I have told multiple people that Hobb is the only author I know that can spend 30 pages describing two people eating breakfast, and leave me thinking about it for the rest of the day.
Just hearing you talk about Nighteyes got me all choked up. I really appreciate how Hobbs keeps the loss of that bond and Fitz's grief through the entire Trilogy. It's so true to life and usually glossed over by authors.
So excited to see your thoughts on Fitz and the Fool! I adored it. A lot of catharsis, a lot of drama, a lot of twists and turns. Such a wonderful end to this grand, emotional journey.
I've looked forward to this, thanks for a great discussion! Made want to go and reread Tawny Man, evdn though I just finished Rain Wilds and have the Fitz and the Fool still ahead of me
I'm looking forward to your journey through the last trilogy. It's my favorite of all the series. After Rainwilds, I felt that nostalgia in coming back to Fitz and a slice of life. I'm sorry you were both spoiled about the additional POV - that would have been better to be a surprise for you. With both of you finishing my favorite series and Philip well into my second favorite series (Wars of Light and Shadow), I'm a happy girl!
To be honest, I have heard so many times about that POV that I can't even remember when I first heard it, and I didn't realize it's a spoiler. I am looking forward to how that narrative voice plays out, though! Cheers, Jennifer!
This chat brought me so much joy! Never enough RotE gushing, if you ask me. I am with Mike in not really jiving with Tawny Man on my first read, but now after finishing the entire RotE, I think that subseries could actually become one of my favourites with all the new context and adjusted expectations. I really can't wait for you both to discover the GOLD that is The Fitz and the Fool series. I binged those books in a week, it was such an emotional journey! Happy reading!
A week! Wow! I will likely not match that feat, but I am definitely excited to read Fitz and the Fool. And you're right, Esmay: there can never be enough gushing about Realm of the Elderlings! All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I honestly don't know if I'd even recommend reading them in a week... could've used some time to emotionally recover in between hahah. Enjoy!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I already bought the Liveship Traders and Tawny Man so def looking forward to it! My brother sent me over the ASOIAF collection though and I promised him I'd read it, so in the middle of that atm lol
I finished my RotE journey in October, and I am so glad you tell viewers not to skip LST or RWC since they play a part in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. She is a master of bringing everything together. ❤ Hobb's books are hands down some of the best fantasy I have ever read.
You guys are making me want to read that entire world again. I can't believe Mike has come around on Assassin's Quest. Never thought I'd see the day ahaha
Mike is willing to change his mind on things which is what I like a lot about him! He admits when he was wrong but I sided with him on Quest I didn't like it lol
Sometimes a book evolves in our memories, and sometimes a book further in a series changes the way we feel about an earlier one. I suspect that ROTE is highly rereadable. Cheers!
I had to dip out when you started with Rainwild spoilers since I just finished Tawny Man, but I had a blast for the first 2/3! I’m right with you on being astounded by the nuanced character work and getting hit so hard by all the reunions. What Hobb accomplished in Tawny Man is the kind of thing you could only really do with this kind of impact over the course of a long series with a time jump between sub series. It’s a rare thing even in fantasy and in Hobb’s hands just so special.
Only read the very first book of Realm of the Elderlings, but thought I put the video on while I write emails, do some planning and other non-exiting things. Of course 15 minutes in all those things are forgotten.🤣 Good stuff, guys, good stuff!!! And thank you, Philip, for putting out such wonderfully distracting videos!😁🧡
I'll be returning to RotE in the very near future with Liveship Traders and Tawny Man. Seems being underwhelmed by Assassin's Quest is more common than I initially thought.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm be restarting Ship of Magic as soon as I'm finished Ken Liu's Wall of Storms and Janny Wurts' Curse of the Mistwraith. Just finishing up Steven Erikson's God is Not Willing beforehand.
Oh wow, just this week I randomly watched your panel of the Elderlings from about a year ago as I was hyping myself up to read the third book of the first trilogy, and was then saddened to see nothing ever came of it in regards to discussion videos with that group. The universe works in mysterious ways!
Realm of the elderlings has become one of my top read stories of all time after starting and finishing it earlier this year. Hobb is one of the best character writers I've yet experienced.
I was hoping to get to Liveship Traders this year, but I will when the time is right. I’m excited to hear how Realm of the Elderlings ranks for you two when you finish. I still haven’t done a top 10 list just out of total indecision and recency bias, but I think Farseer would make it. 😅
If you ever do a top ten list, I will jump on that video right away. That said, I understand anyone who doesn't do one -- there's so much stress and pain involved! I'm excited to hear what you think as you progress in Realm of the Elderlings, Johanna!
Great conversation guys! It's been so long since I read the series, it's great to reminisce. I just wish I'd purchased these books in physical rather than on my original ipad back in the day! I believe you with both love Fitz & The Fool. I don't really remember specifics other than I loved them.
Enjoyed the discussion. I finished the series early this spring and I have plans for a re-read. My ranking is different from both of yours except that Liveship is at the top and Rain Wilds at the bottom. I don't want to spoil anything, but my own ranking of the sets is probably quite different from most readers. Ranking individual books in the overall series would be a fun discussion! Regarding Rain Wilds, I think that Hobb could have presented her themes of female adolescence and the issues confronting Thymara and the other young female Rain Wilders without including a love triangle. Those things never work for me and the triangle was just unnecessary. I'm looking forward to your next discussion and I do hope you include Derrie! She brings a great perspective to the discussion.
Nice to see you both discussing. I have very unpopular opinions on ROTE but glad you are enjoying. Happy (or rather, since it's Hobb, enriching) reading!
😊 I'm happy. Phillip, you're in the naughty book though. What you do know about the final trilogy IS a massive spoiler - whoever told you should be ashamed of themselves!! Not knowing is important to an early plotline.
Oh no! I will work hard to get out of the naughty book. 😁To be honest, I've heard about that narrative choice so many times and in so many places, I can't remember where I first heard it and assumed everyone just knew. Ooops! Anyway, I'm very excited to read Fitz and the Fool. Cheers, Derri!
After deliberating long enough I skipped Rainwilds cause I just couldn't motivate myself to read them. I was just fine for Fitz and the Fool and don't regret it or feel like I missed something.
I honestly don’t yet know how Rain Wilds plays into Fitz and the Fool, but if you were able to enjoy the latter without reading the former, I actually think that’s fine. The world obviously didn’t end, and you enjoyed what I expect to be a great story. Cheers, Marc!
I'm excited to see what you both think about the last trilogy. I'll save my feelings for your last spoiler talk. I don't even want to tell you which book i like best of the 3.
I'm saying now only being halfway through Dragon Keeper, I think RotE is in for a strong chance of becoming not just my favourite completed Fantasy series but my favourite Fantasy series overall.
I’ve heard it so many times that I assumed it was pretty well known. I can’t even recall when or how I found out. Now I’m wondering if the narrator’s identity is hidden for some reason. I guess I’ll find out soon!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No big deal! It's not clear from the beginning and finding out, at least for me, was really emotional (as so often with Robin Hobb :D)
Of course Rainwilds becomes important during Fitz and the Fool, everything does! The things that happen made me very glad I read Rainwilds, "mating" drama notwithstanding. Way back when I finished Tawny Man I decided I wouldn't read anymore because I knew Fitz would have to lose the happiness he found for the adventure to continue (imagine if Tolkien had pulled Sam out of Bag End after Return of the King, how could you ever allow such a thing?), but went into Rainwilds anyway because of that promise of them maybe continuing the Liveship stuff and by the time I finished them it became obvious I couldn't leave the series there. Fitz and the Fool is Hobb's best by more than a hair's breadth. No regrets. Janny Wurts published Curse of the Mistwraith the year I was born and the last book will come out when I'm 31. A humbling thought.
Wow! So, you and WOLAS are the same age! Or, to put it another way, you were pooping your diapers when Wurts published the first book. I tend to agree with you about Sam, but I’m glad Hobb decided to torture poor Fitz some more. Cheers, Kalle!
If I may come with a prediction for the upcoming trilogy it would be that both of you will love book 1, Mike will not like book 2, and Philip will have a new favorite in book 3 (Mike will probably like parts of it to though)😊
I struggled reading the final trilogy after this one. I liked the end of this. I felt it was a great end for Fitz. I finally did read the final trilogy despite feeling this was a perfect end.
I’ve heard that Hobb thought she was done after Tawny Man. It amazes me that the entire series works as well as it does since I don’t think she planned a lot of things.
Yeah she was done I recall. She said she'd write another story if it came to her. It did. And that end, I like and don't like.@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy agreed, but different types of narcissism. Kyle has grandiose narcissism, arrogant and craving recognition, while Hest is a malignant narcissist, aggressive, manipulative, and utterly without empathy. This attention to psychological detail is the thing about Hobb I love. Each series, each book, each character is an exploration of some psychological trait, or disorder, or theory. Fitz is a master class in the experience of chronic trauma and what it's like to live with and heal from complex PTSD. Liveships thoroughly explores identity and what it's like trying to fit into society. Rain Wilds digs deep into relationships. For what it's worth, I don't think Tawny Man has a lot of fluff. I think those hundreds of pages you referred to are actually packed with Fitz fighting, but with himself. He's been ripped from his cabin, which was comfortable, but had allowed him to stagnate and his wounds to faster. Those pages in books 2 and 3 depict the inner experience of finally ripping off layer upon layer of old bandages and healing the wounds beneath. It's painful and confusing and sometimes you do more damage along the way, but it's all part of the process. And it's a big part of what separates Fitz from Kennit, who was so afraid of doing the hard work of healing that Hobb literally wrote it into his story! How would Kennit's story have ended if he'd been able to be vulnerable with someone like Fitz was able to be with the Fool?
Always a blast to speak with you, amigo! Thanks so much.
I am delighted and grateful to be taking this journey with you, my friend! Cheers!
Nice discussion.
@@NamasteBbooktube Cheers, Diptanjan!
Hello Mike! Good discussion!
I have told multiple people that Hobb is the only author I know that can spend 30 pages describing two people eating breakfast, and leave me thinking about it for the rest of the day.
Beautifully said!
Just hearing you talk about Nighteyes got me all choked up. I really appreciate how Hobbs keeps the loss of that bond and Fitz's grief through the entire Trilogy. It's so true to life and usually glossed over by authors.
Hobb is a master of exploring the consequences of loss and the process of grieving. So powerful.
I felt the grief didn't fully hit me until Fitz let it out with
Kettricken.
@@Vinnie2501 That’s a powerful and beautiful moment.
So excited to see your thoughts on Fitz and the Fool! I adored it. A lot of catharsis, a lot of drama, a lot of twists and turns. Such a wonderful end to this grand, emotional journey.
Sounds just like what the doctor ordered! Cheers, Carl!
I've looked forward to this, thanks for a great discussion! Made want to go and reread Tawny Man, evdn though I just finished Rain Wilds and have the Fitz and the Fool still ahead of me
Nice! We’re in the same place, then. Best wishes to you for the final trilogy!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy same to you, enjoy all the upcoming reunions and possible heartbreaks for Fitz
I'm looking forward to your journey through the last trilogy. It's my favorite of all the series. After Rainwilds, I felt that nostalgia in coming back to Fitz and a slice of life. I'm sorry you were both spoiled about the additional POV - that would have been better to be a surprise for you. With both of you finishing my favorite series and Philip well into my second favorite series (Wars of Light and Shadow), I'm a happy girl!
To be honest, I have heard so many times about that POV that I can't even remember when I first heard it, and I didn't realize it's a spoiler. I am looking forward to how that narrative voice plays out, though! Cheers, Jennifer!
This chat brought me so much joy! Never enough RotE gushing, if you ask me. I am with Mike in not really jiving with Tawny Man on my first read, but now after finishing the entire RotE, I think that subseries could actually become one of my favourites with all the new context and adjusted expectations. I really can't wait for you both to discover the GOLD that is The Fitz and the Fool series. I binged those books in a week, it was such an emotional journey!
Happy reading!
A week! Wow! I will likely not match that feat, but I am definitely excited to read Fitz and the Fool. And you're right, Esmay: there can never be enough gushing about Realm of the Elderlings! All the best!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I honestly don't know if I'd even recommend reading them in a week... could've used some time to emotionally recover in between hahah. Enjoy!
Took a break around 20% into Assassin's Quest, but the first 2 books are 5/5 and Fitz is one of my favorite POVs I've ever read in anything.
I hope you’ll love the rest of the trilogy when you get back to it!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I already bought the Liveship Traders and Tawny Man so def looking forward to it!
My brother sent me over the ASOIAF collection though and I promised him I'd read it, so in the middle of that atm lol
Wonderful conversation by two of my favorite people discussing my favorite author. Don’t skip any part of RotE or this discussion.
Ha ha! And read it in publication order!!! 😁I hope we will be able to get our crew again for a final ROTE discussion. Cheers, Scot!
I finished my RotE journey in October, and I am so glad you tell viewers not to skip LST or RWC since they play a part in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. She is a master of bringing everything together. ❤ Hobb's books are hands down some of the best fantasy I have ever read.
It’s wonderful to hear how fulfilling the ROTE journey was for you, Stacy!
You guys are making me want to read that entire world again. I can't believe Mike has come around on Assassin's Quest. Never thought I'd see the day ahaha
Mike is willing to change his mind on things which is what I like a lot about him! He admits when he was wrong but I sided with him on Quest I didn't like it lol
@@currangill430 I personally love Assassins Quest, but I get why you didn't like it.
Sometimes a book evolves in our memories, and sometimes a book further in a series changes the way we feel about an earlier one. I suspect that ROTE is highly rereadable. Cheers!
Time is a healer.
Thanks for this to both of you!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I had to dip out when you started with Rainwild spoilers since I just finished Tawny Man, but I had a blast for the first 2/3! I’m right with you on being astounded by the nuanced character work and getting hit so hard by all the reunions. What Hobb accomplished in Tawny Man is the kind of thing you could only really do with this kind of impact over the course of a long series with a time jump between sub series. It’s a rare thing even in fantasy and in Hobb’s hands just so special.
Well said, Ben! Hobb gives us a sense of a life lived, complete with nostalgia.
I’m about halfway through Fool’s Assassin, so I’m perfectly timed with you guys!
It's an honor to have your company! Cheers!
Only read the very first book of Realm of the Elderlings, but thought I put the video on while I write emails, do some planning and other non-exiting things. Of course 15 minutes in all those things are forgotten.🤣 Good stuff, guys, good stuff!!! And thank you, Philip, for putting out such wonderfully distracting videos!😁🧡
Thank you for watching, Angela! If/when you get further into Realm of the Elderlings, I will be keen to hear your thoughts!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy It's more when than if. Especially as everybody, you included, tells me that I will love Liveship Traders.😄
@@DoUnicornsRead Yay!
It's gonna be a long time before I can get to this series but I just like hearing you two together!
Thank you! It’s always a pleasure to chat with Mike. I wish you the best for that eventual Realm of the Elderlings journey!
I'll be returning to RotE in the very near future with Liveship Traders and Tawny Man. Seems being underwhelmed by Assassin's Quest is more common than I initially thought.
You are in good company. That said, I hope you will love Liveship and Tawny Man!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm be restarting Ship of Magic as soon as I'm finished Ken Liu's Wall of Storms and Janny Wurts' Curse of the Mistwraith. Just finishing up Steven Erikson's God is Not Willing beforehand.
@@thatsci-firogue So many great books!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy indeed, any plans to start Dandelion Dynasty?
@@thatsci-firogue Definitely, but it will be next year.
Oh wow, just this week I randomly watched your panel of the Elderlings from about a year ago as I was hyping myself up to read the third book of the first trilogy, and was then saddened to see nothing ever came of it in regards to discussion videos with that group. The universe works in mysterious ways!
I'm glad we could deliver this at the right time!
Realm of the elderlings has become one of my top read stories of all time after starting and finishing it earlier this year. Hobb is one of the best character writers I've yet experienced.
I absolutely agree! Hobb is among the very best when it comes to characters and their relationships.
I was hoping to get to Liveship Traders this year, but I will when the time is right. I’m excited to hear how Realm of the Elderlings ranks for you two when you finish. I still haven’t done a top 10 list just out of total indecision and recency bias, but I think Farseer would make it. 😅
If you ever do a top ten list, I will jump on that video right away. That said, I understand anyone who doesn't do one -- there's so much stress and pain involved! I'm excited to hear what you think as you progress in Realm of the Elderlings, Johanna!
Great conversation guys! It's been so long since I read the series, it's great to reminisce. I just wish I'd purchased these books in physical rather than on my original ipad back in the day! I believe you with both love Fitz & The Fool. I don't really remember specifics other than I loved them.
I’m confident you’re right about us both loving Fitz and the Fool. I can see myself rereading this series several times. Cheers, Brian!
Enjoyed the discussion. I finished the series early this spring and I have plans for a re-read. My ranking is different from both of yours except that Liveship is at the top and Rain Wilds at the bottom. I don't want to spoil anything, but my own ranking of the sets is probably quite different from most readers. Ranking individual books in the overall series would be a fun discussion!
Regarding Rain Wilds, I think that Hobb could have presented her themes of female adolescence and the issues confronting Thymara and the other young female Rain Wilders without including a love triangle. Those things never work for me and the triangle was just unnecessary.
I'm looking forward to your next discussion and I do hope you include Derrie! She brings a great perspective to the discussion.
Thank you, Danie! I suspect a reread of ROTE will be richly rewarding!
So nice to hear the Empire trilogy briefly mentioned. I’d love to listen to a more in depth discussion, I really love them (and Hobb too, of course).
Nice to see you both discussing.
I have very unpopular opinions on ROTE but glad you are enjoying.
Happy (or rather, since it's Hobb, enriching) reading!
Oh, no! You’re not a ROTE fan, Paromita? If true, you are definitely not alone. I’ve run into a few here on UA-cam!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I read them all but didn't love the series, no. 🥺
@@Paromita_M No series will work for everyone. Happy reading!
I’d love to have a beer and talk about fitz and fool with the two of you, that would be a great time. Enjoy the last series.
We might need a beer or two by the end of it. Cheers, Kyle!
😊 I'm happy.
Phillip, you're in the naughty book though. What you do know about the final trilogy IS a massive spoiler - whoever told you should be ashamed of themselves!! Not knowing is important to an early plotline.
Oh no! I will work hard to get out of the naughty book. 😁To be honest, I've heard about that narrative choice so many times and in so many places, I can't remember where I first heard it and assumed everyone just knew. Ooops! Anyway, I'm very excited to read Fitz and the Fool. Cheers, Derri!
I’m with Derri here. When the switch happens, you should be gasping. But as Philip says, that «spoiler» is all over the place.
After deliberating long enough I skipped Rainwilds cause I just couldn't motivate myself to read them. I was just fine for Fitz and the Fool and don't regret it or feel like I missed something.
I honestly don’t yet know how Rain Wilds plays into Fitz and the Fool, but if you were able to enjoy the latter without reading the former, I actually think that’s fine. The world obviously didn’t end, and you enjoyed what I expect to be a great story. Cheers, Marc!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yes! I think you will love it, too!!
I'm excited to see what you both think about the last trilogy. I'll save my feelings for your last spoiler talk. I don't even want to tell you which book i like best of the 3.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, Penny! Cheers!
I also have Malazan as my favorite series and Realm of the Elderlings as third in my top 10 list
Great minds think alike! 😁
Fool's Errand is one of the best books in the series, and possibly my favorite book of last year.
I'm saying now only being halfway through Dragon Keeper, I think RotE is in for a strong chance of becoming not just my favourite completed Fantasy series but my favourite Fantasy series overall.
@@thatsci-firogue If that’s how you feel now, then I predict that Fitz and the Fool will only solidify that conviction. Best wishes for the rest!
I would consider it a spoiler saying that his daughter is the narrator. For me it was a genuine surprise.
I’ve heard it so many times that I assumed it was pretty well known. I can’t even recall when or how I found out. Now I’m wondering if the narrator’s identity is hidden for some reason. I guess I’ll find out soon!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy No big deal! It's not clear from the beginning and finding out, at least for me, was really emotional (as so often with Robin Hobb :D)
Of course Rainwilds becomes important during Fitz and the Fool, everything does! The things that happen made me very glad I read Rainwilds, "mating" drama notwithstanding. Way back when I finished Tawny Man I decided I wouldn't read anymore because I knew Fitz would have to lose the happiness he found for the adventure to continue (imagine if Tolkien had pulled Sam out of Bag End after Return of the King, how could you ever allow such a thing?), but went into Rainwilds anyway because of that promise of them maybe continuing the Liveship stuff and by the time I finished them it became obvious I couldn't leave the series there. Fitz and the Fool is Hobb's best by more than a hair's breadth. No regrets.
Janny Wurts published Curse of the Mistwraith the year I was born and the last book will come out when I'm 31. A humbling thought.
Wow! So, you and WOLAS are the same age! Or, to put it another way, you were pooping your diapers when Wurts published the first book. I tend to agree with you about Sam, but I’m glad Hobb decided to torture poor Fitz some more. Cheers, Kalle!
If I may come with a prediction for the upcoming trilogy it would be that both of you will love book 1, Mike will not like book 2, and Philip will have a new favorite in book 3 (Mike will probably like parts of it to though)😊
I like that prediction for me! 😁 Cheers, Henriette!
I struggled reading the final trilogy after this one. I liked the end of this. I felt it was a great end for Fitz. I finally did read the final trilogy despite feeling this was a perfect end.
I’ve heard that Hobb thought she was done after Tawny Man. It amazes me that the entire series works as well as it does since I don’t think she planned a lot of things.
Yeah she was done I recall. She said she'd write another story if it came to her. It did. And that end, I like and don't like.@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
@@skippen So far, I’m extremely glad another story came to her!
It is good. I have some minor quibbles, but rated them 4, 5, 5 out of 5 stars, and I don't give 5s easily. @@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy
Mike, slow down and enjoy the story, all good things will come, adopt some patience and you will be rewarded.
Hest is Kyle Haven if he was a rich young playboy that was secretly gay
Pretty much! They are both narcissists, though.
@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy agreed, but different types of narcissism. Kyle has grandiose narcissism, arrogant and craving recognition, while Hest is a malignant narcissist, aggressive, manipulative, and utterly without empathy.
This attention to psychological detail is the thing about Hobb I love. Each series, each book, each character is an exploration of some psychological trait, or disorder, or theory. Fitz is a master class in the experience of chronic trauma and what it's like to live with and heal from complex PTSD. Liveships thoroughly explores identity and what it's like trying to fit into society. Rain Wilds digs deep into relationships.
For what it's worth, I don't think Tawny Man has a lot of fluff. I think those hundreds of pages you referred to are actually packed with Fitz fighting, but with himself. He's been ripped from his cabin, which was comfortable, but had allowed him to stagnate and his wounds to faster. Those pages in books 2 and 3 depict the inner experience of finally ripping off layer upon layer of old bandages and healing the wounds beneath. It's painful and confusing and sometimes you do more damage along the way, but it's all part of the process. And it's a big part of what separates Fitz from Kennit, who was so afraid of doing the hard work of healing that Hobb literally wrote it into his story! How would Kennit's story have ended if he'd been able to be vulnerable with someone like Fitz was able to be with the Fool?