This video delves into some of the reasons why Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy ranks among the best fantasy, including its narration, the powerful character relationships, and its compelling inclusion of loss.
Oh man, my favourite book series of all time. It was just so personal and vulnerable. I doubt anything will ever overtake it for me. By the end of RotE I felt like I actually knew Fitz as a friend. One of my favourite and most memorable moments was in Tawny man with Thick, when he and Fitz are trudging through the snow. Almost from nowhere, Thick blurts out 'I love you, Fitz'. It was so tender! Rare that I actually cry from a book but this tiny moment somehow got me...Along with many others in this series.
Guilbert Maric I think you really hit the nail on the head with your comment. The most powerful thing about Hobb’s writing is the emotional connections she creates between the characters and in her readers. I’m really looking forward to reading more of her books. Thanks for the excellent comment!
Robin Hobb's works are truly an emotional journey. The rest of the series expand the world and give the reader more information about the magic. Throughout it all, the characters remain excellent and compelling. The following, Liveship Traders trilogy, is my personal favorite.
A Fantasy Babble If anything following The Farseer Trilogy improves on it, then I’m in for a wonderful treat! Well said about the emotional journey that Hobb provides. I’m looking forward to reading more by her. Thanks for the great comment!
I loved hearing your thoughts on this. Robin Hobb is my absolute favorite fantasy author. I don’t think anyone writes characters as deeply as she does. I agree that the villains in the farseer are much more stereotypical. But I think part of this is because it’s so tightly bound to Fitz’s perspective. In his mind they are just ruthless villains. He doesn’t stop to understand them on a human level. There are a few moments when we get glimpses into Regal’s character, but it’s always in documents at the outset of the chapter, or another character speculating on Verity’s motivations. I always find the villains in the books where she uses third person to feel a lot more well rounded than in the Farseer. Great discussion. So glad I found this channel. Happy reading 😊
Chris Bookish Cauldron Thank you! Your comments mean a lot, especially since I was just checking out your channel (after I got a subscriber notification) and saw that you’ve made some Robin Hobb videos. I’m looking forward to watching them and learning more about Hobb’s work and other fantasy from you!
Fitz and Burrich reuniting late in the Tawny Man Trilogy really hit me hard and then the epic show of strength by Burrich while being far passed his prime was one of the most amazing scenes in all of fantasy. I know Robin Hobb is up there in years but I wish she would have written a prequel trilogy or single book about Burrich as a young man. Hobbs character development is possibly the best of any series I have ever read and her books have profoundly impacted me, especially as a man and father who grew up without a father but had father figures in my grandfather and uncle. The realm of the elderlings books are severely underrated in the fantasy genre.
Great review! You described Fitz's narration incredibly well, specially regarding Fitz's struggles and pain. By the end of Assassin's Quest, I felt for him a lot. As for Shrewd, I do think he cared for Fitz, but just like you said, being a king is what mattered the most to him, and by his dying moments, it's the one thing that he regretted the most. Tragic and beautiful series!
Mariano Díaz Well said! I also felt Fitz’s pain and loneliness, which means Hobb really did her job. I agree about Shrewd too. Thanks for watching and commenting- much appreciated!
That’s very cool, Chris! I read The Liveship Traders trilogy as well and loved it even more than Farseer. I’ll be reading more in the Realm of the Elderlings next year!
Great sales pitch for a great trilogy by an amazing author! I read these books when I was quite young, and what struck me then was the great depiction of familial and societal obligations versus personal preferences. One of the follow-up series - the Liveship one - looks at it from a female protagonist. Like you said, great characters and great relationships. 👍
Great video. I had read these when they were first released and have never done a reread (until now). Just finished assassins apprentice. Better than I remember, definitely top ten series of all time.
I fell even more deeply in love with Hobb’s writing when I read Liveship Traders. I need to finish The Realm of the Elderlings, though. Hobb is indeed among the best!
It took me a while to get through Assassin's Apprentice but by the end I was completely hooked. I flew through the last two books in the trilogy. Definitely one of my favourite series ever, with some of my favourite characters ever!
That sounds very similar to my experience with the trilogy, Sarah! After I read The Liveship Traders Trilogy, my awe and respect for Hobb's writing grew even more.
The more you read into the series the more fulfillment you’ll get out of it. The red ship raider and more of the magic is explained in the tawny man trilogy for instance. The farseer trilogy ends and arc, but it isn’t THE end and the story continues. I hope you continue on with the series.
WoT is worthy of your devotion! I sometimes wish WoT had been around when I was in high school (I'm too old) because I have a feeling I would have absolutely loved it and that it would have been rather like Tolkien was for me. It's still obviously one of the greats for me. Robin Hobb is definitely worth investing in a reread. I plan to read more of her work in the not too distant future. Great to hear from you!
mark peckson I loved the first book, though I admit it took a little while for me to feel like it was going somewhere. I don’t mind that since Hobb is doing some fantastic character work at the same time. I just finished the first book of The Liveship Traders Trilogy and saw a similar pattern.
I just finished Assassin's Aprentice and then plunged right into Royal Assassin. I was immediately drawn into the narrative and I found this to be exactly what I needed after Deadhouse Gates and what felt like the endless death of the Chain of Dogs which left me a bit depressed despite how well written the book was. I agree that some of the villains are fairly black and white, but I do see some hints of modern fantasy in the idea that some of Fitz's struggles come from within. Hobb definitely does a great job with character development as I found myself emotionally attached to so many characters so quickly. I'm just in the first half of book two, but I am really enjoying it so far and it has been a nice break before Memories of Ice. Always enjoy your videos Philip, so thank you for doing them.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying Farseer! I loved it, but Liveship Traders really solidified my love for Hobb’s writing. Even the “villains” get more complex treatment in Liveship, but Hobb’s character work is just brilliant in general. I hope you’ll feel motivated to return to Malazan at some point. I definitely hear you in regard to how tough the suffering can be. There are some incredibly redemptive moments too, but all that suffering comes first. Thanks, as always, for watching and commenting!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No worries on Malazan as I'm just sticking with Mike's schedule and picking it back up again next month. I did enjoy Deadhouse Gates and I think it's a testament to the writing that a reader can feel enough empathy for so many characters, often nameless, that died on that march. I think I'm still mentally processing it. I will definitely continue with Robin Hobb though so I am looking forward to Liveship Traders.
@@crazy4cairns Mike’s schedule is great for first-time readers of the series. He thought that through very well. I’ll be chatting with him about Deadhouse Gates towards the end of this month!
Truly one of my favorite writers as she writes the characters so lifelike I miss them when I finish the book. And while the first trilogy leaves us with questions, the follow up trilogies resolve questions out of even the first book. It is pretty amazing if you ask me
Flowetic Een Beter Leven I’m reading Ship of Magic right now - I literally just put down the book to reply to you - and I’m loving it. Can’t wait to read more Hobb! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Philip Chase it only gets better. The tawny man trilogy all the way up to Fitz and the fool are all amazing. I hate fan boying like this, but I really feel it’s that good. So enjoy.
Flowetic Een Beter Leven I have a feeling I’ll enjoy every book - just posted my review of Ship of Magic, which I loved, and I hear it gets even better!
I just read and reviewed Ship of Magic and will finish The Liveship Traders Trilogy by early December. Other than that, I have the rest of the books in The Realm of the Elderlings to look forward to. I’ll say that my opinion of Hobb gets higher with every book!
That is awesome. I do agree she does better as the world unfolds. Glad you're reading the complete series. Most folks only stick to Fitz and the Fool's stories.
I agree that Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy is one of the best. I read all of Hobb's other series set in the same world. Wonderful characters and stories set in an amazing world.
I loved The Liveship Traders Trilogy! In fact, I loved it even more than Farseer. I have reviews of each book of the Liveship Traders Trilogy and also a discussion with three other BookTubers about it. Best wishes!
So I am planning to get into it very soon but I'm wondering if I can/should read the prequel novella (the wilful princess and the piebald prince) before or after the trilogy 🤔🤔🤔
I can’t wait to crack into this series! Maybe in 2022.. I’m hoping to get through Malazan and Black Company in 2021.. 2022 I’m hoping to read Realm of Elderlings and The Expanse..
Those are some excellent reading plans! I’m also reading (rereading, in my case) Malazan in 2021 and will be joining the read along for the series on Mike’s Book Reviews. I hope to see you there if you’re joining in too!
Hello, Deepkala! Perhaps I will do that someday. There is tragedy in almost all fantasy, of course, and some loss seems to make even “happy” stories more compelling. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment!
There is a lot of tragedy in the farseer trilogy and in the rest of the series, tbh. If you want tragedy and to feel for characters, this series might be for you.
Azure Pulse Well said! I agree one hundred percent. One only needs to read the first few pages of Assassin’s Apprentice to hear the tragic tone of the narration by a much older Fitz. Great comment!
Last year I started reading the Fitz series. After 100-150 pages I realized I was reading the first book of second trilogy. I haven´t stopped. I found it somewhat compelling trying to puzzle out what happen in the first trilogy and who the characters were and what happen between them. It made it actually more fun and the relationships deeper. So I finshed the second and third trilogy and it was great. It is very different to what I was used from Martin or Sanderson or Jordan. Right now I am reading the first trilogy, third book, to complete the journey. Should I read the Livership Traders series as well? This was actually the only thing I didn´t enjoy in the the third trilogy. The liveships and stories behind their crews were not particulary interesting to me. Is it worth the read?
That’s an unusual path into the Realm of the Elderlings! I loved the Liveship Traders Trilogy even more than Farseer, so I would definitely recommend it. The depth of character development is so impressive in both trilogies, though!
Does anyone have good recommendations on what to read after reading all of robin hobbs books? Now that Fitz's story is finished, I feel such an emptiness I want to fill
Marvellous Mosaic It’s both wonderful and a bummer that you’ve read all of Hobb’s books. I’ve still got a lot of them ahead of me, so I’m lucky in a way. I have a lot of favorite fantasy books, but I’ll let others answer.
The narrator mostly limits himself to what Fitz understood at the time, and there are things that he misses, but that the reader should get. And there are even some things that the narrator doesn’t get in his maturity. It makes for a very interesting kind of semi-unreliable narrator. When you go on, don’t skip The Liveship Traders. It’s third person, multi-POV, like most modern fantasy, and an entirely different kind of story set in a different part of the same world. As for forging, the clues for how it is done are already in The Farseer Trilogy (and you are a witness to it). But that won’t become clear until the end of the Tawny Man series. I’ve read all of the Elderling books twice, and would put it in my pantheon of fantasy (with Malazan, LoTR, Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and First Law). You have a lot to look forward to.
duffypratt Thanks! I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of Hobb’s books in this world. In fact, I intend to read them all eventually. I’m excited to see more of the world and reunite with some of the characters. I really think Hobb is among the best when it comes to characters and their relationships. I appreciate your take!
So in about a week I've gotten through books 1 and about half way through book 2 now, I really like it so far. Hobb’s writing is really quite something and the characters are what makes this work for me. However, I must say the plot thus far is very repetitive, I think at the point of the story I am at the six duchies have endured 3 years of the red ship raiders and we seem to just be repeating the same thing each year with the exception that now they have warships of their own but hasn’t done much thus far. I hope the story does begin to pick up soon and seeing how long the third book I’m worried that this repetitive nature isn’t going anywhere soon. But overall I do like fitz and his story so far.
That's a very fair assessment. My experience was that each successive book picked up the pace, with the first being the slowest. I completely agree that the character work is the greatest strength of this trilogy, with some really wonderful portrayal of relationships. Fitz is definitely a beautifully developed character. I do think the Red Ship Raiders could have been developed more to become more interesting villains (what motivates them?), but that probably would have been a bit unusual at the time Hobb published these books. You're reading them fast -- that's a good sign! Thanks for the comment!
The thing I like the most about the books so far is the fool, every time he is in a scene I perk up. I’m not usually much of a reader but I’ve really gotten into fantasy this past year and I’ve got a lot of time to read until I go back to university so that’ll explain why I’m going through these books so fast😅
Aaron Gomez I love the fool too - quite a mysterious character! It’s great that you’ve gotten into fantasy. It was the first genre that made me love reading.
Finally finished Royal Assassin last night and WOW did it end strong, this book I believe is better than the first although I still think it could have used a little tightening up. I’m going to read something else before diving into Assassins Quest because I’ve never read something that long before and think it’ll be easier to read if I take a break from fitz story and then come back to it.
Aaron Gomez Awesome! Yes, the ending is pretty gut wrenching, and it sounds like the overall pace of the storytelling picked up for you. Nice! A break can be a good thing. I’d love to hear how you find book three when you’ve finished!
I will say that Assassin’s Apprentice started slowly for me but finished strong. My take on Hobb is that she takes her time world building and character building, but there’s a tremendous payoff for that as you progress through the books. By the end, the characters and their relationships became extremely vivid for me, and as a result, the story hit me hard. I hope it picks up for you!
My only complaint is Fitz's character development is very lacking at times, yes I get that he's a Witty Bastard who's seen as an inconvenience by many in the royal court, but I would've liked to see him develop more as a noble and leave his former self behind, only to have the Wit pop up again at a horribly inconvenient moment, that could've let to an epic showdown with Regal.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I've read as much in other reviews, I'm definitely looking forward to the Liveship Traders after I get done with Assassin's Quest. Thanks for the reply!
@@forlorndream1400 Yes, there’s the Liveship Traders Trilogy and The Rain Wild Chronicles, which are set in the same world and have some carryover characters from the Farseer stuff. Liveship Traders is excellent, but I haven’t yet read Rain Wild, which is a tetralogy, hence the sixteen novels in The Realm of the Elderlings.
It’s usually a very good sign for a book, I think, when your mind chews over it long after you’ve read it. Hobb’s books have been like that for me too - they have some depth and include some truly convincing characters. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy sure enough. I appreciate your efforts. Least I can do is write some words. Realistic. That’s what I’ve come to. It’s realistic with no cheats. People think the ending is sad and “bittersweet“ but I was nervous she wouldn’t go through with it And find a cheat to get him back to Molly. But if they were to get back together at that point, it either destroys everything he did or feels cheap. If you haven’t read the other six that are Fitz books then I couldn’t recommend more.....Live Ship and the other I didn’t care for but other people seem to like
@@calebstone22 Well said about the ending! Hobb did what needed doing there, I agree. I still need to read the other Fitz books - just read Ship of Magic and liked it a lot. After Liveship, I’ll get back to Fitz.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Oh man that’s really good to hear. Then you’re absolutely going to devour the rest. Live ship has its own little bits and bobs that connect. Little things I missed out on… I have a thick southern accent and I’m a country boy and I keep throwing in these little British things I apologize
Those last few chapters of assassins quest took a dip in quality. Very rushed and it felt as if Hobb was more hung up on setting up the landscape for the rest of the elderling books rather then ending a trilogy. Overall tho, few write and know their characters as well as Hobb. Great trilogy.
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re right, I think, that Hobb was doing some setup at the end for future books in the series. Also, I hope you don’t mind if I express my appreciation for the smile your RU-vid username gave me. 😁
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I don't know how much you've read but me mentions his "boy" in the narration and that's Mishap, the events of the Tawny man prove that Farseer trilogy was penned during his time raising hap, in his late twenties to early thirties. We can blame the feeling of his writing on his forging, and his use of Elfbark most likely
Gershwin Fontenard Thanks for that - very helpful. I’ve only read Farseer so far, but I’m starting Liveship Traders soon, likely near the end of this month. Very excited to return to the Realm of the Elderlings!
Gershwin Fontenard That’s awesome! I’m looking forward to reading all of Hobb’s books. She does such beautiful character work, and many people tell me they loved Liveship Traders even more than Farseer. Do you have a favorite among all of the Realm of the Elderlings books?
