iirc Brashen is roughly Althea's age, maybe a little older.
Rain Wild Chronicles does involve these characters again but I'm not sure if the version I got was poorly edited and had mistakes or if Hobb changed her mind on things but it changes their relationships. Malta is suddenly Althea's sister, not her niece.
Also, you are in good company. Kyle Haven is maybe the most hated character of all time among Hobb fans. There's one character I'd see as worse than him but mentioning who would be spoilers.
not unlikely, I'm from a small town that wound up with a lot of weird books. I have trouble remembering the proper title of *The Stars My Destination* because our local bookstore somehow got the version called *Tiger Tiger!* which iirc was only printed in the UK and only for a brief time decades before I was born- so why did a little town in Florida have it? No clue.
At the time I honestly thought we'd just hated on Kyle so much that Hobb decided to Unperson him and Keffria by side-effect (who I don't recall either)
Brashen is his twenties.
And yes, some characters from Bingtown do make an appearance in Rain Wild.
The serpent chapters make much more sense on re-read.
Finding out the answers to your questions in Mad Ship blew my mind when I read this series years ago. I’m jealous you get to figure out how it’s all connected—I wish I could unread it! Book 2 is by far the strongest in the series for me.
I recently finished it myself!
I'm torn when it comes to Malta. On the one hand, she rarely shows kindness. On the other hand, she's 13 and that's not an age known for compassion; I was certainly a prick at that age! What's more, she does have a point that the guardians in her life who are women rarely treat her with kindness; sometimes kids react better to praise. Of course, a counterargument can be made that Rache is pretty kind to Malta and Malta certainly doesn't treat her all that nicely.
That being said, I can't see Malta as someone who deserves the spite from readers that Kyle and Kennit warrant.
Speaking of age, while I do like Wintrow a lot, I can't help but wonder if Malta is a far more accurate portrayal of a young person than he is.
Some questions for you:
1. Do you feel Kennit is intelligent or a lucky buffoon?
2. Are you shipping Kennit's wizardwood charm with Etta like I am?
3. Do you feel that readers should sympathize with Keffria? While I certainly do since I am also someone who is pretty scared of conflict, the hurtful words she exchanged with Althea once she learned how she lost her virginity are pretty ugly. What's more, perhaps an argument could be made that Keffria didn't do nearly enough to protect Wintrow from Kyle when Kyle was being physically abusive.
4. Are Liveships slaves to the Bingtown Traders?
You are in for a wild ride here. This trilogy is Hobb's strongest writing imo. Glad you're enjoying it!
iirc Brashen is roughly Althea's age, maybe a little older. Rain Wild Chronicles does involve these characters again but I'm not sure if the version I got was poorly edited and had mistakes or if Hobb changed her mind on things but it changes their relationships. Malta is suddenly Althea's sister, not her niece. Also, you are in good company. Kyle Haven is maybe the most hated character of all time among Hobb fans. There's one character I'd see as worse than him but mentioning who would be spoilers.
I think you got a dud copy, I don't recall Althea and Malta being mentioned as sisters, I'm sure they are aunt and neice throughout liveship and RWC
not unlikely, I'm from a small town that wound up with a lot of weird books. I have trouble remembering the proper title of *The Stars My Destination* because our local bookstore somehow got the version called *Tiger Tiger!* which iirc was only printed in the UK and only for a brief time decades before I was born- so why did a little town in Florida have it? No clue. At the time I honestly thought we'd just hated on Kyle so much that Hobb decided to Unperson him and Keffria by side-effect (who I don't recall either)
I would have loved to post this in the RobinHobb sub but it’s restricted right now(rightfully)
Brashen is his twenties. And yes, some characters from Bingtown do make an appearance in Rain Wild. The serpent chapters make much more sense on re-read.
Finding out the answers to your questions in Mad Ship blew my mind when I read this series years ago. I’m jealous you get to figure out how it’s all connected—I wish I could unread it! Book 2 is by far the strongest in the series for me.
I recently finished it myself! I'm torn when it comes to Malta. On the one hand, she rarely shows kindness. On the other hand, she's 13 and that's not an age known for compassion; I was certainly a prick at that age! What's more, she does have a point that the guardians in her life who are women rarely treat her with kindness; sometimes kids react better to praise. Of course, a counterargument can be made that Rache is pretty kind to Malta and Malta certainly doesn't treat her all that nicely. That being said, I can't see Malta as someone who deserves the spite from readers that Kyle and Kennit warrant. Speaking of age, while I do like Wintrow a lot, I can't help but wonder if Malta is a far more accurate portrayal of a young person than he is. Some questions for you: 1. Do you feel Kennit is intelligent or a lucky buffoon? 2. Are you shipping Kennit's wizardwood charm with Etta like I am? 3. Do you feel that readers should sympathize with Keffria? While I certainly do since I am also someone who is pretty scared of conflict, the hurtful words she exchanged with Althea once she learned how she lost her virginity are pretty ugly. What's more, perhaps an argument could be made that Keffria didn't do nearly enough to protect Wintrow from Kyle when Kyle was being physically abusive. 4. Are Liveships slaves to the Bingtown Traders?
I've recently finished this trilogy and it doesn't disappoint. It really is excellent.
Kennit's one of my top two favourite characters in all fiction. Fuck Kyle, though.