Malta *spoilers all Hobb books*

[finella]

having no time, it's much easier to just quickly talk about, what is going on around you than talking about a certain question or pasage in a book, I also found out lately . You just need time, sometimes you have to search a book for a special passage etc. Specially with Hobb-books, because sometimes a single word matters. But having time and good powers of recollection, it's great fun. But it's just nothing for "inbetween".

[QueenAvalon]

I don't have the LST books in front of me and so, unfortunately, I can't check this out for myself, but didn't Malta have black or at least dark colored hair in LST....? I could have sworn she did, as so was very confused when I read in CoD on page 110 when it talks about Reyn stroking her "gleaming golden hair"

I haven't been much further than this in the book yet, so I can understand if it is a typo, and I'm pretty sure I don't remember any part of the previous books saying anything about a hair color change, though it very well could be possible with all her other Eldering transformations. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was a typo though because (No disrespect intended AT ALL), it seems that the RWC books were either rushed through editing for inconsistencies, or no one noticed them somehow.... I'm going to choose to believe that the lovely, wonderful, and glorious Robin Hobb wasn't given enough time to properly go over her drafts of the manuscript for inconsistencies and typos, because the evil, demanding, and terrible publishing company[ies] were rushing her to print so they could make as much money as possible as soon as possible..... greedy bastards........ HAHA!

[Farseer]

Firstly, well met and welcome to thePlenty, Queen Avalon. I am ever so glad that you turned up and asked this question as it was one I know I had meant to ask here ages ago, after my first reading of CoD, but obviously never did...or, at least, I don't *think* we've chatted about it yet?!

but didn't Malta have black or at least dark colored hair in LST....?

Yes, she did. I know that I don't have her listed in my ‘Black Hair, Black Eyes’ thread but, at the very least, her hair was ‘dark’. I also went to check what the PlentyWiki had to say but it had nothing about any of this under Malta’s 'Appearance' so that will be something to add in once something firm can be referenced. I’ll try and do this soon (unless someone else can quickly search with a Kindle etc).

I could have sworn she did, as so was very confused when I read in CoD on page 110 when it talks about Reyn stroking her "gleaming golden hair"

I remember feeling the same confusion...

I'm pretty sure I don't remember any part of the previous books saying anything about a hair color change, though it very well could be possible with all her other Eldering transformations

Possibly due to transforming, but unlikely I'd have thought. More likely a typo. Of course, you never know. If Fitz can have hair that changes to white, maybe the trauma Malta experienced could change her hair to golden...though, if this were the case, you'd expect another character, or Malta herself, to expressly state something about the change, just as Fitz did about his own appearance.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was a typo though

There were a number of inconsistencies in CoD and even DK and DH (all of which Robin has acknowledged as being hers ). One of these I passed directly on to Robin after a thePlenty member noticed it from a Dutch translation reading. Thankfully it was thus able to be changed in time for the English releases. Interestingly, the errors seem to always be in relation to Malta eg her parentage, relationships with other family members etc. I think the one I passed on had that Ephron was her father and not Kyle, and I also recall another instance in DK or DH where Althea was stated as being her sister (or mother?) and not her aunt.

Still will try and reference her having had dark hair first and foremost, and then proceed from there. Good pick-up!

If she does have blonde hair, it will be difficult for me to change that in my mind...she has been too long having had dark hair for me to change now!

[Farseer]

Yes, in Chapter Twenty-Four 'Rain Wild Traders' of SoM, it says of Malta:

She had swept her dark hair up from her face...

and, in Chapter Seven ' A Bingtown Trader's Daughter' in TMS, it says:

They complimented the warm tones of her skin, and made her black hair seem even glossier.

I am glad about this, and am ignoring the "gleaming golden hair" for the moment, otherwise my theory about the lady in the stained-glass window of the Kelsingra Map Tower possibly being Malta is blown out of the water ...though I am, in fact, hoping it's Nettle. Malta? Bah!

It would be good to pass this on to Robin though, in case she has otherwise missed it or in case there actually *is* a reason for the change. Would you like to let her know, QueenAvalon?

[joost]

Could she have dyed her hair?

[Farseer]

Something was bugging me about this change in Malta's hair colour so I had to go and check another little niggle that I recalled from CoD...and came across what I was looking for in Chapter Nine, 'Return to Cassarick' (page 219 in my version). I think things will be explained there...

EDIT: Will put the quote here for those not able to go and have a look: *City of Dragons spoiler*

Spoiler

Malta Khuprus sat before mirror, drawing her comb through the gleaming gold streaks in her softly curling hair. Then she twisted it and slowly began to pin it into place....When would the changes stop?...Now the gold in her hair was literally gold. The nails of her fingers were crimson...

Have no fear, our Tangle Leader knows what she's doing with this ...though it does now firmly delete Malta from my stained-glass window theory. Nettle it is then (or Thymara, I suppose)!

[fool-ish]

Mystery solved then To my shame, I didn't even notice

[Duhovnii_Snob]

...though it does now firmly delete Malta from my stained-glass window theory. Nettle it is then (or Thymara, I suppose)!

What stained-glass window theory?



Oh, um... I'm Yana, I read all RoTE books, but not all the short stories. I'm fascinated by your discussions, but I'm afraid I won't be around much, because I'm terrified of Blood of Dragons spoilers. Any dutch speakers in the crowd?

['thul]

Welcome. You can feel free to read pretty much anything here. Any content that would spoil Blood of Dragons is hidden within spoiler tags, so you wont have it spoiled. Most of us here have yet to read that book (for obvious reasons), and as such would be very annoyed with anyone thinking to spoil details.

oh, and there are a few dutch-speakers here. 'thul will let them introduce themselves.

[joost]

Any dutch speakers in the crowd?

Yes.