The Farseer Trilogy / The Tawny Man Trilogy

[Tyrael]

Who here's read them? I just finished Fool's Fate, the final book last night. FITZCHIVALRY IS THE COOLEST GUY EVER! EEEEE! :smallbiggrin: Nighteyes is also totally awesome. He's like the best example I can think of for a truly bonded Animal Companion.

The Fool, of course, is freaking epic. :smallbiggrin:

Who's with me!?

[Emperor Ing]

Im unfamiliar with this series. Explain plz?

[Tyrael]

The (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X) Farseer (http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Assassin-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553573411/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b) Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553565699/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c) and The (http://www.amazon.com/Fools-Errand-Tawny-Man-Book/dp/0553582445/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246313400&sr=1-1) Tawny Man (http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Fool-Tawny-Man-Book/dp/0553582453/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246313400&sr=1-3) Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/Fools-Fate-Tawny-Man-Book/dp/0553582461/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246313400&sr=1-2) are a series of fantasy novels set within the realm of Buckkeep and the Six Duchies, featuring a young boy, an illegitimate son of the king-in-waiting Prince. The royal bastard (in the literal sense of the word) is brought to the castle and trained as a stable-hand and assassin for the crown while exploring a mystical magic that has been in the royal bloodline for generations.

[Mx.Silver]

I liked the Farseer Trilogy a lot. I never finished the Tawny Man though, as after the second book I just lost interest. This was mainly due to the fact that it seemed to me that Fitz had somehow failed to clear-up any of his angst-points in the intervening fifteen years, so it was essentially listening to him whine about the same things he'd been whining about for the last trilogy. Neither has he become any wiser, due to his abilities to miss glaringly obvious plot-points even if he's beaten over the head with them and his unending tendancy to make silly assumptions and incredibly stupid descisions.
It's not a bad series or anything just too much 'more of the same' and not enough innovation.

[Tyrael]

Yeah, Fitz is a little bit dense at times, but by the end of Tawny Man, he gets every single angst-point cleared up, all the sub-plots resolved, and has a Big Happy Ending. So it's not all bad.

[Pronounceable]

I haven't read a more mind bogglingly dislikable fantasy book than 2nd book of Farseer (well there was one with a gay mage as lead but I refuse to acknowledge it). Unlikable main characters, a villain without an atom of awesome, general angstiness, crapful ending... Only reason I know what happens at the end of trilogy is because the publishers have seen fit to write the summary of last book on its back cover.

[hamishspence]

Are you talking about Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy? If so, what was so objectionable about it?

[Yarram]

I found the whole series pretty tradgic. It was entertaining sure, but the amount of grief that you have to swim through doesn't make reading it again worth it. Especially since the tawny mans first book, spends half of it without achieving anything.

[Lord of the Helms]

I haven't read a more mind bogglingly dislikable fantasy book than 2nd book of Farseer (well there was one with a gay mage as lead but I refuse to acknowledge it). Unlikable main characters, a villain without an atom of awesome, general angstiness, crapful ending... Only reason I know what happens at the end of trilogy is because the publishers have seen fit to write the summary of last book on its back cover.

The biggest problem I had, after reading the first book, was that my brother warned me the villain would be the same one, which made it insta-fail before I even tried it, because that guy has got to be the worst, lamest, dumbest, most-poorly-planning-and-least-sense-making, black-and-white, and did I mention dumbest villain of all time. Which is a bit sad since the first book showed some measure of promise as far as characters went.

[Shadowdweller]

I detest Robin Hobb. She hits you over the head with glaring character flaws in her protagonists, then forces you to watch for hundreds upon hundreds of pages as said protagonists remain utterly oblivious to said flaws, causing themselves much suffering in the process.

[endoperez]

I detest Robin Hobb. She hits you over the head with glaring character flaws in her protagonists, then forces you to watch for hundreds upon hundreds of pages as said protagonists remain utterly oblivious to said flaws, causing themselves much suffering in the process.

When I read the Farseer trilogy as a "young adult", I thought the books were good. When I tried the first book of the Tawny Man, I couldn't find any reason I'd like to keep reading. When I tried another or Robin Hobb's books (first Liveship Trader book), the experience was exactly what Shadowdweller explains above.

[oryx]

I like 'em! I know a lot of people around here don't. I also really liked the Soldier Son trilogy which seemed to be massively unpopular even with Robin Hobb fans. I'm pretty excited to see she has a new book book out, even if it's back in the Fitz/Fool world.

Also Fitz is totally annoying :smalltongue:

Did you, oh OP, also know that she has written other books under the name Megan Lindholm? You might enjoy some of those as well.

edit: I also like the Last Herald Mage, Mercedes Lackey is totally cheesy over-the-top fantasy but I love it.


Yeah, Fitz is a little bit dense at times, but by the end of Tawny Man, he gets every single angst-point cleared up, all the sub-plots resolved, and has a Big Happy Ending. So it's not all bad.

This was actually the one bit that I didn't like (and also didn't like about Soldier Son), the "super duper happy ending despite all odds", they both felt really forced and (for me, anyway) ruined the huge epic!angst of the books.

[Kaiser Omnik]

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't mind much the villain's stupidity. Some people are like that, you know? He's not disney villain or anything. Anyway, the Red Ship Raiders were a good enough threat.

How people can hate Robin Hobb because she makes extra flawed characters is beyond me.

[Mx.Silver]

I like 'em! I know a lot of people around here don't. I also really liked the Soldier Son trilogy which seemed to be massively unpopular even with Robin Hobb fans.
Because it's awful. Terribly setting, terrible characters, a plot that goes nowhere names and dialogue that really shouldn't eve be seen. I never got past the first book.


Did you, oh OP, also know that she has written other books under the name Megan Lindholm? You might enjoy some of those as well.
The Ki and Vandian quartet is a pretty decent fantasy series really. Better than some of her later work.

[Weirdlet]

I thought there were some nifty premises in the Assassin- and Fool- books, although the unending angst did get to be enough to choke on. The villains too often get to win through sheer meanness, not even necessarily great talent- it's not as big of a crapsack world as Song of Ice and Fire, but those little shiny bits of hope do kind of feel out of place and cheapen the tragedy of what everyone goes through. The happy endings are all won for other people, mostly because the big bads and the main protagonists have all neutralized each other and spent themselves utterly doing it.

I did make a neat dog-themed sorcerer-type loosely based on Fitz, though. Game never panned out, but he was a cool character.

[oryx]

Because it's awful. Terribly setting, terrible characters, a plot that goes nowhere names and dialogue that really shouldn't eve be seen. I never got past the first book.

I disagree! But that's cool, different opinions etc. Again, the ending of Soldier Son felt a bit forced, and I really struggled with the first book until about halfway through & then I was hooked.

I reeeally like Alien Earth (one of her Megan Lindholm books).

[Cheesegear]

I vastly preferred the Liveship Traders. Which actually ties-in (sort of...) with the Tawny Man set. Farseer was good, and, like others, I just found Tawny Man to be more of the same.

Needs more Burrich.

[oryx]

I sort of feel sorry for Robin Hobb, she writes something other than Fitz/Fool and everyone goes oh no, this sucks, do more of that, so she writes another Fitz/Fool trilogy, and everyone goes oh no, this sucks.