Lemonade Book Reviews

Hi folks! I’m starting this blog is to publish my thoughts on the queer and neurodivergent themes in the Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb. I’ll be covering 5 chapters a week starting with Assassin’s Apprentice, so I’ll be through Assassin’s Apprentice in 5 weeks. I want to keep this discussion spoiler-free so that people who are new to the Realm of the Elderlings can follow along or read each series of posts as they finish a book. There are a few things I want to establish before we start.

First, I read Fitz (the main character of the Farseer Trilogy, which begins with Assassin’s Apprentice) as a bisexual autistic man. I also read Chivalry and Burrich as bisexual. All of these characters are central to the first chapter, so I don’t really see any of this as a spoiler. I just want to establish this going in.

Second, I am aware of homophobic comments Robin Hobb has made in the past and I have also heard that she allegedly said some pretty negative things about antidepressants. Without getting into spoilers, I would say that queer themes are important to her work. I would also say that themes of otherness, which can resonate for neurodivergent people, are important to her work. I think it’s fair to analyze her work in these contexts, even if she didn’t intend for people to read certain things certain ways (intentionally vague, LOL).

Third, I want to have discussions about these themes! I love discussing books and I don’t have anyone to talk about Realm of the Elderlings with IRL.

Finally, I’m excited to have others joining me on this journey! Thanks for reading, future readers!!!