MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Royal Assassin... any good as a stand alone book?

deety · 02-13-2009, 01:43 AM

I loved Hobb's Fitz books and the Liveship series, and I also liked the books that she wrote as Megan Lindholm (at least the ones that I've managed to find).

But I was really disappointed with the Soldier Son trilogy. Some aspects of the first one were really great, especially the main character's interactions with the other students. But I wasn't too crazy about the end of the first book and the whole thing went downhill from there. The second book ripped away almost every single thing I liked about the first one, some of the characters seemed like entirely different people, and most of them became completely unlikeable. It didn't help that there were a lot of really interesting hooks from the first book that were completely abandoned.

I've read some reviews that thought the Fitz books were too bleak. But even when things were at their worst, there were always a few moments of lightness and motivation to keep him going. The reader understood Fitz's sacrifices and the reasons behind them. The second Soldier Son book seemed to have none of that sense of hope or purpose, and it took the plot in a direction that I hated. Maybe the third book ended the series on a high note, but I didn't bother finding out because I was sick of the character.

I think her next book is supposed to be out in the summer, and it's a standalone set in the Rain Wilds (from the Liveship books). Hopefully things will lighten up just a bit in that one.

02-13-2009, 01:43 AM	#28
deety book geek Posts: 51 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Kindle 2	I loved Hobb's Fitz books and the Liveship series, and I also liked the books that she wrote as Megan Lindholm (at least the ones that I've managed to find). But I was really disappointed with the Soldier Son trilogy. Some aspects of the first one were really great, especially the main character's interactions with the other students. But I wasn't too crazy about the end of the first book and the whole thing went downhill from there. The second book ripped away almost every single thing I liked about the first one, some of the characters seemed like entirely different people, and most of them became completely unlikeable. It didn't help that there were a lot of really interesting hooks from the first book that were completely abandoned. I've read some reviews that thought the Fitz books were too bleak. But even when things were at their worst, there were always a few moments of lightness and motivation to keep him going. The reader understood Fitz's sacrifices and the reasons behind them. The second Soldier Son book seemed to have none of that sense of hope or purpose, and it took the plot in a direction that I hated. Maybe the third book ended the series on a high note, but I didn't bother finding out because I was sick of the character. I think her next book is supposed to be out in the summer, and it's a standalone set in the Rain Wilds (from the Liveship books). Hopefully things will lighten up just a bit in that one.