Hobb disappointment
- Thread starter Brandon
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C
Cadfael
Guest
I am sorry.... are we talking about ANOTHER Robin Hobb...
Intrigue = The Fool/Amber thing... how much more intriguing can you get??
Plotting = Read them in this order... The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders, and then The Tawney Man... and then tell me about the plot.
World Building = I will give you credit for that, however the character building is second to none!
IMHO of course
Mamb
Master Blaster
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Originally posted by Cadfael
World Building = I will give you credit for that, however the character building is second to none!
IMHO of course
And that's what makes her stand out. I think it takes a higher degree of skill to build characters than is needed to build a world. Also, I prefer the emphasis to be on the characters, with whom you feel a deep understanding and empathy.
Kryptonite, the above reason is exactly why i like both Hobb and Martin so much.
And whosever idea it was for this new authors forum, it is a great idea. You know exactly where to find stuff, and it avoids the issue of a thread disappearing to page 176 of the main fantasy forum, only for another person to start an identical thread.
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Duarh
New Member
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[abashed warning]: this post contains spoilers for the farseer & liveship traders trilogies
Actually, I am an exception in that I like liveship traders more than the original farseer trilogy (I'm currently reading book 3 of liveship traders after having read all the other hobb books in print) . I guess this is exactly because of the shift from 1st person POV to 3rd person POV - it lets the reader see so much more of all the characters, which i enjoy immensely. in the liveship traders, you see ALL sides of an argument. personally, this is the best side of the book for me. Hobb's shown me how to write by distancing the writer's knowledge from the character's knowledge as far as possible - note the interesting & repeating phenomenon of characters pursuing dreams of future based on their current information about the world (ie, the vestrits at home think Vivacia's still Kyle's when she isn't), which shows powerfully the individuality of the characters, and the way in which opposing characters often state their cases in equally convincing ways. i haven't read many other authors who've managed such a feat of characterization as the liveship traders is.
yes, i did think there were a few weak sides to the trilogy. hobb seems to have a penchant for letting things get bad, worse, worse still (witness malta, wintrow, ronica and everyone else) and then fixing them rather easily in a way that sometimes isn't completely convincing. look at malta, for instance. for so much of the trilogy she's such a nuisance that the reader hates her. suddenly, without all that much reason, she becomes conscious of morals and of what is best for the family. she grows up in an instant, not over a period of time.
other sudden character and plot changes are present in other hobb works, actually. witness how book 3 of farseers so easily solved the major problem that was the red ship wars - i don't know about you, but the way the dragons took care of it _off-screen_ left me feeling a bit cheated of something. fitz & the others never directly confronted their 'enemies', but rather awoke these 'magnificent beasts' which made everything all right. . .
despite all that, it's been a long while since i've last read fantasy as good as the stuff hobb spins
Actually, I am an exception in that I like liveship traders more than the original farseer trilogy (I'm currently reading book 3 of liveship traders after having read all the other hobb books in print) . I guess this is exactly because of the shift from 1st person POV to 3rd person POV - it lets the reader see so much more of all the characters, which i enjoy immensely. in the liveship traders, you see ALL sides of an argument. personally, this is the best side of the book for me. Hobb's shown me how to write by distancing the writer's knowledge from the character's knowledge as far as possible - note the interesting & repeating phenomenon of characters pursuing dreams of future based on their current information about the world (ie, the vestrits at home think Vivacia's still Kyle's when she isn't), which shows powerfully the individuality of the characters, and the way in which opposing characters often state their cases in equally convincing ways. i haven't read many other authors who've managed such a feat of characterization as the liveship traders is.
yes, i did think there were a few weak sides to the trilogy. hobb seems to have a penchant for letting things get bad, worse, worse still (witness malta, wintrow, ronica and everyone else) and then fixing them rather easily in a way that sometimes isn't completely convincing. look at malta, for instance. for so much of the trilogy she's such a nuisance that the reader hates her. suddenly, without all that much reason, she becomes conscious of morals and of what is best for the family. she grows up in an instant, not over a period of time.
other sudden character and plot changes are present in other hobb works, actually. witness how book 3 of farseers so easily solved the major problem that was the red ship wars - i don't know about you, but the way the dragons took care of it _off-screen_ left me feeling a bit cheated of something. fitz & the others never directly confronted their 'enemies', but rather awoke these 'magnificent beasts' which made everything all right. . .
despite all that, it's been a long while since i've last read fantasy as good as the stuff hobb spins
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Evil Agent
Saturn Comes Back Around
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HEY! Please mark SPOILERS! I'm not done the third Farseer book yet, but I managed to avoid your conclusion-destroying comment there!
Anyway, I find I can agree somewhat with this talk of Hobb being 'slow', but the truth of it is, I NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED that until I read this forum, and I'm on the last Farseer book. Looking back now, yes, things did develop slowly. But I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE, because I was so enrapt in the characters. To me, that makes these books very valuable despite the slowness. Much of the action packed books out there have these "cardboard cutout" characters, which makes me sick, and makes me feel like I'm wasting my time. Almost like I'm watching a really bad TV show. I mean, I'm 23, and I want a BIT of substance in my fantasy, so that I can justify reading it rather than literature.
Hobb RULES. Also, some other authors (like Martin) seem to be able to do the character AND the action thing. And hey, if you think Hobb's slow, at least it's not taking her 13 books to finish one series (although I still appreciate Jordan).
Anyway, I find I can agree somewhat with this talk of Hobb being 'slow', but the truth of it is, I NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED that until I read this forum, and I'm on the last Farseer book. Looking back now, yes, things did develop slowly. But I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE, because I was so enrapt in the characters. To me, that makes these books very valuable despite the slowness. Much of the action packed books out there have these "cardboard cutout" characters, which makes me sick, and makes me feel like I'm wasting my time. Almost like I'm watching a really bad TV show. I mean, I'm 23, and I want a BIT of substance in my fantasy, so that I can justify reading it rather than literature.
Hobb RULES. Also, some other authors (like Martin) seem to be able to do the character AND the action thing. And hey, if you think Hobb's slow, at least it's not taking her 13 books to finish one series (although I still appreciate Jordan).
WARNING, SPOILER!!!
When I started reading the Farseer trilogy I was very enrapt in the story, didn’t consider it slow and got the impression that Hobb was a good writer, but then in the third book I realize that this is actually sort of a tragic saga, is like the odyssey but with a worst ending.
Was really, really disappointed the way things turn out at the end, in fact I was planning to buy the Liveship, but that last Book left me with I sour taste that don’t I particularly like.
I’m always saying that there’s a taste for every flavor, so is this is yours, good for you.
When I started reading the Farseer trilogy I was very enrapt in the story, didn’t consider it slow and got the impression that Hobb was a good writer, but then in the third book I realize that this is actually sort of a tragic saga, is like the odyssey but with a worst ending.
Was really, really disappointed the way things turn out at the end, in fact I was planning to buy the Liveship, but that last Book left me with I sour taste that don’t I particularly like.
I’m always saying that there’s a taste for every flavor, so is this is yours, good for you.
Bear
I eat fish.
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- Mar 24, 2003
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I liked Hobb. Admitted, her books aren't very fast paced, but as was said earlier, her character development is very good (I thought she wrote Burrich really well; a good view on how the extremes of such moral codes as honor can actually be detrimental), and very believable. She has no qualms writing a flawed hero--Fitz is a great example. At times I just wanted to strangle the bastard, because I could see him making a decision that would most certainly backfire. And it did. Another thing I appreciated. Hobb didn't candy-coat her endings. She made her characters pay for their actions, heroes be damned.
Really, my only complaint with her was that sometimes she went overboard with the character introspections. Sometimes there would be a long paragraph of character thought that I didn't think was necessary, because the characters feelings were obvious. And I always find it a wee bit annoying when authors state the obvious. But other than that minor quibble, I enjoyed her stuff, the farseer trilogy especially.
Really, my only complaint with her was that sometimes she went overboard with the character introspections. Sometimes there would be a long paragraph of character thought that I didn't think was necessary, because the characters feelings were obvious. And I always find it a wee bit annoying when authors state the obvious. But other than that minor quibble, I enjoyed her stuff, the farseer trilogy especially.
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