I love her books
and in defense of the Soldier Son trilogy I'd argue that very few things are more polarising than obesity. You have a small band of people who reckon it's okay, but the truth is massive fatness (Nevare type fatness) is actually repulsive. I don't think there is almost any other illness/facial disfigurement that could have held the same role within the book, nothing that would cause him to be outcast in a society that values fitness and physical health
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:20, 1 reply)

Fair point
I don't, however, see the point in having a whole book dedicated to a fat guy who is obese due to some really silly tribal types. Three are even more excessive.

I can't really justify my dislike more than I have, except to say reading about this unnatural adipose monster bored and disgusted me in equal parts. His quest or whatever completely failed to draw me in.

In a Song of Ice and Fire you have a massively obese boy written convincingly and it's much more understandable because there's a psychological root of the ensuing tub bucket status. If you're going to take a real world issue and make it the core thread of your fantasy novel it needs to be better written to demand my interest.
(ElectricSexPants would like to be the Sultan of something, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:50, closed)

well personally
I thought after reading the book 'I'd better lose a couple of pounds'
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:56, closed)

Robin Hobb thinks you probably should...
I've just remembered more, actually. The first bits with the training are great Hobbishness, then the inexorable march of "woe, fat, more woe, more fat" started and didn't end. the abrupt switch from tight military fantasy build up to the least erotic sex scenes and most depressing main character ever dismayed me...
(ElectricSexPants would like to be the Sultan of something, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 14:01, closed)

is this for real
or is it an elaborate hoax to get the QWOTers to believe these books exist?
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Wed 30 Jun 2010, 16:08, closed)

They are real.
Book 1: boy wants to be a soldier. Book 2: boy is fat because of magic. Book 3: Boy fucks shit up with his fat-magic. (Unfortunately this doesn't involve crushing people with his moobs or anything like that; the fat is a reservoir for magic and he can use it to make plants grow and shit. Yeah, he fucks shit up by growing plants.)
( Bob Todd whee, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 16:16, closed)