Just started Live Ship Traders. So far I love it. about 70% through the first book. I didn't even realize they were part of a lager series when I started. I plan to read the rest.

Take a shot every time you have to say “Realm of the Elderlings” 😂 currently I’ve read the first three series, and Hobb is easily one of my favourite authors! Great review of the series, it’s a big one to tackle

Answer is YES

This sounds like my type of series! Love a character driven narrative. In fact, it's what I live for! Thanks for the review!

This video made me finally start the series. So far all the books I liked are your favorites and haven’t found a book I like that you disliked so when you put this out I’m like okay let’s finally do this. So far I’m really LOVING it and it seems it’s going to be a new favorite (assassins apprentice). It reads almost like kingkiller. I just might binge read the farseer trilogy!! Thank you.

I don't think anything will top the realm of the elderings for me. And her characters are just amazing!!! Fitz and the fool, especially. I need recs that are similar because I have such a book hangover from assasins Fate 😭😭😭

I've used the Realm of the Elderlings as inspiration for part of my D&D setting. A low magic world with higher level ruins where the players actually have to leave the setting to advance their levels because it's less Dragons and Sorcery at this point than your typical D&D campaign, but for low level intrigue, Robin Hobb's world has been such an inspiration. My players started out at a town just north of "Stagholme" the regional capital :P There's a little bit they see from each of the trilogies from seeing how the "Liveships" differ from an "Awakened Ship" that comes from a different D&D setting, how the expected entomology of dragon culture could be different than the standard Egg Laying lizards they're used to, using a mysterious Golden Eyed bard to challenge them. I even threw in Salt Marsh just south of where the Liveships were because that module doesn't require high sorcery either. ;)

Great review of the series. Are you planning on reading more from Hobb? Her stuff she wrote under Megan Lindholm is a bit different but already show what themes she is interested in as a writer. They are hardly discussed on booktube but I also enjoy them a lot.

Dragons! I did not know this, but I've only read the first 2 books in Farseer. That could give a little bump to this series up the TBR. Planning on going further, but spacing it out and the audiobooks from the Library have insane wait times. I could have probably finished the Liveship Traders trilogy by now instead of waiting for Assassin's Quest. Thank you for the summarization! Definitely going on with the books.

Just started the first book assassins apprentice, what strikes me how well written it is, doesn't really matter now slow it might be the writing is so entertaining

Robin Hobb's books are easy for someone whose English is their second language

Read it last year and I love it!!!!! One of my favourites.

currently halfway thru assassin's quest and watching any RotE videos so that my algorithm helps me get into the fandom. Absolutely loving the first trilogy, not quite sure if I will go full series but it's a strong possibility.

Thanks for your analysis! This is the year of Robin Hobb for me. I don’t know if I’ll finish all sixteen books, but I’m off to a good start. I’ve completed The Farseer Trilogy and The Live Ship trilogy and have begun the first book in The Tawny Man trilogy. I really love Robin Hobb’s character work and the depth of her characters. They are complex enough that I feel they could be real people. Her prose is just delicious to read. I’ve always been one to prefer big chunky books that I can live with for awhile. So these books are perfect for me. I must admit that after the excitement of The Live Ship Traders it was hard to pickup with Fitz again. He can be such an idiot! I was tempted to go directly to Rain Wild Chronicles because I find that region so interesting. But I’m sticking to reading them in order. When should The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince be read?

I read the first trilogy and loved it. I really enjoyed reading them while listening to the audiobook. I plan on picking up Ship of Magic next month. I don't consider myself a particularly character driven reader. I just need a good story, and Robin Hobb is an amazing writer. What baffles me is that some people can't stand Fitz and it turns them off from The Farseer Trilogy. I understand he's flawed, but I think he's such a fascinating and sympathetic character.

great video, that comes at the right time, just a few days ago I was asking myself the exact same question: Should I read REALM OF THE ELDERLINGS? It sounds a bit like Songs of Ice and Fire to me, which is great. An additional pro of course: the series have been finished by the author :) (or at least most of them).

I absolutely love the Realm of the Elderlings series, it has such a rich universe and characters. A good way to prepare to read these books would be to read Robin Hobb's "Soldier Son trilogy", it is much shorter but I still think it showcases the talent and imagination of the author. I sometimes fantasize about either of those stories being adapted on TV, even if it risks butchering the material Game of Thrones style, more people need to know about it!

I gave up a quarter of the way through the second book because it was still in the slow intro period of the story that usually only takes the first half of the first book and I realised that it will never leave this period and is building up to nothing. The grand finally of the first book wasn’t even grand enough to be a half way event.

I have finished the first 6 books so far. I am planning on Tawny Man at the end of the year. For me I think Liveship Traders might be one of my favorite series. I loved the first two Farseer books. I loved the beginning and the end of Assassin's Quest but the middle just didn't do it for me. I am excited to read the rest.

Love the show. Might actually read after you spent the time first ;) fantasy and scifi!

I've read Farseer (despite my mixed feelings on Assassin's Quest I maintain it is still one of my favourite trilogies), Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince and 300 pages of Ship of Magic (I got distracted oops). But I think I'm going to reread Farseer soon, I just want to wrap up a few other series first.

I've only read assassin's apprentice, I've started way too many series I'm slowly working my way through. Honestly she had me at his ability with dogs, then dragons. Verity is probably my favourite character so far though

I've just read the first trilogy. One of the most annoying decisions is letting Regal stay in a position of power after he's shown his colours. I would say the first two books are a good length, but the journey in the third seems overly long. Nonetheless, a good enough trilogy to make me want to read more (which I don't often do).

Yes.

I'm super tempted to pick it up but also I don't do well with animal cruelty. But my favorite books are usually character driven. First Law, Malazan, GoT, The Expanse, Red Rising, Ashe & Sand... So I'm torn on picking this up

Interesting, really appreciate the pros and cons. I have only read through Ship of Magic so far (so Farseer and SoM), and it does verge on torture/trauma porn at times for me. I understand that she likes to marinate and wallow in the suffering but because the RotE is split up into trilogies I went in expecting more catharsis and resolution to happen at the end of each respective trilogy/quartet but if Farseer is anything to judge by that likely won't happen for many many more chunky books. So far I like Liveship better, but it still misses the mark a little for me because I want to have equally high highs to counterbalance the tremendous emotional lows, but that is just not Hobb's thing and that's fine.

read the first two books back in... november to december? now on pause since i am studying in portugal until summer. i did enjoy the books quite a bit, with some great standout moments, though the second book did drag in a few places quite a bit and the politics felt a bit contrived in certain ways. very compelling, don't-you-dare-put-me-down reads.

I've got 2 books left and this is definitely in my top 5 series of all time.

I've read Book 1 and now I want more.

Very nice discussion. I read everything except Rainwild. Most were good, some didn't work for me.

What order do you recommend we read them if we are just starting?

The first & the third trilogies were, IMO, fantastic. The second trilogy was very good. The fourth one was, again, only my opinion, barely readable with far too much of the author's politics (for want of a better word) stuffed into it. I would strongly recommend the first 9 books, however. So well written, the characters are wonderful and nuanced.

Was wondering how to pronounce "deus ex machina"

Book recommendationsr 🌟🌠 Lead me where the light is ours by N. Galilea. Most⭐Inspiring 🌟book of the year. It is the follow up tot he 2015 Spotlight film

These are likely not for me, at least not for a while.

This is one of the only series that I disliked in almost every way, but I keep thinking about. Bowed out after the first trilogy and I don’t think I can ever bring myself to go back. I can totally see why people do like the series though

I enjoyed the first trilogy. The Liveship-based ones got pretty boring for me early so didn't finish even the first book of the Liveship. I have never been a stickler for a "hard magic system" because...it's magic, not science. In fact, I find the trend toward the "hard magic system" quite annoying. Sometimes feel like all these authors are focusing too much on magic than creating chars and driving the storyline. I am not reading to play fantasy games...

Fitz total simp, finally read the first book since totally fanboyed by booktube, overrated slow crap. disastrous how bad it was