Shaman's Crossing- Robin Hobb

This is the first book in the Soldier's Son Trilogy. It broadened my view of fantasy and also my ability to understand the emotions of characters.

The story follows the life of Nevare Buvelle, who is the second son of a newly appointed lord. As dictated by tradition, Nevare is destined to become a Cavella, part of the king's cavalry. But before Nevare can enter the Academy, he must first reach the right age.
While he waits to come of age, his training already begins. This training comes in all forms. But there are somethings that only an enemy can teach you. So, his father is forced to put him in the hands of a 'trusted' enemy. But Nevare finds that he is in a position where he may learn more that he wants. He barely survives the experience, but makes it through and manages to put the whole incident behind him. Soon, the time comes for Nevare to attend the Academy where all the king's Cavella are trained.

Here, he finds himself in a precarious position due to discontent between the older nobles and the newer nobles who were recently appointed to their position, like his father. The cadets take sides based on their nobility, and a war of sorts starts in the Academy. But this may not be Nevare's biggest problem. Sinister events are about to unfold and Nevare is thrown right into the middle of it all. His past comes back to haunt him and he must defeat this new enemy before it consumes him and destroys all the king's Cavella as well.

If your concept of a good, epic fantasy consists of glorious battles, epic love stories and heroes leading an army to victory over some evil king, then you may have to reconsider you opinion.
Shaman's Crossing shows how a little bit of all the components of fantasy- magic, battles, empires, power struggles, adventure- can be combined without overdoing any of them. What do you get after all of this? One fantastic book.

The story shows how to interpret a characters personality by providing and in-depth view of his mind and thoughts. How Nevare looks at world, his denial of anything which is out of the ordinary and his opinion of his eccentric cousin Epiny provides an exciting and amusing story.

This book is a must read for any fantasy lover.