Blue Boots

The Realm of the Elderlings

by Robin Hobb

This is a short story that takes place in the Six Duchies.
Originally published in the book Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Audiobook, Adult

46 pages, ebook

Published November 16, 2010

About the author

** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 star from me means,yes, I liked the book, and I'd loan it to a friend and it went everywhere in my jacket pocket or purse until I finished it. A 3 star means that I've ignored friends to finish it and my sink is full of dirty dishes. A 4 star means I'm probably in trouble with my editor for missing a deadline because I was reading this book. But I want you to know . . . I don't finish books I don't like. There's too many good ones out there waiting to be found.


Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.

In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.

She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.

Reviews

[seana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read everything related to The Realm of the Elderlings, so imagine my excitement when I found out about this short story! It was such a fun little read; I immensely enjoyed being back in the Six Duchies. Oh, how I’ve missed it!

[gi · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Realm of the Elderlings short story set in the Six Duchies before events in Farseer Trilogy is collected in Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love and Songs of Love Lost and Found and can be read here. The titular Blue Boots are a rare and indulgent purchase by Timbal's father, shortly before he was murdered by bandits, orphaning her. Now a kitchen girl, she falls in love at first sight with a wandering Minstrel.

Azen the minstrel came out of the kitchen door. As he passed her, he casually reached up and knocked on the bottom of her boots. “’Morning, blue boots,” he said, and walked on. She sat, apple in hand, staring after him as he made his long-legged way down the winding gravel path. His trousers were blue, his jacket a deep gold. His head was a tangle of loose black curls that jogged as he strode along.

In that moment, Timbal fell in love with him.

It does not take that much to fall in love when you are seventeen and alone in the world, and Timbal was both.

So there it is, the ultimate meet-cute fall in love at first sight due to one character making an off hand comment to another character after touching an item of incalculable sentimental worth.


The strongest part of this story is Robin Hobb's character work, as we are quickly able to identify and empathize with Timbal. We understand how and why she is immediately taken by Azen, who, by all accounts, is young, hot and a charming musician.


Overall this was an enjoyable story with a lot of pathos. The characters are broad stereotypes, and Hobb does tend to lead the reader down a rabbit hole only to reveal a plot twist at the end. The only thing missing was some more humor to brighten the fairly depressing pall of gloom. As far as Hobb is concerned this falls under the category of short, sad-mood fluff.

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Blue Boots' (Realm of the Elderlings #1.2) by Robin Hobb.


That was all. It was life, it was what one did. One worked, and ate, and slept. With time, she’d remember how to do that without it feeling like each breath did no more than carry her one step closer to death.


Rating: 4.0/5.


Review:
Although this short story is set in the Realm of Elderlings, it can be read as a standalone even without any knowledge of the RotE books. I can describe it as a romantic thriller, and although both the romance and thriller parts didn't occupy a significant proportion of the story, it still evoked the feeling of a romantic thriller to some extent. A good and heartwarming tale.

[Óli Sóleyjarson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nokkuð góð saga sem fer í aðrar áttir en maður hefði haldið.

[Ty MaC · Rating 2 out of 5]

littel love story not my thing at all. Not involved in the larger RotE

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually one of my favorite of the Realm of the Elderlings short stories. It has quite a different tone than the main series. It feels very much like a fairytale. We follow a young female protagonist who works as a kitchen maid at a lord's manor. She gets a crush on one of the minstrels, and things go from there. I enjoyed it very much as a slice of life story that shows a softer side of Hobb's writing and world. It also unfolds in a fun way, with a conclusion that spurns what you may expect from a story like this.

It isn't a necessary read, but I liked it a lot. This one is very tangentially related to the world itself and could honestly be set in nearly any generic fantasy world. But Hobb's writing is always so strong and assured.

[Evelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Интересен разказ, който няма абсолютно нищо със случващото се книгите на Робин Хоб с единственото изключение, че действието е се развива в този свят. Някой може да каже че това е разказ за любов и аз бих се съгласила, но също така бих се съгласила, ако кажат, че това е разказ, за това колко трудно и сложно е да си само момиче и не дай си боже да се влюбиш. Лично на мен нещото, което най-много ми хареса тук беше буквалното олицетворяване метафората зад "на борба с бреговете". А това, което ме изненада беше, че имаше щастлива край, защото с Робин Хоб, човек никога не знае.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

short stories are not the format that Robin Hobb is best appreciated in, but as an Elderlings completionist I had to read this one. The characters are built up as well as anybody could do in 30 pages and the plot is nicely paced and resolves in a tidy ending any fairy tale could be proud of.

[Cerviallacarica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bel racconto di Robin Hobb, ambientato nel Cervo, ma indipendente dalla saga principale di cui non contiene nessun riferimento se non appunto nell'ambientazione.

[Kelly In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t really add anything to The Realm of The Elderlings (not like the Wilful Princess and The Piebald Prince), but was a good enough tale to enjoy.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever retelling of a fairytale.

[Kyle Gantert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story about love and responsibility. It doesn't add much to the realm of the elderlings or have great memorable characters. It's just a story about a girl with blue boots.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
For the majority of the story it feels like another tale of a woman getting screwed over by a man lol but then it takes an unexpected twist and has a sweet ending.