Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laboured...but worth it., 29 Jul 2006
Shaman's Crossing was the first Robin Hobb book I had read, so I was very much a latecomer to her writing. However, it hooked me in to the extent that I read The Farseers, Liveship and Tawny Man Trilogies and found them to be far superior titles.
That said, "Forest Mage" is a huge improvement and a very good book. From the sumptous cover and positive ending to Shaman's Crossing, the novel could trick you into thinking better things are just ahead for Nevare. Wrong.
Forest Mage is a book steeped in misery. As many have stated, the after-effects of the Speck magic unleashed into Nevare in Shaman's Crossing cause him to lose control of his outward appearance and be shunned by his own people. The first four or five chapters of this book can make for incredibly uncomfortable and upsetting reading. And it only gets more miserable from there.
Piece by piece, Hobb decides to remove what Nevare holds dear. A lot of Forest Mage takes place on the Gernian frontieer, which is miles away from the lawful school setting of the first book. The glorious vision of the King's Road and imperialist expansion in the first novel gives way to the reality - a barren wasteland subject to martial law, angry mobs, starving and dead children, where the military has no faith remaining and desertion and suicide are high.
As forlorn as Nevare often is, by the end of the book you really begin to fight for him. One of the main attractions towards his character comes with the realisation that neither the prejudiced, ignorant Gernians nor the completely alien Specks (the main "civilizations") are genuinely sympathetic entities worth fighting for. Yet Nevare, in his own way, doggedly persists to uphold what he believes is right.
Overall, Forest Mage is to be considered an extremely dark fantasy novel. Still, Hobb maintains her wonderful descriptive talent and fluidity of prose throughout. Never have I seen a character been put through so much in any genre of book I've read before. Only bad things happen in Forest Mage, and there is no light at the tunnel at the end.
Bring on Renegade Magic.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PLEASE remember that this isn't Farseer!, 24 Aug 2006
reading through the reviews i was a bit disheartened to hear so many people deploring the fact that Nevarre just isnt Fitz... well, he isnt, so of course he's going to be different!
the first book in this series, i admit, left me feeling a bit disappointed. Now i have finished this book, however, i am much reassured. because of the fact that this is quite a hefty trilogy, it's only right that the fist installment should set the scene.
i was dubious about starting this one, but as soon as i sat down with it i knew that Robin Hobb had done it again! without rehashing the plot (you can just read other reviews for that) let me assure you that Forest Mage pulls out all the stops and i wish it was already july 07! i cannot wait for the final installment, not least to find out what the hell he has to do for the magic!
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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you Robin!, 10 Sep 2006
I've never really been into fantasy all that much but Robin Hobb came highly recommended so I thought "why not?". The Farseer books blew me away and since then I have read pretty much everything of hers I could get my hands on.
I've read a few reviews of her newest Soldier Son trilogy and have been disappointed by the inability people have to let go of the old and embrace the new. Yes Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool became the loves of my life whilst I was reading the books and I was quite frankly devastated when I read the final page of the last book in the series but I've kept my mind open and allowed Hobb to entice me with something different.
Shamen's Crossing is a slow mover (as was Assassin's Apprentice) but this is key to why Hobb's characters are so beautifully developed. The main character in this book is not immediately likeable but this is to show just how inhibited he is by the world his father has created for him. He does not understand what it means to love someone of his own accord, to choose a path for himself which is not predesigned. I think the reader feels alienated from him because we no longer live in a world where our decisions are made for us. I will never forget Fitz but his story is over (thankfully a happy ending) and Nevare's is only just beginning.
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