The Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb
Shaman's Crossing (Book 1)
Forest Mage (Book 2)
Renegade's Magic (Book 3)
Rating: 4.5/5 (Series average)
Recommended: Highly.
The Soldier Son books are dark. I like Robin Hobb's stuff, and I will definitely keep reading, but -- man, is she a character sadist, and not afraid to kill people that the POV character cares about. Or put them through absolute hell and let them live, though with a memory of what they have lost.
The main character is Nevare Burvelle, and his world is consistently turned upside down in all three books. Nevare is unwittingly plunged into a massive, multicultural conflict through his father's attempts to give him the best education possible. Some parts of the books are downright painful to read, especially Nevare's self-delusions in the first book.
The magic that runs the world, that Nevare becomes involved with, is a unique and novel system. Hobb has always impressed me with her originality and willingness to branch out, and here is no exception.
This review might be a little bare because I'm trying very hard not to give anything away -- but I will say that the life Nevare imagines for himself, as a soldier making his father proud, as a dutiful husband and brother, hits some major setbacks. You can tell, too, even as Nevare pretends that things are okay, that his life is one crisis away from collapsing completely.
The series is carefully plotted, rich with detail, and well worth checking out.
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