Review: Renegade's Magic by Robin Hobb

Renegade’s Magic is the third book in Robin Hobb’s Soldier Son trilogy (the first two books being Shaman’s Crossing and Forest Mage).

The protagonist of all three books is Nevare Burvelle, born to be the soldier son of his family. His world is simple – he will attend the Academy, serve in the military, marry and have children. These plans are shattered over the course of the three books as he encounters and is changed by magic.

This series is non-traditional fantasy in a way – there are no dragons, no elves, no mythical creatures. Humans dominate the landscape: Gernians, who possess no magic and seek to expand their country financially, and the plainsmen, who are magic users. In addition, there are the Specks, people of the forest who embody the magic of the land.

This book focuses mostly on the conflicts between the Gernians and the Specks – both externally, as the Gernians seek to construct a road leading into the Speck forest, and as internal conflict within Nevare himself. He finds himself divided between the two worlds, wanting to save both, but at times failing to protect either.

Hobb leans very much towards the unlikable in her characters – they often take actions (or are forced to take actions) that are repugnant to the reader. Nevare is no different – his actions at times lead to pain for those he loves and worsen the landscape of conflict. It is difficult not to be fascinated by him – he is very human as he struggles with the loss of everything he ever valued.

While the world explored by the Soldier Son books is perhaps not as rich and nuanced as Hobb’s Assassin books, it is much subtler. There is much unknown about the lands through which Nevare travels, and great possibility for more exploration in future books. As always, Hobb’s prose is very easy to read, making this a very enjoyable book and series, even for those usually not fans of the fantasy genre.

Renegade's Magic is published by Harper Voyager.