Book(s) Review: Robin Hobb Assassin Series
May. 3rd, 2010 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gracedpalmerIt's been ages since I did one of these. Basically, I got behind, and felt like I couldn't review any until I'd cleared the backlog, which just kept on growing. So, today I'm saying "screw the backlog" and also ignoring the general rule that these need to be "new" authors. Robin Hobb is new to me, though the books themselves have been around since the mid 90s. I read part of one once at the library on break, but never managed to finish the series.
What It's All About
Title: Assassin's Apprentice/Royal Assassin/Assassin's Quest
Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: High fantasy
One Two sentence summary: FitzChivalry is a royal bastard (literally) whose life sucks for an assortment of reasons, some of them his fault. He spends a lot of time trying to figure life out, while political intrigue, murder, and important quests are going on in his general vicinity.
Structural Concerns
Plot: Is it full of holes? I can safely say that I have not read this particular story before, and that I mostly didn't figure out the plot in advance. The bits that I did know in advance, several of the characters did, too - it's just that the main character is clueless. This story is deeply, deeply unfair to almost everyone I liked - rather like an Elizabeth Bear novel, actually. (The other big resemblance to EBear is the number of characters who are tired of living and looking for a good excuse for a Heroic Last Stand.) At the end, I can say "yeah, that's probably about right," but I still want it to be fair, whinge, whinge, etc. These types of books tend to leave me a little discontent, but less so than the ones that wrap up so tidily that they destroy my suspension of disbelief. I do feel a bit like the second and third books weren't fully plotted out when the first one was written, since it can pretty much stand on its own, and has a slightly different tone. This is not uncommon with Fantasy Trilogies, as they are the common unit of specfic book currency. Solo novels often get expanded.
Worldbuilding: The worldbuilding here is pretty good. It's not anything super new - this is definitely a high fantasy, English monarchy-derived, pseudo-medieval setting. However, it rings a bit truer than many I've read - the little details are fairly good. There's a bit of random female equality that strikes me funny, since it's neither universal (this world seems to have strong gender roles) nor really explained. Not sure what's up with that. But that's relatively minor, and not bad enough to throw me off. I'd like to know more about places that aren't the Six Duchies, but it's fair that we don't go roaming. In fact, I actually rather like fantasy that doesn't involve multiple easy continent crossings (I am looking at you, Wheel of Time.)
Characters: This series' biggest flaw, IMO, is probably the main character. Specifically, he's following the trope of the self-centered, not quite grown up man coming of age that happens in a lot of fantasy novels (he and the guy from Dragons of Babel could drink together and get in a stupid fight). I can put up with this, as long as there's some kind of learning curve, and the world doesn't trip over itself in order to make the crap he does ok. This series does pretty good at avoiding those, but the dumbass isn't really much better at the end. His life sucks, lots, and lots of horrible things happen to him. They also happen to just about everyone else, and those people largely get on with their life. Fitz fails to do this.
This, like the hideous unfairness, happens in the real world. People fail to learn and grow and become less self-sabotaging people. But I don't really want to spend three seven hundred page books in those people's heads if I don't get a better person out of it at the end. So, while I enjoyed nearly all the characters in the series (the main antagonist is a little flat), I am a bit put out that I spent three books wanting to slap a first person viewpoint character, and that by the end, I still want to slap him.
Writing quality and style: Fairly standard for a fantasy novel - relatively transparent prose, few strong style identifiers. I do like that characters have their own distinct voices, and that I can usually tell one person's dialog from another's with no dialog tags. I also like that speech patterns change a bit depending on whether the person is tired, formal, etc, and that the author keeps track of forms of address. Extra points for there being different naming conventions between upper and lower classes.
Ze Issues
Racial/Diversity: Isn't much - this is a pretty small geographical area. Points for the fact that the people from the viewpoint character's home actually seem to be Mediterranean (bushy dark hair, beards, medium brown skin). There is melanin variation between regions, also a nice thing.
Gender Issues: Nearly every female character I can think of has significant agency and has a life outside of the main male characters. Even if Fitz doesn't seem to think so. A bunch of them bully him into all sorts of things, but are not presented as harridans. Pretty solid here, though not really taking any risks. These are people first, men and women second. I am so happy we never get to find out what sex the Fool is, cause that would totally have spoiled that bit.
GBLT + Poly: Doesn't really come up, but I do believe that gay people and nonconventional relationship structures can conceivably exist in this world. There's a good chance they don't come up because of the narrow viewpoint focus - I don't know if Fitz can conceive of gay people, even though he may be good friends with one (depending on sex and gender of the Fool, which we don't know.)
Bechdel Test?: Yes, though it's largely about politics, which are largely about men, and most of the women talking together is offscreen. Because Fitz is the center of his own world, so he's usually not listening. A first person male viewpoint makes it harder for a book to pass this.
Sex: Handled pretty well, in the standard "fade to black before anything happens onscreen" mode. The side effects of sex are done pretty well, including the fact that birth control doesn't work 100% reliably. No actual sexual activity onscreen beyond the occasional kiss, IIRC.
Let Me Explain - No, There Is Too Much - Let Me Sum Up
Overall Impression: I actually really enjoyed these, right up until Disappointing Ending happened. It's not even a bad ending, just one that left me feeling a bit unfulfilled, and like slapping the protagonist a lot.
Regret Buying: These books cost me 89 cents apiece at the Goodwill. It's really hard to regret that, even if I decided to resell. They're current ensconced on my bookshelf in the right spot in the alphabet, while I decide the odds that I will reread them. There's a whole lot of book there, and that's very nice if I'm feeling as escapist as I was this weekend. But the lack of satisfaction at the end might be an issue.
Would Buy A Sequel? Well, I'm out of sequels, as far as I know, but I'd definitely read more stuff set in this world. I'd even read more things about this character, because that means he finally got off his ass after the end of the book. I am up in the air on reading the other series I am aware of from this author, but am willing to think about it.
Would Recommend? Barring the caveat about disappointment, yes. They were quite good, and are one of the better sets of fantasy brick-books I've read. I'd say I ought to have read them during my ravenous teen novel-devouring years, but I was even less okay with unfair back then.
What It's All About
Title: Assassin's Apprentice/Royal Assassin/Assassin's Quest
Author: Robin Hobb
Genre: High fantasy
Structural Concerns
Plot: Is it full of holes? I can safely say that I have not read this particular story before, and that I mostly didn't figure out the plot in advance. The bits that I did know in advance, several of the characters did, too - it's just that the main character is clueless. This story is deeply, deeply unfair to almost everyone I liked - rather like an Elizabeth Bear novel, actually. (The other big resemblance to EBear is the number of characters who are tired of living and looking for a good excuse for a Heroic Last Stand.) At the end, I can say "yeah, that's probably about right," but I still want it to be fair, whinge, whinge, etc. These types of books tend to leave me a little discontent, but less so than the ones that wrap up so tidily that they destroy my suspension of disbelief. I do feel a bit like the second and third books weren't fully plotted out when the first one was written, since it can pretty much stand on its own, and has a slightly different tone. This is not uncommon with Fantasy Trilogies, as they are the common unit of specfic book currency. Solo novels often get expanded.
Worldbuilding: The worldbuilding here is pretty good. It's not anything super new - this is definitely a high fantasy, English monarchy-derived, pseudo-medieval setting. However, it rings a bit truer than many I've read - the little details are fairly good. There's a bit of random female equality that strikes me funny, since it's neither universal (this world seems to have strong gender roles) nor really explained. Not sure what's up with that. But that's relatively minor, and not bad enough to throw me off. I'd like to know more about places that aren't the Six Duchies, but it's fair that we don't go roaming. In fact, I actually rather like fantasy that doesn't involve multiple easy continent crossings (I am looking at you, Wheel of Time.)
Characters: This series' biggest flaw, IMO, is probably the main character. Specifically, he's following the trope of the self-centered, not quite grown up man coming of age that happens in a lot of fantasy novels (he and the guy from Dragons of Babel could drink together and get in a stupid fight). I can put up with this, as long as there's some kind of learning curve, and the world doesn't trip over itself in order to make the crap he does ok. This series does pretty good at avoiding those, but the dumbass isn't really much better at the end. His life sucks, lots, and lots of horrible things happen to him. They also happen to just about everyone else, and those people largely get on with their life. Fitz fails to do this.
This, like the hideous unfairness, happens in the real world. People fail to learn and grow and become less self-sabotaging people. But I don't really want to spend three seven hundred page books in those people's heads if I don't get a better person out of it at the end. So, while I enjoyed nearly all the characters in the series (the main antagonist is a little flat), I am a bit put out that I spent three books wanting to slap a first person viewpoint character, and that by the end, I still want to slap him.
Writing quality and style: Fairly standard for a fantasy novel - relatively transparent prose, few strong style identifiers. I do like that characters have their own distinct voices, and that I can usually tell one person's dialog from another's with no dialog tags. I also like that speech patterns change a bit depending on whether the person is tired, formal, etc, and that the author keeps track of forms of address. Extra points for there being different naming conventions between upper and lower classes.
Ze Issues
Racial/Diversity: Isn't much - this is a pretty small geographical area. Points for the fact that the people from the viewpoint character's home actually seem to be Mediterranean (bushy dark hair, beards, medium brown skin). There is melanin variation between regions, also a nice thing.
Gender Issues: Nearly every female character I can think of has significant agency and has a life outside of the main male characters. Even if Fitz doesn't seem to think so. A bunch of them bully him into all sorts of things, but are not presented as harridans. Pretty solid here, though not really taking any risks. These are people first, men and women second. I am so happy we never get to find out what sex the Fool is, cause that would totally have spoiled that bit.
GBLT + Poly: Doesn't really come up, but I do believe that gay people and nonconventional relationship structures can conceivably exist in this world. There's a good chance they don't come up because of the narrow viewpoint focus - I don't know if Fitz can conceive of gay people, even though he may be good friends with one (depending on sex and gender of the Fool, which we don't know.)
Bechdel Test?: Yes, though it's largely about politics, which are largely about men, and most of the women talking together is offscreen. Because Fitz is the center of his own world, so he's usually not listening. A first person male viewpoint makes it harder for a book to pass this.
Sex: Handled pretty well, in the standard "fade to black before anything happens onscreen" mode. The side effects of sex are done pretty well, including the fact that birth control doesn't work 100% reliably. No actual sexual activity onscreen beyond the occasional kiss, IIRC.
Let Me Explain - No, There Is Too Much - Let Me Sum Up
Overall Impression: I actually really enjoyed these, right up until Disappointing Ending happened. It's not even a bad ending, just one that left me feeling a bit unfulfilled, and like slapping the protagonist a lot.
Regret Buying: These books cost me 89 cents apiece at the Goodwill. It's really hard to regret that, even if I decided to resell. They're current ensconced on my bookshelf in the right spot in the alphabet, while I decide the odds that I will reread them. There's a whole lot of book there, and that's very nice if I'm feeling as escapist as I was this weekend. But the lack of satisfaction at the end might be an issue.
Would Buy A Sequel? Well, I'm out of sequels, as far as I know, but I'd definitely read more stuff set in this world. I'd even read more things about this character, because that means he finally got off his ass after the end of the book. I am up in the air on reading the other series I am aware of from this author, but am willing to think about it.
Would Recommend? Barring the caveat about disappointment, yes. They were quite good, and are one of the better sets of fantasy brick-books I've read. I'd say I ought to have read them during my ravenous teen novel-devouring years, but I was even less okay with unfair back then.