Book 2), Forest Mage (The Soldier Son Trilogy

Nevare was the least likable character in the book. Arthur W. Jordin, in comments to other reviewers, keeps telling people to become more familiar with western history, as if the world of Nevare is real. Get real Art! This is FANTASY. And not very good. I'll keep slogging in Renegade just to find out how it all ends but will probably just skim it. There were other more interesting characters in this book that could have been developed to make it a good read (Epiny, Yari). Actually, Nevare was portrayed as a poor stereotype of a female from some misogynist novel.

I've liked Hobb's other series but had not read the Soldier Son trilogy. I read the first, "Shaman's Crossing" and thought it wasn't quite on the same high level but (OK), I'll reserve judgment. I've just read "Forest Mage" and will not read the final title. "Forest Mage" shows the hero at the beginning as in a bad way, removed from the past prospects that he originally had. He is essentially down and out. The novel then proceeds to show him failing at every single test. At the end, he is a despised fugitive from society, his family, the law. All of this is unmerited and he is entirely passive.

If anyone enjoys reading a fantasy of complete destruction of the main character, then this is the novel for you. Making it even more amazing, he is touched with magic but never comes to the smallest understanding whatsoever about himself or the nature of the magic.

Nicely written, as always. If the reader isn't depressed at the outset, then his/her depression is guaranteed by the end of this sodden fantasy. No stars, a failure.

and having finally gotten through it, I question whether it was worth the pain. I really like Robin Hobb, and even more I thoroughly enjoyed Book 1 in this trilogy. This book feels like a bridge between two stories, and simply a means of getting the main character from his beginnings in Book 1 to his next life in Book 3. Unfortunately, about 1/3 of the book could have done that, the rest just drove the same point home over and over. I found myself skimming pages to get to parts that were new or more interesting and avoiding the angst-filled "Oh woe is me" parts, which took up way too much of the book. I recommend finding someone like me who didn't pay attention to the negative reviews, have them summarize the story, then move directly from reading Book 1 to reading Book 3 when it comes out. Then you get to learn about the character and what he becomes without the pain of reading this book.

I gave this 3 stars because despite the pain of plowing through it, the author continues to create an interesting world and to fill it with complex people. There were parts of this book I enjoyed, but the parts I didn't were unfortunately the greater portion.

I see that one recent reviewer has shown some negativity toward this book, saying that Ms. Hobb must have been very depressed when she wrote it, and berating her for the extreme mental unhealthiness of how Nevarre deals with his problems. However, I interpret the story differently: as a way to throw our last socially promoted discrimination in our faces, that against fat people. Many are just as helpless to lose weight as Nevarre, and Hobb demonstrates how ruthlessly most people are willing to mock and belittle them for it. I found it to be a very revealing look at just how depressing it is to be openly disdained by the majority of society.

That being said, I highly enjoyed the book. I believe I read it this past December in lieu of studying for final exams; that was one of the easier choices between reading materials I've made in a long time. :-) This trilogy gives me the same sort of feel that I got from reading Tad Williams' MS&T series, or The Silmarillion, that there was a conception of magic going on that was just a little too alien to my way of thinking to quite conceive of properly. I love that sensation; it makes me feel as if these non-human creatures really do operate on a non-human rationality that is not quite commensurable with our own, and that's a trick that few authors pull off effectively. Kudos to Ms. Hobb.

This is the second book in Robin Hobb's Forest trilogy. In the first book, our hero - a young and basically decent nobleman - was infected, through no fault of his own, with a wild forest magic. His quest, in this second book, is to understand what happened to him and to figure out what he should do next. The magic has got him into an awful lot of trouble; his family has disowned him, he is hated by everyone that he meets, and he's fallen about as far as anyone can, winding up as a grave-digger on the edge of the Gernian empire.

The book is written in the first person, and very skillfully; we come to know the hero intimately. Hobb's writing technique made me care about the hero and what happens to him; I hated his enemies, and wanted to shake him upside the head whenever he blew it. But this is not your typical fantasy novel.

If you like the kind of heroic fantasy where the hero grabs a magic sword and slays gods and demons right and left, then this is not your kind of book and you should give it a pass. But if you like something different, a psychological drama where the hero is kind of slow, and the book is too, with the added interest of an ecological-native theme, then go ahead and try it out, you won't be disappointed.

*caution, if you haven't read the second book yet, there are spoilers in this review*

Robin Hobb's latest book continues directly after the events in Shaman's Crossing, but it is soon clear that the main character is going to experience some significant changes. As a matter of fact, almost everything that we have come to expect from Nevare Burvelle in Shaman's Crossing will be altered.

Nevare is a boy in book 1; he is unquestioning, he works for the approval of his father, he trains hard to be the best soldier possible.

In Forest Mage all this effort is quickly undone by the side effect of the Speck plague. Nevare's growing waist-size drives the plot for a while (for too long, frankly) and as it wrecks his chances of joining the Cavalla, his impending nupitals, and his relationship with his family and peers--Nevare finds a newfound independance within himself, and begans to slowly realize that the Specks are not done with his destiny.

This book had an interesting premise, but the action is brutally uneven throughout. Much as the first book built a political crises around Nevare at the Cavalla academy, Forest Mage builds a personal crises when he returns home. As Nevare is ostracized by his family (except his mother) he must discover whether he can when their love back, and whether their love is worth his effort. Unfortunately, much like the political situation in the Cavalla Academy, instead of a resolution, the entire buildup is rendered moot by an outbreak of the plague, driving the story artificially forward.

Nevare's destruction of plain's magic, an event that would seem world-shattering in it's importance was childishly easy, and seemed almost an aside to the story. The initial interest in seeing his character forced to change by his weight gain was soon exhausted, and it soon becomes tiresome to have it reference over and over again.

The novel finally seems to pick up steam as Nevare reaches Gettys, and finds several of his former companions there. His battle between his Speck-self and Gernian-self also becomes compelling. As tension builds between the people of the town and Nevare...the plague comes and once again resets the story. This is the most unbelievably frustrating plot device imaginable. Also Hobb cribs shamelessly from the Farseer trilogy when Nevare 'dies' to join the Specks.

This book made me ponder how Hobb wants the reader to feel about Nevare. Personally I would like him to find a way to lose the weight, and take down the insipid Specks. Something tells me, however, the plot is not headed in this direction.

The writing of Forest Mage is still skilled, Hobb writes well as always. And most of my frustration stems from how incredibly good the Farseer, Fool, and Liveship books were...even Shaman's Crossing was enjoyable. Forest Mage doesn't live up to Hobb's previous works. Hopefully it will become more palatable after the denouement is presented in the next book.

I enjoy Robin Hobb's work, but I dont know if I can truly say I enjoyed reading Forest Mage. It turns everything we saw in Shaman's Crossing on its head, and indeed, Shaman's Crossing becomes simply a prologue to Nevare's ongoing story.

The book itself is relentless and challenging, and I suppose that serves to give us some idea of the life Nevare finds himself facing. At the end of Shaman's Crossing we thought Nevare had triumphed over multiple adversaries - and he had, but won those battles only to lose the war.

We meet new characters, and old friends return - almost all changed for better or worse, save Epiny, who is the strange combination of selfless and selfish she always was.

Lastly, the magic of Nevare's world is really a character all of its own in this book, in a way rarely seen in fantasy fiction.

Forest Mage is an enthralling story, but one that is truly in the mold of "The Empire Strikes Back" - only bad things happen, and the protagonist's world is in ruins at its end.

I look forward to the final Soldier's Son volume, and hope to truly enjoy reading it.

This has got to be one of the BIGGEST BORE I have read in many years. I actually have read her Farseer series and enjoyed it (til the end) and enjoyed the first one of the Soldier Son trilogy.

But I agree with "AKA - Diary of a Depressed Fat Man"'s review.

This is absolutely one of the worst books I have read in ages and I tell you with all sincerely to skip it and pick up something else. I couldnt stand reading through it after 3/4 of the way in and just gave up. Not going to read the final book. It is that depressing.

I started on Way of Kings instead and that is so much more satisfying.

Ok...I set this book down at page 211...I had pretty much given up hearing about Nevare's weight issues. Come on already! I started reading another book and I just couldn't get into that one. So I decided to pick up Forest Mage again and give it a shot. Well, long story short: I'm glad I did. I enjoy the depth of characterization Ms. Hobb creates (for the most part). I also enjoy the story of the day to day struggles of Nevare and his ability to overcome. Nevare is flawed, which makes him a more interesting real subject as are all the others in the book. Ms. Hobb has a gift for fleshing out the characters and the story. A sign of a good book for me is reading at every opportunity. Forest Mage has turned into that type of book. I look forward to the next installment!

I wasn't sure I liked this book in the beginning. Nevare was not a character I especially liked in the first volume of this trilogy and I thought my feelings for him were not going to change. And they didn't, not until the final few paragraphs of Forest Mage, a few paragraphs that I found such a perfect ending that it completely redemed Nevare for me. As for the rest of the book, I didn't find it depressing at all, just totally engrossing. I didn't do much of anything for a day and half but read this book. I love Robin Hobb's world-building, her way of creating such marvelous cultures and mythologies. This book was no exception. The forest, the Specks, the walkers, I loved all of it, and would happily have continued reading for another 700 pages. Can't wait till volume 3; this story is going to haunt me until I can finally read the ending.

Thanks Robin, for another enthralling story.

This book takes you to the EDGE of epic fantasy in a novel about the former Nevare Burvelle (who ingeniously shortens his name to Nevare Burv, because who would ever link the two names together, right?). He's such a smart chap. In fact, the entire book is dedicated to his futile fight with the Speck plague and the accusations and descriminations that come from his peers and betters due to his increasing waistline (dang those Specks and their fat-making plagues!). Nevare can't enlist anywhere as a soldier's son (his from-birth destiny!) but manages to find a small post as a gravedigger near the end of the King's Road (the sorrow and stupidity that makes the core plotline). So this book is spent with Nevare digging graves and hanging out at the graveyard and trying to haul the bodies the Specks steal to commit to their trees and putting them back in the ground. It is about as exciting as it sounds, which is not at all. His poor sister (whom he promised to save from a futile fate under their father's tyrannical rule) is left to rot and we only see her situation from glimpses of letters she writes to her cousin and Nevare. BORING!! And it get worse in the third book.

I am a HUGE fan of Robibn Hobb's and consider the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies among the best books I have ever read. I have not read the Liveship series because they sounded sort of dumb.

I had high hopes for this book because I really enjoyed the first one in the series. Hobb has a way of really bringing believable characters to life and Shaman's Crossing was more of the same. However, the more I read Forest Mage, the more appalled I became.

The MINUTE Nevare began to gain weight, he was insulted and shunned by EVERYONE (except the Specks). I think only one character at the end was nice to him. I am hoping that the reviewer who called Nevare a fat slob was being fasecious and not as insulting as Hobb.

I wonder if Hobb is working through some issues of her own and chose to explore them in this text.

I will NOT be wasting my time with Renegade's Magic, and although I will continue to enjoy the previous trilogies again and again, I will view her future novels with skepticism.

Robin Hobb, Forest Mage (Eos, 2006)

In all the pictures I've seen of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden--aka Robin Hobb--she is slender, almost elfin, with a glint in her eye and an open, welcoming smile. After reading Forest Mage, I find myself wondering if the person in those photos is, in fact, Robin Hobb. Why? Because I have a very hard time believing that anyone that thin can write a fat guy, and write him with the fabulous, if unsettling, dead-on precision with which Hobb gives us Nevare Burvelle.

Now, those of you reading this and remembering Shaman's Crossing might be wondering what on earth I'm on about. Nevare? The fighting-fit cadet kid? Is a fat guy? Surprise! When we last left Gernia, the Speck plague had finally loosed its hold on Old Thares, thanks in no small part to Nevare and his dream-battle with Tree Woman. Nevare survived, of course, as did some of his friends, but this is a Robin Hobb story. No one gets out unchanged. While most of the Speck Plague survivors are weakened and thin as rails, Nevare's recovery goes the other way--without eating, and while still doing the same amount of exercise, Nevare becomes grossly fat. (Well, not grossly fat by today's standards. When he despairs that he's developing a second chin, I actually snorted.) The Academy's doctor says it's not an unheard-of side effect, but it's a rare one. Nevare has a chance to get himself back into trim, though; he's taking a month off from the Academy to head back home to his brother's wedding. And from there, his troubles really begin...

I've covered maybe the first thirty pages of the seven hundred plus in Forest Mage, and I'll warn you: like most of Hobb's books (Fool's Fate being the sterling exception to the rule), Forest Mage gets off to a slow, slow start. It took me five times as long to get through the first fifty pages as it did to get through the last six hundred sixty-eight. That, too, is typical of Hobb; once the book sinks its claws into you, food and sleep become secondary considerations. You just have to pay a small price to get there. And in this case, "there" is definitely somewhere you want to be. I liked Shaman's Crossing, and I liked it a lot better than many of those I know who have loved Hobb's previous trilogy of trilogies, but it never got to that point where it just ran roughshod over me the way Fool's Fate or, going back a bit farther, Ship of Magic, did. Forest Mage ended up eclipsing both in my estimation, and a large part of that has to do with what I referenced in the first paragraph. I'm a fat guy. I get it. And when Hobb, who has long been an exceptional worker of characters, turns her eye to Nevare's plight, she depicts it better than any book I've read with a fat character. That includes nonfiction books on eating disorders. The details she comes up with are things that research won't tell you; you have to be there. Having to hold your breath when bending over to tie your shoe? That detail, however, small, stopped me in my tracks. Who thinks about stuff like that?

The fat guy, that's who. I think about it every morning. I have no choice in the matter.

One interesting--and probably far more relevant to the average-sized fantasy reader--side effect of Nevare suddenly becoming a fat guy is that the book enters a whole new realm of sensuality for Hobb's writing. Seriously, there are times when this book borders on food porn. If you've attended any wine-tasting classes, or watched specials about that sort of thing on TV, you'll respond when Nevare is discussing the sensation of eating bread. (Amusingly, a few minutes after I finished this, I flipped on the TV, and there was a segment on HRTV's show Inside Information about jockey Alex Solis' new vineyard. So I had a chance to double-check. It was eerie.) And this, too, is a fat-guy obsession; things do get a lot more physical. You notice things more. Maybe it's the latent sensualist in all of us coming forth, I don't know. But it's there. The ability to smell the ingredients of a stew, or to taste perfume in the air. Yeah. That's real. I could keep going, but I'll just say to trust me on this--Hobb nailed that character. I couldn't have written him better, and I AM the fat guy. (This is, of course, assuming any fiction I turned out were of a high enough quality to black Hobb's boots. I put away such childish fantasies long ago, which is the main reason I write poetry.)

Okay, fat guy aside, this book also flays open any pretense we had about the idea that Nevare and Fitz are fundamentally different characters. (For those of you just joining us, Fitz--FitzChivalry Farseer--was the hero-ish type from the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies.) Whereas Nevare was something of a self-obsessed idiot in Shaman's Crossing, he never got anywhere near the level of self-obsessed idiocy that Fitz comes to realize he's displaying roundabout the end of the second book of the Farseer trilogy. (I'm sure any of you who read it remember exactly what I'm talking about, and its rather severe consequences.) He gets there in this book. And a hundred fifty pages from the end, I was sure I knew where Hobb was going with this, and that it was going to be a replay of the Farseer books, and that as much as I was stunned and grateful that Nevare existed, I was going to end up blasting this book for its ending. I should have known better. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Hobb was going for that exact reaction. She's too good at setting the reader up to expect one thing, and then dropping another on him. After all, she does it to her lead characters. Every single time. When someone in a robin Hobb novel attempts a selfless act, there are always unforeseen, and sometimes vast, consequences. Do something selfish, and jeez, you're up the creek. Nevare, self-obsessed idiot that he is, and just like Fitz before him, does a wealth of things in this book, of both types. (If anything, Nevare strikes me as a touch less selfish than Fitz; that could be the differences in the early years. You see what I mean about the level of detail Hobb works with?) And, yeah, you're reading Robin Hobb. You know what's coming. Nevare, though, achieves a level of self-awareness here that Fitz never found, though one gets the idea that Hobb subscribes to the idea--in fact, one of the characters, Buel Hitch, comes within a hair of saying it--that one first actually learns something when one admits one knows nothing at all. Knowledge, in Robin Hobb's universe, is an onion that's been sitting out for a few days. Not only does getting through one layer just make you realize how much more there is to go, but man, the thing stinks.

I give out very few five-star reviews per year; I can't check any more (thanks to a hard drive crash), but I'm relatively certain the highest number of five-star book reviews I've given in a single year is four. (Again, for those who have just joined us; in a typical year, that's one to two percent of the books I read.) It wasn't that long ago that Fool's Fate got one of those five-star reviews. It's my favorite Hobb novel, and it's just about perfect in every way. Or, until about five-thirty last night, it was my favorite Hobb novel. As I said, I enjoyed Shaman's Crossing. But it did not, in any way, prepare me for the tour de force that is Forest Mage. If you gave up on this trilogy because of Shaman's Crossing, I implore you to give Forest Mage a try, because I guarantee it will restore your faith in Robin Hobb. Claws and kicks its way to the title of the best book I've read (so far) in 2007. *****

I loved this sequel to Shaman's Crossing. Ms. Hobb takes her time developing characters. Some readers find that tedious. I love the way it unfolds. As the story unwinds, you find yourself swept along whether you really want to be or not. Whether you feel empathy or revulsion, you are on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Ms. Hobb's characters are flawed and sometimes you end up slapping your forehead over dumb decisions they make. But the point is that you care about them anyway. At least, I do. I can feel the bouts of power and helplessness that Navarre struggles with.

The Farseer Trilogy is one of my favorite sets of reading. I can see similarities between what Navarre and Fitz suffered. Is it magic or fate? Self-sacrifice or hopes for the future?

I may not always like the lead character, but I can't put the book down because I am always pulling for him. I can't wait for book three!!

This is another quality Hobb trilogy in the making. I thought this second book better than the first. Nevarre thought he defeated the magic and freed himself of its influence in the first book, but it continues to haunt him. I'll stay spoiler free here but mention some details from the first book.

Some people complain Nevarre is badly characterized. In my opinion, Nevarre is consistently portrayed. In the first book he was a soldier's son, and trained to be a soldier's son. He hated to accept that he was under the influence of any sort of magic - partially, perhaps, because he was raised to mostly listen and obey. Partially because the religion he was raised with seems to deny the existence of real magic. And partially because he's just stubborn. He wants control over his own life, and honestly, sometimes when he fails to take that control, he kind of fools himself that he has. Real people do things like this quite a bit.

Nevarre has gotten a bit smarter, especially with the other part of his soul back, but he has to wrestle with the life experiences of his other Speck self. And he still has to deal with the legacy of the magic which still attempts to exert control over him.

Some folks complain that Nevarre is being "dumb". Sure, from the outside it may appear that way. Like FitzChivalry in the Farseer trilogies, you sometimes want to smack Nevarre for being such a bonehead. Looking at the story from the outside, if you know Hobb's writing, and you can sometimes piece together where things are heading a lot more than Nevarre can.

But remember, you're dealing with a young soldier son here. The magic chips away at his self-image, his self-esteem, and his personality. Nevarre just wants to be left alone to live his life as he wants, but the magic doesn't allow that. He struggles stubbornly, steadfastly, to deal with the changes and events brought on by the magic. The Speck magic is like a river. It seeks to sweep him along where it wants, and sometimes Nevarre struggles to swim upstream, sometimes he just strives to hold his place, and sometimes he gives in to the current.

The best thing here in the Soldier Son trilogy is the lack of good and evil. Hobb's books are good for their strong characterization, even of the quote-unquote 'bad guys', and here that trend continues. Both sides caught in the struggle are right, in their own way. And poor Nevarre is stuck in the middle, against his will.

Robin Hobb is among the small set of authors whose books I would buy sight-unseen. As with anything by Lois McMaster Bujold and Connie Willis (granted, those are two totally different styles!), Hobb's writing is so powerful that I want to see what she can do with _any_ topic. Even when she falters (each of her books seems to have a slow spot, during which I find myself "peeking ahead"), she crafts such real characters and so compelling a magic "physics" that I can't resist her stuff.

If you haven't read the first book in Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy, don't imagine that you can pick up the story with this one. While Hobb does a bit of an arm wave on "what has gone before," you really do need to know who Nevare _was_ in order to understand what he becomes. Or, more accurately, to understand what he struggles towards/against becoming.

For the underlying theme in this book isn't just about the coming of age of a Soldier Son -- the second son who is "destined" to serve his country -- as he discovers and resists a competing destiny. Hobb separates one common fantasy trope into its component parts. That is, in most fantasy novels, characters who are given "magic powers" are also given some understanding of how to use them, under what circumstances they're appropriate to use, and the ability to choose when to do so. Nevare is not. In this universe, the Magic has its own plans, and those who serve the magic are not "armed" with it but must follow whatever destiny they're given... which lacks a lot of details.

In addition, the politics of Hobb's world are uncomfortably familiar to our own human history. The Gernian king wants to expand "civilization" to the east, and the native Plainsmen and Specks are in the way. We'll bring them all the benefits of our technology, of course, and they'll soon understand that the life we give them is better. Uh-huh. And, of course, Nevare is stuck splat in the middle of all of it.

As a result, most of this book is about Nevare's struggle as he tries to get control of his life. It isn't always pretty, and yes, as some other reviewers have said, some bits are depressing. Yet, it's not gratuitiously depressing, and Nevare does end up making a choice by the end of the book.

I desperately want to know what happens next. I think you will, too.

This is the second volume is the Soldier Son trilogy (after Shaman's Crossing and before Renegade's Magic).

Recovering from the plague, many surviving cadets can now only hope for a fragile health. Nevare convalesces remarkably well though, but as time goes by, he realizes the Specks' magic is taking a much crueller toll on his imbued body.

Looking forward to travelling back home to Widevale for his brother's wedding, his joy will be short lived. Nevare is far from welcome. Indeed, his father blames him for his condition, and will do everything to set things as they should be. To no avail. When the plague comes again and decimates the region, Nevare has no choice but to leave.

Cast out, he makes his way eastwards, and spends some time in Dead Town. There he meets Amzil and her children, who'll become as close to friends as he's ever had in the last months. But as he helps her, her neighbours' jealousies start to threaten her life. He'll leave when his duty commands him to take the wounded scout Buel Hitch to Gettys.

Gettys is a fortified town at the base of the Barrier Mountains, the last one on the King's Road which is being built to reach the sea beyond the mountains. But upon arrival, Nevare rapidly notices that the city is a pale shadow of what he expected, that the command is a shambles, and that roadworks has all but stopped at the edge of the forest. Not only are felled giant trees blocking the way, but a strange spell of fear and despair has fallen over the inhabitants, preventing any progression of the construction.

Despite his crippling condition, Nevare manages to gets a post at the graveyard. In the nearby forest, he'll meet a Specks woman named Olikea, and will start to learn about her People.

True to her tradition, Robin Hobb deals her main character unjust fate after unfair hand. And as poor Nevare is really at a lost about what he should do about the Magic, his social situation only gets worse, he becomes the victim of wrongful decisions, biased reactions and finally, false accusations. All this is interwoven with lavish forest scenes betraying the author's love of trees and Nature, and exquisite descriptions of food that you can savour with Nevare. The ending is beautiful and very moving and I'm very impatient to read the third and final book.

If you are a huge Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm fan, you will probably enjoy her latest Soldier's Son books. These books are just as character driven as her previous work; the characters just as solid and fleshed out (no pun intended), the overall writing is just as polished. If Hobb explored moral ambiguity through Fitz in the Six Duchies world, she goes even further with Nevare in her Soldier's Son books.

Nevare is not as exciting a character as Fitz or Althea or the Fool. He starts out fairly shallow and unquestioning. It is a bit like reading the thoughts of a frat boy put into extreme circumstances. If you can't stand waiting for him to change, or the ponderous way he does it, these books may not be for you. But there are many, maby reasons to work through it.

Robin Hobb is a master at creating cultures and displaying their facets on a page. The cultures in these books are totally different from those of the Six Duchies world and totally fascinating.

The ideas in this book philosophically and socially are just as interesting as her previous work. No character is totally good or bad, right or wrong, but like real people they love and hate, do good things that turn out wrong, give into temptation and surprise themselves with how they feel and what they accomplish. They wrestle with nationalism, gender roles, the strictures of beloved parents, duty, racism, obesity and superstition. Hobb's books, as usual, are a banquet for your brain.

Additionally, Nevar may think like a simple man, but there are many characters who do not. Epiny, Yaril, Amzil, Spink and Gordon are free thinkers whose ideas challenge our hero, to say nothing of those of the Speck and Kidona characters.

And Nevare, God bless him, isn't really all that bad. He needs to grow up and open his mind. If he did not, there wouldn't be much of a story.

I was afraid to pick up this book because Shaman's Crossing was such a tedious disappointment after Hobb's previous Assassin and Liveship series which I couldn't put down. However, at the beginning of the book she includes a dedication to a friend for helping her flesh out Nevarre Burvelle's character, and the protagonist really has improved in this one.

Nevarre matures a lot in this book and becomes a real person, instead of the stuffed shirt that I couldn't empathize with in the first book. Even as he defends his people, we see his disappointments as he becomes a pariah, and the Speck magic seducing him over to the side of the forest. I also liked a couple of the supporting characters including the widow and the cavalla scout whose names I can't remember, although cousin Epiny remains annoyingly childish.

By the way, Nevarre gets a fair amount of booty. (Which I wasn't expecting given the Speck magic turning him into a human balloon.)

My message to other Hobb fans is: if Shaman's Crossing scared you off, don't worry, it gets better.

For people who haven't read Hobb before, "Soldier Son" is sort of like Orson Scott Card's "Alvin Maker" series where you have a 19th-century North America but with magic thrown in.

I had so hoped for a new series as great as the Farseer collection but was sorely disappointed. The vivid, forceful and emotionally involving characters, like Fitz and Nighteyes, do not exist in this book. Compared, Forest Mage and the other books in this trilogy are kind of boring. I hope that Robin Hobbs will go back to the Farseers, stories which provided some of the best reading of my life.

If you've haven't read Shaman's Crossing, stop and do so.

If you read Shaman's Crossing, then you are either primed for Forest Mage, or you will never like this genre. At the end of Shaman's Crossing, readers could no doubt predict that Nevare's quick return to health destined him to become an obese pariah like the former rider at the freak show. In this second book, we learn the reason for Nevare's repulsive growth, and witness as Nevare is forced to travel east and deal with magic's efforts to separate him from King and Country.

I strongly recommend this series. I think it is Hobb's best work. I won't reveal the whole plot, but I read this book in one afternoon and can't wait for book 3.

Finally, please don't listen to the negative postings.

Much of the criticism I see in the other postings relates to this book being "depressing," and leaving issues unresolved. I don't agree. First, the "depressing" aspect is mostly related to the magic's efforts to separate Nevarre from his ties to his country. The struggle is compelling, and necessary to the plot. How else can the magic separate a man of honor from his duty, other than to completely lay him low? Second, folks need to understand that this book is part of a true trilogy, and as such, needs to set the scene for the final chapter of Nevare's journey. Seen in that light, this book delivers very well indeed. Frankly, for a 2nd book, I think we are given a MUCH more satisfying conclusion than we ever got in the 2nd book of a series like Lord of the Rings, and never mind how "depressing" The Two Towers must have seemed to these same critics.

If you liked the theme and the genre of the first book in this series, then you'll like this continuation, which is roughly the same quality. As with other books that the author has written, the protagonist wrestles with personal loss and has to make tough decisions as a result.

Some of the characters are dramatically changed in comparison to the first book - such a sudden change makes me question the intended character development of the book. The author beings with a brief recap of the first book as an introduction, which should serve as enough background to make this book a standalone novel. I personally would have liked to see more tie-ins and references to Shaman's Crossing. BE WARNED - when I first read this book, I found the first half to be one of the most depressing pieces I have ever read. I suppose the author wished the reader to experience the loss rather than have it summed up to move the plot along. After the first half, it does start to get interesting, and the story moves along at a good pace.

Overall, buy this book if you liked the first in the trilogy, grind through the first half, and I hope you'll enjoy it.

I am a newcomer to the Fantasy genre. I finished reading George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and while waiting for the next book in the series happened on Shaman's Crossing by accident. I was immediately sucked into Nevarre's world and came to care about him, his friends and wanted the mystery of the Specks to unfold. I found Forest Mage to be a satisfying continuation of Nevarre's story. There are still many questions unanswered (as a mystery fan, I love that) and Nevarre is maturing into a truly flawed but real young man.

I think, with the exception of Martin and Charlaine Harris' books I haven't looked forward to a sequel with this much anticipation in a very long time.

I noticed that a lot of people are giving this book bad reviews...I wholeheartedly disagree with them. It has been ages since I have picked up such a well-thought out book in the fantasy genre. Hobb's Nevere faces challenges which frankly any of us would have trouble with. Live the way of your own people and be scorned or adopt a new culture who welcomes you with open arms (and betray your people)? The "fat" stigma which Nevere faces was well chosen as this is something that hits home with readers. Our culture too despises fat...readers can face the same internal loathing as Nevere. There are no easy answers, no sudden magical solution, no sugar-coating, just good, insightful writing.

The story itself when looked at from a distance, was an excellent story to tell and could probably even be told outside of this trilogy; however, I felt it could have been reduced to a much smaller book. There are themes that repeat throughout this book. While they allow us to view the depth of the main character Nevare, I felt that these themes, such as Nevare's physical appearance and his appetite are simply mentioned too many times and in too great a detail.

I was frustrated at times by Nevare's ignorance, but the story is told such that you still keep on reading long into the night, just to find out what will happen next.

So, great story, just a little too lengthy and repetitive at times for me. I definitely prefer Hobbs' Assassin series so far.

After recovering from the plague second son Nevare Burvelle is the only one who feels he is not skin on bones. His doctor believes he is gaining too much weight, a rare symptom of the plague. Nobody believes him that the plague came and spread when the primitive magic believers, the Speck people used dust during the dance that made people sick. He believes this because he fought Tree Woman in another realm and recovered the missing part of himself, a person who was Tree Woman's lover and used magic.

Now Nevare is returning home, crossing the planes where the King's Road is destroying the magic and way of life and bringing outsiders who settle there. He watches the magic being totally destroyed when he sees a boy put cold iron on the Dancing Spiral. Twice he unknowingly uses magic and by the time he reaches home, he is worse than obese. Almost his whole family turns on him and his father disowns him. He journeys to the frontier post of Gettys where he becomes an enlightened man taking care of the cemetery. The Speck people tell him that the magic controls him and he is supposed to stop the sacred trees from being torn down because the magic told them so. He doesn't know how to use the magic and if he doesn't find answers soon, the Specks will bring war on Nevare's country and that means death to all he holds dear.

Robin Hobb is one of the best high fantasy writers of the new millennium. Her characters, no matter how secondary, are well drawn and have complete personalities. The protagonist is not a hero by choice but because the magic chose him and though he fights it, in the end he gives in to its demand to save his loved ones. There is plenty of action and lot in excitement in FOREST MAGE so readers will thoroughly enjoy this spellbinding tale.

Harriet Klausner

It defies logic, but I couldn't put these books down even though I thought they were quite awful. Hobb is that talented at writing. If you want a quick review of this book it goes like this: He (Nevare) gets fat, people laugh; he gets fatter, people start to hate him; he gets fatter, everyone hates him; he gets obscenely fat and realizes its due to "speck magic". Yes, being able to use magic turns you into an obese creature whom I can only assume resembles Jaba the Hutt from Star Wars. Yet I still read it because Hobb writes so well it lulls you in. Trust me, its totally not worth it.

I read it in seven hours, staying up until 3:30am. And I remembered what I'd forgotten about the Robin Hobb trilogies.

The middle book is always AWFUL.

Oh, I don't mean the writing is bad; it's not. But the situational turmoil the characters go through, and the emotional turmoil you share with them, is completely and utterly devastating. No holds barred. Hobbs pours on despair like the sand in one of those old B-movie closed-room booby traps... it just keeps coming and coming until it buries you and you drown in it or are crushed under the weight.

The few bright, hopeful spots are the size of fire-flies, tiny pin-pricks of light that do nothing at all substantial to hold back the darkness.

And yet, you can't put it down. Never once while reading did I think, okay, this is depressing, I'm gonna quit. The book sucks you in with a totality so immense that you forget you have a separate life and personality outside its pages. You BECOME Nevare Burvelle for the space of those hours.

I could go on and on, but it would get repetitive, and if, you've read it, you already know what I'm talking about. If you HAVEN'T read it, I urge you NOT to read it until the third and final book comes out. If the series stays true to Hobbs form, the ending will make up for it all, in ways you never imagined.

Certainly don't read it now if you have any tendency towards depression. After I finished, I felt as though I'd been beaten with a sack of flour for those seven hours... achy and bruised both mentally and physically.

I wasn't sure what to think at the end of book 1, but I'm hopeful for book 3 now. I've accepted that I don't like these characters or the settings as much as her other trilogies, but I think finally I can get the main character, and finally we get to the meat of the books.

The issues that the main character faced were interesting, but quite frankly I found them uncomfortable. Once I decided that I was really into the book, though, I realized that it gave the novel a pretty unique twist.

I absolutely love Robin Hobb's style. You may actually dislike a character, or what they are becoming, but still cannot stop reading. In this book, the main character struggles between two worlds, and you actually struggle with him - Even to the point of disliking what he is becoming. But in the end, when the final decision is made, you want to stand up and cheer for him. Overall, a very enjoyable book, from start to finish.

Although analytically I was disappointed by this novel, I must admit that I read it in two days! So, there was certainly something gripping in the narrative. One depressing note, one not related to the plot of the novel, is that Hobb's series seem to becoming repetitive. Although mentioning particulars would spoil the plot, I will guide any reader to compare the ends of these books to respective endings in Hobb's first trilogy.

As for plot... the main character is a moron! He was young in the previous novel and, thus, his idiocy was forgivable. But, Nevarre is still oblivious to his surroundings. Time and time again he fails to send mail to people he has promised to send mail to. His decision making process weakly justifies his actions. At times he comes to realizations about the magic around him and the results of fighting it. But, he seemingly forgets and for the second half of the book relives the first.

I will note that I am an avid Hobb fan and am only writing this because I care so much for her work.

Forest Mage (2006) is the second fantasy novel in the Soldier Son trilogy, following Shaman's Crossing. In the previous volume, Nevare returned to consciousness in a bedroom at his uncle's estate. He had been in a coma for ten days and had been declared dead twice during that period. No one would tell him anything about his friends and others at the academy.

Finally Epiny decided that he was strong enough to hear the bad news. Several of his patrol and about half of the cadets and instructors at the academy had died of the plague. Those who had lived were very debilitated from the disease. Spink was very weak, but determined to recover his strength and to return to the academy. For some reason, Nevare appeared to be recovering much faster than the others.

Later Epiny was married to Spink in a small ceremony. After a two day honeymoon, the newlyweds traveled with Spink's older brother to Bitter Springs for their new life. Nevare returned to the academy to meet the other survivors and to prepare for the reopening under Colonel Rebin.

In this novel, all the survivors seem to be having bad dreams, but Navare's dreams are different; they dream of death and he dreams of Tree Woman and his other self. Nevare is still recovering faster than the other plague victims. In fact, he is gaining a layer of fat. He thinks that this portends another growth spurt, but Dr. Amicas thinks otherwise.

In the spring, Nevare is given leave to attend his brother's wedding. During the trip back to Widevale, Nevare gains even more weight. By the time he arrives at home, he has packed his cadet uniform and wears larger clothing.

Of course, his father thinks that the fat comes from gluttony, but Nevare continues to gain weight even while doing heavy exercise and eating only a pittance. His father then believes that he has somehow convinced the hired help to provide him with additional food and locks Nevare into his room. Naturally, Nevare doesn't lose weight and his father becomes even more suspicious.

Then the plague comes to Widevale. Some of the servants die and others flee to nearby estates. Nevare is left unattended and unfed in his room for several days as his mother, older brother and eldest sister die from the plague. Despite the total lack of food, Nevare gains still more weight.

In this story, Nevare's father disowns him and casts him off the family lands. Nevare rides Sirlofty to Franner's Bend on the King's Road, but his weight gain is too much for the warhorse. There he buys Clove, a draft horse who has been ridden before, and arranges to have Sirlofty returned to Widevale. Then he rides Clove down the King's Road to the East.

Nevare meets Amzil and her family in Dead Town. He trades work for food and shelter. He stays a while, teaching Amzil to how to snare rabbits and smoke the meat. He also mends the roof and other chores.

One day, an army scout from Gettys appears near Amzil's house with wounds from a large cat. Nevare tends Buel Hitch in a nearby house, but the man needs a doctor. He trades Amzil most of a yearling deer for some smoked rabbit meat and then leaves the next morning. They reach Gettys five days later.

This story shows Nevare trying to deny the influence of magic on his life. He has accepted the events in the dreamworld, but he keeps backing away from other magical incidents that have occurred around him. He is caught between his own society's mindset and the worldview of the Specks.

In Gettys, he enlists in the local regiment and is assigned to maintenance of the offsite cemetery where the numerous dead from the Speck's plague have been buried. He has plenty of time to think about events occurying in the town and near the cemetery.

His thoughts force him to face the reality of Speck magic. Eventually, he has to face everything that he has been so assiduously avoiding. He even has to face his cousin Epiny and his former almost-betrothed Carsina, who are also in Gettys.

This volume mostly concerns the influence of magic on Nevare's life and his denials of that influence. His actions seem tedious and foolish while one is not reading the book, yet returning to the story grabs the attention and everything seems to flows naturally. Remember that we are limited by our social conditioning and are all fools sometimes in one way or another. Nevare's acts seem much like the behaviors that we all would wish to forget.

Highly recommended for Hobb fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of strange magic, strong denial, and reluctant acceptance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

There were a lot of complaints that the first book in this series was overly slow or even boring. While I agreed that book one was slow and at times dry, I thought it rewarded the patient reader and that the pace was mostly appropriate for the content and character. The same complaints about book one could also be leveled at Forest Mage, and here, unfortunately, I can't quite defend the book as strongly.
Like the first book, there isn't a lot of "action" here. One expecting large battles, political upheaval or machinations, encounters with monsters, or showy displays of magic will be best served not bothering, though if anyone is picking up Forest Mage after reading Shaman's Crossing they're already aware of all this. Mage picks up with Nevare returning home after having "recovered" from the Speck plague of book one. Unfortunately, he is still seemingly in thrall to the Speck magic and his recovery takes the form of a gross gaining of weight as the magic "swells" him, forcing his exile from first the military academy, then his own family. The first third or so of the book deals with his worsening relations at home (things with his father turn particularly horrific), which only are resolved by a new wave of plague that frees Nevare to move on toward the frontier where he hopes some desparate unit would take him on. He ends up a cemetary soldier in the last town at the far working end of the King's Road. There, at the boundary area between his own culture and that of the Specks (whose mountain forest the road must carve its path through), he must solve the problem of the Speck magic that grows in him and either choose sides between the two cultures or find some way of bridging the two.
As in book one, the analogue between our own historic treatment of the Native Americans is strong. As is the way Hobb refuses to let her main character play the "hero" consistently (or even usually). Life on the frontier is painted in sharp detail, as is the allure of the Speck forest. The possible love interest for Nevare is a strong character who slowly grows on the reader--one of the major plusses of the book is how Hobb allows that relationship the time to develop realistically. Finally, the tension between major plot points and themes picks up greatly towards the end and leaves the reader wanting more.
There are several weaknesses to the book, however. As mentioned, it reads more slowly and more dryly than book one. Nevare's struggle against the magic becomes overly repetitive, as does his struggle between the two sides of himself. The same is true with regard to his battle with his father and the various negative interactions he has due to his great girth. The book easily could have lost 200 or so pages and the reader feels each one of those extra pages at various points. It simply doesn't compel in too many places as Soldier's Son did.
In the end, Mage is not quite as rewarding as book one; one is not quite as sure that the slow pace and dry spells were worth the pay off, though by the end I think the reader will tip over into believing so. It's a closer call than I would have liked, however. Those who liked the first book a lot, as I did, will find their way to the end with moderate difficulty. Those who struggled to finish book one, however, may just concede this one halfway through. I'd recommend they continue on, skimming if need be, for it does leave us pointing toward a third book that I at least am very interested to read based on what's gone on so far. Those who barely finished Soldier's Son might be best deciding after the first 75 pages or so of this one if they can take the slow pace and if not read a summary somewhere. Recommended, though with fair warning due to its slow, dry pace.

This is an odd book, I couldn't put it down yet normally when a book constantly deals bad luck onto its main hero it turns me off; yet I couldn't stop reading it.

Like any Robin Hobb trilogy it always gets better after the first book. The first book, which was ok, was still quite boring. In the second outing Nevare, although believing he had defeated the magic that was part of him, soon learns the opposite. The magic is shaping his body and forcing him to do things for its own end. It means that Nevare's life is constantly getting worse, and the transformation of this former promising cavalla officer is rather amazing. His own family turns on him and with the changes of his body he becomes shunned by the society he was brought up in.

The books man theme is with the idea of choice, the whole book in fact is about Nevare making a choice between following this speck magic and trying to lead his own life. It is not until the end that he finally makes a choice and leaves the book open for an interesting conclusion in the third book.

The book does have some faults. It does get bogged down sometimes and as usual with Robin Hobbs writing the story can sometimes seem to be progressing very slowly due to Hobb's love of setting down firm foundations for parts of the story. Nevare can also be a true idiot sometimes. Magical things constantly happen to him that can't be explained and he constantly ignores them hoping that everything is going to be alright. This constantly happens, and characters will even tell him so and he still refuses to accept certain things. Though while saying that, his constant ignorance to his surrounding sometimes is probably the only thing that keeps him sane after the constant bad luck that begins to pile on the poor mans shoulders.

Anyone who is a fan of Robin Hobb should check this out, it is a great book and some of the imagery (especially the grisly stuff, for example, details of the speck plague) is amazing and the book is satisfying even after some of the decisions made by the hero.

I got very engrossed in this trilogy, the second and third books more than the first. However, I think its worth noting that for some readers these books may be triggering for body and eating issues.

However, if you are okay to read books that discuss eating and body shame, forge on. The series is fascinating and unique.

this is a bad book. there is no other way around it. i love robin hobb, she is nothing less than an engaging and skilled writer. i wonder where she left her abilities when she wrote this boring, verbose, lifeless, junk heap. i must say, for a great read pick up her 'golden fool' series. here, however, she followed up 'soldier's son', which was a good book if not a bit verbose (i truly blame the editor -- the problem could have been fixed), w/a book that would have been an unfulfilling short story. it's 700 pages and could have been written in 125. on top of that, i got the feeling mrs. hobb had absolutely no inner critic to guide her pen. there is a note in the book to someone or other saying something to the effect that they 'got through a tough year.' well, have some compassion and don't subject me to it. pained writing is something that has fueled countless wonderfull books -- but this one is tepid, meandering and melodramatically wistfull. that's the bitterly funny part...but i suppose it's good that at least one writer is better off sober and happy. now please, robin, return to that state. i miss you.

I love Robin Hobb, but I really can't recommend this series. The first book was good, but this book was just agonizingly slow. Waaayyy...too much time is taken discussing how Navare is fat. What it feels like for him to be fat. How disgusted everyone is because he is fat. I know it's fantasy, but hop on another literary vehicle, Robin, because this one isn't going anywhere. I don't care what fantasy country you're from--no one is THAT prejudice against a fat man. And to spend PAGES and PAGES talking about what he eats and what he and others do to try to get him to lose weight...it's just agonizingly boring and depressing. And, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and started the third book in the series and it is (so far) even worse--going on and on about eating and not eating and getting fat and getting thin. I don't know if I can stand to finish it. And there's no CONFLICT! We're not talking about kingdoms being destroyed here, we're talking about building a ROAD. ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz...

If you want great fantasy, grab a brownie and read the Fool's trilogy or the Farseer trilogy or ANY of the other wonderful series that Robin has written and save your money and your time.

If you have an eating problem, try Geneen Roth. :-)

"Forest Mage" is a refreshing exception to the usual fantasy book formula. The narrating character is wonderfully and believably imperfect. The plot revolves around challenges to and changes in his psyche, detailing his internal journey of self-discovery rather than relying (as so many books do) on a clear-cut good-versus-bad conflicts. I imagine that people who only get a thrill from reading a constant stream of fight scenes may find this book a little slow, but those who take an interest in a character's internal development will have trouble putting it down. Though, I must add that once you adjust to the pace, there is plenty of action and suspense to enjoy, with a touch of horror for spice-- I found it quite gripping.

Robin Hobb has once again demonstrated her masterful skill in creating complex and fascinating characters, and everything from the storyline to the setting reflects this. An excellent read!

Unfortunately Robin Hobb falls in a trap of her own making common to writers of numerous 3-book trilogies connect by the same settings. Another example of such writer would be Terry Brooks and his Shannara books. His Shannara trilogies became so predictable that fans used to predict the outlines of 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogies. Fortunately, he seems to have broken out of this slamp with his newest book.

However, Hobb had created an outline for her trilogies (2 Farseer and 1 Liveship ones) that worked for her and she sticks to it. 1st book in the series outlines the setting and characters of the world the book is set in and the possible big antoginists. The hero is an OK guy, set in relatively rich family but not the heir and kind of downtrodden as compared to the rest of his relatives or siblings. The enemy sets a trap which is successfully outcome by the hero and all is kind of good in the world. Or so it seems, in the 2nd book it becomes clear that only the battle was won not the war, and while the hero outcomes the main predicament by the end, the results are at best bittersweet and it looks like the worst is yet to come. In the third book, the beginning looks really bad for our hero but as he/she goes along allies appear, minor problems are solved and all is getting ready for the final outcome which comes and final victory is won. With some limits of course.

This trilogy is too far gone, but hopefully the author will break out of this dead-end outline and gives us some unpredictibility for the next book

I Love Robin Hobbs previous books, but this trilogy does nothing but dissapoint, sure the writing is still wonderful and Williams style is essentially unchanged. However the main character is just so unlikable. He is whiny, melodramatic and annoying. This made it really hard to get in to the book because you just don't care whats going on. All of the genuinely likable characters seem to throw themselves in the way of the often well deserved troubles of the protanginst. All in all the books well written imagary and well rounded characters just can't save this book from its protaginist.

I dislike anti-hero's and the main character in this book is an anti-hero.
Someone that doesn't have the common sense god gave an acorn, and whiny, the world is unfair. Can't stand it.

On the other hand this was a very original story, good political undertones, in the tradition of using SF to make political statements about today. The ideology, the theme is very relevant.

This is part of a series, and there is no resolution at the end, but it is left for the next book, and that drives me nuts.

I love Robin Hobb & this was a very well done book, but very hard to read because, like everyone else has said, its very depressing. The story catches you up & then all these horrible things keep happening over and over. She doesn't really make you sympathize with the character either. It really pulls your spirits down.

It really bums me out too because Robin Hobb has been my favorite author of late.

After having written 9 of the greatest books of all time I can see how anything else she wrote would pale in comparison, but after struggling through the first book of this trilogy and looking forward to some substance I was disappointed. It was more ameteur romance and it took forever for anything to happen. Basically I read 700+ pages to really only get excited for the last 6. I will still read the last one though and I still love Robin Hobb.

You go into this book and you think a certain event is going to occur that moves the story along. You think it will happen in the first 100 pages, but, at the very worst by the end of this book.

But here, it doesn't. Maybe this event will happen in book 3.

Meanwhile, 500+ pages in which 400 of them serve no useful purpose in moving the storyline along. This is a Classic Filler middle book of a trilogy. It's not very exciting, not very interesting, not worth reading.

This is sad, as when Megan Lindholm is on it, she rocks. She's not here.

This was, by far, the most disappointing book I've ever read. I had a very rough academic semester this past spring and have been in school for quite a while now, so I desperately wanted to take a minor hiatus from academic reading this summer and simply enjoy reading something pleasurable from my favorite fiction genre: fantasy. I was completely enraptured by Hobb's previous Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies . . . spectacular work! Based on those, I figured the Soldier Son's trilogy would be a good read as well. That was absolutely one of the worst deductions I've made in a long time.
Both the first and second books in this trilogy were by no means enjoyable - I trudged through them with the hopes that somehow somewhere they would get better. I was wrong. I read to the final word in Forest Mage and could not in good conscience force myself to read the final book in the series. Never before have I quit a book series - I've always finished what I started. But I just do not have the willpower to continue trudging through Nevare's life anymore. This series is wrongly labeled fantasy - just because there are about 50 pages or so in each book that are actually about magic, because people fight once or twice in each book with swords, and because trees can communicate simply is not enough to label something as fantasy. These books were a sheer disappointment and should properly be labeled in the genre of tragedy. I found myself no longer caring for what happened to the main character partway into the first book, and my care only decreased in the second. I just wanted it to end. Hobb's point here seems to really just show us how someone could become so pathetic and how absolutely everything possible could go wrong for him that he would finally end up disliking himself too . . . that's "a rich palette of fantasy ideas" according to London's Time Out? Holy cow.
Oh, what happened, Hobb . . . I loved FitzChivalry!!
My serious intention in writing this review is to discourage anyone from wasting their time and money on this series. I am angry that in choosing how to pass my leisurely break from academic reading I chose this trilogy, because there's no time now for me to pick another fantasy set and finish it this summer before I start school again, and there's not a snowball's chance in Hell I will torture myself with the final book in the series. For all practical purposes, Nevare cast his magic on me at the end of Forest Mage and also convinced me that he was killed in his prison break.
Thus, my last few weeks of leisure time this summer will be spent with my PS2 . . .

btw, I tried to give this book a zero star rating but was forced to give it one star - far more than it deserved.

A very solid second novel in the Soldier Son trilogy. Robin Hobb has once again provided her readers with a rich and brilliant world to explore. I've heard "slow" and "tedious" many times from people knocking her works (Farseer and Soldier Son both), but Hobb fans will tell you that neither are true and that she is one of the very best at taking the time to develop a world for her characters and their conflicts.

I highly recommend this novel to any fantasy reader, and especially to those who have loved Hobb's work in the past.

There is substantial improvement over the predecessor novel, Shaman's Crossing.

Nevertheless, the pace, character development, and plot move at a snail's crawl.

Epiny's absence for large chunks of the book diminishes its appeal.

This book was part of the authors last trilogy. It was good, but not as fascinating as the twelve books in four trilogys that she had written before. I will keep them and add to my permanent library, but just saying it is not my favorite.

i'll attempt to do what others have not ... and that is: not be a complete and total blind fan.

robin hobb has multiple great novels to her credit, the farseer trilogy was excelent and the tawny man trilogy was also very well done.

the first book of this trilogy also had a certaint charm to it ...

however, all of that charm is lost in this book. to compound this, the classic hobb formula for portraying a protagonists plight is done to the letter, so blatently that any reasonable person will be able to see the path this very basic plot takes long before the book gets there.

what makes this such a problem is that for the entire first book the character was portrayed as highly intelligent, a creative thinker and a self starter whom never shied from a conflict. conversly that same protagonist in this book is shortsighted, dimwitted and lacks any sense of motivation what-so-ever.

the book has several elements which attempt to be "suspenseful" ... and unlike assassin's apprentice which masterfully delt with intrigue and espionage, this book doesn't even dignify what it's doing by attempting to hide the breadcrumbs, rather it takes the route of leaving a neon sign pointed in the right direction.

the character portrayal which i have found to be robin hobb's greatest assets is also sorely lacking in this book. even the memorable supporting characters don't carry over from one book to the next. the social interaction between the main protagonist and those whom he's had a long builtup relationship with over the character's entire life is handled in such a way as to make it seem they were complete strangers the day before. there is no compassion, no heartfelt emotion what-so-ever. if you were expecting to be emotionally invested in any character in this book, the way you may have been in the first, you will find yourself stunned at the stone-cold hands-off approach that's taken.

to further compound the problems of personal relationships with the protagonist, the main character himself has undergone a change which makes ( through the eyes of the author ) it impossible to form new relationships. while this is done to serve as a plot element down the line, it is done in such an extreme and offensive way to make you seriously wonder if robin hobb borders onto the needlessly insulting in her attempts to make a statement.

to provide a headsmacking undertone throughout all of the plot-element short-comings ( lack of relationships, ill concieved handling of relationships, total change of how all characters are portrayed, transparent plot development, simplistic storyarch ) we're faced with robin hobb's otherwise endearing writin style. to those who are her fans you know full well that she is a very descriptive and multilayered writer who's tallents are admired by many as someone who can craft a respectable setting and then bring it to life. like all things, however, there is such thing as too much of a good thing.

in this book's case, it is a laughably mindnumbing butchery of a setting which at one point i felt was refreshingly new. now, with the constant beating of a slow moving plot ( both in terms of material covered or new places visited in the settin ), badly portrayed characters, limited social interaction with multiple supporting characters, and an internal conflict which creates constant questioning on the part of the main protagonist ... you're left rereading the same heavyhanded description of a surrounding which you already know all there is to be told, inbetween the same internal conversations with the same limited interactions with the same flat and uninteresting characters.

the bottom line ... this book is a very poorly crafted book. i finished out of sheer determination to finish the book so i would be able to say that i completed it, not because i was emotionally invested in absolutely anything that happened during it.

as this is book two of three, the constant counterpoint to the lack of events happening in this book is that "it's setting up the third book" ... i respond in kind, saying quite simply, the exact same ending with the exact same "emotional" ( in quotes because the end of the book is intended to be quite heartwrentching ... it isn't ) consiquences could have been done multiple times throughout the book. the only reason for the plot to have been dragged out any further was in a vain attempt to further increase the "emotional" impact of the conclusion.

at some point over the course of the book, however, i quite frankly stopped caring what happened. i knew the ending very early on, and i just wanted to hurry up and get there. the "emotional climax" was no different when amplified by a loss ten different ways or as a single dose of saddness over the protagonists loss.

the book, for all it's promise, was a serious disappointment. the plot elements have been seen before in her other books. the character types have also been seen in her other books. the conversation styles have been seen, the flaws of the protagonist are all rehashes of her other books. the struggles of supporting characters have been seen before ( from the widow supporting her child to the disowned military man acting as a teacher right back to the strong and eccentric female gives the main character the strength he lacks in a time of need ) ... in all, there's nothing new to compell the reader to take the side of any characters, to feel that they are worth rooting for or to get a sense of wonderment that these are new characters that you've never met before. they are cogs in a plot which she's already written several times before in previous books, and while the execution here is admittedly flawless, it makes it monumentiously painful to actually read.

i would not recommend buying this book, let alone reading it, unless you're a completist of her works. if you do intend on reading it, please make sure your psychologist is on speed dial, and you are not suffering from any forms of depression, emotional instability or the misguided fantasy that "well it really can't be that bad." ... it is.

I got this book series from my public library. For those not looking for a long review, here it is: "Barely good enough to read."

I read all three books, though I somewhat regret doing so. They're probably the worst books I'd actually be willing to read. The protagonist, through all three books, does nothing. If he does, it is entirely ineffectual. Most of the second book is the guy moping around being as passive as possible. Almost of the entirety of the third book he is in a position where he can literally do nothing but think (the literally is not hyperbole. It is actually his situation.)

Meanwhile, all of the other characters are great. His cousin is proactive and energetic. His friends are flavorful and combative. His enemies are clever and well-rounded. All of the characters, including the protagonist, are very human. Basically, I was left with the impression that each and every character besides the protagonist would have made an excellent protagonist. One of the antagonists in the book says something like, "I should have chosen Epiny as a vessel, not you" to the main character, and I couldn't agree more. Then maybe the books would have been good.

So if you want to read a passive, moping, depressed man get yanked around by unseen forces, read this series.

The only upside is that the setting is incredible, and highly realistic. I have high praise for how the cultures work and how they interact. They all make perfect sense. It was the setting more than anything else that kept me reading. It is a true shame we had to see it through the eyes of Nevarre.

The first book had the small benefit of leaving hope that a plot would eventually start to evolve or at least characters would become interesting to the reader. After the first 100 pages of the second book in the series it's obvious that this is going nowhere. Beware the 5 star reviews who admit "its slow, but..."

Its tedious...period.

I have read everything that I could find by Robin Hobb, and this latest installment is great! I don't know of another sci-fi authoor who can weave a story with such complexity and still allow the reader to care about the characters involved. Forrest Mage is full of suprizes, as well as explanations, and I can't wait for the next book to come out!

I love reading Robin Hobbs but MY GOD is she gut Wrenching! I love the outdoors and forests are a real treat for me. But after reading " Forest Mage " I wanted to buy a chainsaw and head for the nearest Redwood. What the main character in this book went through and all the people that died around him because of his curse was just terrible. Rarely does a fantasy book get so gritty. But that's what Robin does best. In a time when the bookshelves are loaded with mundane writers Robin shines. Can't wait for the next one.

Robin Hobb deserves praise for her fresh input of ideas into the Fantasy gender. I have enjoyed her previous series to a great extent. She does have two faults though: The overall storyline in all her books is pretty predictable; a conflict in setting that comes about due to a lack of dialogue and understanding, an unknown/misunderstood consciousness in tree/ship/stone/dragon, and a down trodden main character. This is nothing unusual, as the saying goes "An author is always writing the same book". Her major fault though is her character build-up, and Forest Mage is her largest failure. She is very good a forming nasty and inhuman characters whose main purpose is the utter destruction of someone due to a minor lapse. But the inconsistency of personalities behaviour and interactions is appalling. One minute a character is utterly malicious, and the next they are completely the reversed and the best friends of their victims. A good example in Forest Mage is Carsina, Nevare Burvelle's fiancée. She tries to utterly destroy him, as far as put him on the gallows, because she is embarrassed about his weight (talk about overreacting), but is completely accepted and forgiven by Nevare before her death.

The worst character build-up though is Nevare himself. A supposed officer cadet who has trained as a soldier from the moment he was born. Yet despite this he has none of the determinations of survival instinct of a professional soldier, that ex and current military personnel would recognise. The primary requirement of an officer is that he makes decisions. Yet Nevare is a character that is incapable of making any. He would be much more believable as an ex monk or similar, rather than someone with a remote familiarity with the military. I'm left wondering if Hobb made no attempt at research for this book?

This is overall one of the worst books I have ever read. The storyline hardly exists, embarrassing character build-up, and an endless physical and mental persecution of the protagonist who has the reactions of a plank.

I forced myself to finish this appalling book and put it down wondering where the publisher's editors were when this was sent to print. It's a waste of paper and time. If you liked the first book, skip this and hope for the best in the third instalment. If you do, here is a summary: Nevare is kicked out of academy, travels to the Specks, destroys the plains people's magic and becomes fat (due to Speck magic), disinherited, stupid and incapable of decisions. Everyone hates him and now they think he's dead. Dead Speck's souls become part of trees that Gernia want's removed for a road. Nevare ends leaving Gernia for the Specks. The End.

The soldier Son Trilogy is nearly as good as the Farseer/Liveship stories. The first book takes a little effort to get into, but the second one is strong from the first page. This prolific author deserves praise and attention.

Athough the story line is good this has to be one of the most boring books I have ever read!!! This author has a way of making it seem the story will take off any line now and it actually begins to several times just to fizzle out AGAIN and AGAIN; yet somehow I've managed to pick it back up after reading something else over & over again.

Good story but corn growing can be more exciting at times.

If you enjoy books about characters who have a million and one problems, but never seek out solutions for them, CONGRATULATIONS! Forest Mage just might be the book for you! Imagine a man who is slowly being overtaken by a controlling magic he does not want . Is being impinged upon by an unwanted personality who makes him do evilly evil things! Any other writer might make their main character fight their own fate. BUT NOT ROBIN HOBB! And we love her for it! And don't worry, even if Nevare seems to be making an attempt to turn his life around, take a deep breath and relax. Because he won't. He'll have sex with a Speck instead and then complain about it later.

I love Robin Hobb's books, and have read just about all of them. Unfortunately, I strongly recommend that you do *not* read this one.

Why? Because Robin, was obviously seriously depressed when writing this book and she does her very best to drag you down into that depression. If you are at all susceptible to depression please do not read this book. If I handed you a pill and said it would make you depressed would you take it? Then why would you want to read this book?

OK, who am I kidding, you probably will read it no matter what. If you do, please realize that the book practices really, really bad mental hygiene. Please keep these points in mind while reading (don't let her pull you into her own pit):

* It is important to love yourself no matter what your deformities. If you have deformities it is *especially* important to love yourself.

* When in trouble, get help from friends and professionals. Don't hole up by yourself.

* True spirituality is based on love. When things get the toughest you can turn to this.

* You *always* have choices, even if they are not great choices you still get to make them. Do not let yourself fall into feeling like a helpless victim. Stay away from people who want you to feel like you are victim.

I loved the Farseer series. It is in my top 5 of all time. This however, disappoints. It is boring, tedious, long winded and has a main character that is hard to like, not through any fault of his own. I did not like and unfortunately, will inspect all of Robin's works in the future more closely before buying.

Excellent!!!!!!! I loved this book but I love all of Robin Hobbs books

to date!!! I can't wait for the next book in the series. The thing I love most about her writing is you can close your eyes and see exactly

what she's describing. She's a one of a kind writer. If you haven't

read anything by her you must. If you have then you will love this series

as well!!! I still miss Fitz!!

This is the second book of Robin Hobbs latest trilogy, but it reads like she's trying to start right over again. In less then three chapters the young cavalry officer from the first book turns into a self hating tub of lard. The idea of a fat hero is rather original, but the appeal ends there, he just gets fatter and fatter (more full of magic). And periodically makes some social blunder or has sex with a whore. The sex scenes are both frequent and disgusting, with far to many details. I was considering throwing this into the donation bin at a libaray, or perhaps a book burning, but I did, eventually finish it. The suprise ending is somewhat original, even interesting, but not nearly enough to save this train wreck.

Hobb was clearly trying something new here, and thats always something that should be cheered. But it might have all worked out much better if she'd stuck with the handsome ,naive officer cadet, instead of the depressing , loathsome fatass.

I consider the `Assassins ` series one of the top ten fantasy series I've ever read, and I've read a lot. Therefore it was with keen interest that I picked up the `Forest Mage', especially after reading the first book `Shaman's Crossing'.

This book should have been titled `Diary of a Depressed Fat Man'. Yes, I like complex character development - it's one of the reasons why the Assassins series was so good, but give me a break! I stayed up till 2:30am finishing this book, not because it was so captivating but because I couldn't believe it wouldn't somehow get better and justify the time I wasted reading it.

Let me save you the time:

He gets fat.
Everyone hates him.
He discovers that he has magic but doesn't know how to use it.
He is still fat.

A really long awaited sequel to book one, I could not wait to get my hands on it. I was not dissappointed, vintage Hobb, read it practically in one session ... yes I guess its crazy but books from this author do it to you.

Definitely a must read book.

This had to be one of the most relentlessly miserable and depressing books I've read in a long time. Absolutely nothing good happens to anyone and it spirals into one disaster after another with nothing to redeem it or any of the characters. I'd strongly recommend avoiding it.

This story has no redeeming value at all. The primary character is portrait as a Fat Slob who cannot do anything of significant. Not only is his life a waste, but this story is a waste. Do NOT buy it.