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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
Absolutely loved it. Fantastic prose, character development, original storyline. Can't wait for the next one.
I appreciated the strong women. Read more thoughts here: http://winsomegates.jenevivedesroches.com/post/2017/02/08/The-Farseer-Trilogy-by-Robin-Hobb
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
This is one of the few books of which I can't say why I didn't stop reading. It was utterly, mind-bogglingly boring. None (that is: not a single one) of the characters was interesting or even likable, except maybe the Fool. Everything (that's every single thing) the protagonist does goes wrong. Every time he might accomplish something he fails and fails again. The few times when he seemed to achieve something, it's revealed later that is went awry after all. The main, interesting mystery, the Red Ships and the "zombies" is never revealed.
Everything that everyone says is meant to be very profound. There is not a normal conversation in the book, no banter, no everyday language. Everyone speaks in deeply philosophical speech.
If there would be some action now and again it would help the story engage me, but each of the three books gets moving only at the very ending of the book. The rest is court-intrige within the walls of the castle. If done right, that might be interesting, except, it isn't. Waste of time and shelf-space.
Everything that everyone says is meant to be very profound. There is not a normal conversation in the book, no banter, no everyday language. Everyone speaks in deeply philosophical speech.
If there would be some action now and again it would help the story engage me, but each of the three books gets moving only at the very ending of the book. The rest is court-intrige within the walls of the castle. If done right, that might be interesting, except, it isn't. Waste of time and shelf-space.
This was fun to read, but overall I found that the main character's life ended up in the crapper way too often for me to really enjoy things. At least he didn't end up dead, I guess.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a fantastic series overall, with the following caveat. The final novel tends to be a little on the tedious side and has what seems to me to be a somewhat too rushed conclusion. Perhaps a fourth book in the series would have provided a far better conclusion to it. Still, I highly recommend the series.
This is a very well written idiot plot. This gets 2 stars for writing skill and 1 star for the Fool and dialogues. Unfortunately, it is an idiot plot which screams idiot plot, ends up like an idiot plot and makes hardly any sense at all. This could have been so much better, there was a reasonable world, there were a few good characters but the story got fucked up pretty soon.
Won't recommend it, there are far better stories out there, written with reasonable if not comparable skill.
Won't recommend it, there are far better stories out there, written with reasonable if not comparable skill.
I gave it a second star because there was some genuinely compelling writing and I finished the trilogy. Here's the quick and dirty:
1) The system of politics and intrigue is well developed, but the fantasy elements are not. The rules and structure the world's supernatural system are flimsy and seem to be added as an afterthought to the final book. They are never explored in any satisfying depth.
2) The main antagonist is incompetent, makes awful decisions, and spends much of the books either recovering from many near-fatal injuries or depressed and love-struck. He is possibly the most laughably monogamous teenager in literary history, and develops little as a character over the course of the three books. He continues to make stupid mistakes and remains obsessed with his girlfriend throughout. The author seems to delight in doing terrible things to him, such that he doesn't overcome adversity, he just manages to barely survive most of his adventures. Every survival is followed by long periods of miserable recovery, self-loathing and introspection, but these periods rarely result in any growth or self-realization. His journey is simply not enjoyable. We expect our heroes to suffer privations, but their trials should result in a stronger or more driven character. Fitz never become either, at least not permanently. He is stuck in adolescence and his own victimhood until the end.
I read the books in anticipation of a payoff that never came. Fitz never becomes more than a pouty, miserable boy, certainly never an adult. Such a wasted opportunity.
1) The system of politics and intrigue is well developed, but the fantasy elements are not. The rules and structure the world's supernatural system are flimsy and seem to be added as an afterthought to the final book. They are never explored in any satisfying depth.
2) The main antagonist is incompetent, makes awful decisions, and spends much of the books either recovering from many near-fatal injuries or depressed and love-struck. He is possibly the most laughably monogamous teenager in literary history, and develops little as a character over the course of the three books. He continues to make stupid mistakes and remains obsessed with his girlfriend throughout. The author seems to delight in doing terrible things to him, such that he doesn't overcome adversity, he just manages to barely survive most of his adventures. Every survival is followed by long periods of miserable recovery, self-loathing and introspection, but these periods rarely result in any growth or self-realization. His journey is simply not enjoyable. We expect our heroes to suffer privations, but their trials should result in a stronger or more driven character. Fitz never become either, at least not permanently. He is stuck in adolescence and his own victimhood until the end.
I read the books in anticipation of a payoff that never came. Fitz never becomes more than a pouty, miserable boy, certainly never an adult. Such a wasted opportunity.