The Farseer Trilogy (1 Viewer)

[slboy]

"The Farseer" Trilogy and the other trilogies by Robin Hobb ,"the Liveship traders" trilogy and "The Tawny man" Trilogy, are the best sets of books ever, hands down.

The story of Fitzchivalry is so good.

For those of you who havent read it... find it, get it, and read it.

 

[kami]

Hot damn yes - Robin Hobb's farseer/liveships/tawny man trilogies are teh secks.

One of my favourite moments is where Fool mocks Serene and when he toys with that witted family.

 

[KimmorleyKiller]

Theyre pretty good, you should give The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist a dig, however

 

[slboy]

Hot damn yes - Robin Hobb's farseer/liveships/tawny man trilogies are teh secks.

One of my favourite moments is where Fool mocks Serene and when he toys with that witted family.

i cant remember when he toys with that witted family...

But my favourite moments are when.... ah hell their ALL favourite moments >.<

Spoiler

But when nighteyes mocks Fitz, its always funny.

like.....

"You sleep too soundly. are you sick?"

"Im not sick, just stupid."

"I've never noticed thats ever made you sleep soundly before."

^____^

Spoiler

oooh and when Fitz finds the fool dead in the very last book...

"my dream was dead in my hands"

that was the saddest moment in the entire set.

 

[slboy]

Theyre pretty good, you should give The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist a dig, however

Im trying to start on them.

Ive read his Magician, though...

It was a great book.

But the farseer/liveship/tawny man trilogies are by far, much much better.

 

[jhakka]

I really like the Fitz books, although they are a very heavy read.

They've dropped from the position of my favourites. I have too many others to choose from.

 

[kami]

Another favourite moment of mine is:

Spoiler

when in the beginning of the 3rd book, Fitz is forcefully resurrected...very dark tone there. I also love how that echoed by the Fool's resurrection later on - and how the Fool almost seems to find life unbearable.

Also I wonder...:

Spoiler

Will Fitz eventually end up like Kettle? Wandering around in a state of virtual immortality with all his loved ones having died from old age?

They've dropped from the position of my favourites. I have too many others to choose from.

Those are harsh words Justin, harsh words indeed.

 

[slboy]

I really like the Fitz books, although they are a very heavy read.

They've dropped from the position of my favourites. I have too many others to choose from.

Ah their still up there for me...

 

[slboy]

Another favourite moment of mine is:

Spoiler

when in the beginning of the 3rd book, Fitz is forcefully resurrected...very dark tone there. I also love how that echoed by the Fool's resurrection later on - and how the Fool almost seems to find life unbearable.

Also I wonder...:

Spoiler

Will Fitz eventually end up like Kettle? Wandering around in a state of virtual immortality with all his loved ones having died from old age?

Those are harsh words Justin, harsh words indeed.

seeing as we have delved into this kind of convo, i think ill just "spoiler" my entire reply

Spoiler

Throughout the entire story as well, you are given hints at fitz life which you wont notice until later in the book or until you read it again.

I saw this with Fitz' only coherent memeory of his mother calling him "keppet" then voila... one day in the moutains, he sees a woman who starts saying "keppet" while staring at him. He ignores her and buggers off though :S
Also with kettle... there was an instance in Buckkeep Fitz was in the kitchen and he is talking to Sara the cook, and after she dismisses fitz, she asks a woman called Kettle to help her with some task...

These two things are the only things i remember to be ver intriguing at this moment, but im sure there are many others :S

Have you also noticed, that the stories all talk about Fitz, but actually, it is the Fool who has appeared in all three trilogies? All very bizarre...

Its all so interesting. Thats why i love these books. ^__^

 

[kami]

seeing as we have delved into this kind of convo, i think ill just "spoiler" my entire reply

Spoiler

Throughout the entire story as well, you are given hints at fitz life which you wont notice until later in the book or until you read it again.

I saw this with Fitz' only coherent memeory of his mother calling him "keppet" then voila... one day in the moutains, he sees a woman who starts saying "keppet" while staring at him. He ignores her and buggers off though :S
Also with kettle... there was an instance in Buckkeep Fitz was in the kitchen and he is talking to Sara the cook, and after she dismisses fitz, she asks a woman called Kettle to help her with some task...

These two things are the only things i remember to be ver intriguing at this moment, but im sure there are many others :S

Have you also noticed, that the stories all talk about Fitz, but actually, it is the Fool who has appeared in all three trilogies? All very bizarre...

Its all so interesting. Thats why i love these books. ^__^

Spoiler

One thing I found intriguing was the white ghost ship that Fitz encountered in the first trilogy - was that ever followed up?

I also wish we found more out about the tatoos that Ellania and 'Beloved' have - I always theorised that they were fragments of memory stone[the stone in that city] forced under the skin but it seems nothing much happened with that.

And how exactly did the Pale Woman control the weather? Because the Outislanders mention her manipulating the winds and so on. Was she just faking it with the help of her prescience?

I also thought that the scene where Nettle is manipulating the dream and Tintaglia tries to have her way. Hehe - go team!

 

[glitterfairy]

The Farseer Trilogy was the first bit of "heavy" (or, heavy-ish) fantasy I had ever read. Previous to this I was very much a fan of 'light' fantasy such as Eddings, Tamora Pierce, you get the picture.

I'll admit that I cried a little after I finished the trilogy, because I got so involved in the characters and wasn't used to the "happy chappy golden ending" type story. But I think it was still very, very good. But not the type of book you can just pick up and read for fun. You have to sit down and read this book (I basically read this trilogy over a weekend) to really get it all in.

Oh - and I'd also like to know more about the little details

PS: Sara Douglass' Axis Trilogy is better though Unless I find a better trilogy in jhakka's library...?

 

[kami]

PS: Sara Douglass' Axis Trilogy is better though Unless I find a better trilogy in jhakka's library...?

Omg, Lynn! Get Justin to lend you the Troy Game pronto!! That's Sara Douglass's best work (still not up to Hobb standards though) - ha, I even remember poking at Justin to read it way back when.

Oh, and another favourite moment from the halls of Hobb:

Spoiler

Do you dimple or dangle?!

 

[jhakka]

I already lent her the Troy Game books. Darkwitch is released in paperback next month.

Anyways, back on topic. I agree with Lynn. I find these trilogies extremely heavy and difficult to just read for fun.

 

[slboy]

Omg, Lynn! Get Justin to lend you the Troy Game pronto!! That's Sara Douglass's best work (still not up to Hobb standards though) - ha, I even remember poking at Justin to read it way back when.

Oh, and another favourite moment from the halls of Hobb:

Spoiler

Do you dimple or dangle?!

and

PS: Sara Douglass' Axis Trilogy is better though Unless I find a better trilogy in jhakka's library...?

Are sara douglass books really that good? i always see them but i wonder if i should start reading them :S

Spoiler

Yeah about the white ships, Fitz has this...chilling premonition in the future and thinks for certain that it is Will on the white ships... This was never followed up in the stories, so you were right about that :S

Ellenia's tatoo's... you know, your theory is pretty interesting too. The ink may have been created for the black stone, as well as the pale womans own blood if i remember it correctly.

I have no idea about the weather, i just thoguht the Outislands was generally a climactically retarded place

But you know what, Fitz was able to remove the burn wall from Kettle... why didnt he try with burrich and heal him? I mean... he could ressurect the fool, but he couldnt mend someones broken back. -_-'

and a favourite moment of mine:
"Id rather be forgotten for the things people thought i have done,
And id give it all up for the things that ive failed to do."

Or something like that >.<

I also never knew why starling through the fool was a female :S But still it makes me curious... what gender is the fool?

 

[slboy]

I already lent her the Troy Game books. Darkwitch is released in paperback next month.

Anyways, back on topic. I agree with Lynn. I find these trilogies extremely heavy and difficult to just read for fun.

If you want a heavy read you should read The Lord of the Rings

And i read the stories for fun whenever i feel like it, i think ive read them so many times i can just turn to any page and continue from there

 

[jhakka]

Yes, I've read Lord of the Rings... and as great as it is, it's far too heavy to just sit and read. Takes the fun out of it.

I've had no problems reading Hobb. I've actually read the first eight books twice, and the final one only once. I just find that in terms of an easygoing, read-even-when-you're-dead-tired kind of thing, Hobb isn't the way to go. If you want to give these books full justice, you need to be paying strict attention.

On the second read through each trilogy, I found so many little details that interrelate. For instance, Fitz wrote about the "Other" folk in The Farseer Trilogy, and then we see them in the first chapter of The Liveship Traders. This isn't a big thing in itself, but on your first I doubt you'd remember one paragraph from the first or second book of one trilogy when you read the first chapter of another.

I love Hobb, don't get me wrong. But I'm finding that more easygoing, less loaded novels are more fun. I will definitely be giving Hobb a revisit, however, some time in the next twelve months. I still have too many books on my shelves unread that I need to plough through first.

 

[slboy]

Yes, I've read Lord of the Rings... and as great as it is, it's far too heavy to just sit and read. Takes the fun out of it.

I've had no problems reading Hobb. I've actually read the first eight books twice, and the final one only once. I just find that in terms of an easygoing, read-even-when-you're-dead-tired kind of thing, Hobb isn't the way to go. If you want to give these books full justice, you need to be paying strict attention.

On the second read through each trilogy, I found so many little details that interrelate. For instance, Fitz wrote about the "Other" folk in The Farseer Trilogy, and then we see them in the first chapter of The Liveship Traders. This isn't a big thing in itself, but on your first I doubt you'd remember one paragraph from the first or second book of one trilogy when you read the first chapter of another.

I love Hobb, don't get me wrong. But I'm finding that more easygoing, less loaded novels are more fun. I will definitely be giving Hobb a revisit, however, some time in the next twelve months. I still have too many books on my shelves unread that I need to plough through first.

Hahaha ic ic ic!

And yeah, it is true that you pick up little things like that...
I actually skipped the liveship traders when i first read the books, and read the 2nd trilogy after the last ones...

That kinda made things a bit mystified for me but then after i read the 2nd trilogy, i was like... OH I GETZ IT NOW! ^___^ like i was like "where the heck did the fool get the rooster crown from?"

 

[kami]

Are sara douglass books really that good? i always see them but i wonder if i should start reading them :S

Read them.

Spoiler

But you know what, Fitz was able to remove the burn wall from Kettle... why didnt he try with burrich and heal him? I mean... he could ressurect the fool, but he couldnt mend someones broken back. -_-'

I also never knew why starling through the fool was a female :S But still it makes me curious... what gender is the fool?

Spoiler

I think the resurrection was a bit of a one off scenario that was to do with the Skill bond, the place of resurrection and the catalyst/prophet bond. It should also be noted that this kind of internalised awareness that Fitz was developing with the Skill was only a relatively new thing so its not surprising that he couldn't mend a broken back.

Starling thought the Fool was female because she noticed s/he had an affection for Fitz and also Fitz didn't sleep with Starling then - the only reason she could see that she wasn't getting the attention was that Fitz was gay or that the Fool was a woman.

As for the Fool's gender, well in my mind Hobb told the story to make it clear that he had none(socially that is) and therefore his physical sex was ultimately irrelevant. Its also something of a constant theme throughout the Hobb books when you take into account all the disembodiement that goes on, e.g Fitz still maintains that Dutiful was Verity's son even though it was his body that was used for the uhh..'event', there is also Dutiful's crush on the woman in the cat - we're meant to think their physicality is irrelevant and that it is only their soul which matters, not sex or sexuality.

 

[slboy]

Spoiler

I think the resurrection was a bit of a one off scenario that was to do with the Skill bond, the place of resurrection and the catalyst/prophet bond. It should also be noted that this kind of internalised awareness that Fitz was developing with the Skill was only a relatively new thing so its not surprising that he couldn't mend a broken back.

Spoiler

That may be so, but then you also get to see Thick just heal someone pretty easily, which shows that he must have caught the hang of the healing with the skill... But true, i think also it may just be a fitz and the fool thing >.< I wonder if fitz could have done it if molly was in the same scenario...

Spoiler

Starling thought the Fool was female because she noticed s/he had an affection for Fitz and also Fitz didn't sleep with Starling then - the only reason she could see that she wasn't getting the attention was that Fitz was gay or that the Fool was a woman.

Spoiler

LOL, the idea of fitz being gay never crossed my mind, especially how everyone wanted to sleep with him >.< molley...starling...Honey(the minstrel) and Jinna the hedgewitch. (Damn fitz is such a pimp)

Spoiler

As for the Fool's gender, well in my mind Hobb told the story to make it clear that he had none(socially that is) and therefore his physical sex was ultimately irrelevant. Its also something of a constant theme throughout the Hobb books when you take into account all the disembodiement that goes on, e.g Fitz still maintains that Dutiful was Verity's son even though it was his body that was used for the uhh..'event', there is also Dutiful's crush on the woman in the cat - we're meant to think their physicality is irrelevant and that it is only their soul which matters, not sex or sexuality.

Spoiler

This is turning into an english essay and i get where you're going with this whole subliminal motif. But still, it seems that its odd that the fool doesnt have a sex, especially when everyone else in the story has been identified with one, even the other "white prophets" like the white woman, or even the black man of the island, and even kabal the prophet.

Also, about Sara douglass books, are they all placed in the same world and what not, like Robin Hobbs stories?

 

[kami]

Spoiler

But true, i think also it may just be a fitz and the fool thing >.< I wonder if fitz could have done it if molly was in the same scenario...

Hopefully not.

Spoiler

LOL, the idea of fitz being gay never crossed my mind, especially how everyone wanted to sleep with him >.< molley...starling...Honey(the minstrel) and Jinna the hedgewitch. (Damn fitz is such a pimp)

Spoiler

lol, Galen accuses Fitz of being in a sexual relationship with Burrich in the very first book[the catamite reference], and then there's the whole ambiguity thing with the Fool, the reputation of Golden later on being quite sexual and the implications of someone being a 'serving man' to someone like that e.g when Golden is gambling one of his male friends tries to subtly(or not so subtly depending on you viewpoint) come on to Fitz etc. so there is quite a bit of undertone heading in that direction

Spoiler

This is turning into an english essay and i get where you're going with this whole subliminal motif. But still, it seems that its odd that the fool doesnt have a sex, especially when everyone else in the story has been identified with one, even the other "white prophets" like the white woman, or even the black man of the island, and even kabal the prophet.

Spoiler

Well from a continuity point of view, every single White Prophet and catalyst where in opposite gender matches - incl. Pale Woman and Fitz, and there is a bit of an implication, when you consider the Pale Woman's attempted seduction of Fitz, that they are meant to reproduce with each other. Fool however was an anomaly as the Pale Woman already existed, so there was no need for there to be another 'prescient broodmare' so to speak so it would be a fare guess that his/her gender was equally anomalous.

From a more macroscopic viewpoint, it also makes sense considering everything the Fool stands for is progression, s/he cross dresses, s/he has been a 'female' carpenter in a time where women were becoming oppressed, challenges slavery, is against violence against others, s/he has effectively been the Oscar Wilde of his/her time, s/he has rebelled against the establishment[leaving his people and that whole shebang of challenging the Pale Woman's vision, and when you consider how his people revered the Pale Woman...], s/he is of a different colour - always a foreigner, different religious standpoint etc. S/he is meant to symbolise, in part, the challenging of conventions - especially gender roles, which is a pertinent issue when you consider there are biologically upwards of 20 sexes[and then when you throw in transgender and the various sexualities...] but only 2 genders, one of which has been historically submissive.

Also, about Sara douglass books, are they all placed in the same world and what not, like Robin Hobbs stories?

Well yes and no, the Axis and Wayfarer trilogies are sequential and placed in the same environment. Beyond the Hanging Wall is on a neighbouring continent but there is little to no linkage to Axis and Wayfarer. Ashdod was completely separate from the others, but now Douglass has decided to write a work following on from where Wayfarer finished that involves Hanging Wall and Ashdod. She also wrote two other trilogies that are completely separate - the Crucible trilogy(i think - Justin will remember this probably) and the Troy Game quartet.

There's a Sara Douglass discussion here if you're interested.

You'll also find that not all of Hobb's books are in the same world - Wolf Brothers, Wizard of the Pigeons, the Ki and Vandien Quartet, Cloven Hooves, Alien Earth and the Soldier Sons trilogy are all in worlds separate from Six Duchies/Bingtown as well as each other.