Robin Hobb

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

So, have you tried Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series??? That's by FAR my favorite, though I liked Hobb's Assassin series. Too few people have tried Bujold, I fear, though her writing is TERRIFIC!!! She needs to be discovered.

I haven't been in the sci-fi mood in a while, but I can throw it on my wishlist. Where to start? A quick google / wikipedia stop was a bit confusing.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by GreenMonkey

I haven't been in the sci-fi mood in a while, but I can throw it on my wishlist. Where to start? A quick google / wikipedia stop was a bit confusing.

http://www.dendarii.com/biblio.html

I liked "internal character chronological order", tho I got hooked via a novella in the middle of the series. Then I started at the beginning -- BUT the first two on THIS list are pre-pre-cursors. You really only need to start at "SHARDS OF HONOR".

However, I just started my 17 year old nephew on "Warriors Apprentice", where the young male lead (Miles) takes over from his mother's story. He'll need to go back and get the 2 just before that, before too long though.

[Chaiwala]

Originally Posted by GreenMonkey

I haven't been in the sci-fi mood in a while, but I can throw it on my wishlist. Where to start? A quick google / wikipedia stop was a bit confusing.

Forget her sci-fi. Try her fantasy starting with the award winning "Curse of Chalion" and then "Paladin of Souls".

[badgoodDeb]

To each his/her own, I guess! I enjoyed the "Curse of Chalion" series, but *adored* the Vorkosigan series.

I just re-read the first 15 books in the series (plus 3-4 novellas that I'm not counting), preparatory for the Feb 2016 book's arrival. Finished that too. All 16 of them, between 12/23/15 and 1/30/16. And I *was* trying to read more slowly this time, so as to catch all the little nuances!

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

I just re-read the first 15 books in the series (plus 3-4 novellas that I'm not counting), preparatory for the Feb 2016 book's arrival. Finished that too. All 16 of them, between 12/23/15 and 1/30/16. And I *was* trying to read more slowly this time, so as to catch all the little nuances!

Do you read them in publication order? I don't think I've ever gone back and re-read this series.

Almost done with the Soldier Boy series, then I can move on to Assassin's Apprentice. (Definitely only a 4/10 for me, but I have a hard time giving up on a book/series.)

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

Do you read them in publication order? I don't think I've ever gone back and re-read this series.

Almost done with the Soldier Boy series, then I can move on to Assassin's Apprentice. (Definitely only a 4/10 for me, but I have a hard time giving up on a book/series.)

No, I read them in character-chronological order. http://www.dendarii.com/biblio.html

[hildea]

I haven't tried Hobb before, but someone recommended the Liveship triology to me just before I went on holiday, so I decided to give it a try. I liked it a lot. The beginning was a bit slow, jumping between different points of view where the first ones weren't all that interesting at first. But as soon as I met the Vestrit family, I was hooked.

I really liked how she managed to build up and then gradually reveal several big and complicated backstories/secrets. I've read some books where the author hints at some mysterious backstory, only to reveal something that's silly and disappointing in the last few pages.

I want to read more from that world, so I guess the Rain Wilds are next. Has she written other books from the same world?

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by hildea

I want to want to read more from that world, so I guess the Rain Wilds are next. Has she written other books from the same world?

Yes. The Realm of The Elderlings books are all in the same world. It is comprised of four completed subseries (and a final fifth still being written):

The Farseer Trilogy
Liveship Traders Trilogy
The Tawny Man Trilogy
The Rain Wild Chronicles
The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

1, 3, and 5 feature Fitz & The Fool. 2 and 4 feature liveships/dragons. But they're all tied together by a handful of characters and overarching themes.

I, of course, recommend them all (and in order ), but yes... Rain Wild would be a natural progression for someone who began with Liveship.

[nausica]

Originally Posted by hildea

I want to read more from that world, so I guess the Rain Wilds are next. Has she written other books from the same world?

I started with Farseer trilogy and then Tawny man trilogy... have not yet come to read Liveship triology.

[hildea]

Thanks for the chronology, DiapDealer I'll start from the beginning, then. There was one character in the Liveship books who had some important backstory which wasn't explained there, and while it wasn't a big problem, it would probably have been better if I knew where she came from.

[DiapDealer]

You definitely don't have to, but if you're feeling you're missing out on some details, then you probably should.

[badgoodDeb]

Besides, the Farseer Trilogy is soooo good, that you are missing out if you don't read them! IMHO. I recently found that trilogies #3 and #5 also contain my fav characters from the first trilogy (Farseer) so I've read them too, and am anxiously awaiting the next book in series #5.