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Spoilers Ship of Magic
I'm currently reading Ship of Magic (just finished chapter 16, the first chapter of Autumn) and it's definitely exceeded my expectations so far. I feel like the characters and the story are taking over my brain. Whenever I am not reading, my head is still swirling with these intense feelings both positive and negative and theories about how things are going to play out. Here are some unorganized speculations and overall thoughts I have at this point:
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Wow I was not expecting there to be so many POVs. I don't think I have ever read a book with this many perspectives and it's taking me a bit to get used to, but it is definitely growing on me and the story feels a lot more expansive than the Farseer trilogy. My favorite POVs to read from so far are Kennit and Paragon! I love getting to slowly unravel a character's backstory and understanding what made them into the way that they are and this book has been absolutely delivering on that front.
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I find the sea serpent POVs to be quite confusing but I trust in Hobb that they are there for a reason. Thinking that there is probably some connection between them and the dragons? One idea that I had is perhaps the serpents are carved out of wood, like how the dragons are carved from stone?
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On a related note, the magic in this series is so intriguing and I think there are some definite echoes of what was going on in the Farseer books too. The chapter that Wintrow is introduced in has him engaging in some sort of "state" that really reminds me of the Skill. And further on there is a mention of Althea mentally reaching towards Paragon in a way that also felt very Skill-like.
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Last but not least, fuck Kyle. I'm sure this comes up often on this sub but let me be the newest person to join the Kyle hate club. Robin Hobb is so good at writing the feeling of powerlessness in the face of injustice, and I thought Regal was bad but Kyle is on a whole other level. Literally every time he opens his mouth he somehow manages to make me hate hime even more and I have to pause and take a breath after each chapter that he's in 😭. I feel like one of the personality traits I hate the most in the real world is people who are too narcissistic and narrow-minded to consider that they could ever be wrong and so Kyle hits HARD on this very particular nerve for me. GAH!!
I have one specific question: has it been established when the Liveship Trader books take place relative to the Farseer books? I recall there being mention of the red ships so it does seem like they're roughly in the same time period but just curious if I may have missed some more explicit clarification.
Gosh, reading these books feels like watching grandmaster chess - some small, insignificant thing happens that I don't understand now will have its purpose magically become clear fifty moves later. I am genuinely in awe of how Robin Hobb does it.
Back to reading!
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I am excited for you! I was initially hesitant to leave Fitz behind but the Cursed Shores books were so exciting! From the top of my head they take place roughly fiveish years after the end of the Farseer trilogy.
You’re in for a ride! And yes I sure hated Kyle in Ship of Magic. He’s just so realistic. Unfortunately I think everyone has likely known a Kyle in their life which is why he hits a nerve so much.
Regal is pure evil but in a storybook villain way so it feels less real.
They mention the events of Farseer in passing quite early on in the book. The reason slavery is becoming more prevalent in Bingtown is because Chalced has been able to take advantage of the lack of trade with the Six Duchies due to the Red Ships war. There's also gossip among the sailors about seeing dragons fly in the Six Duchies, though they're doubtful.