The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince

I don't know why I was unprepared for the amount of agony and upset in this novella. From the title, anyone who has read the two trilogies featuring Fitzchivalry could deduce that this has something to do with the Witted, and in Robin Hobb's world, they don't get a lot of happy endings.

Still, even when putting her characters through one hell after another, Robin Hobb writes with a skill that can't be denied. The voice of the narrator simultaneously makes the reader disgusted with her character and utterly confident in the truth of her tale.

I can't say I liked this story of how the Witted came to be hated and hunted in the Six Duchies, but I can't help but admire the writer. I hadn't been able to read anything of hers since the Soldier show more Son trilogy, but this was a good reminder of what she can do.

I'm still not sure I can handle crippled dragons, though, well-written or not.

2017 update: Turns out I can handle crippled dragons just fine. I ended up loving her Rainwild quartet, which I went back and read after finishing the last Fitz and the Fool trilogy. show less

Excellent writing, vivid descriptions, well-delineated characters - all of whom I disliked. Two spoiled brats (in entirely different ways), one hapless (self-described) coward, one decent kid/young man...but the only voice, the only viewpoint we get throughout the book is one of those brats, a woman raised to be utterly greedy, who didn't fully escape her training. Though I liked her a lot better later on...which doesn't mean I liked her a lot. And the mass of characters are also greedy, stupid, unnecessarily mean - not an inaccurate description of a lot of mobs of one sort or another, but...if I wanted to read stories about people being mean to one another en masse, I could look at the news. I read for pleasure and to escape that sort show more of thing. The nastiness had no point or conclusion - just a sudden twist that left a whole group being attacked for what they were, and made the rest of the kingdom less well off as well, just so yet another greedy brat could grab a throne. Ugh, throughout. Robin Hobb writes very well, very vividly...and what she depicts is so often unpleasant! I need to remember that, and _not_ read her stuff. show less

As an established fan of Robin Hobb's Buckkeep novels, I'd been waiting impatiently for this new novella to be released, and it has proven to be thoroughly enjoyable. It retells the story of the Piebald Prince - a legend that you'll recognise if you've read The Tawny Man trilogy - through the sympathetic eyes of Felicity, a devoted servant to the princess Caution Farseer. Impetuous and impulsive, Caution belies her name and falls in love where she chooses - with potentially disastrous results for her kingdom and for her ill-fated son. A wonderful piece of background colour for the Farseer series, this gives us a bit more of a glimpse into Hobb's world-building, which is one of her real strengths as a writer. Moreover, the UK hardback show more edition is an absolute jewel, with illustrations and watercolour plates by the artist Jackie Morris. At only 157 pages long it's a quick read, and some of the characterisation isn't as developed as I'm accustomed to seeing in Hobb's splendid full-length novels, but it's a charming little fairytale of a book - and it will fill the Buckkeep-shaped void in my life until next April, when the next Fitz novel is published.

For a longer review, please see my blog:
http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-wilful-princess-piebald-prince.ht... show less

This book combines two novellas that take place many years before the events in the Farseer Trilogy. However, it is best to read this trilogy first before reading these novellas. Otherwise, you'll have, in my humble opinion, a harder time appreciating the stories and getting into the story, into the context.

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The Wilful Princess: This story is about a low-born wet-nurse, working at Buckkeep, whose daughter should follow in her footsteps and thus assure a bright future for herself and her own family. Said daughter is to be the newborn princess's maid, companion, in everything she does and goes through: from raising over clothing and comforting to playing and horse-riding. Her mother told Felicity to remain with the show more princess at all times, to ensure that she'll have a job when the princess, who goes by the name Cautious, becomes an adult and ready to ascend the throne. All this doesn't go as planned, obviously.

Cautious isn't so cautious any more when she decides to buy a slave and his tainted horse. One thing leads to another, not in the least once this guy, who has the Wit, becomes the new stable-master, as he seems to do a far better job than the actual/previous one.

The mother of Felicity thinks their future is in danger, once Cautious is with child, so she commands her daughter to also be with child, no matter how. Just choose a potential partner, if only for the occasion. Here, even though Felicity followed the same lessons and got more or less the same upbringing at Buckkeep like the princess she was to be responsible for, she (Felicity) doesn't really mind the details (hair colour, for example). Both the princess and her maiden are now with child(ren), which is not done. This will lead Buckkeep into darker times, as the story and events unfold.

It was done to break the relationship between Cautious and the Witted stable-master, who went out horse-riding every day, especially as the horse had attracted Caution's attention. Felicity told the lie that he made also her pregnant. Cautious didn't verify, believed it on the spot. The lie would eventually bring chaos over Buckkeep: Cautious would dismiss her beloved stable-master, who was also tainted like the horse (as the Wit goes: man and animal are united), but how the came to be, was anything but peaceful. A very bloody sacking it was, something Cautious regretted very badly, as she had not thought it would happen like this. Eventually she succumbed. Felicity was to raise two children now: the piebald prince and her own, Redbird (because of his hair). But the piebald one was tainted/stained like his father, which was cause for mockery and laughter. Charger he was named, but this was never how the people and nobles would call him. As he was not loved among the nobles, he was very much appreciated with the lower folk, with whom Redbird quickly became friends.

It's a dark and sad story. How any means to serve an end are used, for selfish reasons: A wet-nurse who only thinks of her own situation and wants a more luxurious, comfortable life. In itself, that's fine, everybody wants a trouble-free life. But how the plan is devised, the abuse, the manipulation, and so on... It shows how vile humans can be. Due to mother's doings, her own daughter lost almost everything she had: Friendship, a warm home (Buckkeep), comfort, trust, love (one way or another, even if Cautious let her hormones run free ;-)).

Luckily, Felicity realised the error of her ways and decided to raise Charger and Redbird (her own son) according to what she thought was right, not according to mother's ways.

Nobles as well seem to be very indifferent about whose side to choose: As long as everything goes well, no problem. Once they sense something is wrong (for them personally: status, riches, etc.), they switch sides or turn into cruel creatures. Any reason is good enough to take revenge or obstruct the course of nature's ways.


The Piebald Prince: This is a direct follow-up of the events in 'The Wilful Princess' and focuses on Charger, who is crowned the new king. Obviously, as he's a bastard (not 100% Farseer-blood), this causes political problems, especially in the Farseer-family and among the various dukes. High nobles back Canny Farseer (the son of Strategy Farseer, who's the brother of the current king), others back Charger (aka the piebald one).

Redbird is not a strong lad like Charger is. Redbird was born too soon, thanks to Felicity's mother, who also ordered her daughter to break off Queen-in-Waiting Caution's pregnancy with a special brew, but she failed; the brew didn't work. Part of the plan was to switch babies, so Felicty had to put Redbird sooner onto the world, which had serious consequences for the kid. He was always very tired, never had enough energy, wasn't and would never be strong, ...

Redbird, like Felicity and Caution, was taught the same lessons as Charger. Redbird was talented enough to become a minstrel, but true to his word. Other minstrels often invented stories or enhanced them to make their masters more perfect than they were.

Not only political problems were constantly lingering, love was another spoilsport between Canny and Charger (the Piebald king). In the end, as the Wit was now considered a curse and everything related had to be wiped out (people who had it, people who had had it, animals, ...), it also meant the end of Charger. Redbird, however, witnessed it all, yet remained in his hiding place for a long time. And it took a while before he could speak and eat again. Felicity (his mother) could care of him, while trying to not put too much attention on herself, as her son had been affiliated with the king, who had the Wit. Redbird decided to plot his own revenge on the new-crowned, yet illegally, king Canny. This, too, came to dreadful end. Redbird's revenge, that is.

Both stories were written down by Felicity, in which she swore to tell the truth and only the truth, as her own son was adamant about truthfulness.

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As said above, don't read these novellas when you have not yet read The Farseer Trilogy. It's said that the Piebald Prince is also named in The Tawny Man trilogy, but I've yet to read those books.

Robin Hobb did it again. The stories are beautifully written, in a very lovely style. The main characters are almost like real-life people. It's not difficult to feel sympathy for them (Felicity, Redbird, Charger, ...) as they go through difficult, troublesome times. It's also heart-wrenching to read, although not new, how low humanity can fall when they don't apply a critical stance or feel wronged. Which does not mean their actions are justified or should be approved of. On the contrary.

Long story short: A recommended book! show less

This is a novella by epic fantasy writer Robin Hobb, a legend which goes back to the early days of the Realm of Elderlings and the ruling Farseer family, and unearths the mixing of the twin magics that run in their line. The Skill is a magic of the mind, and the Wit a magical ability to speak with and bond with animals. The Princess Caution grows as a wilful, rebellious child into a woman who defies her family to fall in love with a handsome stranger and his piebald stallion. The child who is born from this union turns the kingdom on its head and brings in some dark truths and secrets that lay hidden for centuries. This is a short lyrical read with the poetry and soul of a fairytale, capturing both beauty and truth and the ugliness that show more lies within human minds. show less

The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince is a novella set in the Six Duchies from Robin Hobb’s books, long before the events in the Farseer Trilogy. There are some references to this story throughout that Farseer Trilogy, but this novella tells the true story behind the legends as witnessed by those who were close to the people involved. It also explains how the Wit came to be so feared and loathed.

I don’t think the story would have much meaning to somebody not already familiar with the setting, but it adds some interesting context for those of us who are. It’s not a terribly cheerful story, though. It’s full of bad decisions, betrayals, and tragedies. It’s also a bit too romance-y at times, at least for my tastes. Despite show more that, it held my interest and I did enjoy learning the back story. I also liked the way it ended. show less

Originally posted at FanLit.
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/the-willful-princess-and-the-piebald-pr...


Robin Hobb�??s FARSEER series is one of my all-time favorite fantasy epics. Itƒ??s about FitzChivalry Farseer, the bastard son of a dead prince. Fitz is a sad case, not only because his fatherƒ??s dead and heƒ??s illegitimate, but perhaps mostly because he has the Wit ƒ?? an ancient magic that lets him communicate with and bond to animals. The citizens of the Six Duchies fear the Wit and kill those who practice it. But that wasnƒ??t always the caseƒ??

Now, in Robin Hobbƒ??s most recent novella, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince, we learn why the people hate what they call ƒ??beastmagic.ƒ? show more This is the story of a young (ƒ??willfulƒ?) Farseer princess who fell in love with a Witted stablemaster. The story is told by Felicity, whose mother had been Princess Cautionƒ??s nursemaid and who had strategically maneuvered Felicity into the position of companion to the princess. When Caution gives birth to the stablemasterƒ??s Witted illegitimate child ƒ?? a boy who becomes known as the Piebald Prince ƒ?? Felicity raises him and tells us his story, too.

So why did the Wit become a crime in the Six Duchies? In The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince, youƒ??ll learn that it has to do with a scandal involving the ugly illegitimate prince, a thwarted would-be-king, a fickle woman, a love triangle, and a couple of murders.

The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince has everything I expect from Robin Hobb ƒ?? clear and succinct (yet lovely) prose, interesting well-developed characters (some to love and some to hate), realistic dialogue, beautiful romance, glorious tragedy, and a touch of ironic humor.

If youƒ??re a fan of Robin Hobbƒ??s fantasy, you donƒ??t want to miss The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince because it fills in some important backstory on the Farseer family and provides a lot of context to FitzChivalryƒ??s bittersweet tale. And if you havenƒ??t read Robin Hobbƒ??s work before, youƒ??ve really been missing out. The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince is the perfect way to correct that problem ƒ?? itƒ??s a great introduction to the FARSEER saga. After you read it, youƒ??ll be itching to read Assassinƒ??s Apprentice. show less