Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

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Submitted by Dylan Burns 
(Aug 17, 2001)

I became interested in these books by the subject matter - a young man raised as an assassin. I picked them up with the expectation of something different and was instantly impressed with Hobb's writing. The first person perspective suits it perfectly, and provides many opportunities for some beautiful writing. I won't go into plot details, everyone else has done that. I will just say that, as a budding writer, Hobb has inspired me with her weaving of a very believable world. The characters are rich and interesting, the mystery of Forging is original and the ending to the series is inspiring. I was sick of happy fantasy where the main characters never get a scratch (although Fitz seems to be on the extreme opposite end of that scale). I have not yet read the Liveship Traders but I intend to. Robin Hobb definitely joins my list of favourite authors, alongside Martin, Feist and Jordan. Great read.

I had passed this series up a few times on my trips to the library not really sure if I wanted to give it a shot. Then one day I decided to go for it. Take the plunge I said to myself. Well let me just say that I didn't regret it...up until the end of the third book. Those of you who have read it know what I'm talking about. The fact that Robin Hobb has chosen to write the entire series in 1st person is unusual I think. Its hard to carry something this big with such a limited point of view but she does it wonderfully. Not once was I bored with it. But the downside is that after you spend days inside of a characters head like that you can't help but feel empathy for him/her. And this is the downfall of this series in my opinion. The ending is completely unsatisfying. After reading of how much crap Fitz had to go through in these books much of my time when I wasn't reading the books was spent on trying to figure out what kind of reward did Robin Hobb have in store for him that makes all his suffering worth while. Call me old fashioned but I like a happy ending. Or at least something resembling a happy ending. The ending upset me so much that it scared me away from her other books. I don't think I can handle the Raiders series. I don't want to take the chance that it could end like this one. Not since Orson Scott Card has an author been able to evoke such emotions from me while reading a book. I was actually depressed for a few days after finishing this series. All in all the series is very good. If you can handle an incredibly sad ending then by all means pick it up you won't be sorry.

This is one of the best books I have ever read without doubt.I couldn't put it down at all even though I was in the middle of exams! The ending made me sad but I'm glad that the author decided to give an original ending to it. I could have cried at how unhappy it was...except it's a book...anyway, read it!

A lot has been said about the ending to this series. And that is how it should be. The series is flawless throughout, but what an ending!! Somehow I didn't think all would end well for "Fitzy Fitz." What a truly unique wrap up to an emotional series. I literally cannot wait for Fool's Errand to be released later this year. Oh joy! I wonder if FitzChivalry meets his mother and his daughter in the new trilogy?

I want to start off by saying I liked the trilogy very much (uh, oh... here it comes!). It was inventive and out of the ordinary, which I appreciate. It had a well-defined world, and exceptionally done characters. I'll definitely pick up Liveship Traders when I get the chance. That said though, I'd like to comment on a few things. First, poor Fitz must be the unluckiest SOB I've ever run into in a novel! I'm surprised he didn't spontaneously combust at the end just for good measure. Mentally, physically, and spiritually, he took more abuse than you can imagine. I put the books down once or twice for a bit because it got to be too much. Some would say that such a strong response for a character says a lot for his development and the writer's abilities, but sometimes, enough's enough! I'm hoping after the 3rd book ended he won the lottery and married a supermodel... The second, lesser point is something I'm running into more lately. The mysteries of the book, be they in the plot or in the world development, seemed to be rushed to conclusion. It seems to be a trend to packed the resolution of everything into the last 50 pages or so. Sometimes this works well (the Belgariad finished up quick, but didn't leave me unsatisfied), but a lot of times, I'm left asking "But... what about him? and her? and this thing???" Maybe, again, it's a compliment to the author that I don't want the book to end, but I like to end satisfied, not with the out of breath feeling I ended this series with. All in all, though, a good series which I can definitely recommend.