More Robin Hobb
I spent the whole week trying to get last-minute fit enough to get through my weekend schedule of horse work and it seems to have been successful, since I'm still moving and not hurting too badly! I had to double-book thanks to my NZ trip and my upcoming Ningaloo one, and even the few days holiday I had in NZ was enough for me to get a bit out of shape for that kind of work, despite doing quite a bit of hiking. Ningaloo people, remind me to spend as much time as possible in a deep knee-bend!
My Robin Hobb marathon continues. I finished the Tawny Man trilogy in NZ and have just started the second of the Liveship books. I thought I was reading Liveships mostly for completion, but have been thoroughly drawn into the story. I like the backdrop of commerce and business, and the whole liveship/wizardwood idea is so strange it's very compelling. I haven't enjoyed any novels this much since I read the Hornblower series in 2003. Had I remembered Robin Hobb was so anti-fanfic, I probably would have chosen something else in the library when I was randomly looking for some fantasy to read, and that would have been a shame!
I loved the Tawny Man books, but a little whinging:
Aargh to the ending. I don't think of myself as someone who requires happy endings and I can even agree with the Fool's reasoning that he should stay away from Fitz to avoid influencing events any more, plus there's the big difference in their lifespans to take into account, not to mention Fitz's tedious obsession with Molly. However, HE LEAVES THINKING FITZ MAY BE DEAD. Why can't he hang around another week or two, or at the very least leave a way for Fitz to contact him to let him know he's still alive? Chade says the Fool "looked as if he had aged a decade" after his one week of inquiries yielded nothing, but at that point he just leaves his farewell gift with Chade and goes. How could he possibly do that, with all that Fitz meant to him?
I do like his parting gift, and the "I have never been wise" memory he put in it, which suggests that just perhaps he will come looking for Fitz again one day. When Fitz asked him on Aslevjal if he would ever see him again, he'd replied "Probably not. It would not be wise."
Also, ??? to the Fool explaining that he never expected Fitz to offer him his body, but that "It was the whole of your heart, all for myself, that I sought." That seems a pretty selfish and unreasonable thing for the Fool to want, and certainly not something he could have had when Nighteyes was alive.
And, just what sort of being was the Fool? When Fitz brought him back to life, he discovered that "he was human only in the same way that I was a wolf." We're told that Fitz completely confronted his strangeness and realised they were more different than alike, but we're not told how he was different, other than that he had a much longer lifespan and went through his changing times.
And, how did the Fool break their Skill-bond? Since when did he have the knowledge or talent to do that? Did Prilkop tell him how?
And, after three more long books, I now have even less idea why Fitz is so homophobic. Obviously not everyone in his society is, since Lord Golden remained very popular with the young nobles even after everyone must have heard about his suggestion to Civil about a threesome with Sybel.
In the end I guess some of the unresolved, deliberate ambiguity about the Fool and what he wanted from Fitz got to me a little, and took some of the shine off the amazing love story and adventure that was Fool's Fate in particular. I enjoyed reading the books enormously, but I really would have liked more resolution. I'm hoping the Liveship books end more neatly!
My Robin Hobb marathon continues. I finished the Tawny Man trilogy in NZ and have just started the second of the Liveship books. I thought I was reading Liveships mostly for completion, but have been thoroughly drawn into the story. I like the backdrop of commerce and business, and the whole liveship/wizardwood idea is so strange it's very compelling. I haven't enjoyed any novels this much since I read the Hornblower series in 2003. Had I remembered Robin Hobb was so anti-fanfic, I probably would have chosen something else in the library when I was randomly looking for some fantasy to read, and that would have been a shame!
I loved the Tawny Man books, but a little whinging:
Aargh to the ending. I don't think of myself as someone who requires happy endings and I can even agree with the Fool's reasoning that he should stay away from Fitz to avoid influencing events any more, plus there's the big difference in their lifespans to take into account, not to mention Fitz's tedious obsession with Molly. However, HE LEAVES THINKING FITZ MAY BE DEAD. Why can't he hang around another week or two, or at the very least leave a way for Fitz to contact him to let him know he's still alive? Chade says the Fool "looked as if he had aged a decade" after his one week of inquiries yielded nothing, but at that point he just leaves his farewell gift with Chade and goes. How could he possibly do that, with all that Fitz meant to him?
I do like his parting gift, and the "I have never been wise" memory he put in it, which suggests that just perhaps he will come looking for Fitz again one day. When Fitz asked him on Aslevjal if he would ever see him again, he'd replied "Probably not. It would not be wise."
Also, ??? to the Fool explaining that he never expected Fitz to offer him his body, but that "It was the whole of your heart, all for myself, that I sought." That seems a pretty selfish and unreasonable thing for the Fool to want, and certainly not something he could have had when Nighteyes was alive.
And, just what sort of being was the Fool? When Fitz brought him back to life, he discovered that "he was human only in the same way that I was a wolf." We're told that Fitz completely confronted his strangeness and realised they were more different than alike, but we're not told how he was different, other than that he had a much longer lifespan and went through his changing times.
And, how did the Fool break their Skill-bond? Since when did he have the knowledge or talent to do that? Did Prilkop tell him how?
And, after three more long books, I now have even less idea why Fitz is so homophobic. Obviously not everyone in his society is, since Lord Golden remained very popular with the young nobles even after everyone must have heard about his suggestion to Civil about a threesome with Sybel.
In the end I guess some of the unresolved, deliberate ambiguity about the Fool and what he wanted from Fitz got to me a little, and took some of the shine off the amazing love story and adventure that was Fool's Fate in particular. I enjoyed reading the books enormously, but I really would have liked more resolution. I'm hoping the Liveship books end more neatly!