The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is a much admired and respected fantasy author. I actually read the Farseer trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest) as a teenager, but recently picked them up again. The trilogy follows many of the tropes of fantasy fiction: a faux-medieval world, royal intrigue, magic. Hobb’s world building is excellent and imaginative, so the books do bring something different to the fantasy market.

Fitzchivalry (Fitz), the illegitimate son of a prince, pledges his life to his grandfather King Shrewd. Aged only eleven, he is then apprenticed to Chade, the King’s mysterious assassin. The Six Duchies are under threat from the Outislanders, who no longer simply plunder, but strip humanity from their captives – leaving them only capable of fulfilling animal desires - then release them to wreak havoc on their neighbours. Prince Verity, Fitz’s uncle, is determined to save his Kingdom. Out of love for Verity as much as anything else, Fitz sacrifices much to help. He faces another more insidious threat in the form of his half-uncle Prince Regal, a jealous, manipulative young man who is determined to inherit the throne himself. Meanwhile the Fool takes an interest in Fitz, riddling about prophecies.

The story is narrated by Fitz as an older man. He is not the most admirable of characters; he is often sullen and selfish, but Hobb always keeps him on the right side of likable. It is only fitting behaviour, perhaps, for the teenage boy he is; the journey from boy to man is portrayed warts and all. This is one of the reasons why I think they make an excellent bridging novel for readers moving from the young adult market to the adult one.

It is the tone of these books that I found interesting; they are dark, with misfortune after misfortune befalling Fitz. They contain a reasonable amount of violence, not sweeping battle scenes or glorious vanquishing of enemies, but always as a dark and ugly truth of the world in the form of vicious beatings and secret assassinations. Fitz is just as often perpetrator as victim, and the grim necessity of it all ages him before his time. It is one of the many interesting notions Hobb explores around the pledge Fitz made as a child; his loyalty to his King and family is never in doubt, but Fitz often questions how far he can go. It may be one thing to die for your King, but to sacrifice every living moment of your life is another.

The trilogy is also a master class in plotting, Hobb has written three complete books, each with a satisfying beginning, middle, and end, which together make up a trilogy with a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. Hobb avoids the bombast of many never-ending series (George RR Martin, I’m looking at you). I did think the third book had a few wobbles; the second quarter has Fitz narrowly escape his enemies perhaps a few times too many, but then it picks up speed to weave together the various threads of the story.

Like so many fantasy series our hero is male, but I really enjoyed the female characters in these books. They span a diverse range of womanhood, from the working class to the highest echelons of society. All are strong while feminine, and face adversity without becoming ‘victims’. The books don’t seem to have a feminist agenda like the books of Ursula Le Guin do, rather Hobb seems to find it as natural to write strong, well-rounded female characters as well as male. It is refreshing as so often, not just in fantasy, this is not the case.

A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy series in my opinion. Fans of the Saga of Ice and Fire may want to check these out while waiting for the next instalment. It is the first of four series set in this fantasy world, and she also writes under another pen name as Megan Lindholm. I’ll probably read some more of her books, so watch this space.

A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin

The third instalment of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords, is the largest - so far - of the series. Originally it was published in two volumes, although it is now possible to buy it as one book as I did. Considering its size, about a thousand pages, it is not a challenging read. Martin certainly knows how to write blockbuster books that keep you gripped.

By A Storm of Swords Martin has a well established world and cast of characters. Or, at least, the characters would be well established if he didn’t kill so many off! The cast of narrators is expanded again, to include Jaime Lannister and Samwell Tarly; both are welcome additions, with Jaime in particular becoming a bit of a favourite. This happens at the expense of Theon Greyjoy, who I didn’t greatly miss. The characters are spread across a vast geographic area. Therefore there are multiple stories all happening at the same time, some of which barely intersect with the others in the book. If you like concise fiction, perhaps this isn’t the one for you. Martin began his career as a television writer and his desire to write novels grew out of frustration at the constant restrictions he found himself under. In his own words:

‘I’m going to write a story that’s just as big as I want to make it, and I’m going to have castles and battles and dragons and as many characters as I like. There will be no budget, there will be no running time. If I can describe it I can have it.’

There is a certain degree of excess in all these novels, Martin wallows in detail, huge feasts and battles, bloody fights and copious amounts of sex, although thankfully the sexual violence is toned down from A Clash of Kings (this may be partly due to the lack of Theon Greyjoy). I’m often amused at his fascination with the banners carried by the men to identify themselves; people are constantly introduced with a description of the sigil on their tunic, or shield, or whatever, even though we will never meet them again. These details, along with the clear mythology and history, are part of what makes Martin’s world building so successful, although it is his character work that really makes these novels. No one is allowed to be a clear cut good/bad guy; each have flaws, do terrible things in the name of war, and yet we see a human at the heart of each. Jaime and Tyrion Lannister are perhaps the best examples of this, nominally the bad guys and yet so likeable when events are told from their point of view.

It is impossible to discuss Martin’s novels without discussing his propensity to kill off major characters, which is difficult to do without giving massive spoilers. Suffice to say, in two major set pieces in this novel major characters die, unexpectedly, with ramifications that echo throughout the rest of the novel. It is this that helps to keep the novel feeling fresh and exciting. You’re never really sure who is safe or who, as much as you love the character, will turn out to be dispensable. This is tempered though by Martin’s fake killings: a number of characters disappear for huge tracts of the books, only to turn up with a ‘ha ha I’m not really dead’. At times this can be annoying, but there is a really good one of these moments in this one, so I’ve decided to forgive him for this tendency.

If you’re willing to get sucked into a sprawling fantasy epic then I would recommend these. I hope the series finishes well, but so far I think the books have got better as they go on. A sword swinging saga, with dragons, a little bit of heart, and just the right amount of bombast; what more could one ask of a holiday read?

Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

So much hype. So much publicity. So many, many pages. What better book to take on holiday than Game of Thrones, the first instalment of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. But did it live up to expectations? Well, I have already read the second book, and bought the third. So, yes.

This is a work of High Fantasy, set in a medieval, feudal world in which seasons last for years and the Stark family hold the northernmost lands in the kingdom. The novel begins in the ninth year of summer with King Robert’s visit to Eddard Stark, a childhood friend, who was instrumental in fighting the war that ended with Robert on the Iron Throne. Robert, tired with everything that comes with being the King except for getting what he wants, needs Eddard to be his ‘Hand’. As the King eloquently puts it - what the King eats, the Hand shits. From here the novel spins out into a much wider world full of spies and subterfuge, where death is only a sudden sword stroke away. As the Stark family motto tells us, ‘winter is coming’, and as the season changes so too does the balance of power.

The novel is told in third person (he or she) but with a shifting character focus each chapter. Martin uses this well, narrating the same events from opposing sides. Sometimes, in building up to a crucial piece of the plot, it is only after you have read two or three chapters that you can put the pieces together. The Stark family take up the majority of chapters: Eddard, his wife Catelyn and the children - both his bastard son and the ‘trueborn’. Eddard is loyal, pious and kind; the classic hero every fantasy novel needs. However Martin does not keep things one sided. We also follow an exiled princess, and a personal favourite, Tyrion Lannister, devious brother-in-law of the King. While the Lannisters are the ‘bad guys’ in this book, Tyrion is just enough of an outcast in his own family, and given such an intelligent and witty mind, that you can like him. Martin is adept at making you feel for characters who are not necessarily likable. Sansa the eldest Stark daughter is unbearably prim, but throughout the second novel I found myself reading her chapters with a sense of dread at the helpless position she is placed in.

Martin imbues the books with a sense of history. Events in the past are defining the loyalties in current politics. With so many characters and competing storylines, never mind the world building, these books are dense, but I think Martin does well to keep the narrative clear and easy to follow. But beware there is no neat ending. The fifth book has just been published and more are supposedly coming. My main concern is: Martin, don’t go all Robert Jordan on us. The books are large, but I think a fairly easy read for their size. However if they are too daunting, there is always the HBO series. Sean Bean is in it and that’s never going to hurt.