plausible, and while it does sometimes lean towards the traditional idea of fantasy, it never feels generic or passe. These two things make her books feel relevant and conceivable, while still being set in a reality outside of our own.
I'm not entirely certain why I'm writing this now, except that it feels good to write and to get my thoughts down in a semi-coherent fashion, even if it's only for myself. I hope that the words of Hobb and every other author I read beyond her will help to sharpen my mind and hone my intellect, for as much as I am a teacher (no pretense or arrogant pride intended), I still feel as though I have fallen behind in my duties to my mental health.