I couldn't find my way to the end of this book. I felt the urge to toss the CDs I listened to out the window of my car as I drove, but I feared that I might cut someone's tire on the unfinished script.

This entire book felt like it was someone's backstory that filled in for the actual novel to be written when the deadline arrived. The characters didn't draw me in, the prose felt choppy at times, and this didn't feel like the editor did more than look at the written copy, check it as existing, then send it on.

No, not a good book in the least. ( )

I love Robin Hobb, but this book never catched me. I didn't even manage to finish the book. ( )

One of Robin Hobb's weakest books.
None of the characters are particularly sympathetic. I never felt drawn into the story. I couldn't quite tell who I was supposed to be cheering for, which makes it hard to care who wins. The ending was unsatisfying, and left me with no desire to read the rest of this series.
Disappointing, after how fantastic her other books have been. ( )

Endlich wieder einmal ein Buch von Robin Hobb gelesen, sie gehört eindeutig zu meinen Lieblingsschriftstellerinnen im Fantasybereich. Nach den Geschichten über den Weitseher Fitz und denen über die Lebensschiffe schreibt sie über den Kadetten Nevare in einer Welt einerseits an der Grenze zur Neuzeit andererseits voll im magischen Denken verhaftet. Sie entwirft glaubhafte, vielfarbige Charaktere, über die man gerne liest - und spannend wird es auch immer. Schön, dass der zweite Band über Nevare schon neben meinem Bett liegt.

Shaman's Crossing, and the Soldier Son trilogy, definitely leans toward the more brooding and introverted end of the fantasy spectrum. As such, the story needs an introverted, brooding, slightly stick-in-the-mud narrator: a role which Nevare fills rather nicely.

Set in an expanding, imperialist Gernia, Nevare exhibits all the traits of a Good Gernian: loyalty, faith, a willingness to follow the path set for him by his birth-order, and an internalized obligation to 'westernize' the conquered savages. It is through his growth and encounters with others throughout the series that the Good Gernian will be criticized.

I find the amount of "Nevare is far too different from Fitz" criticism from some Farseer fans frankly surprising. I don't think it's an entirely fair comparison; the stories and worlds are drastically different, and therefore require different characters. Transplanting Fitz's brain and personality into a Gernian body and slapping on a vanity name-tag would have been a cheap ploy. Not to mention a disservice to readers, ( )