Am I reading Hobb wrong?

[the_faery_queen]

i prefered the tawny man for teh fool, and i really did like the first book in that series, even with nighteyes dying. it was just full of stuff going on, and the whole, kitten going 'mine' against things always reminds me of my mogs. but after that, it went downhill. bringing in the liveship people annoyed me. i hated the ending with a passion. and though i liked the fool as lord golden, and indeed, as himself, and the scene with him and fitz arguing was just so CUTE! i prefered the original series just because the ending was better and it didn't have the annoying liveship crew in it

 

[aarti]

I didn't much like Fitz myself, whiny brat definitely. And I despised Molly! Ugh!

I know! I disliked Molly, too- I don't even know why Hobb put her in there at all Unless maybe she redeems herself later on, after the Farseer trilogy. But she was so obnoxious.

However, I didn't like Fitz any better. My god- a major chip on his shoulder. I think that's why I didn't particularly enjoy the series. It was engaging, yes, but I had so much trouble keeping my patience with those two that it wasn't worth the effort to me, when all was said and done!

 

[papercut]

The series definitely gets better as it goes on, so it's best to stick it out, but Hobb's books are more about the characters than anything else, and not everyone likes that flavor of writing. She's also tragic, as someone else mentioned, and she writes with a lot of realism, so all the characters are not strong, fearless heroes. (I think that's smart on her part.)

 

[Connavar]

I am reading the first book of Farseer right now.


Its a two faced beast. Most of the time its so hard to get through,so slow and not really happens for many pages. I cant say i like the dairy style and how she use it. Fitz must tell us everything he see, alittle overkill.

But then sometimes things happen like when he learned the assassin stuff and did work for Chade and the King. Only the promise of him actually doing anything than feeling sorry for himself the ******* is what keeps me going. That he will do something with the Skill and his assassin skills to help his kingdom is onyl why i keep reading.

I really hope the second book is amazing, i have feeling the end will suck in this one surely it will be a cliffhanger. I have about a 100 pages left.




About Martin i read 20-50 pages of A Game of Thrones in the Library , i have no idea what his series is about but i can see clearly in his writing that he has so much better prose that isnt so slow and dry as Hobb. Its good to have something like that to look forward to.

If the second book is as the first one. I will forget that Hobb and this series even existed.

 

[daisybee]

I struggled at first, as her style is a little off putting for me, but it is worth the effort because for me something clicked and I loved the series. I also became a huge fan of her style, it's a grower. Although, it was darker than I expected.

 

[Connavar]

I read a preview for the second book in back of the first book.


It seems like finaly things are starting to happen. Him learning the skill and how to fight.

I will read the second book hoping its alot better than first.


Characters wise i like Verity,Burrich, Fitz in that order. Fitz is a decent main guy when he isnt whining

 

[Jaqen]

The Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies are my favorite books ever. Haven't gotten through Liveship books yet because, well, all of the characters she writes are so bratty and immature! It's hard for me to like the characters in it so I was struggling to get through it. I do, however, like Althea, Brashen, and the pirate (forgot his name, been a while since I picked the book up).

Anyways, a lot of people say that Fitz is a whiny, spoiled brat. I don't really think so. He's had so much happen to him through the whole series it's understandable. And remember that at the start of the series he's all of 5 or 6 years old and he was scared. People were angry at him being a ******* and he had absolutely no control over that. And of course kids are going to be immature at times.

I just absolutely love those two series though! I don't think there's one character I don't like. I'll probably work on finishing the Liveship series now though.

 

[Seanie]

Wow, i'm honestly surprised by how many people dislike Hobb's work!!! Each to their own i guess, but i think she's brilliant - to me she is a true modern day magician!!!

The liveship traders is probably my fave series ever, it's so unique!!! Although I love all 3 trilogies she's completed so far... They are all books that make it hard for me to get anything done, because i dont want to put them down!!!

I havnt looked at her new stuff yet, i tend to avoid starting a series until its finished & I havnt looked at her work written as Megan Lindholme either, but its definately on my "to read" list (which is waaay to long, i need more reading hours in each day!)

 

[sassy1]

I do, however, like Althea, Brashen, and the pirate (forgot his name, been a while since I picked the book up).

Captain Kennit?

 

[Terran Nytefyer]

I'm going to quote my gf directly: "The first half of "Assassin's Apprentice" is ridiculously hard to get into. After you get through the first half, it sort of takes off, and propells you through the rest of the trilogy."

This was a warning she gave me as she told me I ABSOLUTEY NEEDED to read the Farseer Trilogy. lol And, I've come to find that she's right. It took me better than a week, a little more than a week and a half actually, to read "Assassin's Apprentice". Now, however, it's only been less than a day, and I'm almost finished with "Royal Assassin". So, in this instance, my gf is completely on the money.

I say stick with her books, I'm glad I have.

 

[TheBlueFool]

I dunno, I found that Assassin's Apprentice wasn't too bad, but I didn't really start getting into the books until I'd read Royal Assassin. That's when the story starts to really get underway, and I think it's still one of my favourite books of the whole series...

 

[sassy1]

I'm going to quote my gf directly: "The first half of "Assassin's Apprentice" is ridiculously hard to get into. After you get through the first half, it sort of takes off, and propells you through the rest of the trilogy."

This was a warning she gave me as she told me I ABSOLUTEY NEEDED to read the Farseer Trilogy. lol And, I've come to find that she's right. It took me better than a week, a little more than a week and a half actually, to read "Assassin's Apprentice". Now, however, it's only been less than a day, and I'm almost finished with "Royal Assassin". So, in this instance, my gf is completely on the money.

I say stick with her books, I'm glad I have.

I have to say, i agree with your girlfriend. it took me half of the first book to really get stuck in, but once i was stuck in, i couldnt put the books down until i'd read all three trilogies. But when I re-read the books (for the first time), I found that it wasnt that hard to get into the second time, and you notice more things that tie in to things that happen later in the story, or that help clarify some things.

 

[BradtheImpaler2]

Ok, well im not unknowingly reading it back-to-front or anything, but I'm midway through Assassins Apprentice and I'm not really getting into it at all. I was just interested in people's opinions as to whether I should give up or if it's really a book worth reading. Perhaps I'm just not appreciating The Hobb properly....
ps. im at about the bit where he's looking after that grumpy old woman and he has to clean out her chamber pot.... lol hope that helps. does it get much better after that?

I got thru that trilogy but thought it only average all in all. Yes, it does get a bit better. I think her characters are stronger than her plots.

 

[jemcaesar]

I know a few people couldn't get into the Farseer Trilogy because 'nothing ever happened'. It isn't a swords flashing, magic staffs throwing lightning bolts sort of series. Personally for me it was a lot more about characterization; in a way it reminded me of books like The Green Mile by Stephen King - quite slow at times, but worth it in the end. Obviously it is up to your personal tastes and not everyone is going to love Assassin's Apprentice.

 

[Connavar]

The reason i didnt get into it wasnt lack action, it was cause of the uninteresting characters. Only a couple was interesting. The main character was so boring and uninteresting that it gave me no chance but dump the rest of the series.

With a better main character i would have read all the books even if there werent one scene of action.

 

[ChaBaby]

Since the original post was made over a year ago I can assume the original poster has completed all nine books or has given up altogether. However, I would like to say reading a completed series, such as the Assassin's Apprentice, is a breathe of fresh air while waiting for GRRM, RJ, Goodkind, Rowling (thank you for finishing), and many others to conclude their series.

 

[Patchface Killa]

A lot of people, including myself, turned to Hobb after becoming entranced with George RR Martin's work and appreciate Hobb's sense of characterization.

Funny Trey - I got into GRRM's books after Hobb's. I liked teh way Fitz's first trilogy ended way better than teh second ending, although the second is probably more appropriate. I just like it when author's don't do what you expect. How cool would it have been if Frodo kept the ring and managed to take over the world with Sauron's own army!

p.s. that last part is anecdotal. please, no arguments of 'that's EXACTLY what Sauron wanted him to do' and such . . .

 

[Leo]

I'm stuck at the end of Royal Assassin, not sure whether I want to read on into the third book to see how every character struggles against all the kinky odds of the universe.
Time will tell, I'll tell you then.

 

[Moggle]

I read Assassin's Apprentice a few weeks ago because everyone makes such a big deal of it and it turned out to be one of the worst books I've read in fantasy. I simply don't understand why ppl love these books. Everything from the story, the characters and the dialogue was incredibly dull and flat. Even the ending was just plain stupid. It really felt very amateurish to me.

 

[Landroval]

Moggle I think the problem is that Hobb is weak on dramatics compared to some authors. (Everything is relative of course, she is better than others.) In addition the books proceed at a pedestrian pace for large stretches and the reader has to be willing to persevere sometimes.

Against all that though is the author's ability to build an imaginative storyline, and she has a very human concern for her characters which makes you care about them, so that you want to see how they fare in the end. All in all I thought Farseer trilogy was some way above the average for the genre and I recommend people make the effort and stick with it if they can.