The Hob's Bargain

I'm surprised by some of the bad reviews, because I enjoyed this book quite a bit. But of course, everyone likes different things. For me, the characters in this book were complex and interesting. I loved the fact that the heroine was not beautiful, sexy, and strong -- something different. I loved the character of the Hob, and actually got pretty caught up in what happened to all the characters. I found myself caring if they lived or died, which isn't true with all stories. And I especially liked the author's point that many of the "evil" characters and creatures were also victims themselves. I found the characters more three-dimensional than usual. Another minor point but enjoyable for me. I also loved the fact that the horses in the story were not black stallions named "Satan" or white mares named "Wind Spirit" or such some thing. They were normal horses with entertaining personalities of their own. The author's experience with real horses definitely comes through. People have mentioned that this isn't the author's best book. In that case, I am more than inspired to read her other books to see what happens when she improves, since I think this book is pretty darn good. I would probably give it 4.5 stars. Recommended.

I couldn't believe some of the bad reviews this book got. They made me wonder, was I reading the same book as the other reviewers were? A lot of people seemed to miss the point completely, or misquoted facts, or didn't understand the storyline. Look, this isn't a perfect book, but it doesn't have most of the so-called flaws that some of the other reviewers pointed out. I think perhaps many of the flaws were with the readers, not with the book. This book isn't the best book I've ever read, not by any means. But it is pretty damned good, and I must confess, by the time I got to the second half of it I was so hooked that I couldn't put it down. It was like sugar laced with MSG, it was so addictive! I think the real problem people have with this book is that it doesn't spoonfeed you. All the details aren't presented to you on a platter right on page one. You actually have to do a bit of THINKING, and piece a few things together for yourself. The writer occasionally skimmed over a few details in the story, and took her time explaining a few other things, but I think maybe that was so the readers could fill in their own details or work things out for themselves. Personally, I quite liked that. I liked reading a story that made me think, and left a few things open to my own interpretation. I also didn't mind that most of the action was set in just one valley. Some people complain that there isn't enough world building, that the story doesn't go to enough places, geographically speaking. Au contraire, I actually liked the psychological drama of knowing that these people were trapped with their enemies and their problems in this small valley. The seige mentality just added to the drama for me (like in the classic 'Day of the Triffids', where the characters are stuck in a small farm surrounded by deadly triffids.) The characters couldn't run away from their problems, because there was nowhere else to run to, so they had to stand and face them. That was powerful stuff...when flight isn't an option, you have to fight, or perhaps work out an alternative to fighting. I also quite liked the characters of Aren and the Hob. They were realistic for me, and I believed in them. Some people say that the characters didn't FEEL enough, that they lacked emotion. But then, this is set in medieval-type times, where life was brutal. People then were rather more accustomed to violence and loss than us. They probably dealt with it more readily and expediently than we do. Although I don't think Aren was unfeeling, not at all. She nearly went mad with grief. She couldn't bear to go back to her parents' farm for a long time. She dreamed of vengeance, and had heartbreaking flashbacks to happier times. I think she then tried to cut herself off from those memories and move on as a means of self preservation. A lot of men who come back from war refuse to talk about, or try not to think about, the horrors they've been through. It's typical of how quite a number of people cope with

Hobb's Bargin was a good fantasy read. The heroine deals with the hardship of losing her loved ones and then being out cast for having her magical powers. The bloodmages(evil magic users)have bound the magic of the land. Using the Church, the blood mages control all the magic and either ... any child with magic ability or take them away to be used as a blood mage.She must make a bargin with the Hobb ( magical creature that is the last of his kind)to save her people. It has elements of beauty and the beast but is quite original. Patricia Briggs is a nice change for the formula fantasy that is clogging our book stores. She keeps the story moving and incorparates romance with out it seeming overly romantic.

I like Patricia Briggs' fantasy novels (published as PBO's by Ace) and recently lucked into her latest -- Hob's Bargain. Her books tend to have a satisfying combination of action and emotion.In this fantasy magic creatures (wildlings) were bound by Bloodmages who receive their power from death and suffering. However this also brings madness and one day the binding is released by an insane bloodmage causing both physical upheaval of the landscape and social upheaval.The heroine is mage born which means that she has some limited ability to see the future before the unbinding. Afterwards the presence of magic in the earth increases the scope of her powers. Had she been discovered before the unbinding she would have been either killed by the Bloodmages in search of power or killed by fanatical anti-mage elements in her village. Afterwards, because of the circumstances the villagers find themeselves in, she is grudgingly accepted.Within the first chapter her life is turned upside down by raiders. She sets out on a quest for vengeance and to save her people.One of the wildlings that has reappeared is the Hob, the last of his kind, who has the ability to help the villagers, if he could find some one of them who would be willing to accept the Hob's Bargain.The lessons the heroine (and others) learn along the way are not preachy but sincere. There is a good dollop of humor and a nice touch of romance.Briggs is definitely growing as a fantasy author. She deserves a wider audience-- and more publicity (hear me, Ace?) In fact I enjoy her books more than I have enjoyed more ballyhooed books by some of the bigger names in fantasy. Let's have some more, soon.

I loved this book. As with all of Ms. Briggs stories, "The Hob's Bargain" is not simply a fantasy novel that has different "wildling" creatures. She explores how prejudice and hatred can damage a community. Also, she is one of the few writers that uses romance so deftly that you don't always recognize that it started with the gentle wordplay among the characters. Ms. Briggs does not glorify the power of evil. Instead, she names it for what it is and with her writing forces the reader to acknowledge that evil, although powerful, should be destroyed. It would be easy to say this book is a simple fantasy, yet there are aspects of the book that speak to the world that we live in today. The Hob's Bargain is a joy to read, yet a closer inspection of the book reveals there are lessons in it for us to learn.