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Available
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Genres
Collection
Publication
Harper Voyager (2002), Edition: First Edition, First Impression, 640 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:�??Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb�??s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.�?��??George R. R. Martin Prince Dutiful has been rescued from his Piebald kidnappers and the court has resumed its normal rhythms. There FitzChivalry Farseer, gutted by the loss of his wolf bondmate, must take up residence at Buckkeep as a journeyman assassin. Posing as a bodyguard, Fitz becomes the eyes and ears behind the walls, guiding a kingdom straying closer to civil strife each day. Amid a multitude of problems, Fitz must ensure that no one betrays the Prince�??s secret�??one that could topple the throne: that he, like Fitz, possesses the dread �??beast magic.�?� Only Fitz�??s friendship with the Fool brings him solace. But even that is shattered when devastating revelations from the Fool�??s past are exposed. Bereft of support and adrift in intrigue, Fitz finds that his biggest challenge may be simply to survive. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Hobb's Fool's Fate. Praise for Robin Hobb and Golden Fool �??[Robin Hobb] ranks near the top of the high fantasy field. . . . [She] juggles all the balls with aplomb, besides providing spot-on characterizations.�?��??Publishers Weekly �??Solid storytelling with warmth and heart.�?�… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Eohna
Continuing from "Fool's Errand" is brings the focus of the story closer, centering it on the relationship between Fitz and the Fool which is beautiful in its very tragedy. The Fool will bring tears to your eyes with his desperation to save everyone and everything especially his connection with
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Fitz. Fitz will make you want to wring his neck sometimes though, I'm warning you. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
These are so good. Really surprising that I never read this series before the last couple of years. I read these on my kindle and they last a long time, months. Long books that I really only read at night for a few before I go to sleep.
LibraryThing member Narilka
Rescued from his would-be Piebald kidnappers, Prince Dutiful has returned home and life at Buckkeep has resumed its normal pace. The price of the rescue was high: Nighteyes is dead. With a heavy heart Fitz finds himself again living at Buckkeep. Maintaining his pose as Tomb Badgerlock, Lord
Golden Fool is the second in Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy. The story picks up from the exact same scene where the first book leaves off. Fitz has more or less resigned himself to life again at Buckkeep, posing as a bodyguard/servant for Lord Golden while resuming his old duties under Chade. Chade, realizing that Fitz has progressed far beyond a mere apprentice, names Fitz as his journeyman and first in line to inherit the old spymaster's job. Fitz is having a hard time of it.He has lost half of his soul with Nighteye's death and must relearn how to live without the extra senses and companionship of his wit-bond. Resuming his old life is a much needed distraction from the loss and also lets Fitz keep his oath to serve the Farseers. Initially against the idea Fitz becomes the (unwilling) Skillmaster for Prince Dutiful and Chade has set him the impossible task of finding and creating a Skill Coterie for the Prince. All while keeping a secret eye on the Narcheska and her Outislanders, doing his best to stay fatherly to Hap, maintaining a friendship with Jinna, keep up appearances with "Lord Golden" and a number of other things going on in court. I'm exhausted just thinking of all the balls he's juggling! With everything else going on Fitz finds the only way to keep his sanity is in his friendship with the Fool. Then this one comfort is taken away when visitors from Bingtown accidentally reveal secrets from the Fool's past making Fitz doubt if he ever knew his friend at all.
Both character and plot development move at a glacial pace. Pages fly by with little progress but there in lies the secret to Hobb's style. She takes her time, allowing the tensions to mount until events erupt in a dramatic manner. While it did not bother me in the first book, the second book felt more drawn out. Characters lamented over their pasts and I found it somewhat frustrating after it was repeated several times. Yet it was never boring. It is exactly what real people do, belabor in our minds over some error and beat ourselves up over if only we could go back in time and do things differently then maybe... This is just one of the things that help make Hobb's characters so believable.
Poor, poor Fitz. Just when he seems to have things in his personal life going well, he manages to screw it up pretty badly. There were so many times I wanted to shake him to make him think before speaking or acting in the heat of the moment. He screws up his relationships with pretty much everyone in this book and only begins to repair some of them towards the end of the novel. The Fool, I'm sad to say, is more of a secondary character in this book. He disappears from the story almost entirely for a while. I missed his presence as much as Fitz did. Introduced in this book is Thick, a dull-witted servant of Chade's that also happens to be extremely strong in the Skill. I loved how Fitz's relationship with Thick progressed. Fitz had to think outside the box to gain Thick's trust.
Many plots are set into motion with little resolution. Instead we have most of the players on the board ready to to move on to the finale. I have no idea how Hobb will wrap this all up in just one more book.
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Golden's manservant and bodyguard, Fitz secretly resumes his old duties as spy for the Farseers. With his old mentor visibly failing, Fitz must take up more and more duties to help keep the kingdom stable. The problems are many. Prince Dutiful's betrothal to the Narcheska of the Outislands is fraught with tension as many of the Buck nobles disagree with the decision and the Narcheska herself is keeping many secrets. Piebald threats and persecution of the Witted have increased, both of which could topple Farseer throne and heir if the Prince's secret was to be revealed. Even Fitz's relationship with the Fool is shattered when secret's from the Fool's past are revealed. Court intrigues swirl. On top of that Fitz has been tasked to teach the Prince the Skill, the hereditary magic of the Farseers. With little support Fitz finds himself struggling just to survive.Golden Fool is the second in Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy. The story picks up from the exact same scene where the first book leaves off. Fitz has more or less resigned himself to life again at Buckkeep, posing as a bodyguard/servant for Lord Golden while resuming his old duties under Chade. Chade, realizing that Fitz has progressed far beyond a mere apprentice, names Fitz as his journeyman and first in line to inherit the old spymaster's job. Fitz is having a hard time of it.
Both character and plot development move at a glacial pace. Pages fly by with little progress but there in lies the secret to Hobb's style. She takes her time, allowing the tensions to mount until events erupt in a dramatic manner. While it did not bother me in the first book, the second book felt more drawn out. Characters lamented over their pasts and I found it somewhat frustrating after it was repeated several times. Yet it was never boring. It is exactly what real people do, belabor in our minds over some error and beat ourselves up over if only we could go back in time and do things differently then maybe... This is just one of the things that help make Hobb's characters so believable.
Poor, poor Fitz. Just when he seems to have things in his personal life going well, he manages to screw it up pretty badly. There were so many times I wanted to shake him to make him think before speaking or acting in the heat of the moment. He screws up his relationships with pretty much everyone in this book and only begins to repair some of them towards the end of the novel. The Fool, I'm sad to say, is more of a secondary character in this book. He disappears from the story almost entirely for a while. I missed his presence as much as Fitz did. Introduced in this book is Thick, a dull-witted servant of Chade's that also happens to be extremely strong in the Skill. I loved how Fitz's relationship with Thick progressed. Fitz had to think outside the box to gain Thick's trust.
Many plots are set into motion with little resolution. Instead we have most of the players on the board ready to to move on to the finale. I have no idea how Hobb will wrap this all up in just one more book.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
The second volume of The Tawny Man finds Fitz settling back into life at Buckkeep.
In many ways, this is very much the middle volume of a trilogy. It begins mere hours after Fool's Errand ends, and relies heavily on things that were established in the last book and in the two previous series'. (The
There were many times when I realized that I probably ought to have been bored, and yet I never was. Hobb's plots are rarely fast-paced, but her character development and interaction are so engrossing that I was hard pressed to put this book down. It was intense, and it ripped my heart out more than once. Hobb may write epic fantasy, but her stories are deeply, profoundly personal. I found it impossible not to get swept up in the flow of things. She's created a set of characters that I've really come to care for.
In short, this was a fantastic book, but definitely not a stand-alone. I recommend reading the previous seven volumes first for maximum impact, and make sure you have the final volume on hand before you finish. If you react to this story the same way I did, you'll want to launch right in.
In many ways, this is very much the middle volume of a trilogy. It begins mere hours after Fool's Errand ends, and relies heavily on things that were established in the last book and in the two previous series'. (The
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Liveship Traders books begin to overlap the story a little more here, and in such a way that it seems they might be good prerequisite reading for the final volume). The overall plot moves forward quite slowly as Hobb sets the scene for the final act.There were many times when I realized that I probably ought to have been bored, and yet I never was. Hobb's plots are rarely fast-paced, but her character development and interaction are so engrossing that I was hard pressed to put this book down. It was intense, and it ripped my heart out more than once. Hobb may write epic fantasy, but her stories are deeply, profoundly personal. I found it impossible not to get swept up in the flow of things. She's created a set of characters that I've really come to care for.
In short, this was a fantastic book, but definitely not a stand-alone. I recommend reading the previous seven volumes first for maximum impact, and make sure you have the final volume on hand before you finish. If you react to this story the same way I did, you'll want to launch right in.
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LibraryThing member mfoltz80
I really enjoyed this book, as well as all of the others in this series. The assassin books were sadder though. I feel like this fool trilogy is turning out to be more up beat. I am looking forward to each next chapter because I feel that life will likely improve in the long run, even if there is
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some drama to be had getting there. It is also fun to have so many wild cards at play in the story line with very different strengths and weakness that they bring to the table. All in all, this book has been good fun, with animals and magic and secret passages, while somehow staying away from the doom and gloom attitude present in some of the earlier books. Show Less
LibraryThing member eddy79
The second volume in Robin Hobb's second farseer trilogy. a continuation of the first (obviously!) its been a while since I read it and I can remember little about the plot. Suffice to say it didn't compell me to go on to the third volume.
LibraryThing member clstaff
Yet more genius from Robin Hobb. A pinch of fantasy and a tonne of brilliant story writing.
LibraryThing member willowcove
Just as good as the original trilogy!
LibraryThing member RoseCrossed
This is the second book of the Tawny Man trilogy, but this is the third trilogy set in the same world. As one would expect from Robin Hobb, this is a great novel with real characters you can care about (and like!), and an interesting, well developed plot. This book is really about relationships. I
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mean, there's adventure in it still, but the relationships between different characters really take the focus as well as character growth. This is a great series. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
This epic fantasy trilogy is actually a continuation of The Farseer Saga trilogy. I would say it is more accurately a hexalogy (a set of six related books), except that I understand the author will be going back to the same characters in a new series next year (a development about which I am more
Background (Big Spoilers for the Farseer Series - Skip to Evaluation for NO Spoilers)
Fitz was born out of wedlock to Chivalry Farseer, the King-in-Waiting of the Six Duchies. At age six, Fitz was taken away from his mother by his grandfather and handed over to Verity, Chivalry’s brother, at Buckkeep Fortress.
With Fitz's existence known, Chivalry was forced as a point of honor to abdicate his right to the throne and to leave Buckkeep. Fitz’s care was given by Verity in part to Burrich, the Stablemaster of Buckkeep and Chivalry’s right-hand man. A third brother, Regal, was jealous of Chivalry and Verity, and when Fitz came, Regal began to hate Fitz the most of all of them. Regal resolved to get rid of all three of them so he could rule after the death of their father, King Shrewd.
The others ignored Regal, because the Six Duchies had bigger (or so they thought) problems. They were being besieged by pirates from the Outislands, who traveled in distinctive red ships, raiding the shores and stealing the wealth of the Six Duchies. Then the Outislanders began kidnapping villagers and by some unknown process returning them as zombie-like monsters. Because this practice began with the village of Forge, such people, no matter their origin, were ever after known as “Forged.”
People who were Forged could not even be detected by the Skill. This was magic common to those in the Farseer line enabling a person to reach out to another’s mind, no matter how distant, and know that person’s thoughts. If the other person were Skilled also, the two could even communicate through mind-speak, and if one had evil intent, he or she could control or even kill the other person via the Skill.
Some people also had a magic called the Wit. This was the ability to form a special, and mutual, bond with an animal. Fitz was witted, and had such a bond with the wolf, Nighteyes.
As The Farseer Series ends, the Outislanders have been defeated, and Chivalry, Verity, and Shrewd are gone. Verity’s Queen Kettricken now rules Buckkeep and has a son who is heir to Verity, Prince Dutiful. Chade has come out of hiding to be the Queen’s counselor. Burrich and Molly, thinking Fitz dead, have married. Fitz lives as a hermit in an isolated cottage outside Buck with his wolf Nighteyes and with the young boy Hap brought to him by the minstrel Starling. During the day, Fitz still wrestles with being drawn to the Skill, and at night, he dreams of dragons.
Specifics for Golden Fool (Spoilers for Book One or skip to Non-Spoilery Overall Evaluation)
As Book Two begins, Fitz and Dutiful are both reeling from the loss of their wit-bonded partners. As Fitz mused, grief was not a matter of waiting for the hurt to pass, but rather of becoming accustomed to it. He feels gutted. And yet he finds, as he was taught by a witted mentor in Book One, “…what a bonded one leaves behind for his partner is deeper and richer than memories. It’s a presence. Not living on in the other’s mind, not sharing thoughts, decisions, and experiences. But just - being there. Standing by.” Still, as the minstrel Starling observes of Fitz, “You’ve the saddest song of any man I’ve ever known.”
Meanwhile, Fitz has a new assignment from the queen. He is to be an instructor to Swift, Burrich’s ten-year-old son, who has come to Buckkeep asking asylum as one with the Wit. Swift is hostile and suspicious, and it will not be an easy task. Fitz is also having difficulties with his foster son, Hap, who is unhappy with his apprentice work, and spends all his time chasing after a girl whose father does not approve of Hap. Fitz’s daughter Nettle reaches out to Fitz at night through skilling and wants to know who he is. Prince Dutiful still resents Fitz for what Dutiful experienced during his rescue. Chade’s serving man, Thick, seems to have an irrational hatred for Fitz, and expresses it through a surprising and remarkably strong ability to Skill. The Outislander delegation is at the Court, and something not right is up with the princess, Narcheska Elliania, who has been promised to Dutiful. To top it all off, the Piebalds are looking for revenge, especially against “Tom Badgerlock.” As usual, nothing is ever easy for Fitz.
Elliania tells Dutiful at their first public encounter that she will not marry him unless he proves his worth by going to the forbidding island of Aslevjal, slaying the dragon Icefyre that lives under the ice, and bringing back his head. To the dismay of his family and advisors, Dutiful accepts the challenge. Fitz agrees to help him, in part, by creating the Skilled Coterie for which Chade has always lobbied.
The Fool, meanwhile, insists to Fitz that the dragon must live, that saving the dragon is necessary to saving the world. He knows he asks something huge of Fitz: “Do you keep your vowed loyalty to the Farseers or do you save the world for me?”
Overall Evaluaton - No Spoilers This is a wonderful series, which really should be read as part of a six-book saga rather than a trilogy, with The Farseer Series preceding this one. (In fact, one of the mysteries of The Farseer Series - about Forging - is not uncovered until the third book of this series.) The characters are unforgettable, and their lives in this story full of fantasy are nevertheless richly exemplary of "the human condition." This is a tale made up of a lot of pages, and perhaps there is a bit of repetition. But I didn’t regret reading any of it, except for the matter of all the kleenex I went through, and for the reluctant necessity of leaving the world of the Farseers when the saga was over.
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than delighted) so the story may encompass even more than six books.Background (Big Spoilers for the Farseer Series - Skip to Evaluation for NO Spoilers)
Fitz was born out of wedlock to Chivalry Farseer, the King-in-Waiting of the Six Duchies. At age six, Fitz was taken away from his mother by his grandfather and handed over to Verity, Chivalry’s brother, at Buckkeep Fortress.
With Fitz's existence known, Chivalry was forced as a point of honor to abdicate his right to the throne and to leave Buckkeep. Fitz’s care was given by Verity in part to Burrich, the Stablemaster of Buckkeep and Chivalry’s right-hand man. A third brother, Regal, was jealous of Chivalry and Verity, and when Fitz came, Regal began to hate Fitz the most of all of them. Regal resolved to get rid of all three of them so he could rule after the death of their father, King Shrewd.
The others ignored Regal, because the Six Duchies had bigger (or so they thought) problems. They were being besieged by pirates from the Outislands, who traveled in distinctive red ships, raiding the shores and stealing the wealth of the Six Duchies. Then the Outislanders began kidnapping villagers and by some unknown process returning them as zombie-like monsters. Because this practice began with the village of Forge, such people, no matter their origin, were ever after known as “Forged.”
People who were Forged could not even be detected by the Skill. This was magic common to those in the Farseer line enabling a person to reach out to another’s mind, no matter how distant, and know that person’s thoughts. If the other person were Skilled also, the two could even communicate through mind-speak, and if one had evil intent, he or she could control or even kill the other person via the Skill.
Some people also had a magic called the Wit. This was the ability to form a special, and mutual, bond with an animal. Fitz was witted, and had such a bond with the wolf, Nighteyes.
As The Farseer Series ends, the Outislanders have been defeated, and Chivalry, Verity, and Shrewd are gone. Verity’s Queen Kettricken now rules Buckkeep and has a son who is heir to Verity, Prince Dutiful. Chade has come out of hiding to be the Queen’s counselor. Burrich and Molly, thinking Fitz dead, have married. Fitz lives as a hermit in an isolated cottage outside Buck with his wolf Nighteyes and with the young boy Hap brought to him by the minstrel Starling. During the day, Fitz still wrestles with being drawn to the Skill, and at night, he dreams of dragons.
Specifics for Golden Fool (Spoilers for Book One or skip to Non-Spoilery Overall Evaluation)
As Book Two begins, Fitz and Dutiful are both reeling from the loss of their wit-bonded partners. As Fitz mused, grief was not a matter of waiting for the hurt to pass, but rather of becoming accustomed to it. He feels gutted. And yet he finds, as he was taught by a witted mentor in Book One, “…what a bonded one leaves behind for his partner is deeper and richer than memories. It’s a presence. Not living on in the other’s mind, not sharing thoughts, decisions, and experiences. But just - being there. Standing by.” Still, as the minstrel Starling observes of Fitz, “You’ve the saddest song of any man I’ve ever known.”
Meanwhile, Fitz has a new assignment from the queen. He is to be an instructor to Swift, Burrich’s ten-year-old son, who has come to Buckkeep asking asylum as one with the Wit. Swift is hostile and suspicious, and it will not be an easy task. Fitz is also having difficulties with his foster son, Hap, who is unhappy with his apprentice work, and spends all his time chasing after a girl whose father does not approve of Hap. Fitz’s daughter Nettle reaches out to Fitz at night through skilling and wants to know who he is. Prince Dutiful still resents Fitz for what Dutiful experienced during his rescue. Chade’s serving man, Thick, seems to have an irrational hatred for Fitz, and expresses it through a surprising and remarkably strong ability to Skill. The Outislander delegation is at the Court, and something not right is up with the princess, Narcheska Elliania, who has been promised to Dutiful. To top it all off, the Piebalds are looking for revenge, especially against “Tom Badgerlock.” As usual, nothing is ever easy for Fitz.
Elliania tells Dutiful at their first public encounter that she will not marry him unless he proves his worth by going to the forbidding island of Aslevjal, slaying the dragon Icefyre that lives under the ice, and bringing back his head. To the dismay of his family and advisors, Dutiful accepts the challenge. Fitz agrees to help him, in part, by creating the Skilled Coterie for which Chade has always lobbied.
The Fool, meanwhile, insists to Fitz that the dragon must live, that saving the dragon is necessary to saving the world. He knows he asks something huge of Fitz: “Do you keep your vowed loyalty to the Farseers or do you save the world for me?”
Overall Evaluaton - No Spoilers This is a wonderful series, which really should be read as part of a six-book saga rather than a trilogy, with The Farseer Series preceding this one. (In fact, one of the mysteries of The Farseer Series - about Forging - is not uncovered until the third book of this series.) The characters are unforgettable, and their lives in this story full of fantasy are nevertheless richly exemplary of "the human condition." This is a tale made up of a lot of pages, and perhaps there is a bit of repetition. But I didn’t regret reading any of it, except for the matter of all the kleenex I went through, and for the reluctant necessity of leaving the world of the Farseers when the saga was over.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
Generally the same as Book 1 (Fool's Errand) but now the "history" is more integral and less forced. Characters make some obvious "mistakes" which the author plotted deliberately and attempts to justify, but the rationales are weak. Somewhat more maudlin than Book 1. The young people are the best
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part, but the first-person comparison of young and old is well-done. Show Less
LibraryThing member TerrapinJetta
I loved reading this so much. Every single one of the intrigues and relationships between the characters fascinated me. Highly recommended. Oh and it's so.. so.. it inspires such emotions, seriously.
LibraryThing member infjsarah
I am currently rereading the Elderling books by audio so I can read the final? Fitz trilogy. It's strange because I absolutely loved these books when I read them many years ago but I'd forgotten how much I loved them. Now listening to the audiobook I am remembering how much I loved the characters
I am now moving on to the final book and I don't remember much of that other than bawling my eyes out at the end because of the unexpectedhappy ending for Fitz .
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and falling in love with Fitz, the Fool, Dutiful, Chade, Thick and Kettricken all over again. In fact there's one section where Dutiful is telling Fitz that Kettricken calls him Sacrifice for the Six Duchies and to her that means she sees him as the true king and I am in tears in the car!I am now moving on to the final book and I don't remember much of that other than bawling my eyes out at the end because of the unexpected
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
I don't often read books in series one after the other but I acquired the 3 tawny man books all at once from the Oxfam shop and they are just what I need at the moment - not challenging, rather escapist, but full of interest. This middle book in particular is full of things happening - up and down
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to the tower, up and down to Buckfast town, sessions with guardsman training, sessions with skill training - and so on and so on. Not really sure where it has got us except set up for the journey to take place in the third book (I presume) but it's been busy but comfortable. Still not enough on the Fool/Tawny Man - hope the third book delivers.... Show Less
LibraryThing member renbedell
Fantastic sequel in the Tawny Man Trilogy that directly continues the story of Fitz, the Fool, and their battle with the Piebalds and other plots. I enjoyed this book much more then the first one. It had much more interesting plot and intersecting threads. The characters were much more fleshed out
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and interesting as well. The book doesn't finish many of the threads and sets up the third book very well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
I don't often read books in series one after the other but I acquired the 3 tawny man books all at once from the Oxfam shop and they are just what I need at the moment - not challenging, rather escapist, but full of interest. This middle book in particular is full of things happening - up and down
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to the tower, up and down to Buckfast town, sessions with guardsman training, sessions with skill training - and so on and so on. Not really sure where it has got us except set up for the journey to take place in the third book (I presume) but it's been busy but comfortable. Still not enough on the Fool/Tawny Man - hope the third book delivers.... Show Less
LibraryThing member bangerlm
Favorite quote of the book, "The enthusiasm for a young man roaring like a bull that he would meet a challenge overpowered any shred of common sense that any man in the room might have held."
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Beginning immediately after the events of 'Fool's Errand,' 'Golden Fool' sees Fitz finally return to Buckkeep - but still under the identity of Tom Badgerlock, servant to Lord Golden. He's supposed to be secretly teaching Prince Dutiful the Skill - but his own command of that magic is unreliable.
Meanwhile, even as Queen Kettricken seeks to attain peace and stability for the Six Duchies, the Bingtown Traders seek to lure her into their war against Chalced with rich gifts and bizarre tales of dragons.
Hobb, in this book, does an excellent job of portraying a sympathetic character who yet has flaws, through that character's own perspective.
(I would highly recommend reading the Liveship Traders trilogy before this book - it's not 100% necessary - but there are some bits that gain much more significance if you've read those first....)
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Meanwhile, personal issues beset him at every turn - Fitz must manage his own personal grief and loss while simultaneously trying to balance his responsibilities to the Prince with those he has to his adopted son, Hap (who is doing none too well at his apprenticeship since he fell for a girl whose parents hate him). He's also having trouble with his own relationships with both the minstrel Starling and the hedge-witch Jinna. He's still trying to protect the daughter he's never met from her Farseer heritage - but is this really the wisest move? The Witted Piebalds are still threatening all those who bear the beast magic with exposure - and Fitz suspects that even the Prince's friend, Civil, may be false... Not only that, but Fitz' spying reveals that there is more of a mystery concerning the OutIsland clans and their reasons for betrothing their Narcheska to the Prince than was guessed... what are their real motivations?Meanwhile, even as Queen Kettricken seeks to attain peace and stability for the Six Duchies, the Bingtown Traders seek to lure her into their war against Chalced with rich gifts and bizarre tales of dragons.
Hobb, in this book, does an excellent job of portraying a sympathetic character who yet has flaws, through that character's own perspective.
(I would highly recommend reading the Liveship Traders trilogy before this book - it's not 100% necessary - but there are some bits that gain much more significance if you've read those first....)
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This is a series that you need to block out time for, dedicate the time to because it will suck you in and you should also have the series to hand.
Well I suppose only if it's your cup of tea and it is mine. I want the next book NOW to finish up the series and also don't want it because it would be
A long book, not an easy read but it hauls you in and makes you want to return to the story and find out what's going to happen next. My only problem was finding the proper amount of time to dedicate to this book so I could properly immerse myself in it.
Well I suppose only if it's your cup of tea and it is mine. I want the next book NOW to finish up the series and also don't want it because it would be
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the end of the series. More tales of politics and trying to get things to work out and Fitz still trying to hide his identity, the fool with his plans, a marriage to be organised and the witted to keep alive.A long book, not an easy read but it hauls you in and makes you want to return to the story and find out what's going to happen next. My only problem was finding the proper amount of time to dedicate to this book so I could properly immerse myself in it.
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LibraryThing member Dracoster
Hobb needs to learn pacing, and plot advancement. And not to put 12 pages of unrelated inner monologue in the middle of a five sentence conversation between characters.
Also, you don't need to use the main character's full name every time a character talks to him. Seriously, "Tom Badgerlock" is
Also, you don't need to use the main character's full name every time a character talks to him. Seriously, "Tom Badgerlock" is
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mentioned 85 times. By characters who deeply knows the guy. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
SF Site Reader's Choice (2002)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2002
Physical description
640 p.; 9.29 inches
ISBN
0007160380 / 9780007160389
Local notes
Prince Dutiful has been rescued from his Piebald kidnappers and the court has resumed its normal rhythms. But for FitzChivalry Farseer, a return to isolation is impossible. Though gutted by the loss of his wolf bondmate, Nighteyes, Fitz must take up residence at Buckkeep and resume his tasks as Chade’s apprentice assassin. Posing as Tom Badgerlock, bodyguard to Lord Golden, FitzChivalry becomes the eyes and ears behind the walls.