The Robin Hobb Collection discussion

Ch 6 - And we learn how Seldon ended up in slavery. Betrayed by Traders from home! Won't they pay if he ever gets back.

Tintaglia is not so welcome in Trehaug - especially after making a mess of her landing. Luck for everyone she's pretty weak and desperate - otherwise she might have melted the lot of them.

And the Impervious ship gets a dose of dragon. Yay!

And Wintrow has heard of a "dragon boy" being exhibited around the place. Hopefully they can track him down somehow.

Ch 7 - Sintara and Thymara have a moment. Sintara letting her know she has made her beautiful and takes pride in how she has effected her changes.

Looks like they also have to find the Silver "skill" liquid for dragon and keeper to become full dragon and elderling. I wonder where that skill river is and if it still runs silver.

Seldon ends up in Chassim's care where he learns that he is being fattened up to be eaten. Yum.

And Hest's mother's letter tells about how angry his father is that he took Redding. It's going to be almost impossible for Hest to come back to Bingtown and get out of explaining what's happened to Redding to everyone's satisfaction I think.

Ch 8 - I think Rapskal is in danger of drowning in memories. He's obsessed with learning more about past lives than the present.

And Tarman is suggesting that only the "right" dragon can help little Phron. That's probably going to be Tintaglia.

And the keepers are looking to Malta and Reyn as king and queen of the Elderlings and turn them and Kelsingra into "The Dragon traders" to compete with the other Rainwilds settlements and Bingtown

And Alise finally gets to reunite with Leftrin

ch 9 - And the Chalcadean has used Hest to help kidnap other traders - and they all end up as prisoners. I'm guessing he wants the traders as hostages and to torture them for information about the Kelsingra expedition.

I think Hobb is trying to make me feel sorry for Hest becoming the Chalcadean's slave on board. And as Hest wrote all the letters to lure the other traders out, if any of them make it alive he'll never be able to go back. he'll be charged with aiding and abetting.

And we learn the other Impervious ship has a Jamailian crew - until the Chalcadeans take it over anyway

And from Wintrow's letter it seems he is actively trying to track down the "Dragon boy" rumours and offering a reward. I think someone will eventually let him know he was sold to the Duke.

ch 10

Yeah - only Tintaglia can help Malta and Reyn.

ASnd where did Malta get those silver marks? I'm thinking she must have been touched by the Fool's skill fingers at some point in Liveships?

Anyway - everybody needs to find that silver goup

And we learn the Chalcadean's name is Lord Dargan! Did we know that before? I can't remember.

And Tintaglia is in such a bad way the Chalcadeans manage to anbush her. Still, even a sick dragon is still a dragon.

And Erek gets recognised for his bird breeding skills. Applause.

David Sven wrote: "Ch 6 - And we learn how Seldon ended up in slavery. Betrayed by Traders from home! Won't they pay if he ever gets back."

Yes, that was a surprise! I thought he would have been alone when he was captured. At least he might be in good hands now (relatively speaking), looking forward to see Chassim and Selden team up against the duke and his allies!

I loved the dragon diving after the ship. What a sight that must have been. So Mercor and Kalo are also flying, they probably all are by now.
The bridge was enough of a diving board to glide to Kelsingra, and the hot baths will do the rest.

David Sven wrote: "Ch 7 - Sintara and Thymara have a moment. Sintara letting her know she has made her beautiful and takes pride in how she has effected her changes.

Looks like they also have to find the Silver "ski..."

I think Hest will talk his way out of that. Redding died full stop. No witnesses, so he can spin that tale whatever way he wants.

The silver was a nice add here. Finally some more hints as to why Kelsingra was in this place, and what was so important about the fountain.
The bad news? perhaps the silver will be needed to cure Phron, and it seems pretty far away.

I guess that earthquake that made the silver run stop might have been part of their demise. What does it do? Strenghten them? Were they too fragile without it?

David Sven wrote: "Ch 6 - And we learn how Seldon ended up in slavery. "

I swear that was revealed in the last book.

Ch 6 I love how Rhyn's mother handles Titalina. I'm glad I don't live in an age of dragons. At least not Miss. Hobb's dragons. They are arrogant selfish creatures.

I really wish Mercor didn't stop Spit from attacking the invulnerable ship. I hope they don't come to regret it later.

It seems like most/all are flying now. I hope it doesn't change Mercor for the worse.

Rob wrote: "David Sven wrote: "Ch 6 - And we learn how Seldon ended up in slavery. "

I swear that was revealed in the last book."

Not how specifically he got there I don't think.

I'm too lazy to go looking, but I knew he was betrayed by and sold into slavery by those he was traveling with in the last book somewhere. I didn't know they were fellow traders though.

It came up when he was either about to be sold or when he was trying to get food from the ship's boy.

Ch 7 I'm intrigued by this Silver stuff. It sounds like a drug. I wondered if it might be the skill river too.

I'm hoping Seldon and the Duke's daughter plot together to thwart his plans.

Rob wrote: "I'm too lazy to go looking, but I knew he was betrayed by and sold into slavery by those he was traveling with in the last book somewhere. I didn't know they were fellow traders though.

It came up..."

There was a mention of it in the last book indeed, but not as clearly as here, but it was said.

David Sven wrote: "Ch 8 - I think Rapskal is in danger of drowning in memories. He's obsessed with learning more about past lives than the present."

It looks that way! He might save all these asses, but it might make Thymara's choice easier too :)

ch9 - Here I was thinking Hest had some emotional growth by feeling very sorry for Redding, but then he immediately puts all blame on Sedric. Emotional growth back out of the window.

David Sven wrote: "ch 10

Yeah - only Tintaglia can help Malta and Reyn.

ASnd where did Malta get those silver marks? I'm thinking she must have been touched by the Fool's skill fingers at some point in Liveships?

..."

ch10 - the silver marks on malta's back were very interesting. she remarks she's had them at least since Paragon went out. i'm not sure which paragon part she means, the very first voyage, or the one when they're about to rescue winthrow?
or is it from some old Elderlings jewel?

If you had told Ship of Magic Rob that his biggest concern in this book was Malta, he might have cussed you out!

What a difference a few books make. I really hope everything works out.

I agree Rapskal is losing himself. The effects may be less for Elderlings, but they aren't full Elderlings yet,

Ch 9 Still no sympathy for Hest. He doesn't feel bad for anyone else. You'd think he'd learn some humility like Malta did in Liveship.

I don't feel much sympathy for Tintaglia either, but I suspect she will be important to Malta's baby.

We have a Wintrow sighting!

Ch 10 I don't remember Malta's silver marks. That does sound like the marks the fool had that allowed him to join in the skill though. I don't remember Amber touching Malta like that though David, but it's been awhile.

Things look bad for Tintanglia, will the dragons she abandoned come to her aid? I hope so for the sake of Malta's son.

aaah the foolwith his skill fingers! rob, you're a genius, i hadn't thought about that option at all. :)

that would make sense given that dragon magic is so linked to the Skill. and the Skill road can't be too far away from Kelsingra either.
plus silver is poison to anyone except dragons, so that might explain why animals don't really like the skill road? or am i going too far with this now?

Hanne wrote: "aaah the foolwith his skill fingers! rob, you're a genius, i hadn't thought about that option at all. :)

that would make sense given that dragon magic is so linked to the Skill. and the Skill road..."

Well David brought it up as well, but that was what came to mind when I was reading it.

oops sorry david! I missed that. i blame the smartphone (tough to read long threads on a phone. will catch up decently tomorrow on a pc!)

That's ok. I don't mind sharing the credit. Even though Rob picks on me.

David Sven wrote: "That's ok. I don't mind sharing the credit. Even though Rob picks on me."

Ooo, poor David! I'm sure Mrs Hobb could write a nice chapter about your hard life. She's good at that! :)

No not that! She'd probably have someone eating me or drinking my blood!

Hest and Kim can go and sit in the same boat that would take them far away to Chalced for instance.

Regarding your last paragraph, I agree with you, but i think that's the natural way of things. They cannot live on their own in that city, they will need Bingtown and the other Rain Wild Cities to get this new city started. In return, all kind of merchants and traders will come. The only thing they have to do is some kind of protection, that not everything gets ruined like in Trehaug. But then this city will be able to stand on its own two feet, because the have the opportunity of grain, cattle and the like, so i have some hope it'll fare better than the others.

Yay! Tintaglia is hurt!

I know I should be sad because this endangers Malta's baby... and I am, I'm just happier at the thought of Tintaglia being killed. Both for herself, and for what it would represent (the whole 'it's better for humans to live in totalitarian elderling apartheid states where dragons eat them when they feel like it' ideology is something I've never really bought into).

Speaking of which, Rapskal is getting scarier and scarier.

Wastrel wrote: "the whole 'it's better for humans to live in totalitarian elderling apartheid states where dragons eat them when they feel like it' ideology is something I've never really bought into"

Ha Ha! I think Hobb subscribes to the idea that humans at the top of the food chain is not such a good idea because we are environmentally destructive. Erikson's Malazan series also hammers on humans being a virus on the environment - Except I fail to see the purpose of making the point if you then have the humans end up being the good guys we root for and they win in the end. I suppose it an environmental conservation message in (poor) disguise.

Wastrel wrote: "the whole 'it's better for humans to live in totalitarian elderling apartheid states where dragons eat them when they feel like it' ideology is something I've never really bought into"

Ha Ha! I think Hobb subscribes to the idea that humans at the top of the food chain is not such a good idea because we are environmentally destructive. Erikson's Malazan series also hammers on humans being a virus on the environment - Except I fail to see the purpose of making the point if you then have the humans end up being the good guys we root for and they win in the end. I suppose it an environmental conservation message in (poor) disguise.

Wastrel wrote: "Yay! Tintaglia is hurt!"

I'm not sure i had the same reaction here. I know i thought sintara could use a bit of downfall, but Tintaglia has already learned that she needs humans to help her.

I understand your emotion though, i think it's powerful as Hobb is pretty much sending the message that us humans tend to rule the world just like that (so i agree with david on that account). We arrive and enslave everything to our will pretty much like the dragons do.

In the Soldier Son trilogy it's not even about other animals, but even other people. those who don't seem as 'advanced' as us (native americans, native australians, african tribes etc etc etc) we think we are superior to them.

so i guess she's consistently sending that message to us.

The problem is, at least so far (not having read to the end of the book year), humans ARE superior to dragons, in a moral sense. It's like trying to teach people about the mistakes of British colonialism in the 1930s by going 'yay, aren't the Nazis wonderful! those British need to be taken off the top of the food chain!' - it's hard to see how introducing people who are even worse is meant to improve the situation... and indeed, the more we find out about the Elderling civilisation, the harder it is to want it to return.

I did have two other things I wanted to say, though. first: wow, Tats. That's the most impassioned/convincing speech about why reading novels is a bad idea that I've ever read in a novel. Reminds me of how studio bosses were worried that 'Network' (about how people shouldn't watch TV/films) would discourage people from seeing their other films. Hobb's arguing almost so well that she may persuade people to stop buying her books!

The other: I wonder if the dragons have been lying to us. Are the changes and the wonders of the elderlings really about dragons - or just about Skill? The mutations occur with exposure to Skill-created items, and the dragons themselves seem just as drug-dependent on Skill as human users. Maybe the symbiosis with the dragons was really just a side-effect, or perhaps the only use of the dragons was to help guide the mutations in a benign way?