Fool's Fate

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I shouldn???t even have to write this review. Fool???s Fate is the last book in Robin Hobb???s TAWNY MAN trilogy, following Fool???s Errand and Golden Fool. If you haven???t read those (and preferably also the earlier FARSEER trilogy), you have no business reading this review. If you have read those books, there is about a 0.00416% chance that you???re not going to pick up Fool???s Fate, so it doesn???t matter what I say here.

But, since you are here, for whatever reason, I???ll make it short and just let you know that Fool???s Fate met, and maybe even exceeded, my very high expectations??? which I knew it would because I read it ten years ago and have thought about it longingly in all the years since. This time I listened to Brilliance Audio???s recently released audio version which was superbly narrated by James Langton who is now, for me, the official voice of FitzChivalry Farseer. I absolutely adored his performance.

The story begins just where it left off in Golden Fool. Fitz is back at court, acting as Skillmaster and somewhat of a father figure for Prince Dutiful. The prince has gotten himself in a sticky situation ??? he impulsively accepted his fianc??e???s challenge to behead a giant dragon entrapped in a glacier. Not quite believing that such a thing actually exists, he sets off with his retinue (including Fitz) to do the deed. Fitz is concerned about what they???ll find when they arrive because the Fool seems to think that this event is the culmination of his life???s work and that his death is imminent.

That plot summary (and even the title of the book) makes it sound like Fool???s Fate is just another silly fantasy quest, but the quest, though it is integrally tied in with Hobb???s other work in LIVESHIP TRADERS and THE RAIN WILD CHRONICLES is mostly a vehicle for Hobb to give us both an epic tragedy and an epic love story. That???s what she???s so good at ??? giving us characters who we care deeply about. These people feel almost like family and we???re with them as they navigate the entire spectrum of human experiences. Each of Hobb???s protagonists goes through much pain, sorrow, and defeat, but each of them loves deeply and the pain makes that love even more beautiful. The story is powerfully emotional and few readers will come away with dry eyes.

As I???ve said in previous reviews, the FARSEER and TAWNY MAN trilogies are, in my opinion, the best that fantasy literature has to offer and my first recommendation for friends who ask me what they should read. Though I???ve read thousands of fantasy novels, these remain my favorites.
It surprised me this year when Robin Hobb gave us Fool???s Assassin, the first in a new trilogy about Fitz and the Fool. I didn???t need it ??? I thought that Fool???s Fate was a perfect stopping place ??? but I???ll be happy to see my old friends again.

http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/fools-fate/

4.5 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Fool's Fate sets out at a sluggish pace, with the characters sailing to various territories in the Outislands. While this fleshed out the culture of the Outislanders in a compelling way, it mostly felt plodding and overlong. I was worried that this story would follow the same trajectory as the third book in the Farseer Trilogy, with Assassin's Quest feeling much more meandering and unfocused than the preceding two books. Luckily, the story takes off at the halfway mark, and all my qualms were washed away.

Dragons, deaths, betrayals, family reunions — it's jam-packed and Robin Hobb's talents are on full display. The writing is imbued with so much care and emotion that it's impossible not to care tremendously for each of our main characters. This was a beautiful conclusion to an excellent trilogy. I'm sad to leave Fitz behind to journey into the Rain Wilds, but it's a comfort to know that there are three more Fitz books waiting for me on the other side.