# Robin Hobb



## Pawn (Oct 3, 2004)

I know for a fact that some of you know who this person is. One of the most talented fantasy writers ever born, in this authors 'humble' opinion. Having read all her books, seeing no sign of more and lacking the effort to read her previous works under the aka 'Megan Lindholm', I find myself at a loss for quality fantasy reading. Any knowledgeable folks got any suggestions for decent fantasy authors? I loath Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks and David Eddings. As far as I'm concerned, they can't write for shit, which is a pretty big setback for an author. I recently bought some book or another by 'George R. R. Martin', which I've not read yet. Anyone read anything of his? Or Raymond E. Feist? I'm at a loss.


----------



## Allusearna (Oct 4, 2004)

she is currently working on a new series, you know.  Amazon.com has a synopsis and word count for the first book. Hobb finds that funny, as she doesn't even know how long the book will be, and shy says the synopsis is... well, it's like saying Lord of the Rings is about the horses gathering at Rivendale.
So, there is more comming


----------



## Pawn (Oct 4, 2004)

Cool.


----------



## Aevin (Oct 4, 2004)

I'd suggest something by Stephen R. Donaldson, if you haven't read his work yet.  "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" is good stuff, in my opinion.  He definitely CAN write, he makes some real efforts to include a rich history for the countries he makes up, and also has some pretty bold and unique plot tricks.  Give his works a try, if you're especially bored--the first in the series is "Lord Foul's Bane."


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 4, 2004)

Pawn said:
			
		

> I know for a fact that some of you know who this person is. One of the most talented fantasy writers ever born, in this authors 'humble' opinion. Having read all her books, seeing no sign of more and lacking the effort to read her previous works under the aka 'Megan Lindholm', I find myself at a loss for quality fantasy reading. Any knowledgeable folks got any suggestions for decent fantasy authors? I loath Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks and David Eddings. As far as I'm concerned, they can't write for shit, which is a pretty big setback for an author. I recently bought some book or another by 'George R. R. Martin', which I've not read yet. Anyone read anything of his? Or Raymond E. Feist? I'm at a loss.



Why does it take so much effort to read Meghan Lindholm? I read "The Gypsy" (a collaboration with Steven Brust) and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's a modern fantasy setting . . . very new and interesting. 

George RR Martin is pretty good. A lot of people who like Robin Hobb also like George RR Martin, so that might be a good bet for you. (Okay, everyone, is it just me, or are there suspicious similarities between Hobb and Martin's work? There are strikingly similar characters that develop similarly in the stories, plus small details such as certain names, customs, cultures, etc. that are similar . . . whatever.)

Raymond E. Feist? Don't read. Bleh. A bad writer.

I recommend Lynn Flewelling. She's a fairly good writer and I like her characters. Start with Stalking Darkness.


----------



## A_MacLaren (Oct 5, 2004)

I recommend Steven Erikson. He's better than Hobb (trust me on this).


----------



## asdar (Oct 5, 2004)

What similarities do you see between Martin and Hobb?

They're both fantasy, both set in a time setting roughly parallel to the middle ages and based loosely on England, although Martin has different lands and countries.

This is just my own opinion but I think Martin is head and shoulders above Hobb except that he takes so dang long to write a book.


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 5, 2004)

Sansa = Malta. Joffrey = The Satrap. The Red Woman = The Fool. 

In both stories, there are bastards with wolves. Slaves are marked by tattoos on their faces. There is a Fool (though the two are very different). Humans and dragons affect each other (Daenerys [sp?] and some of the Bingtown Traders). 

There's more, but I can't remember. It's been at least a year since I read George RR Martin.

I don't know. I was reading the two series at once, so that could be why I found all these little parallels. It could just be a coincidence, but I don't think so. I think George RR Martin borrowed a lot of things from Hobb's work. Don't get me wrong -- I don't think this is a bad thing. Everyone does it. I do it all the time. 

But that is my theory.

Anyways, you think Martin is better than Hobb? I think the opposite. Of course, I've only read two of Martin's books, and I've read all nine of Hobb's, so I guess I'm not a good judge. Probably I've just gotten attached to Hobb's world and characters. Nine books is a real journey! 

But honestly, I think Robin Hobb is a better writer. For a moment, ignore the characters, plot, story, whatever, and just look at the _writing_. In my opinion, Hobb's is much more smooth and polished.


----------



## asdar (Oct 6, 2004)

I'm not argumentative but I'm a huge Martin fan so I have to stand up for my guy. No offense intended and I appreciate that you're just standing up for your favorite too.

The red woman is barely a part of the story, Sansa's journey is long and detailed but is hardly over and doesn't relate to Malta over much in my opinion and Joffrey isn't even roughly parallel to The Satrap in any way I've seen except that they're both kind of evil.

On top of that it'd be hard for Martin to copy something that hadn't yet been written when he began writing A Game of Thrones. Both are very big novels if some rough parallels didn't exist I'd be shocked just as someone in China will have some parallels with someone in the U.S. even though they have drastically different lives.

As for the writing I'm not sure what you mean by writing skills. There's a fan site for GRRM that analyzes everything from every character to his use of language and I have yet to see anything that makes me question his skill as a writer.

His use of language I would call masterful and his character development dwarfs any other author I've read.


----------



## Pawn (Oct 6, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Aevin. And the second chronicles too, for that matter (not as good, imo). Great books. I'm considering reading his 'Gap' series.

I'm looking forward to starting on 'A Game of Thrones', which I'll do come bed time this evening.  :wink: 

Steven Erikson? Lynn Flewelling? Who?

I haven't found my way into Hobb's previous work under the pseudonym as, from the reviews I've read, it's essentially Hobb as a less good writer. As such a revered author of mine, I wouldn't want to start finding holes in her less proficient works.

Thanks again.


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 6, 2004)

asdar said:
			
		

> I'm not argumentative but I'm a huge Martin fan so I have to stand up for my guy. No offense intended and I appreciate that you're just standing up for your favorite too.
> 
> The red woman is barely a part of the story, Sansa's journey is long and detailed but is hardly over and doesn't relate to Malta over much in my opinion and Joffrey isn't even roughly parallel to The Satrap in any way I've seen except that they're both kind of evil.
> 
> ...



I know the Red Woman is barely part of the story, but the character type is very similar to the Fool. I don't quite remember, but don't both of them come from some rare "race"? Like, the Red Woman is a red person, like the Fool was white? And both are prophets. 

Both Sansa and Malta start out as spoiled, bratty adolescents but end up maturing later on. Both Joffrey and the Satrap are admired by the two rebellious adolescents, but their true selves are later uncovered by the girls. 

Okay, so you're right -- it would be surprising if I couldn't find parallels. Like I said, I was reading these two at the same time, so things just popped out at me.

Anyways, I've only read the first two books of George RR Martin, so I don't really have a complete view of them. 

As for the writing, I wouldn't be able to give you any examples because it's been so long. All I can remember was that as I read, the editor in me would be rearranging words and it would distract me a bit from the story. This rarely happened in Robin Hobb's books.

*shrugs* I'd rather not argue. Both authors are superb, I just happen to prefer Robin Hobb. 

Whatever. If you want an example of good writing, try Elizabeth Haydon. Her descriptions are wonderful. They flow so smoothly (none of those extra, awkward adjectives) and she uses some very creative metaphors. Then again, her characters are awful.


----------



## Talia_Brie (Oct 6, 2004)

A_MacLaren said:
			
		

> I recommend Steven Erikson. He's better than Hobb (trust me on this).



I'd second that, but if you don't like Robert Jordan, you might struggle with Erikson. He's a more gifted writer, but his stories are reasonably complex. It adds to re-readability, (?) but it can be a problem nonetheless. Also, I'm pretty confident you can't get his books in the US, so you might have to try Amazon.uk.

The best fantasy series I've ever read is actually the Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.

John Marco is good, as is Kate Elliott. David Gemmell is also good, and well paced, but he's put a lot on the table, and it's a little difficult to know where to pick it up. Look at his website for advice.

I liked early Terry Goodkind, but he's becoming more and more preachy with every book.

Everyone has their favourites, these are mine.


----------



## asdar (Oct 7, 2004)

I like the Dark Tower too. 

I'd read the first book but never picked up any others. It seemed like there was a long gap between books but I'm reading them all now.

I like Eddie the prisoner.

Asdar


----------



## Talia_Brie (Oct 7, 2004)

asdar said:
			
		

> I like the Dark Tower too.
> 
> I'd read the first book but never picked up any others. It seemed like there was a long gap between books but I'm reading them all now.
> 
> ...



You find out all about the gaps when you get to Song of Susannah (Book 6). King has also now released a revised edition of Book 1 (The Gunslinger), which I'm going to be getting shortly.


----------



## A_MacLaren (Oct 8, 2004)

The first two books of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series are available in America (according to www.malazanempire.com), albeit with the worst, and I repeat, worst cover art for any book ever in creation.
EVER. You are better off ordering them on the net just for the better cover.


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 10, 2004)

I just picked up book one. I'll let you know when I finish it. Better than Hobb? I'm excited.


----------



## Shadeslayer (Oct 10, 2004)

Robert Jordan (to me, personally) is an excellent writer, even better than J.R.R.Tolkien himself. He writes like Tolkien, but his style is more discriptive, complex and very interesting. 

My favorite absolute books from him are:

The Wheel Of Time series (10 books in all!)

Highly recommended above all authors!


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 10, 2004)

Hmm, I've yet to read Robert Jordan, but I heard that only the first books in the series are good, and the rest it seems like he got lazy.


----------



## Shadeslayer (Oct 10, 2004)

If you want a good Raymond E.Fiest book, you should read the the Riftwar Saga. I feel that book is incredibly fabulous, and plotline seems to drift a lot. Yet the only thing that annoys about the Riftwar Saga, is the romance between Pug and Carline. One minute he likes her, next you find dawdling off with some other girl. But overall, the Riftwar Saga is a pretty good read.


----------



## A_MacLaren (Oct 11, 2004)

There's no such thing as a good Ramond E Feist book.


----------



## Talia_Brie (Oct 11, 2004)

A_MacLaren said:
			
		

> There's no such thing as a good Ramond E Feist book.



I knew you were going to say that. :lol:


----------



## Emma LB (Oct 18, 2004)

Shadeslayer said:
			
		

> Robert Jordan (to me, personally) is an excellent writer, even better than J.R.R.Tolkien himself. He writes like Tolkien, but his style is more discriptive, complex and very interesting.



Hmm... that's the one thing I love about Tolkien - his style. I rather hate the 'descriptive, complex and very interesting style'.  :wink:  Robin Hobb's style isn't quite that bad in my opinion, But sometimes I just feel she's bit to descriptive. I mean it's nice to know everything about all those characters, but sometimes, when I don't have much time, i wish she wrote shorter books, leaving me to imagine the details if you know what I mean. She writes many things that the reader could have imagined himself, where her descriptions were superfluous. Nevertheless, I still enjoy her books, because it's not the language itself with is descriptive and flowery, it's just that she describes things in detail. There is a difference...  :wink:  

Argh, I'm still waiting for that one last book of her's to come out here. I want it now!  :x 

I haven't read the tower series by King, maybe I should. My friend has nearly every Stephen King book, she must have those too...


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 26, 2004)

A_MacLaren said:
			
		

> I recommend Steven Erikson. He's better than Hobb (trust me on this).


I just picked up the first book from the library. So far it's very good. I'll admit I was a little skeptical when I saw the coverart   , but it's actually very high quality. Thanks so much for the recommendation. I'll get back to you with a review when I finish.


----------



## Talia_Brie (Oct 26, 2004)

Creative_Insanity said:
			
		

> A_MacLaren said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You will not be disappointed. Erikson is brilliant.


----------



## Pawn (Oct 27, 2004)

Just wanted to say that I took some of your splendid advice and am currently thoroughly enjoying the second book in R.R Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. After finishing the first, buying the second was definitely not a matter of choice.


----------



## Rob (Oct 27, 2004)

The difficulty with taking advice from others about what books to read is that we all have different tastes. I could recommend to you a book I'd read and enjoyed, and you might think it's crap. Your best bet is to go down your local book store and spend some time looking through the fantasy section, get a feel for the books you're thumbing through, and see what appeals to you.

Someone mentioned Stephen Donaldson's Gap series backthread. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the Thomas Covenant books some time ago, all of them (and have just bought the new one, The Runes of the Earth, the first book in The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant). I also read all of the Gap series, which I enjoyed greatly too, but they're a totally different kettle of fish to the Covenant books; they're more space opera than fantasy, for those who believe in such distinctions. Actually, I didn't think the first Gap book was that great, but I'm glad I kept going. By the time I was halfway through the second book I knew I'd made the right decision.

I read Donaldson's collection of short stories, Reave The Just and other tales, and thought they were very good (and have a copy of his other collection of short stories, Daughters of Regals and other tales ready for when I have the time.)

But as I said, we all have different tastes.

Cheers,
Omni


----------



## A_MacLaren (Oct 27, 2004)

The thing about Erikson, as I see it, is that he's writing brilliant books that are just about normal people in war. That's all it is. The Chain of Dogs (it's in the second book) is a truly harrowing and horrifying account of religious war and fanatisism.
But he's also writing fantastic high-drama; gods-and-magic style stuff that he manages to make seem real. He'll never take the easy way out, either.


----------



## Pawn (Oct 27, 2004)

Twas I who mentioned the Gap series. I'm building myself up for it. Maybe after this Erikson chap. Not that I'm done with Martin yet. So few years, so many books.


----------



## Creative_Insanity (Oct 27, 2004)

A_MacLaren said:
			
		

> The thing about Erikson, as I see it, is that he's writing brilliant books that are just about normal people in war. That's all it is. The Chain of Dogs (it's in the second book) is a truly harrowing and horrifying account of religious war and fanatisism.
> But he's also writing fantastic high-drama; gods-and-magic style stuff that he manages to make seem real. He'll never take the easy way out, either.


Sounds like an author I could really get into.


----------

