Shaman's Crossing (The Soldier Son Trilogy) (Paperback)

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• This item: Shaman's Crossing (The Soldier Son Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

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• Forest Mage (The Soldier Son Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

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• Renegade's Magic (The Soldier Son Trilogy) by Robin Hobb

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Forest Mage (The Soldier Son Trilogy) by Robin Hobb 3.5 out of 5 stars (53)  £6.99

Renegade's Magic (The Soldier Son Trilogy) by Robin Hobb 3.4 out of 5 stars (29)  £7.19

Fool's Fate: Book Three of the Tawny Man (Tawny Man 3) by Robin Hobb 4.7 out of 5 stars (58)  £6.79

The Golden Fool: Book Two of the Tawny Man (Tawny Man 2) by Robin Hobb 4.4 out of 5 stars (23)  £6.39

Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man (Tawny Man 1) by Robin Hobb 4.5 out of 5 stars (50)  £6.89

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Review
'Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers! what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.' The Times Praise for The Liveship Traders series: 'Even better than the Assassin books. I didn't think that was possible' George R R Martin A truly extraordinary saga! the characterizations are consistently superb, and [Hobb] animates everything with love for and knowledge of the sea. If Patrick O'Brian were to turn to writing high fantasy, he might produce something like this.' BOOKLIST 'A wonderful book, by a writer at the height of her abilities' J V Jones

Product Description
The first book in a brand new trilogy from the author of the Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies. Young Nevare Burvelle is the second son of a second son. Traditionally in Gernia, the firstborn son is heir to the family fortunes, the second son bears a sword and the third son is consecrated to the priesthood. Nevare will follow his father -- newly made a lord by the King -- into the cavalry; to the frontier and thence to an advantageous marriage, to carry on the Burvelle name. It is a golden future, and Nevare looks forward to it with relish. For twenty years King Troven's cavalry have pushed the frontiers of Gernia out across the grasslands, subduing the fierce tribes of the plain on its way. Now they have driven the frontier as far as the Barrier Mountains, home to the enigmatic Speck people. The Specks -- a dapple-skinned, forest-dwelling folk -- retain the last vestiges of magic in a world which is becoming progressive and technologised. The 'civilised' peoples base their beliefs on a rational philosophy founded on scientific principle and a belief in the good god, who displaced the older deities of their world.To them, the Specks are primeval savages, little better than beasts. Superstitions abound; it is said that they harbour strange diseases and worship trees. Sexual congress with them is regarded as both filthy and foolhardy: the Speck plague which has ravaged the frontier has decimated entire regiments. All these beliefs will touch Nevare's training at the Academy; but his progress there is not as simple as he would wish. He will experience prejudice from the old aristocracy: as the son of a 'new noble' he is segregated into a patrol comprising other new nobles' sons, all of whom will encounter injustice, discrimination and foul play in that hostile and deeply competitive environment. In addition, his world view will be challenged by his unconventional girl-cousin Epiny; and by the bizarre dreams which visit him at night. And then, on Dark Evening, the circus comes to Old Thares, bringing with it the first Specks Nevare has ever seen!

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70 Reviews 5 star:  (17) 4 star:  (19) 3 star:  (16) 2 star:  (11) 1 star:  (7)           Average Customer Review 3.4 out of 5 stars (70 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   62 of 68 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Crossing boundaries, 6 Jul 2005 By  "creidhmeach" - See all my reviews This review is from: Shaman's Crossing (The Soldier Son Trilogy) (Hardcover) Robin Hobb is well known, in fantasy circles at least, as being a writer of fiction with a more serious bent. In her Farseer Trilogy, her theme was that of a coming of age; in her Liveship Trilogy, she addressed the issue of how people deal, or fail to deal with life's lessons. Her aim is both higher, and broader here, as she tackles boundaries and differences, between cultures, within cultures, between classes, and within classes. Like in the Farseer trilogy, she writes in the first person; her protagonist, Nevare, is the second son of a newly appointed noble who was a colonial style trooper. Nevare can be likened to her Farseer hero's shadow, being restrained where Fitz was passionate; willingly constrained by authority and tradition where Fitz was not. There are essentially three peoples in his world - the Gernian, who can almost be likened to the British colonials, the plainspeople who are an allegory for the Native Americans, and the Speck, a people more alien and wild. The way Hobb sets up the interaction between these three cultures is thought provoking in a way that typical fantasy writing is not; the theme of cross cultural segregation shapes the people in this world and significantly directs their fate. Within this context, Nevare himself wrestles with a class divide that echoes the cultural segregration. One of the most pleasing aspects about this book is how well it can be read as a stand alone novel, despite it being the first in a trilogy. The ending is satisfying, although it is a happy fact that there are another two books to come. Her hero is a sympathetic one, and her usual deft touch ensures that the reader feels some sympathy for the her antagonists as well. Above all, what I liked most about this novel was how little it resembled any of Hobb's previous novels; in this genre it is all too easy to churn out pulp fiction. Hobb does an excellent job of evoking Nevare's world; her writing is sound, if not overly lyrical. The book does flag slightly in the first few chapters in that Nevare initially seems more a cipher than a real person, but once her groundwork is set firmly in place, the story rapidly gains a page-turning tangibility, and Nevare becomes a very likeable hero indeed. The plot is not at all easy to predict: Hobb leads the reader to predict the outcome of many events in the novel, and then neatly turns events on their head with a light-fingered touch, with not a hint of contrivance. Thoroughly recommended. More please! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASY DOCTOR REVIEW, 13 Dec 2007 By  B.K.Price "Fantasy Doctor" (Liverpool,England) - See all my reviews This review is for the hole of the trilogy. I must admit that after reading the reviews here on Amazon I was worried that these books would be inferior to her earlier works. Being a fan of Hobb I did not want this to be the case. Unfortunately I found myself in agreement with many of the other people who have written reviews. This trilogy is slowly paced, I found myself missing pages just trying to find something worth reading. The writing and the characters are repetitive, the story at it's best is average the fight scense are at best c**p. For all the Hobb fans, give this trilogy a miss and wait for her next trilogy, I have heard it i to be set in Fitz's world. For those interested in reading Hobb start with Assassins Aprentice you'll be in for a hell of a ride. I hope this review was of some help to you. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   12 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars literary excellence, 15 April 2006 By  Daniel Holland "Absinthe Delusion" (Derbyshire, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Shaman's Crossing (The Soldier Son Trilogy) (Hardcover) I have been quite a fan of Robin Hobb for some time and having read all her previous work I had looked forward to the release of this new trilogy. I was of course a little disappointed at first to see a move away from the world of the farseer's, as I had enjoyed all three of the previous series' and the short stories set in this land, however the more I thought about it the more enthusiastic I was about a new world and a fresh story. After reading just a fraction of the book I could see that my enthusiasm had not been misplaced as I could hardly put the book down and although similarities between certain characters in the story can be drawn with characters in previous stories these similarities are only superficial and do not in anyway detract from the experience. The world and the characters are beautifully crafted and completely believable, as always. It is hard not to find yourself totally immersed in the story and many times whilst reading this book I wondered where the hours had gone. I do not intend on writing a detailed analysis of the plot and characters in this book as for one I don't like spoilers, so refuse to write them, and two this is a review not a book report. However I will say that this book was a delight to read, so much so that I have already pre-ordered the second book in the trilogy, and I would recommend it to fans and casual readers alike and even if they receive just a fraction of the pleasure that this book has given me it would still be well worth a read. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 70 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 1.0 out of 5 stars Downhill from previous series Having so greatly enjoyed the previous three trilogies from Hobb, I had high expectation from this book. Unfortunately, they were no where near met. Read more Published 3 months ago by C. napier 2.0 out of 5 stars DISAPPOINTMENT I HAVE LIKED ALL ROBIN HOBBS' BOOKS, BUT THIS ONE SPENDS FAR TOO MUCH TIME DRONING ON ABOUT TREES. I ONLY JUST MANAGED TO FINISH IT BY MEANS OF SOME JUDICIOUS SKIPPING, AND I... Read more Published 4 months ago by S. A. Jones 2.0 out of 5 stars oh the disappointment Let's face it - if you go for this, you are expecting to read the whole trilogy. Shaman's Crossing isn't too bad - a bit slow but interesting enough. Read more Published 6 months ago by TIM 5.0 out of 5 stars Immerse your head in the clouds... Unlike many other reviews that appear to dethrone this trilogy in comparison to the Assassin and Liveship Traders books, I view them all with reverence. Read more Published 7 months ago by Avid (eo) gamer 2.0 out of 5 stars Mildly disappointed I really enjoyed the Farseer and Tawny Man Trilogies and devoured all the books in these 2 series. So my disappointment was all the greater with the Soldier Son books. Read more Published 8 months ago by Madame Barbara 1.0 out of 5 stars I hated it. i am a great fan of Robin Hobb. I have enjoyed her work immensely and I am just re-reading the Live Ship Traders with such a delight again, after having put it away for a few... Read more Published 10 months ago by Isabella Balkert 5.0 out of 5 stars An atypical setting but an absorbing novel. This is the first volume in the Soldier Son trilogy (before Forest Mage and Renegade's Magic). Starting in Widevale, far East on the shores of the Tefa river, the... Read more Published 11 months ago by Stephanie Noverraz 3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad but not good I love the robin hobb books they are some of my favorites, however as with all the books there is a problem with them as stand alone books this was no exception. Read more Published 12 months ago by Christopher Baxter 5.0 out of 5 stars Long and Slow but Rich and Deep As the majority of the reviewers here agree, this is a slow book, typical of Hobb's style. However, unlike others, I would say it is a fine example of how Hobb is a master of... Read more Published 17 months ago by F. Franklin 2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed I read this when it was first published in the UK and was very disappointed. Having recently finished (for the third time) the Assassin's trilogy, I thought I would go back to... Read more Published 19 months ago by Shiner Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 70 customer reviews...

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