Thoughts on Forest Mage, or: why the heck is there a fish on the cover? (SPOILERS)

[Albertosaurus Rex]

I do find that taking a break from really long stories is sometimes to the best. 800 pages is a lot of story, and can be a little overwhelming. Fear not, the Conan stories are fairly short, so it won't be long before I return to Gernia.

Speak of RotE links, I have to say that the structure of The Soldier Son vaguely reminds me of The Farseer.

Let me explain...

Both trilogies start by having the protagonist mostly in one location, relatively safe but still marked by tension: Buckkeep and the Academy. As the story moves forward, things take a turn for the worse, ultimately culminating in the hero faking his own death. However, Nevare's situation is much bleaker than Fitz's. Fitz had Nighteyes. Fitz knew where his loyalties lay. Nevare has no one, and only seeks out the Specks because otherwise the magic will kill the people he loves.