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    The Hob's Bargain
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    The Hob's Bargain
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    The Hob's Bargain
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Hob's Bargain

    Written by Patricia Briggs

    Narrated by Jennifer James Bradshaw

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Beauty and The Beast

    Hated and feared, magic was banished from the land. But now, freed from the spells of the wicked bloodmages, magic-both good and evil-returns. And Aren of Fallbrook feels her own power of sight strengthen and grow…

    Overcome by visions of mayhem and murder, Aren vows to save her village from the ruthless raiders who have descended upon it-and killed her family. With the return of wildlings to the hills and forests, she strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, human-like creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob is the last of his kind. And he will exact a heavy price to defend the village-a price Aren herself must pay…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateDec 6, 2011
    ISBN9781101538609
    Unavailable
    The Hob's Bargain
    Author

    Patricia Briggs

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs lives in Washington State with her husband, children, and a small herd of horses.

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    Reviews for The Hob's Bargain

    4/5

    417 ratings30 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a cute story that could easily have been a trilogy. The characters were likable, the world was well designed, and the action was well managed.
    • 5/5
      I really like the premise of this story: the return of magic and the 'Hob's Bargain' the main character makes to gain a powerful ally. The author uses multiple viewpoints, and I like being able to see the story from different view points. Kind of a shame that it is a stand alone, but it is a good story with interesting character development and solid world building.
    • 4/5
      The Hob's Bargain combines elements of mythology, fairytales, and coming-of-age stories that was exactly the sort of thing I needed to read right now.
    • 3/5
      Fair. Mildly humorous, gentle romance, no great problems, although it is never made clear (to me, anyway) why being magic is bad on general principles, but being a Lord allows you to openly employ (literally) Dark Mages, nor who or what the Master Mage is or was. Furthermore, the author's grasp of biology is slim, considering that a major plot point involves cross-species mating for the purpose of begetting progeny. You do the math.
    • 4/5
      With the magic of this realm being the purview of bloodmages, all those who have "special" gifts are scorned and feared. When the wild magic returns to the realm and with it, all the creatures and gods who have slept for many, many years, those living within the lands must learn again, that there is a balance between earth magic, good magic and that magic used for evil.This was an intriguing little fantasy which, as a stand alone story, doesn't require to much over thinking from the reader. I would certainly recommend this to those who like their fantasy rather light without the need for a map or glossary. The heroine, Aren, was likable and bright without being all dark and dismal like some stories/characters. There weren't too many characters to keep track of which made it an easy read. I liked the idea of all the wildlings and enjoyed the hob, who was simultaneously whimsical, naughty and charming. A story I'm glad to have finally read.
    • 5/5
      I read a lot of Patricia Briggs and I think this book may be my favorite so far. I love the way it tugged at my heart strings and made me cheer for the good guys. Truly enjoyed this tale.
    • 3/5
      I liked the story, but the places where there were flashbacks, digressions, etc. were not clearly defined in the audiobook, making those difficult to follow.
    • 2/5
      This book just really didn't do anything for me. It had a very passive sort of feel to it, like things were happening all around Aren and to Aren, but that she had little control over any of it and little care for any of it. There was no urgency to anything that happened.I wish there were more scenes from Caefawn perspective. I would have been interested in learning more about his binds with the Mountain and his mysterious past but all of that was just glossed over.All in all there was a lot of potential for this book, but I found myself as bored as the main character seems to be with everything that went on.
    • 4/5
      I was in the mood for Patricia Briggs, so I decided to re-read this one.

      It was nice to revisit Fallbrook. The world felt very believable. From how they focused on what was best for the village, to the contact they had with the rest of the world, to their fears and their prejudices. I liked how the villagers gradually became aware that not just magic, but other supernatural beings were stirring again. I loved how everything had a price, both when it comes to magic, and dealing with the supernatural.

      It was intresting to follow Aren, and the rest of the villagers as they fought to save their village from the raiders and the wildlings. But, they also struggled with their prejudices and their reaction to magic and wildlings. I admired Aren for her courage. Both when it comes to daring to speak about her visions, despite knowing what the cost would be. But also when it comes to putting all the clues together, and strike a bargain with the Hob. In fact, it felt as if it wasn't until then the story really, started. But it was fascinating to follow Caefawn and Aren as he taught her how to harness her gifts. At the same time, he courted her. I liked the fact that the romance between Caefawn and Aren was sweet. It fit the story.

      In the end, it all come down a confrontation with the villain, and Aren stepped up. My heart almost broke at the sacrifice she made.

      This book, it wasn't bad, none of Patricia Briggs books are. But... I had troubles connecting with the characters. However, I think the main reason for that was because I had read this story, many, many times :).

      ( On a side note: I prefer the old cover. Sure, the new cover is nice, but where is the hob?)
    • 4/5
      I always liked this book and auther. I really enjoyed the narrator.
    • 4/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I didn’t put it down until I was done. It’s nothing like Alpha and Omega or Mercy Thompson. This is a light, quick, clean, and read. It’s not what I’ve come to expect from Patricia Briggs but I was not disappointed. There’s a really sweet romance and a healthy dose of good against evil.

      Aren has magical abilities, mainly she has the “sight”, which she hides to stay alive. Her brother was not so lucky. After a day of marriage she loses her husband and entire family to raiders (who play a major part in the story). Aren comes through to save her village by agreeing to the “bargain”. We are shown her strength throughout the book; she never hesitates to face her fears. Aren tries to hide her need for love and acceptance from everyone including herself. Who would have thought she’d have found her love, acceptance, and destiny in the Hob.

      The Hob has missed many years, sleeping in the mountain until the magic was released. I really liked the Hob. At first he comes across as juvenile, but you soon learn that is not true. He is mischievous and loves having fun. The Hob goes along with bargain, reluctantly at first, following directions. He starts to enjoy Aren’s company and grows to appreciate and love her. I can’t say much more about him without giving too many spoilers ;)

      This is a world that was well developed with details. The magic and all aspects of the “other” were developed with rules and intricacies were interesting and thought out. The secondary characters come alive with personalities and their own little quirks. I’d love to know what happens to the berserker. I hope someday to have more to Aren and the Hob’s story and more from this world.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book. Very fast paced, well written book. This is the first book I've read of Patricia Briggs other than the Mercy Thompson series and off shoots (which I love). I'm glad I wasn't disappointed with this book! If you like normal, not just urban, fantasy with a strong heroine, you will enjoy this book!
    • 5/5
      This is another in a long line of read-so-long-ago-a-reread-feels-like-the-first-time books. I didn't remember a thing about it, except that I loved it then - and I loved it now. The story centers around Aren, a woman who has lived in a remote farming village all her 29 years, and who had just about resigned herself to being a spinster when her father engineered a match for her. One reason the resignation wasn't as bad as it might have been, and why marriage isn't as simple as it might have been, is that she has a secret: she has a gift. She can see things that will happen (though usually not clearly enough to be very useful), and find lost things. Magic isn't just discouraged in these lands, it's hunted out; necromancers long ago found a way to suppress all natural magic and monopolize power for themselves, through bloodshed. Boys are given a choice of serving the necromancers (which could mean becoming a necromancer - but probably means dying) or ... dying. Girls with gifts have no choice - they are simply killed. Her brother many years ago chose to die under his own power rather than in any way fall under their power; a childhood friend wasn't, in many ways, so lucky. And then, suddenly, one day everything changes. The necromancers' hold on magic is broken - and so is Aren's life when raiders maraud through her village. And they're not the worst of the dangers her people face, as with the loosing of magic, the wildings are returning - all the creatures of magic who have survived the long drought, most of whom are not fond of humans. Except perhaps as lunch. In short, the village is besieged, and isolated, and needs help - and Aren gambles on a legend and goes up onto the hill called The Hob, seeking the newly awakened Hob and the Hob's Bargain. Hobs are benevolent - but that doesn't necessarily mean that what he wants in exchange for helping them defend themselves will be easy to pay. I loved this book. It has what is now (though not then) "paranormal romance" stamped all over it, from a not-great cover (which does, however, feature Duck) to the blurb on the back - and that's not fair. It could have been (Patricia Briggs was just cutting her teeth on this one) - but there were none of the trappings such things are saddled with now. For one thing, it gets about a PG rating, and that's for violence. Characterization is always key for me; if I can't at least like someone the book is toast. Here I love all the main characters - not because they're all nice and sweet and good, but because they're real, they interact, they have histories and depth and their own lives. Aren is wonderful - prickly, smart, determined, strong - and still not a Mary Sue, with all of that. When Aren's friend Kith is "offscreen" I can believe he is off being the star of his own story; he doesn't just begin and end when he's featured in a scene. Caefawn is my hero - what a marvel of a race, and a marvel of a character. And I believe that's the best use of a tail I've ever seen. Even Aren's horse, Duck, is three-dimensional - Patricia Briggs is one of the writers who, as Judith Tarr puts it, Gets It Right when it comes to horses. And the evil necromancer is everything an evil necromancer should be. It isn't, perhaps, a challenging read - and in fact I picked it up after Shadowfever with the intent of getting away from harrowing world-altering fantasy. There have been an awful lot of books in my currently-reading lists lately that involve entire villages razed and children lying dead in the streets. In point of fact, Hob's Bargain doesn't evade such things; there are some grim moments, as the world is altered here too, and such cataclysms are never gentle. But it was swift and beautifully written, and - in case I didn't mention it - I loved it.
    • 4/5
      Aren is a magical person. This in it's self is a death sentance. Then the night after she marries her family is killed along with her husband. She hides in the basment cellar from the robbers and the lands magic is somehow magically relased. She now realizes that the bandits aren't leaving and even more fear inspireing forces are on thier way.She goes into the mountains and meets the Hob. He agrees to helkp Aren save the valley and village on one condition. Marrage. She agrees and he also starts to help her develop her magic. In the end with the help of the Hob she saves the village.
    • 5/5
      There was something about this book that was both disturbing and sexy. I found myself thinking about it after I would put it down for the night. The Hob, his being alone, his longing, I related to him and wanted to know more. Aren was wonderful but her visions were often spooky. And I feel it was left unresolved. For some reason I really wanted a "love scene" between Aren and The Hob, even thou, for the most part, Briggs doesn't write them and leaves imagination to do the work. Generally that is what I prefer, but I wanted to know all the details about the Hob and a human and what sort of life, what sort of children, would they have? I enjoyed this book and may have to read it again and just hope for a second one!
    • 4/5
      I'm already a fan of Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series, so I was pleased when my best friend lent me Briggs's 2001 high fantasy. Aren, the main character, is interesting and sympathetic, though I'd have liked just a wee bit more insight into her mind. We have her motivation, but I never quite felt a strong connection. Ditto with Caefawn, the hob. He's an extremely likable character, but I really wanted more, more about him, more story, just plain more!It's kind of tough to describe the plot. Aren loses her entire family to an attack by raiders, and then all kinds of magical hell break loose. Blood mages, abominations to natural magic, bound the earth's magic generations earlier, and because of the actions of a single, powerful mage, the earth's magic is released. Aren is mage born and discovers that she has the power to see, to receive visions of the past, present, and future. She meets a strange creature in the mountains, the hob, and begins training to use her magic.And basically, the plot meanders from here to a final battle with a blood mage. The story feels like the beginning of a series, and I was actually kind of pissed when I realized that this was published seven years ago, and there hasn't been a sequel yet. I was left hanging at the end, and dangit, I wanted to know more about these characters!So, here's hoping Briggs eventually writes a sequel to this, because despite the wandering plotline, I really got sucked into Aren's world.
    • 3/5
      A light, easy read. I felt, though, that the heroine was a bit of a Mary-Sue.
    • 4/5
      I wish Patricia Briggs was still writing fantasy, as well as paranormal. Hob's Bargain is mostly a sweet, quick read, but violence and a little philosophy manages to sneak it's way in. As with most of her stories, the main character is incredibly easy to identify with. Her relationships with the other characters are well developed. The romance is lovely and just a little bit kinky. I would love to read a sequel, if she ever has time to write it.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Aren, and how she came to make and keep the Hob's Bargain. It happens in a rural area of a land unknown. Big Things happened far away, loosing the bindings that kept magic in check -- probably something in the Great Game of kings and bloodmages. But her corner of the world is affected, too, even if they don't know quite what happened, or why. Aren lives outside the village of Fallbrook, and in the first few pages, a band of raiders kills her family, her husband of one day, and her brother-in-law. She had seen something, but it was cryptic, and not enough to warn them to get away. From there, she and other survivers try to make contact with the next village over, by crossing the pass over Hob's Mountain, where she catches the eye of the Hob. That village was drowned by a new lake, so the party makes their way back. From then on, they find themselves dealing with the newly awakened magical creatures, raiders, and a blood mage set on murder. It is a coming-of-age as a magic user sort of story - fast read, page-turner, decent characters.
    • 4/5
      Aren's life is turned upside down , the day after her wedding, when bandits attack her village and long bound magic is set free.Having the gift of sight she is determined to save her village and pay the price for it even if it mean sacrificing herself. But... The hasty ending of the story as well as three blank pages between the last chapter and the epilogue,with the words "AUTUMN HARVEST" printed on the second page, indicates that author had been under immense time pressure, which is rather a pity.All in all it's an easy read,though due to it's hasty ending , it lacks the class of Patricia Briggs' other works.Patricia Briggs used the term "Green man" the first time in this book.
    • 4/5
      Ya know, Briggs just knows how to tell a good story. The Hob's Bargain (as far as I can tell) is standalone fantasy novel that succeeds in that it's a lot more original than a lot of fantasy out there, manages a plot that is not predictable, and entertains. The title character is one of my favorite in recent reads. The only thing I was disappointed in was that I felt the book doesn't feel finished. ( SPOILER: The bargain referred to in the title never comes to its conclusion!) Lately I've read a series of stinkers, so this was a refreshing change of pace!
    • 5/5
      Love this book. This was my intro to Briggs - I read it in a bookstore, came back several months later and found another Briggs and noticed Hob's Bargain there - and realized I still remembered the story perfectly. So I bought it (and Dragon Bones, the new Briggs that had just come out). These stories are the ones that Briggs can really run with - her current urban fantasy just doesn't catch me. Hob's Bargain has magic coming back after being suppressed and used only by evil mages for several generations - so people who hate and fear magic now have it, and the wild magic is also showing up again and they don't have the faintest idea how to handle it. Aren is great and I love the Hob. And Kith, and even Wendel, and Ice, and Duck...there are a lot of wonderful characters (yes, the horse is a character! The horses, actually - Torch and the Lady as well). Lots of changing viewpoints, lots of new understanding of oneself and others, changing motivations, and the Hob trying to make some fun in the midst of it all (and succeeding unexpectedly often!). A great book.
    • 4/5
      I love Patricia Brigg's "voice" and it is here, even in her earlier work.My not giving The Hob's Bargain 5 stars is that I still had unaswered questions lingering and still many holes in this world. I think she could have fleshed out the world further and made this a more complete novel. 288 pages is a rather small book. I would certainly have been happier.Having said all this, I still gave this 4 stars. Her writing is so engaging that I enjoy anything she writes even when i find flaws.
    • 5/5
      Aren has visions. Visions she can't control, she can't banish, and she definitely can't admit, since the only magic known (or at least acknowledged) in Fallbrook is bloodmagic - a nasty, evil practice which condemns its users to madness and its victims to death or worse. Now the revenge of a betrayed bloodmage has stripped the bindings from the old wild magic, releasing the wildlings and loosing other types of magic on the stricken populace. Aren may be the only one who can save her village and the last remnants of mankind from both the emerging wild magic and the bloodmage, but can she live with the bargain she's forced to make?Briggs isn't a new author, but I hadn't encountered her work prior to the publication of Moon Called, the opening novel in her Mercy Thompson series. Thankfully, due to Mercy's popularity, Ace Fantasy is re-releasing Briggs' earlier fantasy novels, and while I'm sorry I missed them the first time around, it's a treat to read them now while I'm waiting for Mercy's next installment. Briggs' heroine's are human, flawed, and appealing, and her supporting characters are well-written. For those of you who are fans of well written animal characters, she also does good horses.
    • 4/5
      I have yet to read a disappointing book by Patricia Briggs. This was a wonderful adventure. It was funny and touching. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer!
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books. This one was so good that I had to go out and get my own copy before I would return the one that I had borrowed from the library. The hero is a mischievous hob, and the heroine is a misplaced girl coming into new magic powers. Once again, not only could I not put this one down, but I love to reread this one frequently. I would highly recommend this favorite book of mine to any fantasy reader who has never had the pleasure of reading it.
    • 3/5
      THe Hob's Bargain was a nice light read. The characters and plot were enjoyable though there wasn't a lot to them. Having read Patricia Briggs' other books I was a little disapointed. However, on a whole the book in enjoyable. If you like light fantasy you'll probably like this book, if you like Briggs' writting you'll probably like this book . . . but if you are looking for a deep dark fantasy this book is not for you. I would suggest reading some of Briggs' other books that are still fluff but a little deeper such as Moon Called.
    • 4/5
      Magic had been controlled by blood mages and now they have lost control and it's spreading. Not only are people getting magic - and superstition is still linking magic to evil. Also the magical creatures are making a come back. Aren has always had an ability to see things and now it's exploded into life, not in time to stop raiders killing her family and husband.Law and order has broken down and outlaws who used to be soldiers are trying to take over. The Hob offers to help the village, but is Aren willing to pay the price!
    • 4/5
      Not my favorite of the Briggs books due to no small part to the angst involved in this story. I am not an angst reader i think life has to much angst as it is. But this is a solid book with a great story and characters that breathe.
    • 4/5
      All the magic in the land has been bound up by the evil, mad bloodmages, and those born with magic have to join them or die, so Aren hides that she has The Sight. Until raiders come to their village and kill her family and half the village, and she makes a bargain with a hob to help her protect the village with magic. I enjoyed this very much, but the relationships between events weren't particularly clear. That may be because I was tired while reading it, but when I tried to write a synopsis, I had a rough time putting the main events in some sort of order.