by Robin Hobb
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| List Price: | $25.95 |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $6.00 |
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Product Description
The first book in a brand new trilogy from the author of the Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies. When the two-hundred year war between the kingdoms of Vania and Landsing ended the Landsingers were left in triumphant possession of Vania's rich coal and coast territories. When young King Troven assumed the throne of Vania thirty years later, he was determined to restore her greatness, not through waging another assault upon their traditional enemies, but by looking in the opposite direction and colonising the wild plains and steppes to their east. Over the next twenty years, cavalry forces manage to subdue the rolling plains formerly wasted on nomadic herders and tribesmen.Troven's campaign restores the pride of the Varnian military and to reward them, Troven creates a new nobility that is extremely loyal to their monarch. Beyond the grasslands lies the current frontier of Varnia, the heavily forested Barrier Mountains, home to enigmatic Specks: a dappled, forest dwelling people, unable to tolerate the heat and full sunlight of the plains. The new settlers find the Specks slightly dim-witted and overly placid, and yet strangely difficult to control. There are tales that they are 'blood-drinkers' and their nature worship of ancestral trees has presented difficulties for those who wish to harvest the forest's exotic timber. They also harbour strange diseases, ones that cause the Specks little more than a week or two of discomfort but which frequently kills those settlers and soldiers who fall victim to it. For that reason, prolonged contact, and especially intimate contact with the Specks is judged both fool-hardy and disgusting. Nevare Gerar is the second son of one of King Troven's new lords. Following in his father's footsteps, a commission as a cavalry officer at the frontier and an advantageous marriage await him, once he has completed his training at the King's Cavalry Academy.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Great Book, 2008-10-08
I picked this book up from a little shop on an Army base in Iraq and read it in about 2 days. First thing I did when I got back from overseas was to pick up the 2nd book and then I bought the 3rd as soon as it was released. Great series and the characters and civilization's Robin Hobb creates are amazing.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Stop now.... not a great series., 2008-10-06
Like many others, i went into this series on the heel of Hobb's OUTSTANDING past efforts. But this book was a chore to finish. Dry, boring, no real plot. None of the characters appealed to me, the story was vague and confusing. I won't be reading any further.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Great book but the pace varied, 2008-08-12
There were a few problems I had with this book. First of all, the plot starts fast enough, and then it starts to drag, as the characeter is repeating the same process over and over again (being bullied at school). It seems like what could've been included in a few chapters, unnecessarily spanned a few hundred pages. I was waiting for the author to get to the point of it all. Despite the fact that the book drags a bit, it was overall a good read, as the plot was interesting and the characters seemed very realistic. I was a little surprised at how "modern" the setting was, as characters use guns and there's little magic. The setting actually seems like 19th century America, with how the soldiers all have sabres and guns and uniforms that button up, just like people in the Civil War did. And then the King is creating this road that goes into the wilderness and to the sea -- similar to the expansion into the west that America experienced as we drove to the west coast. So I think that's where she got her inspiration from. So it's a little different, and it drags a bit, but overall it still retains its fantasy element and has a sense of adventure. The plot is very complex and the characters very interesting. Anyone who buys it will find that it's a good read.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Little to recommend here, 2008-08-10
Shaman's Crossing is a slow read for the simple fact it is devoid of drama, action, romance or humor. I gave it two stars rather than one for the fact the author has at least went to the trouble of placing the narrative in a world that could have been interesting were there a story to tell or people to care about. I recommend reading the plot summary on wikipedia as it covers the books few highlights in a couple of paragraphs rather than almost 600 pages of useless script in the book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
I'll try a different Robin Hobb next, 2008-07-30
Although I've been reading SF and fantasy for 30+ years, I hadn't ever read anything by Robin Hobb so I was looking forward to a good read. Unfortunately I picked Shaman's Crossing, which now that I have read more of the Amazon reviews I understand is not one of her best. The protagonist is overly stereotypical and although very well described is not a sympathetic character - shallow, chauvanistic, and without original thought. I managed to finish it, but I have no interest in reading the remainder of the series, instead will try another one of her series. Somehow I kept thinking of Harry Potter, and how the description of a school year could be interesting, instead of a dry and boring narrative of the absolutely forseeable food eaten, boots polished, and military hazing.
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