Shaman’s Crossing
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- Create Date：2021-04-05 14:55:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robin Hobb
- ISBN：0008286493
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Summary
"Nevare Burvelle is the second son of a second son， destined from birth to carry a sword。 The wealthy young noble follows his father - newly made a lord by the King of Gernia - into the cavalry， training in the military arts at the elite King's Cavella Academy in the capital city of Old Thares。 Bright and well educated， an excellent horseman with an advantageous engagement， Navare has a future that appears golden。" "But as his Academy instruction progresses， Nevare begins to realize that the road before him is far from straight。 The old aristocracy looks down on him as the son of a "new noble，" and unprepared for the political and social maneuvering of the deeply competitive school and city， he finds himself entangled in a web of injustice， discrimination， and foul play。 In addition， he is disquieted by his unconventional girl-cousin Epiny - who challenges his heretofore unwavering worldview - and by the bizarre dreams that haunt his nights。" "For twenty years the king's cavalry has pushed across the grasslands， subduing and settling its nomads and claiming the territory in Gernia's name。 Now they have driven as far as the Barrier Mountains， home to the Speck people， a quiet， forest-dwelling folk who retain the last vestiges of magic in a world that is rapidly modernizing。 From childhood Nevare has been taught that the Specks are a primitive people to be pitied for their backward ways - and feared for the indigenous diseases， including the deadly Speck plague， which has ravaged the frontier towns and military outposts。" Then Dark Evening brings the carnival to Old Thares， and with it an unknown magic， and the first Specks Nevare has ever seen。
Reviews
Rebecca
，
Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb3。5 Stars out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Hobb's Eldering and Fitz and the Fool series will always remain anongst my favourite fantasy novels of all time。 If you love magic and beautiful writing I implore you to read them all。 Now。 You won't regret it。 I have had this trilogy on my bookshelf for some time and thought I would give it a go pre bookshops reopening！ It is set in a world where sons are given their role in life based on order of birth。 The first son is the heir to the estat Shaman's Crossing by Robin Hobb3。5 Stars out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Hobb's Eldering and Fitz and the Fool series will always remain anongst my favourite fantasy novels of all time。 If you love magic and beautiful writing I implore you to read them all。 Now。 You won't regret it。 I have had this trilogy on my bookshelf for some time and thought I would give it a go pre bookshops reopening！ It is set in a world where sons are given their role in life based on order of birth。 The first son is the heir to the estate， the second is the soldier son， the third the priest son， the fourth the scholar。 This trilogy follows Nevare Burville and his life as a soldier son。 From his strict upbringing where he knows from his first words that he can only ever become a soldier until his time at the Cavalla Academy。 Intertwined in Nevare's story we find a sprinkle if politics。 There are old and new nobles。 Old nobles， as their name dictates， have had their status passed onto them over the years whilst new nobles are battle Lords who earned their status through war time heroics。 I also enjoyed the smattering of feminism， Epiny， Nevare's cousin is ahead of her times。 Whilst Nevare at first finds her childish and badly behaved we soon she that she is cleverer than most， refusing to grow up as she knows that being a woman in that time is nothing exciting， a character that really grew on me over the pages！As with all things Hobb， I loved her writing and felt rather immersed in the world she had created。 However， the plot was a little slow and really did just tell the story of Nevare's life。 Luckily the last 100 pages or so turned it around and I enjoyed the action I found here。 By the end I liked a fair few characters and they had mostly been explored fairly deeply。 I won't hurry to the sequel but equally I probably will get round to it one day。#bookblog #ilovereading 。。。more
David
，
An interesting commentary on modern society？ Perhaps 。。。
Amy
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Does anything good ever happen？ I made it through this book and was happy to see a positive ending that made sense。 So much happened to poor Nevare and he seemed not to be able to make good choices， take control of his life， or have forward progress。 I am a fan of Robin Hobb， especially the Liveship Trilogy） but this didn't flow as well are feel as good in my opinion。 It felt like an altnerate history to the colonizing of the wild west but the native peoples still get screwed。 I read book #2 （se Does anything good ever happen？ I made it through this book and was happy to see a positive ending that made sense。 So much happened to poor Nevare and he seemed not to be able to make good choices， take control of his life， or have forward progress。 I am a fan of Robin Hobb， especially the Liveship Trilogy） but this didn't flow as well are feel as good in my opinion。 It felt like an altnerate history to the colonizing of the wild west but the native peoples still get screwed。 I read book #2 （see review） but won't finish the trilogy。 。。。more
Helen
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I like Fitz so much better。 Will probably still read the next one though。
Lindsey
，
This was steady and much like a soaking rain。。。 not much on first glance but slowly absorbed and transformative。 Soldier Son isn't much like Fitz's stories at all but it feels so different that comparison is nearly meaningless。 I think Hobb makes some great points about the tug between the world as it should be， as you wish it to be， and as it is。 I enjoyed the subtle story happening around Navarre， although he is occasionally a little slow on the uptake， making me wish he would just get it so t This was steady and much like a soaking rain。。。 not much on first glance but slowly absorbed and transformative。 Soldier Son isn't much like Fitz's stories at all but it feels so different that comparison is nearly meaningless。 I think Hobb makes some great points about the tug between the world as it should be， as you wish it to be， and as it is。 I enjoyed the subtle story happening around Navarre， although he is occasionally a little slow on the uptake， making me wish he would just get it so the plot could move on。 Hobb has a deft hand at laying out various cultures and their strengths， weaknesses， injustices， and progress without ever being info-dumpy。 The byplay between Navarre and his cousin Epiny （who is one of my new favorite fantasy characters） is fabulous， illustrating how it's possible to be a good person and still have a long way to grow。 Recommended to fantasy fans who enjoy great world building and appreciate a steady story to soak up。 I look forward to continuing with the trilogy。 。。。more
Bogdan
，
I am so happy I got back to reading Robin Hobb's work。 The same steady pace is set with huge moments of build up。The character development is amazing， as always and the foreshadowing is at the right level to help you predict momentous occurrences， while still giving plentiful opportunities for surprise。There are some despicable characters， some characters that you can't help but adore and some that are still very complex and I am not sure how I feel about， for now。 I am so happy I got back to reading Robin Hobb's work。 The same steady pace is set with huge moments of build up。The character development is amazing， as always and the foreshadowing is at the right level to help you predict momentous occurrences， while still giving plentiful opportunities for surprise。There are some despicable characters， some characters that you can't help but adore and some that are still very complex and I am not sure how I feel about， for now。 。。。more
Elle Wood
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It's taken me somewhere in the region of a year to wade through this。 It really is phenomenally boring。 My friend assures me the others in the trilogy are better so I wanted to finish it。 It makes little sense to me in a lot of parts。 Having loved the Fool series， I was excited to read another Hobbs book but "slow going" doesn't even begin to cover it。 Optimistic that the next ones will be different as I like the main character and some of the others too。 It's taken me somewhere in the region of a year to wade through this。 It really is phenomenally boring。 My friend assures me the others in the trilogy are better so I wanted to finish it。 It makes little sense to me in a lot of parts。 Having loved the Fool series， I was excited to read another Hobbs book but "slow going" doesn't even begin to cover it。 Optimistic that the next ones will be different as I like the main character and some of the others too。 。。。more
Jodie
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A very difficult book to rate。 The writing is excellent。 While the first half is rather dry the story grows throughout the book and the last 1/4 in particular is compelling。Unfortunately there are some issues with the story itself。 Throughout the latter half of the book Nevare and fellow cadets behave like they're 15 rather than 18/19。 It's quite disruptive remembering their intended age， pulling you out of the world。 The romantic relationships are also generally quite poor， with little motivati A very difficult book to rate。 The writing is excellent。 While the first half is rather dry the story grows throughout the book and the last 1/4 in particular is compelling。Unfortunately there are some issues with the story itself。 Throughout the latter half of the book Nevare and fellow cadets behave like they're 15 rather than 18/19。 It's quite disruptive remembering their intended age， pulling you out of the world。 The romantic relationships are also generally quite poor， with little motivation or compulsion to see them work out。But the worst part of this book is the colonialism of the entire story。 It's virtually impossible to support the main character due to the massacring of the indigenous people and desire to see his people fail。 However， it's unclear whether the story is trying to make the oppressed people unlikeable to support some future plot reveal。 All in all it makes for uncomfortable reading where I'm left not rooting for anyone。And while the final chapters make me want to read the next book to find out the next events， the last couple of pages temper that enthusiasm with content I have no interest in 。。。more
Aoibheann
，
Oh what a joy it is to read Hobb again。 It took a little while to get into and I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as her other books but once I got into the swing of the story and got used to the new world it was brilliant。 Hobb excels at character development and making you really root for specific characters。 The world is so colourful and the relationships so enchanting that you always want more。 The story felt very Harry Potter-ish or King Killer Chronicle-ish but I think that’s t Oh what a joy it is to read Hobb again。 It took a little while to get into and I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as her other books but once I got into the swing of the story and got used to the new world it was brilliant。 Hobb excels at character development and making you really root for specific characters。 The world is so colourful and the relationships so enchanting that you always want more。 The story felt very Harry Potter-ish or King Killer Chronicle-ish but I think that’s to be expected with any coming of age story of boys in a boarding type school。 Really looking forward to the next one。 。。。more
Nicole Rosato
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I love robin hobb。 She writes such great protagonists who you can't help but love despite their （nearly） fatal character flaws。 The writing flows beautifully and the story grips you， so much so that I read over 150 pages one day without even noticing。 It's not the action-packed fantasy epic that a Sanderson novel is， but it's incredible all the same。 The world is fairly small， but that means you get to know all of the main characters well and can really become attached to your favorites。 One of I love robin hobb。 She writes such great protagonists who you can't help but love despite their （nearly） fatal character flaws。 The writing flows beautifully and the story grips you， so much so that I read over 150 pages one day without even noticing。 It's not the action-packed fantasy epic that a Sanderson novel is， but it's incredible all the same。 The world is fairly small， but that means you get to know all of the main characters well and can really become attached to your favorites。 One of the best parts about hobb's writing is her antagonists。 I think you can sometimes sort of understand where they're coming from and sympathize with their cause， and that is true for this book as well。 There is real potential for the story to continue， and I can't wait to read the next one。 。。。more
Yannick Rodari
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As good as everything that Robin Hobb did
Humble
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As a child with overprotective parents， books were the one place my parents couldn't follow me。 This was the first non-YA and actively adult fantasy series I ever read。 As a child with overprotective parents， books were the one place my parents couldn't follow me。 This was the first non-YA and actively adult fantasy series I ever read。 。。。more
bookslayer
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Nevare Burvelle and the Shaman's CrossingI'm kidding， but not really。 Many readers， myself included， sometimes indulge an idea of finding a book series that feels like Harry Potter， but for a more mature audience。 The usual suggestions are edgy and feel like parodies。This is the series that should be recommended instead。A talented young man whose fate is chosen by forces far beyond his understanding。 A school that's a litmus test of the society as a whole。 Ron and Hermione。 Bad nobles with good Nevare Burvelle and the Shaman's CrossingI'm kidding， but not really。 Many readers， myself included， sometimes indulge an idea of finding a book series that feels like Harry Potter， but for a more mature audience。 The usual suggestions are edgy and feel like parodies。This is the series that should be recommended instead。A talented young man whose fate is chosen by forces far beyond his understanding。 A school that's a litmus test of the society as a whole。 Ron and Hermione。 Bad nobles with good intentions and good nobles who are wrong。 Decisions made in the dark。 The status quo is uncertain and changeable。 The writing is lengthy and detailed but nothing feels irrelevant。I usually hate the colonial themes in literature。 Thankfully， said themes are anything but cartoony here。 The magic， the mundane， and the political are all used to shape the main character， who is of the reluctant type， but still follows his own way。 Everything works like a living， breathing organism in this text。 I should have started reading Hobb earlier。 ;） 。。。more
Ange
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Where to start。。 so okay， Shaman’s Crossing is set in the fictional land of Gernia， during a period of rapid expansion spurred on by the power hungry and ambitious King。 The Gernian tradition dictates that all first born sons are heir sons， second born sons are soldier sons （wink wink）， and third born sons are priest sons。In this story we follow protagonist Nevare Burvelle， the second son of a Cavalla （cavalry） officer and newly minted noble， through his entrance to the Kings Cavalla Academy as Where to start。。 so okay， Shaman’s Crossing is set in the fictional land of Gernia， during a period of rapid expansion spurred on by the power hungry and ambitious King。 The Gernian tradition dictates that all first born sons are heir sons， second born sons are soldier sons （wink wink）， and third born sons are priest sons。In this story we follow protagonist Nevare Burvelle， the second son of a Cavalla （cavalry） officer and newly minted noble， through his entrance to the Kings Cavalla Academy as he begins his soldiering career。The plot is slow but steady， with a heavy focus on the relationships and interactions between the primary characters， and is told for the most part in a past tense narrative style from Nevare’s point of view。 Fans of Hobb’s work will recognise this style of writing from many of her other works。 Which I’m sure you already know I adore！！ 🥰There are strong themes of magic， coming of age， morality， and duty to family and cultural tradition throughout the book。 It may come as no surprise to anyone who regularly reads my reviews， but ahhhhhh I absolutely LOVED this book！ The plot was slow yet meticulous， and Hobbs masterful ability to develop characters and their relationships with one another in such a rich and potent way had me turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning on several occasions。It may also come as no shock to you that I cried at the end 😅 yep。。。 I don’t think there has been a Hobb book yet that I haven’t cried while reading。。。 though I’m not going to tell you why， you’ll have to read it and find out for yourself if you haven’t already。This one is easily a 4。5 / 5 ⭐️ and if the series continues on it’s current trajectory I can see it becoming one of my all time favs。 It’s Hobb though so do you really expect anything different from me！！！ 。。。more
Pernille
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3。5
M
，
Picked up as love the other works by the author， but this was a slog。 Interesting start showed potential but then it became unengaging。 Frustrating circumstances or injustices are a common technique to work the readers emotions and draw them in but that requires liking the characters or story， in this case I nearly quit the book as I didn't care about either， only staying around cos of how much I liked the author's other stories。 The ending did pull it back， creating some interest， such that I w Picked up as love the other works by the author， but this was a slog。 Interesting start showed potential but then it became unengaging。 Frustrating circumstances or injustices are a common technique to work the readers emotions and draw them in but that requires liking the characters or story， in this case I nearly quit the book as I didn't care about either， only staying around cos of how much I liked the author's other stories。 The ending did pull it back， creating some interest， such that I will give the second book a chance but dont have kind of expect I won't finish it。 。。。more
Dan
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This was probably my least favorite Robin Hobb book。 I've read a lot of them so that's saying something。 I don't think I'll read any more of this series。 Almost gave it 2 stars but it has some redeeming qualities。 I liked the feudal politics most of all。 It seemed very realistic from that perspective。 This was probably my least favorite Robin Hobb book。 I've read a lot of them so that's saying something。 I don't think I'll read any more of this series。 Almost gave it 2 stars but it has some redeeming qualities。 I liked the feudal politics most of all。 It seemed very realistic from that perspective。 。。。more
Mehak Moosani
，
Putting it down for now。
Sharon Lodo
，
2，5
LoKat
，
It's not Realm of the Elderlings， but it's still Robin Hobb， so that means a highly-detailed character-driven story that will， yes， start off slowly。 Ie， exactly what I signed up for！ Nevare is certainly a more passive protagonist， but he grew throughout the story as he discovered the complexity of life， and I started caring about him more as I read。 The magic system is rather vague so far， but I hope we'll find out more about it in the next book。 It's not Realm of the Elderlings， but it's still Robin Hobb， so that means a highly-detailed character-driven story that will， yes， start off slowly。 Ie， exactly what I signed up for！ Nevare is certainly a more passive protagonist， but he grew throughout the story as he discovered the complexity of life， and I started caring about him more as I read。 The magic system is rather vague so far， but I hope we'll find out more about it in the next book。 。。。more
Tyler Nesselbush
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The overall story is good but way too much time is spent on useless details that do nothing but draw out the book and add nothing the the plot。 The story could have been told in less than half the pages and still would have been a lot of character development。
Heather
，
I found it difficult to rate this one。 I think it's because I've been binge reading Robin Hobb and I was so enthralled by the world of the Elderlings。 I feel almost grief that I'll never meet Fitz and the Fool again！ So to start with I was going to give this 4 stars - but then I thought about it， and if I'd read this book with no expectations of the author or the content of the book， it really is a 5。 It's just different。 It's also the first book and there's a lot of setting-up and necessary exp I found it difficult to rate this one。 I think it's because I've been binge reading Robin Hobb and I was so enthralled by the world of the Elderlings。 I feel almost grief that I'll never meet Fitz and the Fool again！ So to start with I was going to give this 4 stars - but then I thought about it， and if I'd read this book with no expectations of the author or the content of the book， it really is a 5。 It's just different。 It's also the first book and there's a lot of setting-up and necessary explaining in those。 I really want to read the others。 I care about the characters。 I want to know them and what happens to them - so it is a five-star read for sure！ 。。。more
Horizon_Universe
，
Pouvez-vous croire que je n’avais jamais lu de Robin Hobb avant ？ Moi non plus。 Quand j’ai trouvé ce petit tome， bien caché au milieu de livres à la 50 Shades of Grey chez Easy Cash， ça a semblé être un signe。Honnêtement ？ C’est plutôt pas mal。 Hobb a l’air d’avoir une imagination folle et sait créer un monde passionnant et crédible。 Le Soldat Chamane est un récit initiatique ou nous suivions Jamère Burvelle， un jeune noble promis à une carrière militaire， de ses 8 à ses 18 ans， dans un monde de Pouvez-vous croire que je n’avais jamais lu de Robin Hobb avant ？ Moi non plus。 Quand j’ai trouvé ce petit tome， bien caché au milieu de livres à la 50 Shades of Grey chez Easy Cash， ça a semblé être un signe。Honnêtement ？ C’est plutôt pas mal。 Hobb a l’air d’avoir une imagination folle et sait créer un monde passionnant et crédible。 Le Soldat Chamane est un récit initiatique ou nous suivions Jamère Burvelle， un jeune noble promis à une carrière militaire， de ses 8 à ses 18 ans， dans un monde de Fantasy。 Je ne suis normalement pas fane des livres suivant des enfants， mais celui-ci est extrêmement bien écrit， et plusieurs scènes （les rêves） sont super intéressantes。 J’ai honnêtement passé un bon moment dans ce joli monde， et je lirai pour sur la suite， et les autres oeuvres de Hobb ！ Can you believe I have never read a Robin Hobb story before ？ Me neither。 When I found this one， well hidden in between the 50 Shades od Grey saga at a secondhand store， I thought it was a sign。 Honestly ？ It’s quite good。 Hobb seems to have so much imagination and knows how to create a fascinating and credible world。 The Soldier Son is an initiation story where we follow Jamère Burvelle， a young noble promised to a military carrier， from its 8 to its 18 years old， in a Fantasy world。 I am normally not a fan of books following children， but this one is so well written， and many scenes （the dreams） are very interesting。 I honestly had a very nice time in this beautiful world， and I will read the following volumes， and more work from Hobb ！ 。。。more
Tina
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Disappointed in this and the following books in the trilogy。 Nowhere near as good as the Farseer， Live Ship and Rain Wild Trilogies。 I found it very repetitive
Kirsten Simkiss
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Definitely 2 stars。 Hoooo boy， I could not wait to be done with this book。 I slogged through it with the hope that it would pick up， but it really never does。 The story drags on， and I don't mean just because it's a 577 page book。 The main character， tasked with carrying us through the narrative， is the most pedantic study in faux Victorian white male privilege you can hope to have。 He was awful。 If I ever met him in person， he'd be the spoiled white kid that I'd have avoided not because he was Definitely 2 stars。 Hoooo boy， I could not wait to be done with this book。 I slogged through it with the hope that it would pick up， but it really never does。 The story drags on， and I don't mean just because it's a 577 page book。 The main character， tasked with carrying us through the narrative， is the most pedantic study in faux Victorian white male privilege you can hope to have。 He was awful。 If I ever met him in person， he'd be the spoiled white kid that I'd have avoided not because he was a bad person but because he was incapable of putting himself in another's shoes。 However， despite the main character being a basic being that will be utterly forgettable， I did find several of the side characters to be compelling and there were aspects of the world that were quite interesting。 I loved Gord's speech about his being a soldier and how his weight would not change that， only how he might approach his role。 I thought the caste system of birth order was interesting and while I've seen other caste systems in books， I'm not sure I've seen one quite like this one。The world was needlessly complex and yet at the same time very basic。 Unless you're a map reader during the story， most of the places mentioned in the book have little bearing on the actual story。 All the cultures are bad rewrites of real world cultures。 Most notably: Victorian England， Native cultures， and Middle Eastern cultures。 It wasn't even vaguely disguised。 They were just given different names and placed in this fictional continent。 The only population that was more different were the Specks， which seemed to be a race evolved almost as half human and half animal。All in all， I just really didn't enjoy this book。 I can't say I would recommend it to others。 I have decided I will not be reading on in this series。 。。。more
Yulneedsbooks
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Shaman's Crossing es una novelaza。 Es más， respecto a la novela fantástica， es una absoluta extraordinariez。 “How different would our perception of reality be if。。。 we discarded the mundane events that cannot coexist with our dreams？”Todos sabemos que yo he hablado maravillas de Robin Hobb， una escritora que junta la introspección， el ritmo en la palabra y la fantasía en su estado más puro y salvaje con una exquisita complejidad。 Sí， avergonzada tengo que reconocer que no tenía tampoco grandes e Shaman's Crossing es una novelaza。 Es más， respecto a la novela fantástica， es una absoluta extraordinariez。 “How different would our perception of reality be if。。。 we discarded the mundane events that cannot coexist with our dreams？”Todos sabemos que yo he hablado maravillas de Robin Hobb， una escritora que junta la introspección， el ritmo en la palabra y la fantasía en su estado más puro y salvaje con una exquisita complejidad。 Sí， avergonzada tengo que reconocer que no tenía tampoco grandes expectativas con esta obra。 Todo lector decía que la saga de The Realm of the Elderlings era cien veces mejor， y ¿quién era yo para pensar lo contrario sin haberme leído estos otros libros？ Pero me atreví a hacerlo， porque se seguía diciendo， con evidente deleite， que Shaman's Crossing era un libro excepcional。 ¡Lo es！Es más， ¿respecto a cualquier comience de las trilogías de The Realm of the Elderlings？ Shaman's Crossing los supera。 No， no tengo fiebre， y no， no estoy delirando。 Shaman's Crossing me ha parecido una novela increíblemente bien estructurada， con un sistema de magia sencillamente arrebatador， unos personajes humanos， reales y bien esquematizados。。。 y un argumento que no se queda estancado y avanza con， incluso， cierta agitación。 Como comience de una trilogía nueva， me ha parecido que concluía habiendo dejado tras la lectura una evolución impecable。 La magia era más pura， más genuina， los personajes tan ambiguos y complicados como en anteriores lecturas， pero lo que más me ha sorprendido ha sido la idea del mundo creado， y el argumento tan bien diseñado que giraba en torno al mismo。¿De qué trata？ Shaman's Crossing es una obra de una escritora que， a mi parecer， debería compararse con los grandes Tolkien， R。 R。 Martin， Sanderson y Rothfuss。 Aún me cuesta entender por qué la gente no habla con la misma pasión de Robin Hobb， una escritora que sí， es cierto que sus relatos tienen un ritmo mucho más lento， pero sus bosquejos de las relaciones humanas dejan completamente sin respiración。 Hobb es muy humanista， para ella los escritos tienen que salir desde la parte más emotiva y compleja del alma de uno， los personajes tienen que tener tantas capas， tantas ambiciones y deseos， que la novela trate， en muchos aspectos， de su propio subconsciente。 Como se verá más adelante， Shaman's Crossing no es excepción de esto: la realidad， el sueño， el deseo y el temor son los que llevan las riendas de esta magnífica historia。 Pero comenzando por donde hay que comenzar， Shaman's Crossing sigue el punto de vista de Nevare Burvelle， segundo hijo de un segundo hijo， por lo que， según las reglamentaciones de la nación de Gernia， deberá entrar en el servicio militar y convertirse en soldado como su padre。 Los primeros hijos， en cambio， serán herederos de la fortuna familiar， y los terceros tendrán que consagrarse al servicio eclesiástico。 El resto de hijos también van determinados según un código religioso。De manera que， desde su nacimiento， Nevare está destinado a seguir los pasos de su padre， en un mundo donde no es aceptable el cambio de grupo social en su estricta jerarquía de roles， encaminándose a la Cavalla y al territorio fronterizo， al mismo tiempo que se le apaña un matrimonio ventajoso para acompañar la fortuna familiar。 Otros conflictos se entrecruzan en la nación: Gernia está moviendo， poco a poco， la frontera a terrenos más inexplorados， bajo las órdenes del rey y bajo la estrategia de los cavalla， llegando hasta las montañas， el hogar de los misteriosos Speck， los habitantes del bosque， personas sensibles a la luz y de piel moteada， de los cuales se dicen que albergan los últimos vestigios de la magia en su mundo。 Esta magia， salvaje y bruta， en comparación con la era civilizada， progresiva y científica de la población de Gernia， aparece como una amenaza， y ven a los specks como salvajes， primitivos， y bestias。 Siguiendo el ideal de su "dios bueno" （good god）， fundan la creencia de que deben deshacerse de estas personas， las cuales llevan consigo supersticiones， enfermedades y relaciones impías。 La plaga de los Speck， desde la frontera， ha devorado las vidas de miles de soldados en los regímenes。Y， pese a todo esto， en la juventud de Nevare su padre le entrega a Dewara， de la tribu de Kidona， enemiga de Gernia （y Dewara el enemigo del padre de Nevare）， para enseñar a Nevare lo que no se puede aprender de alguien amigable。 Dewara， con una enseñanza dura y peligrosa， ofrece a Nevare convertirse en kidona， participando en un ritual para asesinar a un enemigo de los kidona。 Bajo una serie de visiones y alucinaciones， nevare encuentra a este misterioso enemigo。。。 la Mujer Árbol （Tree Woman）， que le cambia su visión de las cosas。 Bajo la amenaza de muerte， Navare acaba encontrándose atrapado en la decisión de， o morir de una caída， o aceptar la ayuda de Tree Woman， y， como pago， él le servirá como arma para detener la destrucción de su gente。。。 Aceptando sin más remedio， Nevare llega al pacto， el cual cambiará por completo sus pasos en el mundo。。。 No solo lo atormentará en futuros años， en los que se encontrará asimilando la presencia de la magia y su papel como impostor y traidor de su gente， sino que， en un determinado momento， caerá en manos de la división de su ser （aquella parte que sigue los pasos de Tree Woman， y aquella otra que se resiste） y acabará por tener bajo su poder el destino de toda su nación。。。Argumento ordenado， limpio y con mucho detalleYa sabemos que Hobb es una maestra de la fantasía， yo lo tengo muy claro， y por eso， esta novela tiene mucha pulcritud。 Que no se me entienda mal: hay detalles y complejidad hasta las cejas， pero una cosa muy positiva es que el argumento está muy bien estructurado， se divide claramente en varias partes y en cada una hay mucha diferencia entre su comienzo y su final。 Los capítulos están ordenados y son muy progresivos， no hay ni uno que sea sobrante， y， pese a que siga habiendo partes al estilo de Hobb en las que uno siente que se tarda en avanzar， tengo que decir que me ha parecido que Shaman's Crossing tenía menos momentos de pausa y un avance más rápido en la historia。 Hay mucha limpieza en el escrito， y eso es algo que ayuda muchísimo a que no se pierda el hilo de la historia。 Además， ayuda el hecho de que el relato se origine desde la infancia de Nevare y poco a poco vaya avanzando， a lo largo de los años y en tiempo lineal， hasta su vida más adulta。 Y como añadido， todo hay que decirlo: el argumento me ha parecido exquisito。 No sé vosotros， pero a mí me parece interesantísimo el mundo de los sueños， del subconsciente， y de las distintas partes que cada uno tenemos de nosotros mismos。 Pensar en que Nevare se enfrenta a que una de esas partes actúa por ella misma sin él poder hacer nada por evitarlo remueve en mí muchas cosas。。。La trama me parece arrebatadora。 Para empezar， no hablamos de un héroe que empieza siendo un campesino y acaba siendo un mago ultramegapoderoso y "elegido"， ni mucho menos， sino que la historia se centra en la vida de un soldado， algo que yo no veo demasiado en la fantasía， y cómo este soldado entra en contacto con algo muy superior a él: los rituales， la magia， las invocaciones， la pureza de algo con mucho fruto y con raíces asfixiantes。 Es， además， una magia natural， nacida de bosques， de ríos， del mismísimo tronco de los árboles。 Es una magia en extinción: la deforestación está eliminando la vida salvaje， y el avance del humano erradica los últimos vestigios del mundo anterior。 Con esta fuente de magia al borde de su desaparición， Nevare se ve enfrentándose a dos partes de sí mismo: aquella que lo que busca es proteger a la gente de Tree Woman， y aquella que sirve fielmente a su nación。 Entre estrategias de combate， duros entrenamientos y conflictos desde dentro del propio servicio militar， Navare tiene que hacer frente a su pasado， a lo que ocurrió en aquel delirio， y lo que lleva dentro: una segunda persona en su cuerpo que no se detendrá con nada hasta haber completado los deseos de su admirada。 Unos personajes muy bien situados en su mundo， llenos de cambios y con muchas capas en su personalidadMe parece todo un logro， lo digo claramente， el hecho de que， aunque se vea la parte más turbia y menos deseada de un personaje， consigamos empatizar con cada uno de ellos。 Y hablo desde el propio protagonista， que a veces tiene una idea muy cerrada del mundo， hasta el mismísimo hombre que le ha dañado en su juventud。 Los personajes de Hobb no son perfectos， y qué maravilla que no lo sean。 Son personajes reales。 Son personajes que tienen sus propias ideas， que sienten de distinta manera al resto， y que avanzan en la historia cada uno de determinada manera。 No hay ni uno solo que al lector le parezca que es enteramente un trozo de pan。 Muchos de ellos tienen sus propios conflictos， muchos de ellos sienten rabia u odio o celos o frustración， y sin duda todos ellos en algún punto del relato meten la pata。 Son personajes HUMANOS， son personajes muy cercanos a nosotros mismos。 Hobb no los escribe para que caigan bien， pero consigue que entendamos a cada uno de ellos。 Nevare， por ejemplo， ha sido un personaje muy， muy trabajado。 Me recuerda un poco al propio FitzChivaldry， por el hecho de que es más bien reservado， callado， y suele preferir la compañía del silencio。 Además， gran parte del libro consiste en sus pensamientos y reflexiones， en las introspecciones que se hace y en su parte más personal y privada。 Pero en diferencia， Nevare es un personaje que tiene una visión más cerrada del mundo。 Este pensamiento tan cerrado le entorpece en diversos puntos de su novela， pero la genialidad de este personaje es cómo va entendiendo que todo lo que le han enseñado no es siempre lo que de verdad es。 Además， y gracias a su prima Epiny， Nevare comienza a darse cuenta de que el código social y sus normativas no siempre es el más acertado， y que cada uno es quien es y cada uno debe vivir según sus propias reglas; Epiny es muy rompedora en ese sentido。 Me ha parecido un gran personaje， es fácil ponerse en su piel， es fácil entender por qué es quien es， y me ha parecido increíble seguir sus pasos desde su infancia hasta su adultez， viéndolo cambiar y finalmente viéndolo cuestionar el mundo que lo rodea。。。 Al final， lo que lo mueve a decidir cambiar las cosas no es un acto heroico， sino su manera de rebelarse contra sí mismo （en sentido literal y figurado） y proteger a sus seres queridos a toda costa。 Nevare es leal， tierno， y a veces demasiado serio， es un gran， gran personaje， muy sincero en el escrito （narrado desde su perspectiva）， y del que averiguamos muchas cosas， desde sus sueños hasta sus ambiciones， sus miedos， sus anhelos y sus inseguridades。 Otro personaje que tengo que mencionar sí o sí es Epiny: ¡cuánto me ha enamorado！ Epiny me ha parecido un personaje rompedor， revolucionario， lleno de ideas y de pasiones y de impetuosidades。 Epiny es la prima de Nevare， según él está "maleducada" y se la consiente de todo， pero resulta que， gracias a que no está tan enclaustrada en códigos morales， ha sabido dar paso a una personalidad brusca， espontánea， natural， curiosa y llena de urgencia。 Epiny es una chica extravagante， rara en muchas ocasiones， que no busca nada más que entender mejor el mundo。 Es liberal， curiosona y adora el peligro， y puede parecer a veces muy infantil， pero es ella misma， sin tapujos ni decoraciones， y eso le hace un personaje rebosante de vitalidad。 No es un personaje rompedor por el hecho de llevar espada y escudo， sino por cuestionar todo lo de su alrededor， por no callarse sus pensamientos y enseñar a Nevare la importancia de ser uno mismo y afrontar las cosas sin mirar atrás。 Epiny es， curiosamente， quien yo considero la mayor mentora de Nevare， pese a ser más joven y estar llena de locas ideas， y he valorado muchísimo su personaje。 También me gustaría destacar a Spink， un cadete de la academia junto a Nevare， su amigo y compañero， divertido， tierno y muy simpático，Spink es leal， sincero y agradable。Spink es una ricura de personaje， con quien yo sabía que Nevare podía contar en todo momento， y espero oír mucho más de él en siguientes libros， porque me parece que se le puede sacar muchísimo partido。 Robin Hobb hace muy buen balance con los personajes， cada uno tiene una presencia muy importante en la historia， y acaba formando parte de quien acaba siendo al final el protagonista。 Todos vienen con su pasado， aunque tan solo aparezca brevemente， y hay mucha diversidad de personajes。Todos tienen una importante presencia en el libro， mujeres y hombres a partes iguales， hay muchísima evolución en todos ellos y algo que me encanta de Robon Hobb es el tono tan contemplativo que tiene， como si no fuera ella quien manejase la historia， sino sus creaciones mismas。。。Una prosa muy cuidada， resolutiva， clara y escrita con mucha dedicaciónDe verdad que admiro muchísimo a Robin Hobb。 Me parece que su estilo es brillante， la manera que tiene de contar las cosas， la dedicación que le pone。。。 Su prosa siempre tiene un ritmo ágil， delicado， y en especial muy claro， esto quiere decir que expresa sin dificultad alguna todo lo que quiere decir， en pocos párrafos puede describir lo que para alguien como yo necesitaría páginas enteras， aunque hay gran cantidad de reflexiones en sus escritos y mucho espacio para la pausa y el pensamiento。 Sus personajes no son para nada títeres que se mueven a costa de la escritora， sino que se plantean muchas cosas， la mayor parte de las batallas con las que lidian son con ellos mismos， hay muchos debates internos， muchos malentendidos， hay complicaciones en las relaciones de los personajes， hay， en conclusión， muchísima humanidad plasmada en la escritura de Robin Hobb。 Me sigue pareciendo que Hobb es una maestra a la hora de presentar a sus personajes， hace que cada uno tenga una personalidad muy diferenciada， unas ideas propias y mucha voz en sus palabras。 Expresan lo que quieren expresar， a veces frenan un poco el ritmo del argumento pero es necesario para entender más sobre su situación y el momento por el que están pasando， porque para la escritora es mucho más importante cuidar a sus personajes que hacer que el ritmo de la historia sea locamente desenfrenado。 Además， la historia no solo se construye por los personajes centrales， sino que tienen muchísimo peso otros valores， como el sistema de magia: esta magia bruta， salvaje， nada pulida y llena de misterios hizo que mi semana de lectura fuera jugosa y estuviese llena de incógnitas， sigo fascinada por cómo se ha presentado el elemento mágico， la manera en la que todo giraba en torno a un delirio， una fantasía， un sueño， un planteamiento casi surrealista。。。 no hay magia de bolas de fuego ni nada de eso， sino que los conjuros en sí mismos son complicados， tienen sus limitaciones， y van de la mano con el poder de lo natural。 Y como añadido， el párrafo en el que Hobb hablaba de la destrucción que el ser humano causaba en el medio natural me pareció sensacional。 “A terrible premonition washed over me。 This was how the whole world would end。。。。 They would devour the forest and excrete piles of buildings made of stone wrenched from the earth or from dead trees。 They would hammer paths of bare stone between their dwellings， and dirty the rivers and subdue the land until it could recall only the will of man。 They could not stop themselves from doing what they did。 They did not see what they did， and even if they saw， they did not know how to stop。 They no longer knew what was enough。”Pero es que encima hay mucho más que eso。 Los diálogos son muy cuidados， muy naturales y reales， los personajes expresan lo que piensan， sin preámbulos， a veces hay discusiones， o debates， o contradicciones， a veces se enemistan y a veces acaban enfadándose con los otros， como acaba siendo usual en las relaciones。 No se aprecian ciegamente， se ven entre ellos defectos， lo que también es muy real。Un desenlace redondo， que deja los cabos muy bien atados pero permite la duda y el misterio para próximos libros。。。El final me ha parecido redondísimo。 No esperaba menos， pero me ha seguido dejando de piedra， en especial porque muchas de las incógnitas y de las conflictivas de este libro quedaban ya resueltas， y ahora tengo el malestar de no saber qué va a pasar en siguientes。 Pero sé una cosa: tengo unas ganas tremendas de volver a encontrarme con los personajes， con las tribus y las naciones del mundo creado， con los problemas， y， por favor， con la magia。 Creo que la joya principal de este libro， además de los personajes， es la magia。。。 Me ha dejado sin palabras， porque no es que sea extremadamente complejísima， pero la manera en la que era descrita， con sensaciones， tacto， olores y naturaleza salvaje me ha dejado llena de interés。 El desenlace cierra muy bien la historia， tanto que hasta podría considerarse un libro en sí mismo independiente。Conociendo a Robin Hobb como yo comienzo a hacerlo， sé que lo que llevará la historia de sus siguientes libros serán los personajes， y no el argumento， pero sigo sin explicarme cómo la gente cree que estos libros son algo peores en comparación con sus otros。 A mi parecer， el comienzo de The Soldier Son es para lanzar cohetes， y lo digo sin exageraciones: hay colonias， tribus， naciones llenas de poder， magia del mundo natural y salvaje， desligamientos del alma de uno mismo， academias militares con elitismos。。。 ¿¿¿Qué más se necesita？？？Me parece una obra fundamental， llena de detalles y con una escritura maravillosa， y yo creo que libros como este deberían ser recomendados como los reyes de la fantasía contemporánea。 Qué esplendor， qué humanismo， qué de experiencias y vida y reflexiones。。。 Una lectura formidable， para mí Hobb es la soberana de la fantasía。 ConclusiónShaman's Crossing es una lectura al estilo más puro de Robin Hobb: grandes progresiones， muchas evoluciones， desarrollos de personajes， un ritmo de la historia estructurado y ágil pero con muchos momentos para pararse a sopesar las cosas， y unos personajes que son redondos， con muchas mutaciones en ellos， y que inspiran muchísimo。 El argumento es muy ordenado， la magia llena de vida y pasión e intensidad， la historia se centra en la vida académica， en prácticas y en combate de un cadete， pero， además， presta muchísima atención a su vida personal， desde sus deseos de encontrar a alguien que le quiera por quien es hasta la relación que le surge， desde su juventud， con el mundo mágico， y sus constantes batallas internas por tratar de dominarse a sí mismo。 La historia se centra en la identidad del personaje central， sus luchas internas， sus temores y sus pasiones， y las relaciones que tiene con el mundo de afuera: con su rebelde y emocionada prima， con su leal y tierno amigo， con su estricto y honorable padre， e incluso con el propio sistema social que desde su nacimiento le ha anclado a una única posición en el mundo。 La historia， que tiene muchos puntos a resaltar （colonias， invasiones， tribus indígenas， magia en estado puro y peligroso， rituales e invocaciones de brujería， jerarquías dentro de escuelas militares）， a mi parecer es una obra maestra que debe ser leída por todo amante de la fantasía。 Es una obra muy detallada， llena de progresiones， que a mí me ha quitado la respiración。 Este libro es todo lo que yo jamás podría haber predicho， y me ha dejado enamorada。 PUNTUACIÓN♫ Personajes: 5/5♫ Acción: 3。75/5♫ Trama: 4。5/5♫ Originalidad: 5/5♫ Tensión: 4。25/5♫ Desenlace: 5/5♫ Prosa: 5/5VALORACIÓN PERSONAL: 10/10Más reseñas aquí en el blog La Llanura de los Mil Mundos: http://lallanuradelosmilmundos。blogsp。。。 。。。more
MacGyver
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It has。。。 as I’ve come to be familiar with Hobb’s books， some pacing issues。 Long stretches of minimal events， just daily routines detailed to an annoying amount; probably done with purpose to be as bored with it as the character is， which is effective。 That being said， the payoffs in this book seem less rewarding than the Fitz series， much less。 The characters are written well， and hold to their motivations， being well spoken and intelligent when it makes sense and complete nitwits every other It has。。。 as I’ve come to be familiar with Hobb’s books， some pacing issues。 Long stretches of minimal events， just daily routines detailed to an annoying amount; probably done with purpose to be as bored with it as the character is， which is effective。 That being said， the payoffs in this book seem less rewarding than the Fitz series， much less。 The characters are written well， and hold to their motivations， being well spoken and intelligent when it makes sense and complete nitwits every other time。 I’m starting Forest Mage now， and I hope this first book was all just loading coal so we can finally pickup steam。 。。。more
Audrey Friedman
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Loved loved loved all of Robin Hobbs series and they all have a special place in my heart。 I have read and re-read all of the books and short stories I have been able to find and I was surprised to see that I hadn't included any of Robin Hobbs books in my GoodReads library so I am adding them all now。 Loved loved loved all of Robin Hobbs series and they all have a special place in my heart。 I have read and re-read all of the books and short stories I have been able to find and I was surprised to see that I hadn't included any of Robin Hobbs books in my GoodReads library so I am adding them all now。 。。。more
Ines Gracia
，
To be true， I was quite dissapointed with this book。 It was the first one that I read of Robin Hobb outside the "Realm of the Elderlings" and I didn't know what I was going to find， but as I really， really， really， love all that she wrote about the Realm of the Elderlings I had the highest hopes put on this book。。。 and it didn't fulfill them。 One of the main aspects that I liked about it is the "nature" message that starts defending， but even this one is stained as is part of the "villain" point To be true， I was quite dissapointed with this book。 It was the first one that I read of Robin Hobb outside the "Realm of the Elderlings" and I didn't know what I was going to find， but as I really， really， really， love all that she wrote about the Realm of the Elderlings I had the highest hopes put on this book。。。 and it didn't fulfill them。 One of the main aspects that I liked about it is the "nature" message that starts defending， but even this one is stained as is part of the "villain" point of view - which I think that it spoils the initial perspective that human kind is a greedy creature that will spoil everthing that can if obtains a direct benefit from it。 I know that the author nor the book defends the opposite， but by attributing that cause to the villain it is kind of。。。 demonizing it （more or less the same case than Thanos is Avengers: his aim was to save the world but because of his extremist way to do it he is a villain and his cause seems like a wrong one too because of the association。 On the other hand， I like how Hobb takes her time to tell the story。。。 but this time she exceeded it。 There were many times in the book in which I read over the lines because I was deathly bored with it as nothing really happened。 The storyline improves after half of the book， but still it was too slow。 Those 600 pages were eternal for me and now I blame myself for buying the second book of this trilogy before reading this one and I'm afraid that I'll have to read it too ☠ It it wasn't for that poor choice， I would have stop here the story of Nevare （view spoiler）[ and， as the end is quite close， that would be fine。 （hide spoiler）]A last element I want to comment about this book is the main character: Nevare。 I dislike him because of his conventional and retrograde ideals， but at the same time I like that of that character， as it is not there to agree with me but to challange my own believes。 Hobb was too good with Fitz， as he is - for the kind of world she develops in the Realm of the Elderlings - all a "progresive" man， but she did not allowed Nevare to be so open minded and， even if he is a lot of times a pain in the ass， I appreciate the effort that it took to create a main character like him in our times and how it faces the readers。 。。。more
Angela
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4 StarsShaman's Crossing is the first book in the Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb。Character driven plot。 Didn't ensnare my imagination quite like some of her other books， but still a great read。 4 StarsShaman's Crossing is the first book in the Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb。Character driven plot。 Didn't ensnare my imagination quite like some of her other books， but still a great read。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shaman’s Crossing
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shaman’s Crossing&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shaman’s Crossing&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0