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Fierce Vowelless One
I've just finished Forest Mage, Robin Hobb's sequel to Shaman's Crossing. For those of you that have read this already, did you enjoy it?
********SPOILERS***********
I've always enjoyed Hobb's writing but this book really irritated me because I liked the writing style, the premise and the character development but the story itself left me cold. I suppose that is why I did finally finish it but I was very dissatisfied at the ending.
I liked the fact that she explored a skinny personality's perspective on being fat but there was nothing truly good going on, it was almost like she wrote in fits and starts and each fit was just another bad thing heaped on to the rest of the bad things. There didn't seem to be any clear goal to look toward and the character made so many bad choices and seemed to no longer fit in his 'character' (pun unintended) he loses his naivete, learns all these things about his world but they never change him, he stays the same. Almost as if he's living in a dream and all of his choices are made beforehand and nothing can happen to change his mind. Perhaps I'm just naive to believe that a person's experiences change them, or at least force them to come to new conclusions and act accordingly. An example of this is his first encounter with Carsina in Getty's - she publicly denies knowing him, forces outsiders to believe he is attacking her, yet he tries again, in public. Why would he try again, in public? And the Specks - they have no compunction with killing off their enemies - when they saw their plagues and fear weren't working, why wouldn't they immediately work another angle? It just seemed like there were specific goals in the author's mind and every situation was worked around to that goal regardless of the character's true mindset and motivations. Did I just not get it?
What did you think of the book?
********SPOILERS***********
I've always enjoyed Hobb's writing but this book really irritated me because I liked the writing style, the premise and the character development but the story itself left me cold. I suppose that is why I did finally finish it but I was very dissatisfied at the ending.
I liked the fact that she explored a skinny personality's perspective on being fat but there was nothing truly good going on, it was almost like she wrote in fits and starts and each fit was just another bad thing heaped on to the rest of the bad things. There didn't seem to be any clear goal to look toward and the character made so many bad choices and seemed to no longer fit in his 'character' (pun unintended) he loses his naivete, learns all these things about his world but they never change him, he stays the same. Almost as if he's living in a dream and all of his choices are made beforehand and nothing can happen to change his mind. Perhaps I'm just naive to believe that a person's experiences change them, or at least force them to come to new conclusions and act accordingly. An example of this is his first encounter with Carsina in Getty's - she publicly denies knowing him, forces outsiders to believe he is attacking her, yet he tries again, in public. Why would he try again, in public? And the Specks - they have no compunction with killing off their enemies - when they saw their plagues and fear weren't working, why wouldn't they immediately work another angle? It just seemed like there were specific goals in the author's mind and every situation was worked around to that goal regardless of the character's true mindset and motivations. Did I just not get it?
What did you think of the book?
