Renegade's Magic - possible spoilers

[greylin]

Well, since nobody's talking about it, I'll ask ... what did people out there think of Renegade's Magic? I can't believe I'm the only person who has read it.

Without giving spoilers, it was certainly less depressing than Forest Mage and all credit is due to Robin Hobb's fertile imagination and elegant style. There were LOTS of parallels with the Assassin books - hero who is an outsider, voices in head, telepathic skills, warfare etc. But I'm afraid Nevare will never be Fitz's equal in my heart.

[Talysia]

I haven't read Renegade's Magic yet, as the first two books didn't appeal to me when they first came out. Perhaps it was the wrong time to read them, so I might try picking them up soon. Especially if this book is less depressing.

And I agree about the whole Nevare/Fitz thing, too.

[Somebloke]

I didn't like it that much, although I read it largely to finish the series. It lacked Hobb's earlier charm. I did like the way the matter was resolved though.

[HiddenTiger]

Like Somebloke said, I only read it to finish the series. I do like the way it ended (is there a possibility of a continuation of Navare's story?) but it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. Still I am a fan of Robin Hobbs writing and will be interested in reading her next book.

At the moment I am reading StephSwainsonsCastle series (Year of our War and No Present Like Time) if you are after a story with a tortured hero then this is one to read. Very similar to China Melville’s writing as well.

[greylin]

What struck me in Renegade's Magic was that there was absolutely no sense of a resolution until the very, very end ... and then I started to realise that she's done this before. Just as you think you're on the downhill slope, she brings in another twist or turn to heighten the suspense again. It got to the point with RM where I was looking at the number of pages left and thinking she would never be able to do it, never wrap things up. But she did, of course. I think this is perhaps what has made me feel, in the past, that Hobb's endings seem a touch contrived - everything is resolved so fast.

[Mouse]

Not read it yet, but as soon as I get chance to go to the library I'm gonna pick up a copy.

[Tansy]

*SPOILERS*

I read it last week and I enjoyed it but hated the way.. that at the end everything worked out wonderfully, totally ruined it for me, the god of balances just seemed to be there so she could put all the pieces back together again nice and neatly. Also the way she neatly tied up the reason for stopping the road was so unrealistic, even if the King was happy in his new wealth he wouldn't stop a project that gave him access to the coast and new trading possibilities and cost him so much for so long.