Kevin's Watch

Does anyone have an opinion on her books?

All I've read are the Soldier Son books. The first was good, the second I almost didn't finish. The last one was somewhere in between.

I've read and thoroughly enjoyed the Farseer Trilogy...but that's it. I'm trying to get into The Liveship Traders, but my reading has been hijacked.

I read the first Farseer, Assassin's Apprentice. It was a good enough romp, but I haven't felt the urge to read on. (Read it, then Runelords, of which I have the same opinion.)

I've read all 6 of the Fitz books as well as the Liveship Trader books. I like the LT books the most-they're really good, although it takes a long time to get going (maybe 400 pages of book 1). She has a major problem with pacing-she can kill a good story by taking way too long to get going. The Tawny Man series is a perfect example. It's a sequel to the first Fitz series. Fitz is in retirement. We all know Fitz is going to come out of retirement (if he doesn't, then the series is really going to blow). But it takes her about a dozen chapters and 120 or so pages before Fitz finally decides to emerge from his cave and actually do something. She could've easily cut out 100 of those pages-no one would've missed them. The last book in the first trilogy could've lost about 200 pages as well. It started out really well, but then it just meanders for the last 200 or so pages.

GRRM had this to say about the first Tawny book:

Spoiler

The novel takes awhile to get going, it must be admitted; for the first hundred and fifty pages, Fitz just sits around his cottage drinking tea and turning away various visitors and old friends, all intent on embroiling him in the world again.

www.georgerrmartin.com/reading-archive01.html

It's not really a spoiler, but it is funny, lol. He's probably been reading the Soldier Son Trilogy for the last 5 years, and that's why he can't get any writing of his own done.

You couldn't pay me to read the Soldier Son Trilogy. I have the first book (it was given out for free), but I've just read too many online comments that the books are boring as hell (esp. book 2) to ever try the series. I'll probably read her two latest Dragon books. They're supposed to be loose follow-ups to the Liveship Traders. Hopefully, something happens in them other than the characters moping around feeling sorry for themselves.

In sum, she can be very good, but she can also bore the hell out of you.

Wow, I just finished Assassin's Quest an hour ago. Absolutely loved it, and the Farseer series. Hobb is great for avoiding nice endings, and allows her characters to go through so much pain. She avoids most fantasy tropes, which is nice.

Yeah, when I cornered a friend as to why she didn't like the ending, it was mainly because it wasn't as happy as she'd like it.

I just recently finished the Tawny man series and enjoyed it thoroughly! I read Liveship traders and found it just as good. I also read the Soldiers Son triliogy and enjoyed it. I didnt think it was a good as the other two but still a good read.

Syl wrote:All I've read are the Soldier Son books. The first was good, the second I almost didn't finish. The last one was somewhere in between.

This is the only series I've read and I agree with Syl entirely. The first book had so much potential that I ordered the next 2 straight away. Words cannot describe how bad I found the second one. The third one was ok, but I've got about forty pages of it left to read, and I just couldn't be bothered!

It seems I picked the wrong series to start with....