I have to confess, this short story was not nearly as impressive as the other Robin Hobb works I’ve read. I wanted to love it, but I never felt personally involved in the story. It is told as a narrative—a written record—of the truth of King Charger’s life. It involves much telling and very little showing. Far too much of the story took the form of “some would say… but…” Yes, and the former became history. I like the idea of it, but I very much missed becoming invested in any of the characters. The format leaves a vast gulf between reader and characters.
Still…
Hobb writes with her typically compelling and intelligent style. The politics are clever and frustrating (as all politics are!). The story of how the Witted were so thoroughly discredited is compelling, believable, and heart-breaking. “The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince” makes for an interesting tasty historical tidbit.
