Shaman's Crossing (2005)

If I'd read this more slowly, it might have got three stars, but I read it all in a day, and got quite caught up in it. I don't think it has the flair of Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy. Nevare seems to me a less fully-formed main character than Fitz. I'm hoping he'll build up more in the later books. A good thing about Hobb's writing is that she isn't afraid to make her characters pay. Just like Fitz, Nevare has to work for things.

It's an interesting new world, too. Hobb's world building is always very good, and she has a pretty firm grasp on how societies change and break down, and rebuild. I'll be interested to see where all that goes, just on its own. I'm hoping for lots more of it, building up throughout the trilogy, as happened with the Realm of the Elderlings books.

I'm also very intrigued by the magic Nevare becomes a part of. We'll see, later in the trilogy, whether it's as good a concept as the Wit and the Skill, but I suspect it'll be interesting.

The trouble is with "infodumps", I think. There are quite long sections of pure background information. I think that happened in Farseers and the Tawny Man, but was most noticeable in Liveships and here. The conversational tone of the books due to the first person narration helps, but it still sticks out at me.

I think this trilogy is shaping up to be quite solid, interesting fantasy. There was a real sense of excitement later in the book, though the early chapters dragged rather. I guess the next two books will cement whether this trilogy is going to be brilliant, like Farseers, or just good. ( )

This book was good enough that I will read the next book in the trilogy, but if that one doesn't improve quickly, I will probably drop the whole thing. It was a very dense story. I'm a fast reader and there was so much mundane detail to wade through that I read this one off and on over a week and a half. The protagonist at this point is coming across as very weak and he's always making excuses for his actions. I hope that he will grow in the next two books. ( )

There are some highlights in the book that suggest the world could be so much more interesting. The magic system of the plainsmen has a weakness against Iron but we don't really know what the source of the magic is (beyond a frog that can cause hallucinations). The Specks to the far west also show some interesting promise as does the magic of the mysterious "tree lady" that Nevare encounters in a frog induced hallucination. However, none of that is ever really developed during Shaman's Crossing. Instead Hobb keeps hinting at them with frustratingly similar passages over and over again. ( )

This is my first Robin Hobb book; I didn't read any of her Farseer or related novels. With an open mind and no prejudices, no previous experiences to compare with, I set out into her world. I've finished the whole trilogy five months ago, but never got around to writing a review. This is the review of the first book only.

The first thing that strikes you all through the book is how much she put into worldbuilding. It's one of the most vividly realized worlds in fantasy, in my opinion. You have Gernia, the protagonist's homeland, with an ambitious King and his plans of driving expansion eastward through the land of Specks. You have Landsing, who defeated Gernia many years ago and took many of their strategic towns. The conflict between the old and the new nobility. The Plainspeople and their constant warring with both the Specks and the Gernians. The mysterious Specks with their unknown magics. I could write a book on the world alone, suffice to say it's terrific to immerse yourself into.

Then there's Nevare. Upright, honorable, and about as rigid as a pillar of stone. Much of the whole trilogy goes on within him, his thoughts and fears and self-doubting introspection. He strives to do the right thing so hard that sometimes he can be difficult to sympathize with, for some readers. I wasn't one of them. For myself, I found the introspection to be as much "the story" as the external events. His gradual discovery of the person he is, his devotion to his country and family, and his limitless perseverance to set things right were all wonderful elements of his character.

Other characters were all memorable, his cousin, his friends, his family. I won't comment on each of them, but you will know them as real characters as you've ever met. Top notch characterization from Robin Hobb. Dialogue was beautiful too.

The story is sometimes slow, I'll own that. But while not much was going on from page to page in some places, I was still flying through them given the superior fluidity of the writing. I wasn't bothered by the pace, I was glad I was in that world and with those characters.

The plot I'll keep a surprise, I hate spoilers more than anything. I'll only tell you it's engaging and more large-scaled than you can guess from the first book. I've read the whole trilogy, remember?

I'm supposed to mention the drawbacks, aren't I? I won't say there are none. As I see it, most reader complaints were based on three points:
1. The Farseer protagonist was WAY cooler.
2. Slow paced story.
3. Repetition of info.

From my point of view, the only issue I had with the book was the relatively limited action. Events were sparse along the first book, giving much more space to description and linear progress of Nevare's life. It wasn't a huge problem, but every now and then you'd wish to see some more action, some better view of the fantastic world all around. Part of the reason for that is how NEW the author tried to go for everything. New plot type, new character frame, new world setting, an almost experimental trilogy. She had to go slow, structured, and with gradual exposition to lay it all in a way the reader can be acquainted with. The other part was the plot itself, it had to go that way. It's so much Nevare's story that the trilogy could have been named just that, "Nevare's Story". You have to follow his steps and skip nothing from cover to cover throughout the three books to reach the ultimate ending.

All in all, a terrific new sort of story in one the most beautiful fantasy worlds I've ever seen. Highly recommended with the condition you buy all three books to get the greater story. As for Nevare, you either love him or hate him. ( )

Engrossing but tedious in places if you've actually done the basic training thing. Plot kept me guessing. Nevare (main character) too dumb to breath in some places. I didn't see the ending coming, so I call that a winner. ( )