liveshiptraders

Reactions from the Realm: Dragon Keeper, Prologue – Chapter 5

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Suffering Succotash

***Spoilers for The Rain Wild Chronicles through chapter 5 of Dragon Keeper. Mentions of the events of The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Tawny Man Trilogy are fair game, too.***

Well, well, well. Here we are. It took me a month to recover from my life-altering Tawny Man journey, but I am finally ready to return to the realm. And where does Robin send me? Right back onto the motherfucking serpent struggle bus. And guess what? If you thought the suffering in Liveship Traders was bad, it’s even worse now! Sa almighty.

Hearing secondhand in Fool’s Errand that the dragon hatching didn’t go well wasn’t enough. We jump straight into the prologue with a new serpent POV of the harrowing trip up the Rain Wild River and the cocooning process. And let me tell you: shit. is. bleak. Dragging their exposed, chapped bodies through shallow water. Eating their fallen brethren along the way. Finally arriving at nesting grounds with neither the reserves nor the support needed to craft proper cocoons.

As the story gets underway, we witness an incredibly depressing hatching day where deformed dragons emerge unfit for survival. It’s hard to even crack jokes (though I’ll try, because I’m a pro) – it’s really just that sad. I actually struggled to keep reading at points because the scene is so relentlessly dreary. It’s like we’re being punished for the hopeful note Robin left us on at the end of Ship of Destiny. The pain man is here to collect!

After the excruciating hatching sequence, we jump a few years forward to check in on our cocooning serpent from the prologue, who now goes by her dragon name, Sintara. Hold on to your hats, folks- things haven’t improved.

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Fate, Chapters 18-21

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In Our Horror Era

***Spoilers for the Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 21 of Fool’s Fate.***

Holy shit. Is this the peak of modern literature? I know we have a ways to go, folks, but this section of chapters blew my fucking mind.

Up until now, events on our dragon-slaying journey had been unfolding fairly mundanely. Something had to give. And that thing – as I so deftly predicted – was the ice. And once it broke, everything went nuts. The tonal shift that accompanied Fitz and the Fool’s fall from the glacier’s surface into the hidden world beneath was magnificent. Suddenly, we were in a horror story, and I was on the edge of my seat.

I know I am constantly glazing my lord and savior Robin Hobb and her mastery, but the culmination of storylines in this section was on another level.

So what all went down? (You know, aside from Fitz and the Fool, literally going down.)

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Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Fate, Chapters 14-17

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Bad Trips

***Spoilers for the Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 17 of Fool’s Fate.***

We are in it now, friends. I don’t even know where to start. We’ve got the intense drudgery of traversing the glacier; Fitz getting drugged and tweaking out; a charged Fitz-Fool confrontation; the Black Man of Aslevjal creeping around; a Skill attack; and an awakening Wit-awareness of Icefyre under the ice.

We are just around the halfway point of Fool’s Fate, and I don’t think I could possibly be more excited for the conclusion of this trilogy. I have no idea what’s coming, but that won’t stop me from speculating!

I’m typically more of an in-the-moment sort of reader, but as the glacial expedition got underway, a few things started to click. All of a sudden it dawned on me that of course Fitz would have some sort of Wit/Skill connection with Icefyre that would impact his looming decision regarding the dragon’s fate. And then we get this brief moment after Civil and the Fool’s fight, when Fitz has a flash of clarity about his ability to Skill-heal the Fool:

“I cannot say how I knew what it was I had glimpsed. Perhaps something in that closed circle of touching told me. I drew a shaky breath and reached recklessly toward his face with outstretched fingers.

‘I can heal you,’ I told him, amazed and breathless with the discovery. The knowledge of my newfound power rushed through my blood, hot as whiskey. ‘I see what is wrong, the bits that are broken and how the blood pools under your skin where it should not. Fool, I can use the Skill and heal you.’”

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The Navigation Station

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Welcome to wizardwordship!

My corner of the internet for sailing the high seas of fantasy fiction. Currently chronicling my journey through Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings, with all the awe, anguish, and occasional unhinged delight that entails. Grab your emotional life jacket and come aboard!

📍 Currently reading: Dragon Keeper (The Rain Wild Chronicles #1)
✔️ Just finished: Fool’s Fate (Tawny Man #3)
🧭 Start from the beginning: wizardwordship’s Maiden Voyage

Realm of the Elderlings, by series:

Farseer Trilogy

The Farseer
Trilogy

Liveship Traders

The Liveship
Traders Trilogy

The Tawny
Man Trilogy

The Rain Wild Chronicles

Side Quests:

The Will of the Many

Reactions from the Realm: Fool’s Errand, Chapters 16-20

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Badass Fitz Returns!

***Spoilers for The Tawny Man Trilogy through chapter 20 of Fool’s Errand . Heavy references to the events of Farseer Trilogy and Liveship Traders***

Fire up the Mystery Machine, things are getting pretty spooky in Galekeep! I am really loving the mystery vibes of Fool’s Errand. When it was revealed that we were in cat country, I should have expected things to get weird, and the atmosphere at Galekeep did not disappoint. Everyone is hiding something, Fitz is looking foine in his fancy clothes, and utter disaster lurks around every corner.

In my last post, I noted that it was great to have Fitz and Nighteyes reunite. What I failed to realize is that their time apart was actually a blessed mercy on us: giving us a break from the unrelenting slow march toward Nighteyes’ death. This is fucking brutal. I feel like I am in an emotional guillotine. The blade is going to drop and I am going to be destroyed. I know Nighteyes is prideful, but can we please fashion him a little saddle or something? Watching him push himself to the limit – all while recovering from a cat attack (did I say I liked cats before? Fuck cats!) – is a lot to handle. Fitz, who is very generous with his own life force, does a little more skill healing/life infusion, which Nighteyes flat-out forbids him from doing again.

I’m beginning to fear that the relative lack of emotional destruction in Liveship Traders compared to Farseer Trilogy lulled me into complacency. Time to get my head back in the game. We are in the Six Duchies now. Constant vigilance!!!!

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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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