book-reviews

Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Errand, Chapters 26-Epilogue

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Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.

***Spoilers for The Tawny Man Trilogy through the end of Fool’s Errand . References to the events of Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders***

I am going to need someone to explain to me how Robin Hobb spent an entire book preparing us for what was coming, only for me to be completely blindsided by Nighteyes’ death. A mere two posts ago, I was over here preaching “Constant Vigilance,” reminding myself that we were back in the Six Duchies, which means certain disaster and heartbreak. And yet, I still managed to let my guard down. After the intensity of the Piebald battle, I let myself be lulled into a moment of comfort, only to have the emotional rug viciously pulled out from under me.

Honestly, I am not ok.

Reading Nighteyes’ death felt like watching a slow-motion horror film. It began so beautifully- wolf and man reunited, curled together, slipping into the shared dreamspace. As the hunting dream progressed, there was a slow, dawning realization of what was occurring. At first, it was just an inkling that something was off. By the time we get to Fitz waking up and confirming that these final dream moments were, in fact, Nighteyes saying goodbye, I felt like I wanted to start moving backward and undo what I had just read. No, no, no… But it was too late.

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Errand, Chapters 1-5

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Merry Fitzmas!

***Spoilers for The Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 5 of Fool’s Errand . Heavy references to the events of Farseer Trilogy and mentions of Liveship Traders***

We are so back, baby! Reuniting with Fitz and Nighteyes in the Six Duchies feels like slipping on a well-worn shoe. This is pack! I was downright giddy when I opened Fool’s Errand and was thrust back into the headspace of my main ManBoyWolf. Don’t get me wrong – I loved my diversion to the Cursed Shores – but Fitz remains my #1 boy. (We’ve been through a lot together!) If Liveship Traders was like going on vacation – new places, fresh faces, exciting excursions – then Fool’s Errand feels like coming home. Right away, we get the full Fitz experience: he’s lonely, he’s stubborn, everyone wants to fuck him, and he’s even sitting by the hearth at Chade’s feet. Ahhhh… we are in familiar territory, friends.

It shouldn’t have surprised me just how easy it was to sink back into Fitz’s world. By now, his inner monologue feels almost as recognizable as my own. We seemingly haven’t missed too much during our time apart: Fitz is now 35 going on 85, retired from the catalyst game, and living his best cottagecore life with Nighteyes and Hap. But alas, someone clued Sa in to Fitz enjoying a moment’s peace, which means it’s time to shake things up.

In these opening chapters, Fitz gets the Ebenezer Scrooge treatment with his very own “Ghosts of Fitzmas Past” showing up on his doorstep. Let’s break down the highlights:

Chade

Chade drops in unannounced to catch up and resurrect all of Fitz’s past traumas. We get a helpful update on the old Buckkeep gang, along with a totally reasonable ask: come train the children you were forced to abandon in the magic that all but destroyed you. At least he brought brandy!

He also nonchalantly drops emotional bombs. Hey Fitz- your bio daughter Nettle? She’s just like Burrich (cool!), more so even than the five (!) sons he shares with Molly, the woman you loved and were also (practically) forced to abandon. Chade was clearly sick the day they provided sensitivity training during bastard assassin school.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 37 – Epilogue

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I am… happy?

***Spoliers for all of The Liveship Traders. Mentions of The Farseer Trilogy***

Sa damn. My journey through The Liveship Traders trilogy has come to an end. And what a conclusion it was. I feel the need to stare off into the lack for a bit and process the experience (and by process, I mean immediately jump to the Kindle store and purchase The Tawny Man trilogy, of course). I’m genuinely in awe of what Robin Hobb accomplished: the characters she created, the storylines she wove together, the seeds she planted for what’s to come, and the expansion of her brilliant world and lore. I truly loved every second I spent in this series… yes, even the ones spent on the Serpent Tangle Struggle Bus.

We pick back up in the post-battle night that refuses to end. Tintaglia is ready to take charge on the beach, but she meets her match in stubbornness: Wintrow- who’s gotten a taste of power and isn’t about to give it up, no matter if his challenger could eat him. She decides to let the humans return to the ship and pretend they have a say in anything, as long as it doesn’t cramp her agenda. As everyone congregates in the Motley’s best conference room, I was wondering exactly when the last time any of our characters had gotten any shuteye was when – right on cue – Althea proceeds to nod off while the future order of the world is being hashed out.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 33-36

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King for a Day

***Spoilers for Liveship Traders through chapter 36 of Ship of Destiny. Mentions of Farseer Trilogy***

I am two for two on reading Kennit death scenes right before bed – and this one packed an emotional gut punch. After recent events, we were well past any ability to root for Kennit, but even after he crossed into irredeemability, complicated feelings prevailed. And it’s not just us. Many of the characters are also struggling with complex emotions in the wake of Kennit’s demise. It is clear his death will continue to create ripples of impact among those left behind. The highs were high and the lows were in hell, but Kennit’s return to Paragon for his final moments provided a poignant and touching end to his story. Throughout the Liveship Traders trilogy, Kennit puts Robin Hobb’s unmatched character development skills on full display. He will certainly go down in my personal pantheon of fantasy characters.

This section of chapters is full of interpersonal and political maneuvering, plus, you know, a casual boat battle raging in the background. The Jamaillian warships and nobles were annoying me. Like, chill with the catapults. People are trying to reunite and have conversations, thanks. In the midst of all the chaos, I found myself mostly caring about whether Reyn and Malta still found each other cute (spoiler: they do!! Squeee!), which proves once and for all that I am, deep down, just a teenage girl at heart.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 30-32

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Spill the Tea, Fam!

***Spoilers ahead for Liveship Traders through chapter 32 of Ship of Destiny. Mentions of Farseer Trilogy***

Well, folks. It’s happening. Our storylines and characters are colliding. I have been predicting a convergence in Divvytown, but it looks like this showdown may be destined to occur out on the high seas. (When half the main characters are boats, I probably should have seen that coming). Which is a good reminder to never leave port without your hair and makeup done. You never know when you’ll bump into multiple family members plus your crush while sailing open water.

An especially fun aspect of this Liveship Traders journey is having the awareness of all that’s going on around the Cursed Shores while the characters remain in the dark about events beyond their own little corners. Anticipating their reactions to the batshit happenings unfolding elsewhere in the story is almost as fun as the batshit happenings themselves. Which is why I loved the scene of the Vestrit-family slumber party (complete with Satrap Cosgo playing the role of the friend who is over it and just wants to go to sleep), where Wintrow, Althea, and Malta catch each other up on their increasingly wild tales. Do you think Althea felt a little one-upped when her most shocking revelation was shagging the captain, while Wintrow had turned tattooed slave and back, and Malta is now a part-dragon Satrap whisperer? Tough to compete with these two.

(Jek during Wintrow/Malta story time)

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 26-29

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The Great Gaslighting

***Spoilers for Liveship Traders through chapter 29 of Ship of Destiny. Mentions of Farseer Trilogy.***

Content warning: These chapters include depictions of rape and gaslighting. Here at wizardwordship, I generally strive to provide light-hearted reactions, humor, and possibly fumble my way into an occasional insight. This post touches on heavier themes as necessitated by the story. I will do my best to discuss with the appropriate care and respect.

Up to this point, Captain Kennit has been the ultimate anti-hero for me. Charismatic and dashing, it has been impossible not to feel captivated by him. We have spent a lot of time with him as he ascends to power and does some inadvertent good along the way. I have often wondered where his arc was headed. Could he break good and happily settle down in Divvytown with Etta? (As if this is my first Robin Hobb novel). But with his rape of Althea, our questions about Kennit are unequivocally answered. He’s a monster. It’s horrifying and deeply unsettling to witness his inability to rise above his past and shut the door on redemption.

I went all the way back to Chapter 1 of Ship of Magic, where we first meet Kennit pursuing a prophecy on Treasure Beach. The Other tells him:

“You take that which is not yours, Captain Kennit, and claim it as your own. No matter how much falls into your hands, you are never sated.”
Then:
“That task, that feat, that deed which haunts your dreams will blossom in your hands.”
And finally:
“The heel that destroys that which belongs to the sea shall be claimed in turn by the sea.”

Robin doesn’t hide the truth from readers. The power of her storytelling lies not in surprise, but in the inevitability – and guaranteed emotional fallout – of it all.

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 22-25

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Gird Your Loins, The Endgame Approaches

***Spoilers for Liveship Traders through chapter 25 of Ship of Destiny. References to The Farseer Trilogy***

It feels like we are getting a bit of a reset in these chapters – or perhaps more accurately, a stage-setting for the final showdowns. My Kindle tells me I have about seven hours of read time left in my Liveship Traders adventure (say it ain’t so!), and I can see the pieces starting to shift into place for the grand finale.

In my recent post catching everyone up on my Liveship Traders journey up to the point where I started blogging regularly, I called Wintrow the “chaos agent we deserved.” I was *this close* to saying he was giving big catalyst energy, but decided to let him walk his own chaos-causing path. But then we get Amber telling Paragon, “I have been called a fool as often as I have been called a prophet.” Ding! Ding! Ding!

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Reactions from the Realm: Liveship Traders: Previously on the Cursed Shores

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We’re not in the Six Duchies anymore, Toto.

***Spoilers for all of Liveship Traders (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, and Ship of Destiny) up to my Ship of Destiny blogging journey that begins at chapter 11. Light mentions of Farseer Trilogy, no direct major plot spoilers***

If you’ve been following along, you know I started blogging my journey through The Realm of the Elderlings at the exceedingly logical point of about 75% through the second trilogy. The good news is, that’s only the sixth book in a sixteen-part literary universe, so there is plenty of ground ahead of me to cover. Still, it felt wrong to neglect my beloved Farseer Trilogy (Fitz + me forever) and the first three-fourths of Liveship Traders.

I already shared a post to give some (wildly insufficient) broad-stroke thoughts on Farseer, so Liveship Traders, come on down!

After following Fitz as he grew from boy to assassin to sailor/warrior to wolf-man to rizz lord to hermit (a tale as old as time), diving into Liveship Traders was a real breath of fresh sea air. I’d picked up vague rumblings that Liveship Traders was a good time. Basically, “don’t worry about missing Fitz, there’s a whole cast of wacky characters waiting for you along the Cursed Shores.” So I downloaded the full trilogy to my Kindle (because it’s comforting to see you have 80 hours left in your read), downed second breakfast, and dove in!

And what an adventure it has been!

I have been absolutely eating up Liveship Traders. The characters are rich (bow down to Queen Robin), the pace is quick, and the story keeps me on my toes. You never know when someone’s going to lose a limb!

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 19-21

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The Old Vivacia Can’t Come to the Phone Right Now. Why? Oh, ‘Cause She’s DEAD!

***Liveship Traders spoilers through chapter 21 of Ship of Destiny***

Hooboy. The battle of the liveships is upon us, and it emotionally devastated me as much as Kennit & co. devastated Paragon’s crew.

I have to admit, I got chills when chapter 21 opened with Althea seeing Vivacia’s mast appear in the mist. As predicted, the battle was over before it even really began. Never mind Kennit’s serpent minions having a sudden change of heart at the command to destroy Paragon- the crews were nowhere close to evenly matched. It was a sad, sad end to Paragon’s sailing.

Paragon 😩 . We knew the past was rough, but the Kennit-Paragon conversation wrecked me. I don’t know what’s to come, but we’ve got some VIPs to get out of the hull, and I’m hoping there’s an Amber (Chekhov’s woodworker?) salvage situation ahead.

We’ve got Althea fished out of the sea (side note: maybe sailors should reconsider their stance on swimming lessons), and Wintrow once again primed to do what he does best: wreak havoc on a sailing vessel. Stay tuned!

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Reactions from the Realm: Ship of Destiny, Chapters 15-18

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I love mess!

As a seasoned blogger of four days, I want to quickly share how much fun I’m having sharing my thoughts about Ship of Destiny and my broader RotE journey. What I thought would be just sending my words out into the lack has turned out to be the plenty. For those of you who have found my posts, liked, and to my very first subscriber 🥹- thank you! It delights me to think someone may have actually chuckled at something I’ve written. With that- onward!

***Liveship Traders spoilers through chapter 18 of Ship of Destiny***

There’s a lot of political maneuvering happening right now all along the cursed shores. We’ve got a Housewives-style post-battle reunion at the Traders’ Concourse. To think, just chapters ago we were having teenage dance drama here. Simpler times. Now we are in heavy negotiations with a dragon. And if you think I mean “negotiations with a dragon” metaphorically, rest assured: they had a detailed discussion about whether the dragon would need to sign a written agreement.

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