Favorite Character Poll

[ratsy]

Just wondering which Character of Hobb's is everyone's favorite?

(I left out Nighteyes because I knew everyone would pick him)

 

[Conan]

I chose fitz, everyone seems to think he is a whiny and weak character, but remember, he has good reason to be whiny, and he also writing down his thoughts, I mean we are all whiny we just never say anything out loud. He is a strong character for obvious reasons.

 

[Alexa]

I choosed, Fitz. This character kept me awake till the end of the book. I didn't find any other character so interesting since.

In my opinion, Nighteyes deserves to have a place in the poll, too. I'm sure not everyone will choose him. Well, I must admit, I would have chosen him.

 

[Beloved Fan]

I wish that you could pick two because Fitz and The Fool together are equal, but I suppose if I must choose it will be The Fool........no.....wait.....Fitz?.......err!!!.......Oh heck, now I'm in a dilemma.

 

[Talysia]

I voted for the Fool. I thought he was definitely one of the most intriguing characters I've ever read about. Althea would be next, for her strength, and whilst I like Nighteyes I'm not sure I would have voted for him, but the Fool stands out as my favourite.

 

[Quick Ben]

Can't believe you didn't put Chade in there! He'd probably be my number 1. Love the old bloke pulling the strings right from Assassin's Apprentice down to Fool's Fate.

Out of the list, probably Burrich.

 

[ratsy]

You know for some reason I didn't think of him. Chade was one of my favorite too. (Mind you I liked them all)

 

[Beloved Fan]

You know for some reason I didn't think of him. Chade was one of my favorite too. (Mind you I liked them all)

Except Regal, of course!! And his coterie, whose names escape me for the present..........and the Forged ones

 

[ratsy]

Except Regal, of course!! And his coterie, whose names escape me for the present..........and the Forged ones

I didn't like Regal...but I appreciated his character and the need for him in the story. I did like his eventual demise though. I must say that his "skill gang" were a bunch of arrogant tools. As for the forged ones, I felt pity for them...one minute they are eating dinner and the next they are clubbing their wife for a loaf of bread and a sweater. Oh, well, lets kill them all!

 

[the_faery_queen]

nighteyes
then the fool
then kettricken
also rather liked paragon, or whatever the boat was called

 

[Rothgar]

I think the Pirate King Kennett was my favorite of them all. Aside from Fitz, Kennett was by far the most complex character in the series. Each other character in the Liveships story held a different perception of him, while he held a unique view of himself, and as readers we were encouraged by Hobb to come to our own conclusions about Kennett based on his actions and his true motivations. Liveships was a fantastic story but personally I felt Kennett was one of the driving forces behind it.

 

[shadow-rat]

Good call, Rothgar: Kennit is most definitely the most complex and interesting character in lots of ways. But I'm going to have to go with the Fool from this list. I love ambiguity and mystery!!

Shadow xx

 

[Quick Ben]

You know for some reason I didn't think of him. Chade was one of my favorite too. (Mind you I liked them all)

Really? I thought most of her characters were pretty whiny and 'weak' actually. They all just dissolve into self-pity mode way too much, detailing all their many problems and how the world is working against them etc etc.

Not one has the courage to actually stand up and say "**** this" and take matters into their own hands. I've always thought maybe Fitz's role was built on a female, the way he whinges all the time and probably would've been more suited to a female.

I found most of her characters to be just spoiled kids and they started to get on my nerves at times.

Neither her story nor the characters were 'brilliant' or extraordinary in isolation. However, having said that, the combination somehow worked and it was still a good read but what I said above is what keeps Hobb from climbing into the 'elite' group of writers for me, though she is still very good.

P.S: Regal was a great character, one of the few. He really gave the ***** to everyone which was the main purpose.

 

[ratsy]

Well, I it was nice to read a book where the characters had more real characteristics. How many books have you read where the main character was almost "superhuman" and had no emotions when it came to love or death. I think that Hobb did a fantastic job, and what some people think of as whiny I think was justified. Even losing an animal he was bonded to at such a young age would have long lasting mental effects which showed through. And the loss of Molly because of his forced sense of duty.

Fitz himself almost died a number of times but that didnt stop him from caring and doing everything he could to help those he cared about. I am only one person but Hobb is one of the elite writers of the time in my opinion.

 

[nigigi]

I agree with u Rasty, i not long ago i started reading a new book which cincidered a "good one", but as i kept on reading i couldn't stop thinking how the development of the plot is so much predected and unsurprising.
I also disagree with all who clame Fitz is a "whiner", we all have a dendency to complane about everything in our thoughts, but what matters is what we do about it. This is the case with Fitz, we can hear his thoughts and whishes, but we can also see his actions, and this is what counts !!

 

[shadow-rat]

Yea, I also agree with you, Ratsy: Especially in the case of Fitz. What you see through Hobb's eyes in Fitz are his innermost thoughts and feelings. Like nigigi says, we all have worries and complaints in our minds, but what counts is what we do about them. Fitz's actions, although sometimes stupid (aren't everyone's??), show his deep inner turmoil and yet his dedication and strength to do what he knows is right.
I think Hobb makes wonderful, REAL characters.

Having said that, I really can't stand Nevare much!! I just couldn't find enough in him that I actually liked, which stopped me from reading the last of the Soldier Son books. Did I miss much???

Shadow xx

 

[Beloved Fan]

Too right, Ratsy and Nigigi; Robin's characters were the most 'real' that I've ever read and the most human. Too often the main hero is 'gung ho' and 'I'll save the world' when most of us would sooner run and hide - but Fitz and Fool show their weaknesses and yet still come through for everyone. The doubts and reluctance in Fitz' mind made him normal and not some superhuman hero that many aspire to, but hardly any achieve. Thats what makes her book unusual and so readable, the ability to actually become Fitz and feel what he feels throughout. At least, thats my take on it.

 

[Quick Ben]

Haha I've been swamped by the Hobb fans, guess I should've expected that

I'll try to explain myself as best I can.

Firstly, when I say I found Fitz and others to be whining and weak characters, I don't mean that it was his inner thoughts I was talking about. Sure, we all have worries and concerns but the thing is, he (and most other characters) did nothing at all about their situations except to just accept whatever came to them and whine about it. The notable exception being Chade, hence him being my favourite character.

No one minds a flawed character but right from the start of the book when Chivalry abdicated the throne to when Verity decides to just leave the kingdom to Fitz being too cowardly to do anything about Molly to his botched attempt at letting Kettricken escape, most of her 'good' characters do nothing but make stupid and weak decisions whilst her 'bad' characters take bold actions.

All Fitz does is just whine about how wretched and unfair his life is and not just to his inner thoughts but other characters also. I would've accepted it as kid but it goes right up to the end of Tawny Man when he is bloody 35+. We all spit the dummy once in a while about how unfair life is, but most of us do something about it or are content, Fitz just waits for his next orders or until someone forces him to do something. I'm sorry but I like my main characters to be a bit more proactive. The only time he did something of the like was when he was about to accept the kingdom from Bearns (?) duchy.

Bowing to others' wishes and actions is OK to an extent but not for six, 800+ page novels. It gets a bit annoying, like Fitz.

And don't even get me started on how stupid he is. Some parts of the plot you could see coming a mile away and at times I did really question whether Hobb thinks her readers are dumb or something that she wouldn't put the most obvious things in her main character's head until it was too big to smack him in the face.

And whilst we are on the topic of Hobb bashing, I'd just add that does anyone else think she struggles with closure? We have about 2,200 pages in the Farseer trilogy about the Red Ship raiders and how they are going to destroy everything, yet the whole 'battle' wraps up in 10 pages of the epilogue?? Wtf?? "Verity flew and destroyed them all", that's it? And dealing with Regal was as simple as going into his brain by skilling?? 2,200 pages for THAT!

Oh and in Tawny Man, the whole first book and half of book 2 is about the Piebald threat which seems near impossible to extinguish, yet in the third book we get one paragraph about how they are killed by the Old Bloods. Wtf again??

Ok, I think that's enough Hobb bashing for now before I get lynched . Like I said, she did manage to write good books which kept me engaged and I liked them but these are some of the major flaws in her writing which, to me at least, stop her from climbing into the elite category.

 

[Beloved Fan]

Beats me why you bothered to finish it if it annoyed you so much, Ben. IMO the series ended well. The farseer trilogy was more about Fitz trying to belong in a lonely world where he was forced to live, and was making the best of it with little or no help. It didn't warrant big battles at the end, it was about him and his duty and loyalty to a family which never truly gave him the recognition he deserved.

The trilogy was an account of his life up to that point, so if you wanted big battles and such, this really wasn't the read for you, was it? Try George RR Martin instead, his books are all go and although different both authors have my full approval

 

[Quick Ben]

Now come on there is no need to blow this out of proportion mate. I just said that I did like the books but that there were some things that stopped the Hobb books from climbing into the top bracket and I mentioned those.

They didn't stick out like a sore thumb or anything, nor did they ruin the whole series for me but were just noticeable enough - and annoying to me - to stop Hobb from being up there with the best that I have read, unlike most people on here. That's all, I am not saying she is a poor writer or anything, I'm just saying she's not the top top because I am still a fan of her.

As for GRRM, I am just waiting for him to finish the bloody series or get close to it. I don't want to be another one of his fan agonising for over 5 years waiting for the next in the series. So far I am holding up but I might give into temptation after all the praise he gets and how fast I can go through my to-be-read pile