The Soldier Son Series by Robin Hobb

Nevare Burvelle was destined from birth to be a soldier. The second son of a newly anointed nobleman, he must endure the rigors of military training at the elite King's Cavalla Academy--and survive the hatred, cruelty, and derision of his aristocratic classmates--before joining the King of Gernia's brutal campaign of territorial expansion. The life chosen for him will be fraught with hardship, for he must ultimately face a forest-dwelling folk who will not submit easily to a king's tyranny... moreNevare Burvelle was destined from birth to be a soldier. The second son of a newly anointed nobleman, he must endure the rigors of military training at the elite King's Cavalla Academy--and survive the hatred, cruelty, and derision of his aristocratic classmates--before joining the King of Gernia's brutal campaign of territorial expansion. The life chosen for him will be fraught with hardship, for he must ultimately face a forest-dwelling folk who will not submit easily to a king's tyranny. And they possess an ancient magic their would-be conquerors have long discounted--a powerful sorcery that threatens to claim Nevare Burvelle's soul and devastate his world once the Dark Evening brings the carnival to Old Thares. less

The Barnes Noble ReviewDark mysticism and primordial natural magic clash with the ever-expanding boundaries of the "civilized" world in the second volume of Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy, Forest Mage. The sequel to 2005's Shaman's Crossing finds protagonist Nevare Burvelle -- the second son of a nobleman and destined for a career in the military -- with his world turned upside down... moreThe Barnes Noble ReviewDark mysticism and primordial natural magic clash with the ever-expanding boundaries of the "civilized" world in the second volume of Robin Hobb's Soldier Son trilogy, Forest Mage. The sequel to 2005's Shaman's Crossing finds protagonist Nevare Burvelle -- the second son of a nobleman and destined for a career in the military -- with his world turned upside down. After surviving a plague that wiped out many of the students and instructors at the king's military academy, Nevare returns home for his brother's wedding, only to learn that he has been medically discharged from the school. The plague usually leaves its survivors skeletally thin, but Nevare, inexplicably, has begun to gain massive amounts of weight. With his family believing he's a glutton, Nevare is disowned by his father and eventually ends up finding work as a lowly cemetery guard in a frontier town near the border with the Specks, a race of dapple-skinned forest dwellers who possess powerful natural magic. But in a world where technology never stops advancing, can the Specks survive? And what does the suddenly bloated Nevare have to do with their struggle?Set in a sprawling, vividly described realm that is as majestic as it is menacing, and powered by some extremely topical themes (environmentalism, cultural homogenization, human rights, religious persecution, etc.), the Soldier Son trilogy is easily Hobb's most significant work to date. Incorporating elements of military fantasy, New Age spirituality, and political allegory, Forest Mage can be faulted only for suffering from a serious case of middle-volume syndrome: As the second installment of a trilogy, it lacks both a true beginning and a satisfactory ending. All will be forgotten, however, when the concluding volume (tentatively entitled Renegade Magic) of this unique and powerfully moving saga is released in 2007. Paul Goat Allen less

The third book in The Soldier Son Trilogy, from the author of the bestselling Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies.The people of Gettys town believe their cemetery soldier, Nevare Burve, guilty of unspeakable crimes. They also recall beating him to death.But Nevare didn't die that day. A power far more intractable than an angry mob seized control of his life and swept him away... moreThe third book in The Soldier Son Trilogy, from the author of the bestselling Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies.The people of Gettys town believe their cemetery soldier, Nevare Burve, guilty of unspeakable crimes. They also recall beating him to death.But Nevare didn't die that day. A power far more intractable than an angry mob seized control of his life and swept him away. The magic of the Speck people has claimed Nevare, and is shaping him into a weapon to halt the Gernian expansion into Speck lands.As his efforts to find a peaceful solution fail, Nevare realizes he can no longer suppress his ruthless Speck self, Soldier's Boy. He is determined to stop the Gernian expansion at all costs, and unlike Nevare, has no sympathy for his spirit-twin's world. less

For the first time, read the entire Soldier Son trilogy as one ebook … at a special price!In Book One, Shaman's Crossing, Nevare Burvelle was destined from birth to be a soldier. The second son of a newly anointed nobleman, he must endure the rigors of military training at the elite King's Cavella Academy—and survive the hatred, cruelty, and derision of his aristocratic classmates—before joining the King of Gernia's brutal campaign of territorial expansion... moreFor the first time, read the entire Soldier Son trilogy as one ebook … at a special price!In Book One, Shaman's Crossing, Nevare Burvelle was destined from birth to be a soldier. The second son of a newly anointed nobleman, he must endure the rigors of military training at the elite King's Cavella Academy—and survive the hatred, cruelty, and derision of his aristocratic classmates—before joining the King of Gernia's brutal campaign of territorial expansion. And it continues in the next two novels, Forest Mage and Renegade's Magic. less