Shaman's Crossing

by Robin Hobb
Publisher: Eos, 2005
This book is part of the series: The Soldier Son Trilogy

Thorough World-Building Opens Soldier Son Trilogy

By William R. Stott

Shaman's Crossing, the first novel in Robin Hobb's Soldier Son series, is the story of Nevarre Burvelle and his attempt to find his place in the world. As the second son of a newly risen battle lord, that place is supposed to be pretty well predetermined. Second sons are soldier sons, and from the time he was a boy, Nevarre's father has drilled into him the ideas of honor, responsibility and respect for authority in order to prepare him for that role.

Nevarre very much wants to please his father in everything he does--so much so that he scarcely makes a decision without first thinking whether his father would approve. At times, Hobb seems to belabor this point, and the result is that Nevarre comes accross as naive, unworldly and uncertain about himself.

This novel is narrated by Nevarre, and most of the "action" takes place in his head. For the most part, Nevarre is a likeable character, but his constant questioning of his own thoughts and actions makes him somewhat annoying. Of course, this novel is about Nevarre's struggle to figure out who he is, and so some of this wishy-washiness is necessary.

To her credit, Hobb has been thorough in her world-building. The Gernians (Nevarre's people) do not possess magic. They are engineers, farmers, builders and fighters. They possess firearms and iron tools, while the plainspeople, whose lands the Gernians have recently taken over, are a simple, nomadic people who live off the land. Their magic, though powerful, is easily dispelled by the Gernians' iron.

Then there are the Specks, a mysterious and very magical non-human race that dwells in the forests and mountains to the East. The Specks are resisting the progress of the Gernians in their attempt to build a road through the mountains to the sea.

Nevarre's father wants him to become an officer and rise quickly through the ranks of the king's cavalla (cavalry), but he sees early on that Nevarre lacks the leadership skills that he will need. So he hires one of the plainsmen to take Nevarre into the wild, hoping that his son will learn to stand up for himself. As it turns out, the plainsman is a powerful shaman, and he ends up using Nevarre for his own purposes. The plainsman leads Nevarre into a sort of magical dream-world, where Nevarre has a life-changing magical experience.

But despite this experience, Nevarre is quickly pulled back into his father's world. Also, in spite of Hobb's thorough world building and the interesting fantasy elements she's developed, she spends most of the novel focusing on the mundane. Before long, Nevarre is shipped off to the Cavalla academy, where he's to learn how to be an officer. Most of the novel takes place at the academy, where Nevarre struggles to fit into his father's world.

We see Nevarre eating meals, attending classes, doing homework and writing letters. We learn about his professors and his fellow students. He develops camaraderie with some, enmity with others. At school, he still struggles to fit in, both among his peers and in the eyes of many of the cavalla officers who are his instructors.

By the end of the novel, many of the fantasy elements come back into play, and Nevarre is forced to return to the dream-world and--finally--stand up for himself.

If you are used to fantasy novels with a lot of action, this may not be the novel for you. If you are looking for a hero's quest with lots of magic and powerful enemies and monsters and so forth, you'll probably want to keep looking. On the other hand, if you're looking to immerse yourself in another world and you want to know and understand its peoples, cultures, religions and politics, Shaman's Crossing has a lot to offer. Although its pace is relatively slow, those who stick with this book will probably be rewarded.

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