Kindle Daily Deals has four of Robin Hobb's novels on sale.
Usually between $9.99 - $15.00.
So far I've only read the Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders, but I'm itching to get into the Tawny Man trilogy when my reading list allows! How about you?
I read a fair bit of fantasy and got Ship of Magic but really struggled with it for some reason. I wanted to love it but it just didn't grab me and I couldn't finish it. I'm in the middle of the Wheel of Time series at the moment but might try another Hobb book once I'm done with that…
Yeah I agree re Liveship Traders. I really enjoyed it upon completion, but at times I wasn't addicted if that makes sense. I was though with Farseer Trilogy and have been told Tawny Man is really great, so I'm keen to get back into it.
How's Wheel of Time? Worth a go before the series is released?
@Lemonzc: Yeah I'm enjoying it. Obviously super long, though. I'm not a super dedicated reader so it takes me a fair amount of time to get through each book. Eddings really got me into fantasy and Wheel of Time fits well with Eddings.
@wombat81: To the both of you:
Have you read Raymond e feist books also?
If so would you recommend me give Robin Hobb a shot?
I also haven't read Terry Pratchett and David Eddings books.
Which out of the three listed authors should I start with in your opinion.
Thanks in advance :)
@Ausdave: I like both Feist and Hobb but they are very different. Feist is more plot driven, adventure, fast moving, things turn out in the end. Hobb is set in a fantasy world and lots happens plot wise, but the books are far more character driven, much slower paced (mostly), the characters are quite flawed, not always a happy ending. Feist has a simple straightforward writing style, Hobbs is more complex and descriptive/meandering (depending on how it grabs you!)
If you like Feist then there are others I would suggest before Hobb, but I would never recommend not reading Hobb. Just that you may enjoy other books first and then try Hobb later on. There are heaps of great fantasy authors, but to start off with some of the more common suggestions, if you like Feist then I recommend trying Trudi Canavan (slightly YA but not simplistic), Michael Sullivan, Brandon Sanderson, JV Jones, Elizabeth Moon or KJ Parker. Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams is also worth a look (a bit slower paced but amazing world building and definitely needs to be on your list) and of course Wheel of Time.
Eddings is fun but its pretty YA and simplistic. Its a nice light read I guess and I loved it when I was 13; but I re read it in my 20s and it doesnt really hold up…
Pratchett is different again, but also worth reading. I find that people enjoy Pratchett more after reading a lot of fantasy, because they know the tropes being satirised.
@Ausdave: I've read The Magician and thought it was ok. Eddings is my favourite but I could be biased since it was my entry into fantasy. From those you listed my order of preference would be this, but keep in mind that I've only read 1 Feist book and half a Hobb book, so I'm in no way an authority.
@Ausdave: Only at the start of 2020 I started bingeing through fantasy! So, the other two are probably best for an experienced opinion!
However, I started my fantasy reading through Farseer Trilogy and now I'm hooked on the genre, so speaking from my recent experience I would definitely suggest giving it a go!
Mind you, I have read the Riftwar Saga and really enjoyed that! I did just finish reading the Death Collection of Discworld, and although I really enjoyed the themes and ideas and would recommend reading it, it was never a serious page turner for me.
@Lemonzc: Thanks dtc, wombat81 and Lemonzc for your replies.
Looks like I have a good list to go off on now.
@Ausdave: The Robin Hobb series is what I recommend to all new people looking to get into fantasy, there are other comparable series but I feel this is one of the easier ones to pick up and read, and while it has its hiccups it doesn't suffer the decline so much as Feist does in quality as the series progresses.
It is not too violent, has no bad language, is not too wordy or complex and the story is engaging so doesn't scare people off.
I read almost exclusively fantasy with a touch of sci-fi here and there, but tend to lean towards the epic fantasy series as I love a big meaty series of books to chew through. The main problem I have it I am probably part way through more than a dozen fantasy series that is not complete. I am lucky on the other hand of being able to recall previous books read fairly well.
I believe Feist, Hobb, Jordan, Eddings and Pratchet were all authors I discovered in my early teenage years 25 years ago when I was looking for something outside of Tolkein.
I would strongly recommend giving the first Farseer Trilogy by Hobb a try - I've read a bit of fantasy and it's by far the best fantasy series ever to me.
I had never heard of Robin Hobb till last year when her Elderlings series went on sale. I decided to buy the lot and give it a go and I'm so glad that I did. I'm a fairly slow reader so I've only been reading these books since then and I just finished the Tawny man trilogy today (OP, I highly recommend it. To be fair, I highly recommend Robin Hobb in general!)
I grew very attached to Fitz after the Farseer trilogy and was glad that his story continued in this trilogy. That's not to say that the Liveship traders trilogy was not good. It's different from a story and plot perspective and based in a different part of her world which makes it fun and is definitely worth a read.
In general, I like how the story flows in her books. Like someone else has mentioned, it's great to have an author who doesn't feel the need to throw in foul language and doesn't get carried away with the intimate scenes either. All of these combined makes for an extremely enjoyable read.
I'm gonna get straight into the Rain wild chronicles next!
With the book deals it is almost always book 1 of a trilogy that goes on sale to get you in… so just realise that you will be up for the next 2 books probably with less discount.
I am really surprised that David Gemmell hasn't been mentioned… his books are always entertaining… quite often with flawed characters… probably the books I have re-read the most. Most of the books are also stand alone… so you aren't tied into a trilogy
I do find that David Eddings was good when you are younger… but after that… I agree with dtc .. it doesn't really stand up.
Raymond Feist is entertaining… and has quite a catalogue of books (definitely recommend starting with Magician/Siverthorn/Darkness at Sethanon)
If you want something light and humorous Pratchett is excellent… and in recent years a few of his books have been made into movies/TV series (which is probably also an endorsement)
If you want something Australian… Sara Douglass' Battleaxe trilogy received quite a bit of acclaim.
I did enjoy reading Robin Hobb.. but I would probably try others first.
Game of Thrones probably got a few more people interested in trying the Genre..
enjoy your journey.
![[eBook] Robin Hobb Fool's Assassin/Ship of Magic $3.99, Fool's Errand/Dragon Keeper $4.99 @ Amazon AU](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/47/654347.jpg?h=d4feabf2)
Op, are you a Robin Hobb reader?