Elderlings

I just finished reading the sixteenth book in Robin Hobb’s The Realm of the Elderlings, and it is a truly astounding series. Full of heartache, tragedy, larger-than-life characters, and exceptional prose. One of the reasons why long fantasy series appeal to me, like The Wheel of Time or Discworld, is because not only do the characters grow as the story progresses, so does the world. Political upheavals, magical discoveries, or technological advancements reshape the world over time, and it is always so fascinating to watch that happen over the course of thousands of pages.

Some mild spoilers in this paragraph. Feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you would like to avoid them. In Assassin’s Fate, we get to see the full resolution of the character Fitz Chivalry and his closest friend and ally, known as The Fool. It ties together plots and concepts from the first trilogy, The Farseer, where we see Fitz as a boy, and from series not starring Fitz, like The Liveship Traders and The Rainwild Chronicles. Storylines from all five “trilogies” (one is a tetralogy), comprising the larger work, are all tied together in Assassin’s Fate, and so much has happened to the world since the first book. I am not going into details, but so many changes occur from page 1 to the last page. I am pretty sure Robin Hobb is writing more books. The thought of the story advancing even farther into the chronology of this fantasy world is a very exciting prospect.

I have a good friend who just started reading the series, and that is always a good feeling. When someone else gets to jump into the experience. Good stories are always best shared. There is that nervous feeling that my friend will end up not liking it, but I have a hard time believing that. She adores fantasy stories with complex plotlines, intricate worldbuilding, and a vast array of lovable, yet flawed, characters. She is the one who got me to read all of Discworld and The Wheel of Time, both series she read, and fell in love with, in her youth. She always recommends series with more than ten books in it, so I guess I was happy to return the favor with The Realm of the Elderlings. Reading this series will always be special to me, and I am looking forward to picking up the graphic novels as they come out. I am keeping my fingers crossed that The Assassin’s Apprentice Volume 1 will be under my Christmas tree this year.

I am currently reading Tad Williams’ Empire of Grass, N. K. Jemisin’s The Killing Moon, and Brandon Sanderson’s Firefight (I cannot read just one at a time). I will have some cozy winter evenings at home, off exploring imaginary worlds, diving into strange fictional political landscapes, and meeting plenty of new friends along the way.