The Liveship Trilogy (Robin Hobb)
I've just finished Robin Hobb's Liveship trilogy. As with her other books, utterly addictive. I don't know if I could pick a favourite series, but the Rain Wilds ones might still be best I think, for me (Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven, so far). But these were really good, nonetheless.
As a random aside, these new editions smell. Really bad. Yuck. They need to use different paper, or glue or ink or something.
Hobb really a master of plots. I was just amazed at the disparate strands she weaves for three huge books, bringing them all together in what seems like a perfectly plausible way only in the last few chapters of the last book.
The ships are amazing - Vivacia's transformation over the series was fascinating to see. And Paragon. I'd've loved to see more of other liveships. These books did clarify a few things I hadn't quite realised the significance of, having read the Rain Wild books first. For example, the warnings not to spill blood on the deck of a liveship. Although, Vivacia and Paragon seemed able to deliberately not absorb it if they chose, at least, once they were "whole". I wonder that Tarman couldn't, when he knew what he was (sort of).
Hobb also really knows how to develop characters - the characters subtly changed over the series in my mind's eye without me even realising it, both mentally and physically. Especially Wintrow - at one point I realised I was seeing him grown into a young man. Such writing skill!
I was of course fascinated by Amber/the Fool, having read the Farseer and Fool trilogies before. I was worried she/he would be a different character in this series, but despite the different name and gender, she/he was still the Fool. She/he is one of the characters who changes much less over the many books in the overall Elderlings world stories, although she/he still does to some extent.
I would like to know more about her/his history - there were small words and glimpses here and there of her/his other lives, particularly in conversations with Jek, and in her/his re-carving of Paragon. I wonder if Hobb will ever write more about him/her?
As you probably know from my previous posts, I don't like unnecessarily explicitness in books, and I really don't like sexual violence. This book doesn't have the former (Hobb always makes what she's written seem relevant and non-gratuitous) but it does have the latter - in fact, it's almost a recurring theme, with Etta's history, Malta and Serilla's times on the Chalcedean ships, and Althea's captivity. And yet, while I didn't like reading it, I didn't hate it and struggle to keep reading like with some books. I guess Hobb just writes that well that it seems an integral part of the story, as distasteful as it is. It took me a long time to decide if Kennit was really evil, or just morally questionable and completely selfish and self-centered, but that decided it. And yet it was his past repeating itself - the abused becomes the abuser. It's surprising he didn't turn out far worse than he did. I guess that was Paragon's doing.
On a totally unrelated note, which serpents in this book become which dragons in the Rain Wilds books? Maulkin is Mercor, Sesurea is Sestican, Kerlao is Kalo, but the rest I am not so sure. What about the serpent Shreever? Sintara as a serpent wasn't mentioned in the Liveship books.
Oh, also - Malta. World's most annoying character until after the collapse of the Elderling city. I'm glad she redeemed herself and grew up - she was absolutely insufferable! Got it from her father, clearly. And he's was one with pretty much no redeeming features.
I would love to hear more of Wintrow and Vivacia's futures. Hobb leaves so many trailing ends that could be entire series in their own rights!
Next up, Mastiff, the latest Bekka Copper book from Tamora Pierce!!! It has a weird cover - her arm is just not anatomically correct.
As a random aside, these new editions smell. Really bad. Yuck. They need to use different paper, or glue or ink or something.
Hobb really a master of plots. I was just amazed at the disparate strands she weaves for three huge books, bringing them all together in what seems like a perfectly plausible way only in the last few chapters of the last book.
The ships are amazing - Vivacia's transformation over the series was fascinating to see. And Paragon. I'd've loved to see more of other liveships. These books did clarify a few things I hadn't quite realised the significance of, having read the Rain Wild books first. For example, the warnings not to spill blood on the deck of a liveship. Although, Vivacia and Paragon seemed able to deliberately not absorb it if they chose, at least, once they were "whole". I wonder that Tarman couldn't, when he knew what he was (sort of).
Hobb also really knows how to develop characters - the characters subtly changed over the series in my mind's eye without me even realising it, both mentally and physically. Especially Wintrow - at one point I realised I was seeing him grown into a young man. Such writing skill!
I was of course fascinated by Amber/the Fool, having read the Farseer and Fool trilogies before. I was worried she/he would be a different character in this series, but despite the different name and gender, she/he was still the Fool. She/he is one of the characters who changes much less over the many books in the overall Elderlings world stories, although she/he still does to some extent.
I would like to know more about her/his history - there were small words and glimpses here and there of her/his other lives, particularly in conversations with Jek, and in her/his re-carving of Paragon. I wonder if Hobb will ever write more about him/her?
As you probably know from my previous posts, I don't like unnecessarily explicitness in books, and I really don't like sexual violence. This book doesn't have the former (Hobb always makes what she's written seem relevant and non-gratuitous) but it does have the latter - in fact, it's almost a recurring theme, with Etta's history, Malta and Serilla's times on the Chalcedean ships, and Althea's captivity. And yet, while I didn't like reading it, I didn't hate it and struggle to keep reading like with some books. I guess Hobb just writes that well that it seems an integral part of the story, as distasteful as it is. It took me a long time to decide if Kennit was really evil, or just morally questionable and completely selfish and self-centered, but that decided it. And yet it was his past repeating itself - the abused becomes the abuser. It's surprising he didn't turn out far worse than he did. I guess that was Paragon's doing.
On a totally unrelated note, which serpents in this book become which dragons in the Rain Wilds books? Maulkin is Mercor, Sesurea is Sestican, Kerlao is Kalo, but the rest I am not so sure. What about the serpent Shreever? Sintara as a serpent wasn't mentioned in the Liveship books.
Oh, also - Malta. World's most annoying character until after the collapse of the Elderling city. I'm glad she redeemed herself and grew up - she was absolutely insufferable! Got it from her father, clearly. And he's was one with pretty much no redeeming features.
I would love to hear more of Wintrow and Vivacia's futures. Hobb leaves so many trailing ends that could be entire series in their own rights!
Next up, Mastiff, the latest Bekka Copper book from Tamora Pierce!!! It has a weird cover - her arm is just not anatomically correct.