Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2) Mass Market Paperback – December 9, 2003

Probably my favorite book so far from Hobb in the Realm of the Elderlings. The characters just grow that much deeper and they connect so well with the humanness that each of us well knows, both good and bad. Hobb is masterful in her story telling, and an expert in the human condition and relating the reality of the same back to each of us as if we are looking in a mirror as we enjoy this wonderful tale. Brilliant, just brilliant.

Golden Fool has little going for it in the way of plot. There is some — much of what is there setting up the plot for the next book — but if you make a bullet point list of what happens in this book, there wouldn't be much.Yet the book is incredible nonetheless. It has some of my favorite character moments in the overarching series, and while I've been in a reading slump this month and took a considerable length of time to read it, I'm so looking forward to Fool's Fate next month, and it's already sparking so many memories.Hobb is a masterful enough author to make a book of this length incredibly entertaining despite mostly being slice of life with characters.An absolute must read.

Middle books of planned trilogies are difficult, as they must necessarily not be complete in themselves, but can only build the setting for the last book. The middle book of the last of three related trilogies must be even more difficult. Haven gotten through the Assassin and Liveship Trader sets (and if you haven't, you need to before tackling this set - you won't regret it), and Fool's Errand as a the first book of this set, this becomes an obvious bridge work between all that has gone before and (presumably) the tie-up of all the various plot threads in the last volume.FitzChivalry Farseer is once more the star, opening this volume as a very much-wounded man, having lost his bond mate, and forced to once more try to fit in to the court intrigues by playing the servant to Lord Golden as Tom Badgerlock. New problems almost at once descend upon him, from his adopted son Hap's wayward ways to complications in his own love life, while the pressures of the Piebald group mount upon both Fitz and the kingdom, and Prince Dutiful's training in the Skill becomes an imperative, regardless of Fitz's own feelings of inadequacy in matters of the Skill. Add in problems with the Outisland delegation and Dutiful's promised bride, and the Bingtown traders requesting help in their war against Chalced, and there are more than enough plot threads for several novels. But the focus of this book is not so much in unraveling all these threads, but rather in Fitz's development as a person, along with all the people around him. Throughout this book, we see Fitz make errors in judgement, fail as a parent, as a spy, a lover, a teacher, as a friend. Each error leads to further growth of the man as he tries desperately to fix all his self-imposed problems while also working to aid the kingdom in what he sees as the best way possible. Lord Golden is exposed as having even more personas than previously known, each equally as enigmatic. Lord Chade comes into his own as a real human, with understandable desires and forgivable failings, and even Hap becomes a very recognizable young man with a very normal set of young man's problems.This is therefore a quiet book, without a great deal of surface action, but with a great deal of character development, and the setting in place of all the things and characters needed for a final denouement. As the characters make up so much of the charm of this entire set of interrelated stories, it is a fully satisfying book, even though it has no real ending, and with possibly even more questions raised than answered within its various disclosures of tie-ins between the various plot threads. The only real problem with this book, like almost every other middle book of a series, is the agonizing wait for the final volume.--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

This is my second time around for reading Robin Hobb’s 16 books & is just as throats the first time!

I enjoyed a lot this second part of Tawny Man which is almost perfect, better than the first book. The story is rich with details, descriptions and characters interactions as usual; the plot becomes more complex, some problems resolves while others, even bigger, are occurring. Fitz seems more mature and his actions were decisive again (obviously!) and surprisingly, he didn't annoyed me that much like in the previous books despite his quarrels with almost all his friends. There are some important things about the Skill that are present here, some of them remaining mysterious even after this volume. The betrothal wasn't so great as expected with some important events that will follow in the next part. The Witted are fighting to be accepted by the community while the complots of Piedbalds started in the first volume didn't stop there. Fitz is having great problems but is saved by his new Skill team. Thick is one of the most interesting characters in this part and becomes important. I was really frustrated that Nettle wasn't present more but I guess the next part will bring more scenes with her. I am disappointed that the scenes with Fennel were not that funny like in the first volume and I would had liked to see more. I am eager to read the conclusion of this trilogy.

Robin does it again! Such an amazing story. The growth of the characters and the landscape has captivated me; I’m already starting the next one!