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1016 reviews
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Anyway, Dune Messiah is more of that. I feel like this time around, the book needed to have at least "the shape" of something like the original Dune to make up for it, but it sadly feels vaguely character-driven without the writing to pull it off.
This book shouldn't exist. It should have been the last part of the original Dune, not a standalone story. But it's still Dune and therefore immensely interesting, so it's not at all a bad read...
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Frank Herbert is not a good writer. I've reread the last third of Dune in preparation of Messiah as both a refreshment of what happened and to reexamine how the book was written and it is clear to me still that Dune is an incredibly interesting book but an awfully dull read. There's no dramatic tension and Herbert doesn't have strong chapters and rarely does he even have strong moments in general. His stories are amazing, he just doesn't know how to tell them.
Anyway, Dune Messiah is more of that. I feel like this time around, the book needed to have at least "the shape" of something like the original Dune to make up for it, but it sadly feels vaguely character-driven without the writing to pull it off.
This book shouldn't exist. It should have been the last part of the original Dune, not a standalone story. But it's still Dune and therefore immensely interesting, so it's not at all a bad read...
Oh, and there are great moments. There were great moments in Dune too, here the biggest one was the ending probably. A farewell as fitting as they come...
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh, man, where to even begin. Ship of destiny is everything I wanted it to be. It's so beautiful... so many of the characters I have learned to love have ended right where they belong...like jigsaws falling into place.
I'll start with Kennit. Kennit is a fun character throughout the trilogy because two things about him are established fairly early in the story: 1) he cannot lose, and 2) he will lose or die at the end of the story. The latter occurs due to the many black omens that surround Kennit, including the very necessity by the story of not allowing Kennit a total victory, or the plot will turn into a total bore.
However, anything shorter than total victory breaks the first rule and so Kennit cannot lose. What does Hobb do about this? She lets Kennit win by losing. It's genius. Kennit goes out on top, because why wouldn't he? Even his death helps him strengthening his reputation. It's a such an incredible way of making the absurd convergence of plots at the end of the trilogy feel natural and earned too. OF COURSE the common denominator was Kennit, where else could it have all ended!?
Wintrow on the other hand gets what's arguably the most bittersweet ending. He becomes captain of the Vivacia, but at what cost? Etta doesn't love him and never will, not like he wants anyway. And yet, he's tied to her and her child in a role he didn't choose knowing full well he could have been that which he was destined to become, a man of words. Now his hands are dirty, his mind is scarred and his future is uncertain but not at all grim. While I find it unlikely, I wish he would find his own sort of happiness, maybe in the form a new love beyond that of Etta, or maybe by rekindling his bond with Sa.
The rest are the rest. They are all amazing with touches of bittersweetness, but none more so than Althea and Brashen, who have everything they need, but have sacrificed too much to get where they needed to be.
And that's that. What a winner. This is top 10 fantasy ever to me. In fact, the trilogy MUST be my favorite finished fantasy story to date. I cannot think of any other book that comes even close it. An unforgettable journey through some of fantasy's very best.
I'll start with Kennit. Kennit is a fun character throughout the trilogy because two things about him are established fairly early in the story: 1) he cannot lose, and 2) he will lose or die at the end of the story. The latter occurs due to the many black omens that surround Kennit, including the very necessity by the story of not allowing Kennit a total victory, or the plot will turn into a total bore.
However, anything shorter than total victory breaks the first rule and so Kennit cannot lose. What does Hobb do about this? She lets Kennit win by losing. It's genius. Kennit goes out on top, because why wouldn't he? Even his death helps him strengthening his reputation. It's a such an incredible way of making the absurd convergence of plots at the end of the trilogy feel natural and earned too. OF COURSE the common denominator was Kennit, where else could it have all ended!?
Wintrow on the other hand gets what's arguably the most bittersweet ending. He becomes captain of the Vivacia, but at what cost? Etta doesn't love him and never will, not like he wants anyway. And yet, he's tied to her and her child in a role he didn't choose knowing full well he could have been that which he was destined to become, a man of words. Now his hands are dirty, his mind is scarred and his future is uncertain but not at all grim. While I find it unlikely, I wish he would find his own sort of happiness, maybe in the form a new love beyond that of Etta, or maybe by rekindling his bond with Sa.
The rest are the rest. They are all amazing with touches of bittersweetness, but none more so than Althea and Brashen, who have everything they need, but have sacrificed too much to get where they needed to be.
And that's that. What a winner. This is top 10 fantasy ever to me. In fact, the trilogy MUST be my favorite finished fantasy story to date. I cannot think of any other book that comes even close it. An unforgettable journey through some of fantasy's very best.
The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The title of this very long book refers to two ships actually, the more obviously “mad” ship Paragon and the corrupted and scarred Vivacia, to whom the efforts of everyone in the Vestrit family seem to have been dedicated since book one. Strangely enough, and in spite of its omnious title, two things happen in this part of the story: virtually everyone grows for the better except for one character (who is in turn corrupted by a bad influence himself), while their life circumstances take a turn for the worst. No one is safe from the “mad“ events of this terrific sequel.
It’s such a strong middle book. What usually happens, especially in the fantasy genre, where plotting is prioritized at the cost of everything else, is that the second book in a trilogy is the weakest one, because it’s merely there to advance the plot. I have a hard time believing that that will be the case of Mad Ship, and I only hesitate in this line of thought because I expect great things from Ships of Destiny, just like how I expected great things from Mad Ship.
Again, it is everything I await to find in a good fantasy book when I open it. There are those who will complain about its pacing, but only because they do not understand, or do not want to engage with, Hobb’s patient storytelling.
Stop focusing on the “plot” and the “adventure” for a moment and you will be rewarded with ridiculously well crafted narratives. This is what it’s all about! Scene by scene Hobb crafts a very vivid and true inner and outer world for her characters. EVERYTHING they do matters for the plot because the characters are the plot! But the vision here is, crucially, only accessible if you accept the ride for what it is. I probably failed to do that with the Farseer trilogy, though then it was apparent for me that the trilogy was flawed, which hindered some of my enjoyment. The good news is that The Liveship Traders is significantly stronger than the Farseer. Most of fantasy fantasy for that matter...
How was I so blind to Hobb’s charms before?
It’s such a strong middle book. What usually happens, especially in the fantasy genre, where plotting is prioritized at the cost of everything else, is that the second book in a trilogy is the weakest one, because it’s merely there to advance the plot. I have a hard time believing that that will be the case of Mad Ship, and I only hesitate in this line of thought because I expect great things from Ships of Destiny, just like how I expected great things from Mad Ship.
Again, it is everything I await to find in a good fantasy book when I open it. There are those who will complain about its pacing, but only because they do not understand, or do not want to engage with, Hobb’s patient storytelling.
Stop focusing on the “plot” and the “adventure” for a moment and you will be rewarded with ridiculously well crafted narratives. This is what it’s all about! Scene by scene Hobb crafts a very vivid and true inner and outer world for her characters. EVERYTHING they do matters for the plot because the characters are the plot! But the vision here is, crucially, only accessible if you accept the ride for what it is. I probably failed to do that with the Farseer trilogy, though then it was apparent for me that the trilogy was flawed, which hindered some of my enjoyment. The good news is that The Liveship Traders is significantly stronger than the Farseer. Most of fantasy fantasy for that matter...
How was I so blind to Hobb’s charms before?