6 fantasy sagas to discover: “The kingdom of the ancients” by Robin Hobb

• While

  House of The Dragon

  , the prequel to

  Game of Thrones

  will soon land on HBO, we can only see the obvious: the screen adaptation of major works of fantasy has become commonplace.

• But in this genre where making less than 600 pages per book is almost a bad taste, there are still many masterpieces that have not yet been brought to the screen.

• The Kingdom of the

  Ancients

  , by Robin Hobb, also known as

  The Royal Assassin,

  is a plethoric cycle of 16 volumes and incidentally one of the most beautiful fantasy stories ever written.

It could be said to be one of the greatest fantasy sagas ever written:

, by American Robin Hobb.

Published between 1995 and 2017, the cycle began as a trilogy, known as

written in first person, from Fitz's point of view.

Since then, the story of the assassin has been enriched by two other trilogies,

(

) and

(

).

A trilogy and a tetralogy complete the cycle of the

,

and

Fitz is not present in these stories, which are set far from the Six Dukedoms (but in the same world) and can be read independently of the others – you may not even read them, but they are worth a look.

In all, there are sixteen novels that revolve around 1,000 pages each.

You will have plenty to do!

If the idea of ​​swallowing 16,000 pages seems a little daunting to you, you can settle for the first trilogy,

or

To discover them, we recommend the complete J'ai Lu, that respect the initial layout of the works.

The first trilogy has also been adapted into comics by Éditions Soleil.

What does it say?

A 6-year-old boy, natural son of Prince Chevalerie, heir to the crown of the Six Duchies, is dropped off at the gates of the royal castle by his maternal grandfather who no longer wants to take care of him.

He is taken in by the head of the prince's stables, who names him Fitz.

To avoid dishonor, Prince Chivalry renounces his position to inherit and goes into exile.

His father, the Subtle King, orders Fitz to be educated, protected, and, secretly, trained as an assassin for the service of the crown.

The story is told in first person, from Fitz's point of view.

How is it ?

We are not going to beat around the bush: this saga is a masterpiece.

Some might however regret a few lengths here or there, but they often correspond to Fitz's internal procrastination.

The plot is anyway powerful enough to forgive a few superfluous passages.

A fine connoisseur, George RR Martin says of Robin Hobb's novels that they are “diamonds in an ocean of zircons.

“If the admiration of these two giants of fantasy is mutual and if by its scale and its quality,

is totally comparable to the saga of

(although the cycle of Robin Hobb is finished, him! ), the comparison has its limits.

Where Martin's saga gives pride of place to political intrigues, imbued with great violence, that of Robin Hobb explores more the psychology and traumas of the characters, and in the first place those of Fitz.

And then the characters of Robin Hobb generally have a lifespan quite greater than that of the characters of George RR Martin!

What magic(s)?

Two main magics run through the universe of the Kingdom of the Ancients, Art and Living.

The first is a noble magic, which is essentially the preserve of the royal family, the Farseers, but ordinary individuals can possess it with varying strength.

Art allows you to communicate mentally with someone who has mastered it, but also to influence the thoughts and emotions of others.

The Snitch is a shameful magic and those who practice it are persecuted.

It allows you to bond with an animal and create a very strong bond with it.

Critics of Le Vif believe that the men and women who use it debase themselves and become beasts themselves.

In reality, the exchanges between humans and their Snitch beasts are much more complex than that.

Fitz bonds with several animals during his life, but primarily with a wolf, Nightseye.

This relationship is perhaps the most beautiful of the whole saga.

Is it adaptable to the screen?

Fitz's adventures are rich enough to feed a good script.

But that would undoubtedly change the nature of the work enormously.

The magics of Art and the Vif are indeed essentially mental, so not necessarily very easy to transcribe on the screen.

And voice-over abuse can be harmful to health!

In addition, an adaptation could lose all the introspective aspect of Fitz, which is one of the greatest riches of this saga written in the first person.

Robin Hobb is in any case not opposed to the idea of ​​an adaptation.

In an interview with

in 2018, here is what the writer said: “As far as the adaptation of my books is concerned, I would need to be involved and have confidence in the film crews.

I am attached to my characters who are almost my best friends.

I was offered a lot of things, but it was not going at all.

I can't imagine a Johnny Depp or a Harrison Ford embodying my heroes, because we would only see them… That said, things are changing with new players like Netflix.

I'm quite optimistic…” Who's got it?

Books

Fantasy: "Earthsea", by Ursula K. Le Guin, the pioneering learning novel

Culture

Robin Hobb: "Everyone I know has a dragon to face"

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