Interview with Robin Hobb

Q: Is there a reason why you chose to join Eos/HarperCollins after spending so many years with Bantam Spectra?

RH: Business, pure and simple. Writers (and editors) move around a lot during their careers. I began with Ace, went to Bantam, and now I'm with Harper Collins. Writers and editors look for projects that are mutually fulfilling and are a good fit. Sometimes the direction the editor takes diverges from where the author is going, or vice versa. And then people move on.

Q: SHAMAN'S CROSSING received some mixed reviews. Most of the criticism concerned the pace of the novel. Personally, I got the feeling that you were laying a lot of groundwork for the rest of the series and that THE SOLDIER SON could well be your most ambitious work to date. In retrospect, what are your thoughts pertaining to this?

RH: I try not to pay too much attention to reviews. Most of the professional reviews I saw for Shaman's Crossing were positive. Most of the readers ones on Amazon are negative. In this particular case, I think a lot of the reception has to do with reader expectations and hopes. Many readers had become comfortable in Fitz's world and simply wanted to hear another story set there. And that wasn't what they got. So they were disappointed. Other readers just didn't like the book for their own individual reasons. The first book in a trilogy usually has to spend a lot of time setting up the world and the characters, and that can lead to a slower pace. I think that has been true of the first book in every trilogy I've written. We'll see what people think of the second and third books.

Q: Last but not least, without giving anything away, what can you tell us about FOREST MAGE? What should we expect?

RH: Oh, you know I don't do spoilers! All I'll say is that the story will continue to unfold, the characters will grow and change, the horizons of the story will expand--- in other words, it will be the second book of a trilogy.

___

Interview by Patrick
fantasyhotlist.blogspot