Reading, Quotes: Forest Mage by Robin Hobb

I've marked some pages with quotes I like from this book. I suppose I'll transcribe them here.

p. 149, a cute witticism
"'Putting Kidona [nomads] in a village. That's like putting your foot in a hat.'"

p. 162, on religion and beliefs
"I guess what I believe in is whatever works best for me at that time. I think most men are like that."

p. 212, on being overweight
"I looked at my plate in front of me. I had just eaten a large meal, but not outrageously large. Still, stupidly, I said, 'I've been putting if off. New clothing. I mean. I keep hoping I'll regain my shape and be able to fit into my old garments again.' And the words that I intended as an excuse were, I suddenly recognized, the absolute truth. I was still waiting for something to restore me to the way I had been. A miracle was required, and I suddenly knew I was not going to get one."

p. 230, on being overweight
"The extra flesh was like a badly fitting garment that I'd slung on over my real body."

p. 281, on autumn
"I had never seen such a spectacle. In the area of the plains where I had grown up, there were groves of trees along the river or following the streambeds. In autumn, their leaves turned a soggy brown and hung on the branches until the frost and falls of snow took them down. Never before had I experienced walking in a forest where the leaves had gone yellow and gold and scarlet. When I lifted my eyes, the brilliance of their color against the bright blue autumn sky was shocking. The leaves had already begun to forsake the trees; there were drifts of them across my path, and as I waded through them they rustled around my feet. There was an indescribable smell in the air, a rich odor of decomposing leaves and fresh rain and the promise of a sharp frost in the night to come."

Reading: Forest Mage by Robin Hobb

Let's see...
On chapter 12, 250 pages in. I'm not sure it's getting better, but I'm not one to just drop something in the middle, esp. since it was a bargain hardback for $4. I'll continue reading it even though it's wishy washy.

So the main character gets fat (it's not HIS fault! he's not a gluttonous sloth, but no one will listen to him! *whine*) and the whole "society treats fat people like lepers" thing is getting REALLY OLD. It's been 250 pages of simpering wuss, but it's obvious that it's all a "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" sort of theme.

I'm still sort of pissed about the "fantasy" label of this trilogy. The only thing that makes it "fantasy" is the occasional "magic" and "magic user" that is the "unwashed native" part of the heavy handed Victorian-expansionist-colonialism-is-bad theme. Ugh. I'll be glad to get this one over with.

I will say, I do get swept up into the narrator/lead character's self-obsessive drivel. What can I say, I'm easily entertained. Bleh.

I'll update this once I finish it. I've been reading erratically - not at all for days, then several hundred pages at once. It just goes with the ADHD territory, I guess.

Info: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb

Info

Title: Shaman's Crossing (Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy)
Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: EOS Fantasy / Harper Collins
Publish Date: 2005
ISBN: 0-06-075828-8
Type of Book: Fantasy
Date Started: Middle October 2007
Date Finished: 8 November 2007
Acquired from: Border's
Purchase price: $7.99
Rating (out of 5): ****

Finished: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb

Well, dangit. I did not intend to finish this book tonight, at all. I ended up staying up until, let's see, 3:33 am reading.

I will say it certainly picked up, with quite a dramatic uptick, compared to the relatively slow-going of the first two-thirds of the book. Thinking about it, I vaguely remember the first two trilogies (The Farseer and Liveship trilogies) starting out similarly swampy and picking up in the last bit of the first book. Perhaps it's her formula. *shrug*

So, I'll make the final info post next with my final score.

Reading: Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb

In the middle of Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb. It's nothing like the three other trilogies of hers (writing as Robin Hobb). I'm not sure I'm liking it, but I'm not the sort to put down a book I've started.

It's too victorian/steampunk/colonialism/let's convert the magical natives to failing monarchical theism woo. Oh, and its "Good God" is really irritating. It sounds like a lot more fun to be an unwashed native romping around and not cutting down trees. Oh god, the TREES. It's getting a bit heavy handed.

Maybe it'll get better. I was a little leery of the second trilogy of hers (the Liveship Traders) but got into all the swashbuckling once I figured it out.

We'll see how it goes.

Info
Title: Shaman's Crossing (Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy)
Author: Robin Hobb
Publisher: EOS Fantasy / Harper Collins
Publish Date: 2005
ISBN: 0-06-075828-8
Type of Book: Fantasy
Date Started: Middle October 2007
Date Finished: TBD
Acquired from: Border's
Purchase price: $7.99
Rating (out of 5): So far **