Gernia vs RotE *spoilers all Hobb books*

[Farseer]

Fitz, too, spoke of balances when weighing his decision to let Icefyre either live or die in FF: "I groaned and yet again weighed my choices in the balance. Free the dragon and what did we win?"...

...and also when he was healing Fool :"The elegant balance of the predator and prey applied here as much as it did when we hunted together."

As for the passages re the Fool that we talked about earlier, these examples were also in FF, such as where Fool tells Chade that the reason dragons were needed by the world and by humanity was "To keep the balance."

Fool also talking to Fitz in FF, Chapter Thirty-Four, Commitments: "But I also saw the chance for the world to know dragons again, a chance for there to be creatures as arrogant and lovely as humans, so that they might balance one another."

Even Kennit showed a physical balancing by way of his tattooing habit...obtain a tattoo and then have it removed, to off-set or balance his bad luck.

Why do I always come back to RotE?! Sorry Nevare !

[Narya]

* With so many other loftier goals to strive for, they also both pined for the former lives they could not have and also longed for a life of their own...one that was founded on having a home with hearth and family.

Ugh I must admit this theme (or 'message')was one thing that I didn't much care for in a lot of Hobb books.

The themes of no parents or emotionally absent parents, a beloved mentor who is around for too short of a time, and a longing for the perfect happily-ever-after home life to replace the one we never got as a kid are widespread themes that most of us encounter in real life and in good story telling. As I have lived it myself (problematic parents, an unconditionally loving grandfather who died too soon, and a home life now that I certainly could not have made up in my wildest fiction), I draw a certain comfort in seeing Nevarre and Fitz finally getting their storybook family.

[Farseer]

I agree Narya.

It was certainly a lack that I personally had filled, and often even still find difficult to accept (that I could truly be so lucky!). I would go so far as to say that I tend to find that I am waiting for when it will all be taken away again.

I was one who "could have been anything"(and told exactly that by many over the years) but I needed and thus chose a home, hearth, husband and children to fill my lack...and never have I regretted my choice.

I see that in Fitz and Nevarre, and understand their journey.

Often it's the simple things, or themes, that have the most power for us...not to mention history. I can't help but think of Amber's words to Brashen that said something about life hinging on a man's love for a woman...I'll try and find that quote from SoD.

[Provost]

This is a minor point but did anyone else notice that the specks and the mountain kingdom of Jhaampe both objected to tree cutting? Might the specks flesh out a few of the ideas that new quite fit into the Farseer trilogy?

[Farseer]

Sure did, Provost! It was one of those lightbulb moments!

I don't mind admitting that I still expect something a little similar in RotE (some yet-to-be-revealed reason for the trees to have a Wit presence and a presence in Wintrow's stained-glass window...Eyod had reason to leave the trees alone and I hope we one day discover exactly why) but different enough from SS to not be too 'samey'.

That Fitz attested many times that the trees contained Wit, particularly those ancient ones higher up in the Mountain Kingdom, made it an easy step for me to take to accept that trees in the SS series could actually contain the anmas or lives of humans/beings. It definitely made me wonder if it was only ‘age’ that gave the RotE trees their ancient, Wit presence...or something more! Maybe those in the upper reaches of the Mountain Kingdom are kaembra-like ones !

['thul]

These beings feel that the sole "connection" here is in that both have the same author. The reason to avoid cutting down forests can more easily be attributed to other things than a cross-universe connection. Deforestation can have severe effects upon climate, especially in regions where trees grow slowly and/or are rare. If you have little wood, then wood is precious.

[Farseer]

^ True, true, but I have a feeling that Eyod's wanting to only use dead trees likely has more to do with the Wit presence within the trees themselves rather than purely deforestation etc...though I think that the two are likely still linked somehow, possibly to consequences of nature vs man...hard to explain what I mean!

The Wit seems to be nature-based so, yes, cutting down trees would likely damage the balance of Wit or nature and maybe this could be the link to deforestation-like consequences... (where are you going with this, Farseer?? ). Fitz revealing that he "never thought to be disdained by a tree" in AQ just jumps out at me. That coupled with Eyod's avoidance of felling live trees just makes me wonder if there will not be "more" or "some magic element" to the whole tree thing. I don't know...

The MK difference of being nomadic and/or living within the trunks and branches of trees certainly does clash with the ways of, say, other humans and especially the Elderlings, particularly given that the people of the MK seem to be quite talented in the Wit (though we don't have a whole lot of evidence of that, we do have Kettricken, 'Keppet's' mother and maybe even Rurisk...even though Fitz never revealed that he felt any Wit-like connection between Rurisk and Nosey?) compared to the Skill talents of Elderlings? Though Elderlings do seem to have that Wit/Skill talent mix that Fitz spoke of...the blending of the two?

Again, I don't know. *sigh* I do love these books though as they confuddle me so!

As for connections, the simple fact that, as you say, the two series share the same author is enough of a reason for me to expect that possibly the trees in both worlds share a similarity. As products of the same author's mind, Fitz and Nevarre and other elements of Gernia and the RotE do share certain similarities (as is evidenced by the contents of this thread), so why not the trees? As the author of both works, it is highly likely that elements of Robin's thinking is shared by both works, even though they are unconnected?

I think I'm going to have to ask our Tangle Leader but I fear that an answer will contain spoilers for future works so I won't actually get an answer, except a riddled, Fool-like one!

Just had to incite a debate with you beings about something...life needs a little spicing up!

['thul]

these beings can't seem to find a good argue-back thing here... except to point out that authors regularly reuse certain elements...

David/Leigh Eddings regularly tended to have strong female goddesses, strangely skilled thieves and strong (and often youngish/childish) females. The men were regularly outwitted. This was spread over quite a few of their book series.

oh, and they did enjoy having dual "higher" powers.
In Belgariad/malloreon: Orb of aldur (blue) / Saridion (red)
In Elenium/Tamuli: Bhelliom (blue) / Klæl (red)

[Farseer]

Often it's the simple things, or themes, that have the most power for us...not to mention history. I can't help but think of Amber's words to Brashen that said something about life hinging on a man's love for a woman...I'll try and find that quote from SoD.

Dont' ask me why I have gone on a (lengthy!) search for this quote at last, out of all of the things that I could be doing on here and in my life , but at least I can tick off this one job on my list. It is Amber speaking to Brashen in Chapter Thirty ' Convergence' of Ship of Destiny:

Yet all you can perceive is that you are separated from Althea. A man's loss of a mate may be the essential trigger that determines all events from henceforth. Do you not see how strange and wonderful that is? That all history balances on an affair of the human heart?

[Luckheart]

While I did like the Gernia universe, and history (specially the militaristic nature of it), I must say I didn't quite enjoy our main character being the underdog in such a manner for almost the entire series; with Fitz I found despite him constantly being the underdog, he (almost) always had his self-belief and a certain determination behind him.
Other than my preferences in main characters, I must say I like the RotE universe more - maybe thats just because there is more of it at this stage
Obviously this is just a personal opinion, but even so; I'd like to see more books in the Gernia universe; perhaps a prequel involving the wars Gernia was involved in ?