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Renegade's Magic

The Soldier Son Trilogy, Book 3

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Renegade's Magic

By: Robin Hobb
Narrated by: Jonathan Barlow
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About this listen

The final book in the Soldier Son series, from the author of the Tawny Man and Farseer trilogies, following on from the bestselling Shaman’s Crossing and Forest Mage.

The people of Getty's town remember the death of their cemetery soldier vividly. They remember believing him guilty of unspeakable crimes, condemning him, and then watching as other men of his unit beat him until he no longer drew breath.

But Nevare Burvelle didn't die that day, though everyone believes they saw it happen. He was cornered by a power far more intractable than an angry mob.

When he was a boy, the magic of the Specks – the dapple-skinned tribes of the frontier forests – claimed Nevare as a saviour; severing his soul in two, naming his stolen half Soldier's Boy and shaping him into a weapon to halt the Gernian expansion into their lands and save their beloved ancestor trees.

Until now Nevare has defied the magic, unable to accept his traitorous fate. But the magic has won: it has extinguished his once golden future, devastated his family and has now turned his own people against him. Faced with endangering the only loved-ones he has left, Nevare has no choice but to surrender to its will and enter the forest.

But surrendering to his Speck destiny is only the beginning of his trials. Before he submits completely, Nevare makes one desperate last attempt to deter the Gernians from the Barrier Mountains without causing them harm. But the magic accepts no compromise. Exhausted, Nevare can no longer suppress his traitorous Speck self, Soldiers Boy. Losing control, he becomes a prisoner in his own body; able only to watch helplessly as his other half takes

Soldier's Boy is determined to stop the Gernian expansion at all cost, and unlike Nevare, he has no love, nor sympathy for his spirit-twin's world.

©2007 Robin Hobb (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Military Suspense Solider Magic Users
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Critic reviews

"Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers… what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics." ( The Times)

What listeners say about Renegade's Magic

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Worst Book in the Trilogy

I really, really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was ok although the main character was starting to become quite moany, Book 3 however is terrible. For some reason the whole story is told as an inner monologue of the schizophrenic main character, who shares his body with his alter ego and has no control over his actions throughout. I have to say the story drags, unfortunately the specs are the most uninteresting species and I find I don't care for their world which makes the book somewhat boring. The first book was more of a coming of age book and this is nothing like that at all, it is as if all three books are from a completely different series. The narrator is ok and that is about all, if i had known the direction the books would take I don't think I would have bothered with any of them. Its such a shame because the first book was so well written and the story was so well told, it could have gone in a different direction and the story would have been good but to isolate your main character within his own body for the whole book is just depressing and doesn't immerse me in the fantasy world. Also Solders Boy, what a rubbish character.

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Fanbloodytastic

Well read and well written, thanks for the casual listen and occasional laughs and turns

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Absolutely exceptional ❤️

Loved every moment. A spellbinding story of love, redemption and living one's true purpose

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Great ending to fantastic trilogy

if you enjoy detail and epic you will not be disappointed with this fantastic story. Well written and we'll ready.

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Enthralling, an ending that satisfies!

The narrator does a brilliant job of telling this tale. Worth every minute of listening.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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The length of it

I work alone every day, so I tend to buy long, easy to listen to books. I have listened to Robin Hobbs' previous books and enjoyed them. I found the soldier son books rather slow: Navarre's journey was an exceptionally long one and I'm not sure that it needed to be. Not a patch on the previous trilogies, come to think of it.

A word on the narration.. The performance is a poor one, the worst in fact that I've ever encountered. He died not long after these recordings, which is very sad. Perhaps his illness was a factor. Anyway, I don't regret buying the books as it kept me company for a while.

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Decent conlusion

Kind of drags a bit and wraps up too neatly at the end. But otherwise it's a decent tale of Nevare's ups and downs as he tries to wrestle control from his Forest mage alter ego.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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above average

Not Robin Hobb's best trilogy but still very good worth a listen or a read

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Hopes dashed for a satisfying ending

What did you like best about Renegade's Magic? What did you like least?

I guess it was the completionist part of me that kept me going with this series.I quite liked the first book. It was by no means a gripping story like the Elderling Series, but I became quite invested in the main character. The second book seemed to meander endlessly, but I had hopes for a - if not great - at least satisfying ending.
What I got felt like 20 hours listening to someone describing the pleasure of food and eating. The story crawls along so slowly that only the most stalwart will find themselves not zoning out. This has become a good medium to put me to sleep.
Listening to all three back to back certainly did this story no favours.

What will your next listen be?

Think I will take a break from Hobb for now and wait for the final book in Fool's quest to be released. Onwards to new discoveries.

What aspect of Jonathan Barlow’s performance might you have changed?

I don't think any performer could have saved this story.
Although a very pleasant reading voice to listen to, there is no real magic here. Think Audiobooks have come a long way and it is those adept with voices and a knack for accents seem best suited to make a story come to life. Still, I have no complaints,

Was Renegade's Magic worth the listening time?

Unfortunately I think most will find it not so. Not Hobb's best work by a long shot.
On hindsight, I think it would have been no great loss to have missed this series.

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a good end

a suitable conclusion to an epic trilogy, gripping and frustrating, and edge of the seat story with lots of highs and lows.

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