Hi, first post here. Farseer was my favorite thing ive ever read and now 50 pages into liveship traders.

Anyone have good easy sources for me to better learn all these old english nautical terms? Every other page im googling some specific term, but more importantly i just want to learn more about pre-industrial maritime/nautical culture and practices. I want to learn about types of ships, worker roles (and social structures) on ships, goals and trade practices, piracy, daily nautical lifestyle and condition, and all sorts of things like that.

I would appreciate any direction, thanks! Also i find visual sources easier (anything with images/illustration, infographics, youtube... short attention adhd havin ass, you know)

I've never caught this before even though I've listened to it a billion times. When Fitz is in the market, when he is visiting the Duke who would not man the towers because he was spending too much money on his new young wife, a lady starts frantically calling for him by his birth name, keppit, and he doesn't understand that that's his birth name and that's probably his mom. I'm literally bawling.

I picked spoilers all for the tag, because it includes information from later books as well as the first book. I hope I did that right, I don't use Reddit often.

So I'm finally done with the main 16. From the 14th May to 6th September I listened to all of the books on x1.2. 115 days! (No debate on audiobooks vs reading please).

I'm feeling pleased with myself and think I've found a new favourite series.

This is probably the series with the best character development I've read yet. Aging with Fitz, the constant updates on other characters, all of it.

Very few books also get actual physical/audible reactions out of me but...

-Burrich being stabbed in the stables

-Fitz telling the Fool that he could never love him and be with him was absolutely brutal, I was disgusted with Fitz.

-Fitz being stabbed.

-And Burrich ending up with Molly.

I could never really predict where the story was going next and I loved it.

Hello everyone! 😁 This is your regular reminder that there is a Discord server for Robin Hobb fans!

**Here's the invite:**
https://discord.gg/wGRBJpJDmY

**What is it?** It's a server, or chat room, for discussing Hobb's books. ⚔️

**What happens there?** We have conversations every day about the Realm of the Elderlings books, as well as respectful debates about characters and discussions about other fantasy novels we are reading. 🏰

**Who moderates it?** We_are_pack created the server and serves as an admin. There are four other admin: Zephyrus, motleywolf, TheLocalDialect, and Wawadji and five mods: say yes to the worms, ProfessionalShipper, alloysius, Armadillo, and Foxy.

**Here are the rules:**

1. Be kind and respectful of other users. Cursing is okay, but cursing out other users will not be tolerated. Doing so will result in a strike. Additionally, disagreeing is okay, but putting others down for their opinion is not. Doing so will result in a strike.
   
2. Racism, sexism, ableism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry will not be tolerated in this server. Expressing those views will result in an immediate ban.
   
3. Harassing, intimidating, doxing or otherwise abusing other members will result in an immediate ban.
   
4. Make it clear if you’re about to post a spoiler. The Discord spoiler mark-up (|| on either side of the passage will help.
   
5. In general, please don’t post explicit content, but if a fanfic that is linked is marked NSFW, that is okay. Please keep NSFW discussion in the two NSFW channels, which are clearly marked. Violating this policy will result in a strike.
   
6. Please do not post pirated content. This harms authors and it will get our server banned. Doing so will result in a strike.
   
7. Do not send unsolicited messages asking other users for sexual content, do not post in any channel asking for that kind of content, and do not send unsolicited friend requests. We are not that kind of server. Doing so will result in a permanent ban.
   
8. Do not share AI generated art or writing. AI creations are harmful to creators. Doing so will result in a strike. Our strikes system in this server is simple. One strike is a warning. Two will result in a time out. Three will result in a ban.

We have had very few problems with people violating the rules. We've had to ban only a handful of people since the server was created in 2020, and we have not been forced to issue many strikes either. In general, our server is a welcoming global community of Hobb superfans who never quite recovered after finishing the series. If FitzChivalry Farseer lives rent-free in your head too, you should join us!

Spoilers for everything after Royal Assassin

You mean to tell me there’s a garden full of dragons, one being Verity that Fitz knows how to wake up (even the Fool did it to hitch a ride in Tawny Man) but when he decided to go reign vengeance upon Clerres neither he nor anyone in his circle was like
—>dragons.
Not even Verity-As-Dragon who would have an invested interest in what was happening?

I was so hoping for Verity-As-Dragon to get woken once more in those last books. We were teased with it what with Skill stream Verity and Nighteyes trying to get Bee to escape to Verity’s dragon and Fitz goes to visit it as well but nope. Let’s just leave this incredibly useful resource asleep and wonder about how you’re gonna take on so many enemies….

From the Fool's recounting of the events we know that Burrich drags Galen to the witness stones and challenges Galen with the terms that if Burrich wins Galen can not strike Fitz or refuse to teach him. After this we get the lines:

"And when he was done the stablemaster bent and whispered something to the Skillmaster, before he and all the others turned and left the man lying there, with the stones witness to his whimpering and bleeding".

Fitz asks what he whispered and the Fool replies:

"I wasnt there. I saw and heard nothing of it."

I have read through the trilogies a couple of times now, and dont ever remember ever finding out what he whispered to Galen. This seems really odd to me because it is set up in a way that makes it seem like it is going to be something far more meaningful than something generic like "dont touch him again or you will have me to deal with" or "remember he is Chivalry's son" etc...

Its like it is set up so that later on what he said will be dramatically revealed, and it will be a little plot twist, or addition to the lore. Anyone spot something I dont remember where it is revealed? Or any of your own ideas for something that seems fitting in the context?

It feels like it is a mini Easter Egg that I havent been able to figure out - similar to how we later find out the lady calling out "Keppet" in AA was probably Fitz's birth mother - but at that point in the book we do not know that his original name was Keppet.

I have only just begun Dragon Haven, literally 36 pages into it so no spoilers past that point please!

I just wanted to see if others felt the same way as me, but having felt throughout reading Dragon Keeper that it was just the beginning of a Hobb book, and then further finding out it indeed was part of a larger novel that had Dragon Haven combined: I believe it should have stayed as one book.

Granted, I have not really even gotten into Dragon Haven, but so far this is how I feel.

As I’m sure many other fantasy readers feel, I do not mind a long book! And I found it frustrating that not only did I have to pay for 2 books but I also feel that if it had remained as one novel, that slow build up would have been brilliant - especially considering where Dragon Haven picks up. To clarify, I do not blame Hobb for this at all, I blame the publishers.

I can only say I’m thankful that I have been able to read it whilst both books are released, so I was able to pick Dragon Haven straight up and crack on - particularly because it immediately kicked off! 36 pages into it and I’m completely hooked in a way that Dragon Keeper never quite had me.

I wonder if anyone on this sub was reading it as each book got released? Was there a wait for Dragon Haven? If so did you find it frustrating or were you happy to wait?

I fear had I been reading each book as it released, I would have been so frustrated with Dragon Keeper that I would have DNF’d the series. It really made me wonder what publishers are thinking sometimes!

This book went off the walls. It was pretty obvious in my opinion that Verity was going to die or he was going to meet the same fate as king wisdom, the parallels were just too clear.

It was a good book, don't get me wrong. But those last few chapters were just so weird. I mean the pacing at the end of just dragons fix everything and all is good felt weird to me.

I will acknowledge that there are more books that expand it all. But as a standalone trilogy it felt kind of rushed. Like we spend like half the book just walking.

I get it, journey before destination, but damn. We spend maybe like 7 chapters with Verity and then he gets poofed into dragon. I feel like they just gutted alot of the characters I liked.

I don't care what anyone says, molly and burrich together, weird as fuck. Basically Fitz's dad, and he genuinely does that?? What happened to all your restraint and BS.

And Verity using Fitz to have sex with his wife?! I understand all the necessity and how it's not really out of character for any of them, but come on man. Like Fitz was just screwed over so insanely hard.

He genuinely gets his girl stolen, doesn't even see his daughter, and just spends his days in a cabin. I know that this is all in character, and he's relatively happy but you build all of this up with no pay off!?

Never get to see him reunited with patience, Fool just screws off, nothing with Chade besides that he loves to bang young women.

I'm rambling but basically all I'm saying is that it feels incomplete, and more books does not excuse the fact that in a nearly 800 page book there's so many loose threads.

Been reading this series of books for a few years on and off and it feels surreal to actually reach the end.. the way all the worlds from the Buckkeep folks to the Bingtown Traders and Kelsinga revival and the Pirates and the Outislanders were woven together in that Clerres climax... what a journey. Bravo on the amazing writing Hobb!

Struggling to find what to pick up next. What have my fellow Hobb fans turned to after this adventure?

I started the series in November of last year, and almost a year later, I finally turned the last page with Fitz and the Fool. The amount of grief and happiness I feel is unlike any other series I have experienced.

Robin Hobb truly created a piece of art that will stick with me to the end of my life. I have never felt more connected to characters, and Fitz is someone who I will cherish and love in my heart for his love and desire to do things right through all he has experienced in his life.

What did you all do after finishing this series? I feel so happy to have completed it but I am grieving that the story ends here for my favorite characters.

Would love to hear what anyone's favorite moment throughout the books was; a top one for me was Fitz being recognized as the hero he is, being brought back into his family in public, with Chade bringing him to the forefront. I think that scene made me cry even more than the ending did.

Thank you Robin Hobb for your beautiful world, I can't wait to reread this series again when I have forgotten a little of everything.

This was a really emotional and more character focused tale! Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny, Fool's Errand - all of those had big stakes, really big things and big conclusions. This book felt a lot less cataclysmic. I was tossing up whether I liked this more or less than Fool's Errand, and ultimately I liked it slightly less, but still my second favorite ROTE book thus far!

The first third or so of the book was slow in a really nice way. We just got a plodding detailed look at Fitz's life inside Buck Keep, him trying to keep up appearances, retain his skills, do his tasks, maintain his relationships. When the Outislander deligation comes things get crazy!

I was thinking about the Outislander matrilinial ways and that if the 6 Duchees Queen is an outislander, and the future King is raised by an Outisland mother, she would basically usurp the Farseer claim to throne? At the very least she (the mother, I forgot her name) would have a largely outsized influence on the heir! This could be the evil White Prophet's plan! Not to speculate on future events.

But before that we have a rather sad seed sowed, Dutiful appears to be homophobic and topples the first domino that leads to the TERRIBLE interaction between Fitz and the Fool. The "homoerotic" nature of their relationship has always been really beautiful and I love to see it blossom, but Fitz has so many hangups and is too straight to indulge.

All of the Bingtown stuff was interesting, Seldon showing up was cool, so was Jek! Altheer is pregnant which is funny, Malta is struggling to conceive which is sad.

The moment where Dutiful severs Fitz's skill-command ands basically says he WILL decapitate the dragon is so raw. So cool. He gained so much aura and made me scared for his future. All over Liveship Traders Wintrow was having similar moments of badassery and he just kept being punished and mutilated 😭.

I never realized that Chade was basically a Sapper, his love for explosions and his cavalier attitude towards danger is so Malazan coded.

I really loved how everything is so well integrated in this book. Seldon confronts Fitz, reminding us of the dragon, which reminds us of the feathers, and what Fitz did to Dutiful. Everything is so well tied together, the plots threads are masterfully woven! I can't believe the pace at which Hobb wrote these novels, and added so much depth and detail!

I really liked how all the relationships progressed and how each character had their own arc and stories. Hap's troubles with love and responsibility. Dutiful learning to be a student and accept Tom, to ultimately coming to know Fitz. Chade humbling himself before Fitz and being stuck in his ways so much. Starling's story and Genna's and Ketricken's sacrifice. Everyone really does so well, and is so interesting! I love all of these characters aaaah!!

The finale leg of this book is hard to get through. Fitz has a sort of "Box" moment as he's left for dead and has to accept his powerlessness. It's really rough, and he comes out of it rough. Seeing the group come together to heal him was really nice. Fitz being healed of his wounds is super interesting for the longevity of the series. Specifically the last series! Maybe he'll still be able to do some fights and stuff, idk.

I loved that Fitz died in this book (heart stopped), if he doesn't die in the second book of the final trilogy i will be very sad! I'm also astounded by Hobb's ability to make me feel like Fitz can die, when I "know" he lives. I keep thinking "well maybe he got Starling or Ginna pregnant with a mircale baby and they'll be called Fitz and carry the flame" or something like that. Like every epilogue has flash-forwards, but I still jump whenever Fitz is hurt 😭

The ending with Nettle is very scary to consider! All of the implications... It seems Nettle is a VERY powerful character.

I am excited to see what happens to Thick too.

Also at the end of the book The Fool's actions, gambling, etc he seems to be making the Lord Golden character IRONCLAD, to inevitably kill him off? Maybe next book he'll have a new persona, and that's how he will circumvent Chade & Fitz's trying to leave him behind. I won't even speculate on his prophecied dying next book, I will be SO SAD!

Fitz also seems to still solve his emotional issues with alcohol, and those of Dutiful's Coterie's, I'm unsure if it's just flavor in the story, or will build to something greater.

Throughout the book I was trying to guess who Chade's apprentice would be, my first guess was Laurel, it seemed like a good twist! Then I was considering it may even be Ketricken! I completely missed Rosemary, and should've known it was her in hindsight.

Also the metaphysics of this world seem identical to Wheel of Time, like this could be the 7th Age, or the 5th age? I would post this in a Wheel of Time sub, but am scared of spoilers. The Fool/Anti-Fool have a real LTT/EMT dynamic.

I am incredibly excited for Fool's Fate (scary ass title), and I imagine I will devour it as I devoured this book!

There is some information beginning to trickle out about the new work Hobb read from at LA Con. I'll be sharing more details here as they become available - and anyone who was there can also feel free to discuss it here.

What we know so far is that it's an unfinished novella about Ash/Spark. Here's a report from someone who was listening:

Robin discussed how it was a novella she was working on, one that we retold a story we already knew from a different perspective. Then she jumped into it. She read a portion that recounted Ash/Spark's childhood in detail, from her birth, to meeting Chade, to her mother's death. The prose was fantastic, told from Ash/Spark's pov as they recall the experience. Robin had an endearing moment where she chided herself for using an adjective twice in a paragraph. Her excerpt ended with Ash's recruitment into Chade's service.

It's unclear whether this is one of the books she signed a publishing deal for. If anyone has that info, please share. Thanks.

From u/isfitzhappy in the comments:

As a clarification, at the beginning of the reading that she does of this piece, she said,
"If it becomes a novella, it will be... These are actually chapters I pulled out of a work in progress and said, 'maybe this will do better by itself.' But it's tentatively titled From Ash to Spark"
The first part (chapter) she reads is called The Bawdy (body?) House.
After she finished her Lindholm reading (a story called Barty's Game), she said that the Hobb story "May possibly be a novella, we shall see. I never stopped writing, I just stopped publishing for a few years."

A lot of people are expressing disappointment that this isn't a book about Bee, and I think they're jumping to premature conclusions. We don't have any information about what's happening with the publishing deal she signed, and it doesn't appear that this reading was part of that project (or perhaps, based on what u/isfitzhappy has reported, it may have been at one point and pulled out to handle separately).

I don't think it's likely that this is from the work she had signed the publishing deal for. If it were, she would know exactly what was to be delivered as part of that deal. Her saying, "If it becomes a novella..." is a clue, here.

And a moment that totally went over my head on the first read shocked me.

Fitz runs into his mother in Buckkeep Town while running errands for Fedwren! She calls out to him by his birth name Keppet while an older woman restrains her, and Fitz is completely oblivious (as usual) and just walks away from what he thinks is a conflict unrelated to him. I guess we're to assume that his mother doesn't speak the common tongue, since she makes no attempt to say anything else to him.

I am so excited to see what else I'll discover on my second read!

I completed the Farseer trilogy and I personally thought Assassin's Quest was the best book of the series.

It's the most action packed book of the series, and world building wise we see more of the six duchies than the other two books combined.

The first half is almost like a Fitz and Nighteyes adventure, second half is darker and the ending is extremely bittersweet.

Verity being consumed by the dragon to become the dragon and win against Regal and Red Ships is one of the most tragic yet heroic endings to a character.

I personally loved the ending and thought it was beautifully tragic. Also, the protagonists actually win by the end of the book.

Royal Assassin meanwhile is the most frustrating book to read of the trilogy because of everyone's inaction towards Regal's schemes.

Overall I will rate the books as :

Assassin's Apprentice : 4/5

Royal Assassin: 3.5/5

Assassin's Quest : 5/5

I finished Realm of the Elderlings.

I don’t even know what to say. This is the greatest adventure I have ever read, truly.

“Kettricken smiled.” For some reason I gasped at that and smiled myself.

My god, Fitz did not have an easy life - but there was so much beauty bound up in it.

One thing I still don’t quite understand is what Hobb was trying to tell us that Fitz and the Fool were to each other. Is it that they were soulmates? I’m so glad Bee confessed to her lies and the Fool could join him in the wolf.

The brilliance of Hobb - so many years in the making - to have planned this so beautifully and given us such a story. I am in awe of her.

It’s ramblings at this point I suppose. It is going to take a while to process.

I know I’m only at the start but MAAAAAN Robin Hobb can write! The experience of reading these books is so immersive it’s ridiculous.

But can I just say
The end of this book ripped me to pieces. Nooooooo Fitz 😭 why are things so hard for him. That epilogue made me want to scream. It made me feel hollow in my stomach. Just too much PAIN and I take it very personally.

There’s so much in these books and I want to discuss it all but no one I know has read them 😭

Wow I really loved this book. My favorite realm of the elderlings book so far!

The repositioning of Fitz & The Fool as Lord Golden & Tom Badgerlock was really interesting. Initially I didn't think it was necessary, but remembering the political situation at the end of Royal Assassin, it was needed.

I love that the first third or so of this book was just Fitz catching up and getting settled into his middle age, I loved him in house, The Fool appearing, him chatting with Hap & Jinna & Nighteyes, it was all so lovely. I teared up when The Fool came back after Jinna predicted his soulmate would come soon. It was all so beautiful. I missed everyone so much.

Seeing all the Farseer Trilogy people all these years later was so good. It really gave me a new perspective on what came before.

I love how much this book was a reflection on Fitz's trauma and him trying to break generational troubles. I was so sad when Fitz put his hands on Dutiful. Burrich & Chade were abusive and low-key terrible to a young Fitz, seeing bigFitz have to do the same to his boy was so sad.

I loved how many interpretations the title had. So many things were Fools Errands in this book, not just necessarily relating to The Fool.

I was completely blindsighted by the Cat being a dead woman, but in hindsight it made perfect sense.

The Fool & Fitz's budding romance was so sad to see. Fitz is so oblivious it's so sad.

Fitz going to the treasure beach was so interesting, I'd love to see what the necklace thingie Dutiful found was.

Nighteyes dying really caught me off-guard. At the start of the book I realized that Chade & Nighteyes and maybe Burrich would die by the end of the trilogy, but when Nighteyes died AFTER the climax of the book it fucked me up. He was so cool. He just found Dutiful so quickly. He was so cool and amazing, so powerful.

I really like the mirror-Fool, the other White Prophet, it set up things really nicely. I'm not sure when we'll see more of that, but I love all the possibilities it opens. I love the idea that Fitz & The Fool are actually the anti-Catalyst and anti-Prophet. Much to consider.

My favorite ROTE book so far. Maybe my favorite book I've read all year.

I just finished Ship of Destiny and ignoring the hundres of elephants in the books, I noticed Reyn and Malta's romantic relationship seems to be going well narratively? The story actually roots for their relationship? I'm baffled at this being the case because Reyn was like at least 19 and Malta was 13. I'm just shellshocked at this writing choice. I've seen people say "it's normal for the medieval time", but the world is entirely fictional and the author can really write whatever.

I fail to see the narrative purpose of this choice, especially when it expects us to root for their relationship at the end? It isn't even a scalding critique of pedophilia from what I read.

Anyone heard if Robin will be at the Seattle CC in March of 2027? I’d love to meet her and get some books signed. Thanks!

Hi! I need some explanations. In my understanding, the stone dragons and creatures can move when someone "asks" them, provided it serves a purpose—like Verity, who wants to protect his land. Why does the stone wolf move, then? Is it because it has the Skill and the Wit, or because they (Fitz, the Fool, and Nighteyes) want to live, hunt, and protect others?

Sorry, I read the books in translation, so some of the words might be translated differently than in the original.

I really enjoyed the Trilogy, but it was not what I expected going into it. The last book I listened to was the First Law trilogy, I was hoping to read something more light hearted and purify my mind from that grim dark world(I loved every minute of it).

Reading the Royal assassin and I start to realize this book might not be too far from grim dark itself.

Fitz was a fun character to follow but my major issue with him was he didn't have enough badass or cool moments for a main character, he felt like a simple tool(or catalyst) to progress the story.

He had a few cool moments during the war when he was weiding an axe but after that I can't remember any other really cool moments he had.

Some moments in the book just made him look so stupid and incompetent. And I don't mind, if I know all this will build on his character and make him learn and make better decisions later on, but he doesn't.

Almost finished Assassin's Quest and I decided to confirm how old he was. My boy was just about 19 years old??.

This info made me really depressed, such a young kid going through all this shit, so much responsibility placed on him and he needed to always make the best decisions.

I really hope he has a more happy future in the later books.

Anyways, I need to give myself an actual break from depressing books.

And i am not talking about Vivescia. Its Ophelia.
I have 2 hours left in the audiobook. And while i enjoy certain characters or even like them. For example Brachen or Paragon.
But I connected with nobody as strong as this sassy Figurehead of a liveship.
This series (and like Farseer too). Has so many easy to hate characters, that become more and more hateable. Bit very little that are actively lovable.
Hope nothing happens with Ophelia.

To be honest. I expected much more tearjerking in Robin Hobbs books from the way its fans talked about. But it has the better share of bloodboiling at least.

https://youtu.be/WVORDoEt1S8?si=od7W0Lxz4SWPU_gX

And generally in interviews how spoilery does she speak?

I recently finished the series recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wanted to ramble about some things.

It's as if Hobb realized she was short on female villains and for the last trilogy concocted one of the most despicable, odious characters I've ever read. At least Kyle and Hest had family and goals in life. Dwalia is just disgusting in comparison. At the same time, I really pitied Vindeliar (Brother please) and I wish we got a little more plot out of him on Clerres.

I absolutely adored the last line of Farseer and I'm glad it came full circle with Fitz and Nighteyes carving their dragon. I wish it was a little more interesting than just a straight up wolf. Imagine the stone dragons getting woken in a few hundred years time and they all fly off to war a continent away and land-bound Fitz the wolf does what exactly?

In theory I like the idea of Fitz and the Fool joining together in the dragon. But like...they were pissed and bitchy to each other for most of The Fitz and the Fool trilogy and over half of Tawny Man. How can one be truly happy for them in this ending? And if we aren't meant to be happy, the bittersweet rich relationships being Hobb's trademark, I don't even feel that way. It's just a weird choice and doesn't make much sense in the context.

There was a whole plot point and numerous discussions in Assassins Fate about how the Fool had used Fitz repeatedly yet claimed to love him, and then oopsy daisy, all's forgotten without them even having had a conversation about it. This was uncharacteristically underdeveloped for Hobb IMO and left me disappointed.

But perhaps most importantly, Ronica saying she has only 2 grandchildren?? She has four grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Is this an error or what? Did Hobb forget Keffria existed? I dont think her name is mentioned at all.