Shaman’s Crossing - Robin Hobb

[Rev Hellfire]

Everyone’s a critic so I thought I’d bore you with my impressions of the latest offering (to paperback) from Robin Hobb.

I recently picked up the Shaman’s Crossing that is the first book in the Soldiers Son Trilogy. The book concerns a noble’s son called Nevare Burvelle with the primary plot revolving around his first year in a military academy. This is sent against a power struggle between two classes of nobles, those from a long linage and those who have been recently granted their title. Old money and new money if you will.

In addition to this primary plot line a second one concerning the kingdoms expansionary policies and supernatural forest dwellers the specks that are increasingly coming into conflict with the kingdom.

On the whole it is a satisfying read, but not an action packed one, there are for example no epic battles and thankfully no mystic swords of yezbod to contend with. The emphasis in the first book is really on the politics of the kingdom and it’s mirroring with the academy. While the events around specks seem more like placeholders getting pit down for the future books.

So if you are looking for something to kill a bit of time you could do a lot worse.