"First, let me introduce you to yourself" (Beware RotE Spoilers)

[Nuytsia]

[Mervi]

I just wanted to say welcome to all the new members, it's really nice that the forums have been more active these last days, keep it up! (If you have any suggestions what you'd like to see/do here, please don't hesitate to let me know.)

And Nuytsia, don't be discouraged by the negative things you hear about the Soldier Son trilogy - it seems to me that it's one of those things that really divide people's opinions. Some people have absolutely loved it after all. See for yourself what they are like.

[mjs]

Robin Hobb is a true genius. I was first introduced to her work aboard a month-long trip on a fishing boat. A friend gave me the three Liveship Trader books to take with me. Needless to say, once I began the first one, I was completely useless until I'd finished the third one. When I returned to port, I bought all six of the Fitz books. I've reread all nine books at least three times and I keep finding new twists to the story lines that I missed the first few times! Ms. Hobb's character development is intricate and well rounded and she really makes you care for them - Fitz's misfortunes and misadventures moved me to tears more than once. I am waiting breathlessly for the new trilogy.

[Farseer]

Mervi, you are a fair dinkum legend ! I come on here as a guest all the time and agree with an earlier post..."this site keeps me sane"!

I have come to love it almost as much as I love the books themselves, as is evidenced by the fact that I'm still sitting here pouring over it about four or five hours after I finally got up enough courage to publish a post instead of just reading everyone else's!

Living on a cattle station in Outback Australia (it's great to see a few Aussies already on here, by the way!), I have had to do a fair bit of flying in and out of major cities over the years and it was in the Brisbane Airport only about four years ago that I first came across AA. It was only an hour and a half flight but I made sure I purchased RA and AQ from the Townsville Airport as soon as I landed! From there on, I got the rest of Robin Hobb's books sent out on the mail so am now good mates with Angus and Robertson staff in Townsville (which is about 600kms away from the homestead).

Before that, I couldn't remember the last time I'd read a book meant for an adult audience...my prior reading material had consisted solely of youth novels which I read with my kids so that we could chat about books together (pathetic excuse, I know, but there ARE some fantastic kids books out there!). We had been reading the brilliant Ranger's Apprentice series together at the time and so it was the word 'apprentice' that first drew me to AA...

Interestingly, another one such terrific series was Deltora Quest 1, 2 and 3 written by Emily Rodda, and I'd swear she must have read Hobb's books before writing DQ for kids...there are a good portion of specific similarities throughout (can't explain or else there'd be spoilers here), but possibly they are just recurring elements of many novels in the fantasy genre?

Lucky for me, I have since converted my two eldest kids (sons) over to the "Hobb-side" and so am still getting to have great talks with them around the table at every opportunity !

[Liquid Ice]

Welcome mjs and Farseer!

Fareer, It's good to have another Aussie around

[Nuytsia]

Hi mjs and farseer,
I'm an Aussie too. Wow 600km from Townsville, that IS outback!
I'd love some of my fellow Tasmanians to spend some time at your place - I live about 30 km's from Hobart and some of them reckon I'm 'out in the country' somewhere!'

[Farseer]

Thanks for the welcomes!

Liquid Ice, I see you're a fan of NA as well...my sons have been on my back to get into them for months but I had loyally decided to keep my mind a sole province for Dragon Keeper and then Dragon Haven (with lots of Hobb re-reads in between, of course!). A little, or a lot, more delving into the "Realm of the Elderlings" and then I might take them on...

Nuytsia, funny you say that...I think I would <3 to retire to Tassie and have everything on the island within good driving distance eg driving only an hour or two to Bellerive! I simply can't imagine it...
My eldest fella is actually headed down your way this Saturday for his second year at Buckland MTA with Army Cadets....he told me when he got home last time that if I ever move there, I'd have to be content with letters as he wouldn't be visiting...it's way too cold and the clouds move way too fast! He's looking forward to the trip though, especially the flights, and hopes to have Ship of Destiny started and finished by the time he gets back to the best state in Oz ...

[Liquid Ice]

Liquid Ice, I see you're a fan of NA as well...my sons have been on my back to get into them for months but I had loyally decided to keep my mind a sole province for Dragon Keeper and then Dragon Haven (with lots of Hobb re-reads in between, of course!). A little, or a lot, more delving into the "Realm of the Elderlings" and then I might take them on...

Haha yes . It's a pretty alright series but I mostly just like that quote. If you do get into them prepare to read some gruesome scenes

[Nuytsia]

by the time he gets back to the best state in Oz ...

Geee you better revise that sort of thinking if you want to retire to Tas!

.he told me when he got home last time that if I ever move there, I'd have to be content with letters as he wouldn't be visiting...it's way too cold and the clouds move way too fast! He's looking forward to the trip though, especially the flights, and hopes to have Ship of Destiny started and finished

The clouds move too fast?
Yay Ship of Destiny! I loved Liveship books.
Yep my mum lives in Perth (WA, not the one in Tassie) and she has said a few times she'd love to move to Tassie, but the cold scares her off. I bet to someone from Europe or the USA they would just kill themselves laughing at the thought that Tassie is cold though..... I must admit Perth was waaaaaay too hot for me, and seeing I grew up in Melbourne I acclimatised ok to the Tassie weather. I did happen to pick one of the coldest spots (except the interior highlands) to live in though ....... unfortunately the coldest wettest parts are (in my opinion) also the most beautiful! We do get a lot of sun though, so with a house designed to make the most of that we are pretty well warm most of the time.

[Farseer]

Maybe you become accustomed to the cloud movements as well as the temperatures so don't notice them once you're living there...!!
I mentioned the cloud thing to a North Qld friend, who had recently been down there with his Tassie-raised wife, and he also thought the clouds were freakish. Having never been there, I can't confirm or deny but there you have it!