Fool's Errand: The Tawny Man Trilogy, Book 1

I have enjoyed reading all of Hobb’s novels starting with the very first series following Fitz. I read the ships series after that one trying to follow allow the recommended path of reading these novels. That series was just as amazing but I was so incredibly happy to finally be reunited with Fitz and Nighteyes and to see the Fool return as well. Hobbs is just brilliant and it’s a very special world she has created in these books. I forgot about all the feels you get reading her novels with Fitz. Since the book focuses on one character rather than jumping between several like the ships series, it just gives you all the feels. I can’t wait to see where the rest of the books lead, it has been a wonderful adventure to see where life has lead this incredible character so far.

I noticed when skimming the other reviews that a lot of people didn't seem to like this book. I was not one of them. Where some people found middle-aged Fitz annoying, I found him relatable. This may say more about my own personal failings than about Hobb's overall level of skill (I, too, struggle with letting go sometimes...okay, maybe more than sometimes), but regardless, I enjoyed Fitz as a protagonist in this book. I actually liked him much better than I did in the Assassin books. The character formerly known as The Fool (and by another name in another trilogy, if you're paying the least bit of attention) continues to delight, as does Nighteyes. Reading about both of them was like reuniting with old friends. Some of Nighteyes' "dialogue" had me literally laughing out loud at times. No, Kettricken doesn't get much attention, but that's because she's not a significant character in this book, and that's okay.Hobb continues to expand her world-building exploration of the Wit and the Skill in this book in ways that intrigue and provoke reflection on a variety of topics, from small-scale ones such as personal boundaries in relationships to larger-scale ones such as how humans in general tend to "other" and find reasons to hate and fear one other. The tempo does start off slow, but that seems appropriate given that Fitz starts off arguably "stuck" in the isolated life he has chosen. That sort of life has a slow tempo built into it (as anyone who has lived in relative isolation can attest), so causing the reader to experience that tempo is just one more way that they can become immersed in Fitz's experiences- as I did.Without getting into spoilers, I will say that even though I saw some plot twists coming, it didn't diminish at all from the experience for me. There were still parts near the end where I couldn't bring myself to set the book down, and had to read just one more chapter, even if I should have been sleeping. And there were parts where I cried. And kept crying, well after I'd set the book down. That might sound bad, but I wouldn't trade away the experience of reading this book for anything... strange as it might sound, I loved it.The epilogue initially struck me as strange and irrelevant. At the time I shrugged and was just like, "whatever." Then twelve hours later I was laying down with a cat on my chest, just contemplatively looking out a window, and all of a sudden the theme hit me like a tsunami crystallizing on impact. It just all came together in a single moment, and shifted something in my soul a little bit.Anything that can cause that is very good writing, indeed. Maybe I read it at the right time, and that amplified the impact. But it still had to be the right book, at the right time. So while this was an enjoyable escapist adventure in a detailed fantasy world (as Hobb provided in her previous two trilogies), it also tells what can be (depending on the reader, I suspect) a deeply meaningful and thought-provoking story. I expect this one will stay with me for some time.

What an amazing journey this is turning out to be!In order to understand how happy I am after reading Fool's Errand, you have to be a fan of Fantasy. It could be Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, or insert your favorite here. Just think more books in the world you adore are available.I’m back with FitzChivalry Farseer and the Fool. What a team!The last time we saw FitzChivalry Farseer, he had saved the Six Duchies yet no one knows he did (well almost no one). For the last fifteen years, Fitz has been living like a hermit with Nighteyes and Hap. Hap was brought to Fitz by Staling when he was a child. Fitz has raised him as his adopted son. Fitz is hiding his identity and going by the name of Tom Badgerlock.Now that Hap is becoming a man. He needs money to learn a trade. Fitz fears that is time for him to let him go.Then his past comes knocking.First, there is Chade who wants Fitz to come back to Buckkeep to teach Prince Dutiful the Skill.Then, The Fool returns from who knows where (haha we do know) and stays for a little while.Then a messenger from Queen Kettricken arrives asking Tom to come back to Buckkeep, his help is needed. When he arrives, he discovers that Prince Dutiful is gone. He has been taken and just before his betrothal ceremony! Fitz must find him before it's too late. Fitz, Nighteyes, the Fool, and Huntswoman Lauren will embark on this errand.Between the Skill and the Wit, this is another magnificent piece of fantasy that Robin Hobb gives us.Fitz is more mature and suffers less although I do feel like he has been used and coerced more times than he should.I won’t lie, a certain part of the book made me ugly cry. #Devastated. I will say no more.Starting the next one now.Cliffhanger: No4.5/5 Fangs

I was a bit wary of reading The Tawney Man trilogy because I couldn't imagine it would be able to stand up to the original Farseer trilogy and I didn't want to be disappointed or to lose my love for Fitz, the Fool or Nighteyes.I need not have worried!Every bit as engaging as the Farseer novels, this truly is a work of brilliance. I smiled, laughed and sat on the edge of my seat and then cried and smiled again.I won't give too much away but as well as Fitz and his wolf and Fool, we catch up with Starling, Chade and Queen Kettricken and meet a host new people in Buck and beyond.If you loved the original trilogy or any Robin Hobb books then you're going to love this too.If you haven't read Hobb before, well it would be better to start with the Farseer trilogy but either way you're going to have a wonderful time reading this stuff!

The fabulous thing about Robin Hobb’s Elderlings series is that every time I finish a trilogy I am heartsick for the loss of the characters and places I have been absorbed in for three books, but as soon as I start the next trilogy I am fully committed to that one. So it is with the Fool’s Errand, a wonderful return to the world of Fitz and his reunion with the Fool.Poor Fitz has finally got the peace he long deserved, with a fostered son and his wolf living quietly in the country. But, Fitz’s role as Catalyst means seclusion cannot be for long as his old vows to the Farseer reign pull him back into political intrigue and the search for a missing prince.Compared to previous Elderlings books this takes place in quite a small world - the quest does not have the epic proportions of Fitz’s previous adventures. But, we learn more about the Wit magic and the traditions of the Old Blood who have it, in a way which helps to build and develop the lore of this world.The Fitz stories retain their very grounded sense, despite the magics of human-animal mind reading and the call of the Skill. Fitz’s loyalty, tested to almost destruction, is never sycophantic or overwhelming, but is grounded in the sense of family and belonging he first gained in return for his pledge to the Farseer reign.Another excellent instalment and I’m heading straight into the sequel.

Fifteen years have passed since the end of the Red Ship War. FitzChivalry Farseer is believed dead, with only a few knowing the truth that he survived and helped end the war and the threat of the cruel King Regal. Living a comfortable life as a smallholder with his wolf Nighteyes and an adopted son, Hap, Fitz occasionally has strange dreams. He dismisses these, until his old friend the Fool visits with news: Prince Dutiful, the son of Queen Kettricken and the late King Verity, has vanished in a very strange manner. Reluctantly, Fitz returns to Buckkeep and a life he thought he'd left behind.Fool's Errand is the fourth novel featuring the adventures of FitzChivalry Farseer, picking up after the events of the original Farseer Trilogy. It's also the seventh novel overall in the Realm of the Elderlings setting, which now extends across sixteen books. It's a bit of a fresh start in the series, as although it follows up on events in the Farseer books (and a brief mention is made of the Liveship Traders trilogy), it also introduces new characters and new storylines.Fool's Errand is a slow book, at least to start with. The first 200 pages - more than a third of the novel - are taken up by Fitz's home life and routine, with lengthy ruminations on chicken-farming. Fitz's main concern isn't war, death or assassinations, but instead raising enough coin to find his adopted son a good apprenticeship. Some may find this sequence interminable, but Hobb uses this sequence to establish Fitz's good, comfortable and quiet life away from the mayhem of the court, and what it means when it is taken away when a new crisis erupts.The rest of the novel is more familiar: a prince has gone missing, the Witted people of the Six Duchies are rebelling against the persecution and murder of their kind by forming an armed resistance and a new peace treaty between the Duchies and the Outislands is in jeopardy. Keen for people to not realise he's survived, Fitz adopts a new identity (the uncouth Tom Badgerlock) and undertakes clandestine mission for the crown. This results in some splendid, classic epic fantasy elements such as an awkward cliffside sword fight against superior enemy numbers, the experimental use of magic and the gradual teasing and unravelling of a labyrinthine conspiracy.This doesn't mean that Hobb's straying too far from her established tropes. When in doubt about what to do next, she just makes Fitz's life more miserable and horrible than ever before, killing off loved ones and finding ways to put him in as awkward and painful a situation as possible. It's all vaguely depressing, which is an odd juxtaposition given that the second half of the novel is as lively and swashbuckling as Hobb has ever gotten.Still, if you're in the mood for a beautifully-written, somewhat melancholy fantasy where the focus is firmly on the characters rather than magic or battles, Fool's Errand (****) is a very fine novel. It's also surprisingly stand-alone: you'd definitely miss a fair amount if you hadn't read the Farseer trilogy, but the plot is focused on a new story and situation. Also, whilst the story clearly is set to continue after the final page, there's no major cliffhanger ending. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

I have read the Farseer trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy, the Tawny Man trilogy and have just finished the first Rain Wilds Chronicles book. To say I'm a bit of a Hobb fanatic would be fairly apt.Fool's Errand is an incredibly well-written book that demonstrates just how much of a genius Hobb is. Little bits mentioned in the first two trilogies are used prominently throughout the Tawny Man trilogy and really make you see just how clever she has been in setting this world up. Fool's Errand follows Fitz once more, 15 years on from his previous adventures during The Red Ship Wars. Now living as a recluse in the countryside with his wolf and foster-son, Fitz is soon, unwillingly, forced back into service for the crown.Characters of old return and new ones enter the story, setting themselves up to be some of the most memorable characters of the series. One aspect this book has that the ones before it didn't is the ability to hit you hard with emotion. Can be a tear-jerker at times just as much as it can make you smile.To anyone who has read the previous Hobb trilogies I am shocked you read this review. You should know enough to just click buy and enjoy your purchase. To those who haven't, you really do need to read the books that came before it (even the Liveship traders) as Hobb crosses the series over during the Tawny Man trilogy.

The world created by the Author is tremendous. I can visualize all the landscapes She describes and her imagination is fantastic. That being said, the only let down for me is the leading character Fitz. For an individual who so many fates ride on coupled with the sacrifices he has made and been forced to make, Hobb cuts him no slack. Some of you may feel this adds to his charm but I expect a little more kudos from a Hero. A little credit or recognition would be nice. Have I missed the point? I’m not sure. I’m still reading them but at the moment it’s lost it’s sparkle as the main character is still so down trodden and used.