Het Lot van de Nar

The Tawny Man #3

by Robin Hobb, Peter Cuijpers (Translator)

Het lot van de Nar, het derde en laatste deel van De Boeken van de Nar en het vervolg op De Gouden Nar, zet het epos voort waarin Fitz Chevalric, Prins Plicht en de enigmatige Nar de hoofdrol spelen. NPrins Plicht staat op het punt te trouwen met Elliana, een prinses van de Buiteneilanden, een huwelijk dat de band tussen beide rijken moet versterken. Maar tot ieders verrassing heeft ze een voorwaarde gesteld aan het huwelijk. Prins Plicht moet zijn mannelijkheid bewijzen en op zoe gaan naar een draak in het ijs van het koude noorden om die te doden. Samen met zijn oude mentor Chade en zijn vriend de Nar vergezelt Fitz Chevalric in zijn vermomming van de trouwe dienaar Tom Dassenkop zijn prins naar het eiland waar de draak in het ijs vastzit. Daar aangekomen blijkt er iemand te zijn die hel andere plannen heeft met de draak en die het reisgezelschap in het geheim tegenwerkt. En dan is er de Nar, die eindelijk een lotsbestemming narderbij ziet komen, tot grote wanhoop van Fitz.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Dragons, Audiobook, Adventure

768 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 star from me means,yes, I liked the book, and I'd loan it to a friend and it went everywhere in my jacket pocket or purse until I finished it. A 3 star means that I've ignored friends to finish it and my sink is full of dirty dishes. A 4 star means I'm probably in trouble with my editor for missing a deadline because I was reading this book. But I want you to know . . . I don't finish books I don't like. There's too many good ones out there waiting to be found.


Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.

In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.

She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review will most likely contradict my rating but seriously, this is not an easy book for me to review. I have several problems with it and yet I can’t help but love this book.

Fool’s Fate is the conclusion to the Tawny Man trilogy and as far as I know, it is by far the most highly praised book among Hobb’s big fans. Honestly speaking, the praises did affect my expectation on this installment a bit. Considering how the majority of the fans—especially booktubers—claimed this is by far Hobb’s best book, I expected more out of it and I was slightly disappointed by how it turned out for me. Don’t get me wrong, my rating should speak for itself already on how much I love this book despite the flaws and slight disappointment. Regardless of the negativities, let it be known first that I love this book, just not as much as I expected to.

“When people look most vicious, what you are seeing is not their animal side. It is the savagery that only humans can muster.”

Fool’s Fate continues immediately from where The Golden Fool left off. Fitz and the gang embarked on a quest to Aslevjal, located in Out Islands in order to kill a dragon. The premise may sound simple but a lot of things happened during this quest. Every character and their own mini factions have their own hidden agendas and motivation in this quest. We as the reader know what each of them is and waiting for the moment when they all will clash was worth it. Fool’s Fate is also the first book where I think Hobb finally nailed writing great action sequences. When you think about the sizes of this book, the action sequences lasted for less than 100 pages but it was thrilling and gripping while it last.

Picture: Fool’s Fate by Dagmara Matuszak



This installment has made The Fool one of the best characters I’ve ever read. His developments, his personality, his love towards Fitz, I really can’t stress this highly enough. The world building was also fantastic in where Hobb interweaved all the lore and plotline from the all the previous eight book with this one. The scale of the story is quite epic, with one large scale battle, a huge cast of characters, mythical creatures, and a LOT of magic usage; it’s seriously a high fantasy. Prose-wise, once again Hobb improved her writing (insane, I know). I really think that when it comes to prose, Hobb is one of the best writers in the genre. Her ways with words are just incredibly immersive and evocative.

“Sometimes it seems unfair that events so old can reach forward through the years, sinking claws into one's life and twisting all that follows it. Yet perhaps that is the ultimate justice: we are the sum of all we have done added to the sum of all that has been done to us. There is no escaping that, not for any of us.”

Now I’m going to mention the parts that didn’t work for me. There are three major points and remember, I still love this book despite these.

First, once again, pacing and repetitiveness. Chapter 6-12 were repetitive and draggy for me. Here’s how it goes, Thick get seasick, they arrived at one destination, Thick tried to recover from seasickness by resting and meanwhile Fitz and the gang do some talking and dreaming (literally). After that, they go on a boat again and Fitz has to drag and force the not-recovered yet Thick. Thick doesn’t want to but end up being dragged anyway. Thick got seasick, angry again, arrive at a destination, Fitz and the gang do some shit and dreaming, goes on a boat dragging the angered Thick again. This goes on for 200 pages (UK paperback edition), it was just unnecessary long, it could’ve been easily done within 100 pages at most, heck even 50 pages. Once Fitz and the gang arrived at Aslevjal in chapter 13, this is when the book’s quality became golden until the end (see what I did there?)

Next, The Skills. I wish there was less focus on this magic system. This isn’t Brandon Sanderson level of magic systems, oh yes it’s intricately written and it has been explained more than a thousand pages throughout the series on how it works but I still can’t get over the concept that this magic is a deus ex machina plot device. No matter how many rules were put, Fitz always somehow able to bypass them all. I love The Skill so much more when it was used only as a magical telepathy: holds conversations from far away and influence other people’s thoughts. Now? It has become an Inception and don’t even get me started on how uber powerful Skill-Healing is. The concept of Skill-Healing can be tweaked easily by Hobb and if she wanted to, this magic system could prolong the series up to an infinite number of books. It IS that powerful. I’m more of a fan of Wit magic system, the repercussions seems to be more evident in comparison to Skill.

Finally, the ending, this is where I’m so damn conflicted. I loved and absolutely disappointed with how it ends. Hobb obviously wrote this book with the fool intention (see what I did there?) of ending Fitz’s storyline here. I mean, the ending itself goes on for more than 100 pages and it concludes everything that started since Farseer trilogy. It’s overall a satisfying one, beautiful, poignant, and everything has been resolved, Hobb even goes out of her way to tell what happened to each supporting characters in this trilogy, which is something I absolutely appreciate.

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”

But do I like it in overall? Yes and no. I can’t tell you much without giving away major spoilers, the most I can give is that the relationship that revolves around this female character is just one of the most disappointing and aggravating relationship I’ve ever read, out of anything. It’s even a bit disgusting in my opinion, I’ll even take reading Lannisters incest relationship over this, at least with the Lannister I know they’re not right in their head since the beginning. Let’s just say that I’m delighted that Hobb decided to continue the series because I don’t think this is the perfect end for Fitz's story.

As I mentioned several times already, I have a lot of problems with this book but I still love this. It’s extremely well-written and I think the majority of Hobb’s fans will easily think of this book as a 10000000/5 stars book. I didn’t expect this to become one of the very few 6/5 stars books on my personal shelves, but I did expect this to deserved a full 5 stars rating. However, I simply can’t. The last time I felt this conflicted about a book was probably for The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Same as that book, despite the flaws I had with it, I loved it regardless. I have a very high criteria for putting an author on my favorite author list, there's no doubt that Robin Hobb is a fantastic author but considering that I’ve read 9 books + 1 novella in her Elderling series and only Fool’s Errand received a full 5 stars rating, I just can’t put her into my favorite list yet. I hope the last two series in her series, Rainwild Chronicles and The Fitz and the Fool can change this situation. I’ll be taking a one or two weeks break before diving back into this world.

Picture: My copies of Tawny Man trilogy



Series review:

Fool's Errand: 5/5 stars
The Golden Fool: 4/5 stars
Fool's Fate: 4/5 stars

Tawny Man trilogy: 13/15 stars

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg!! That was sooo good and soooo sad and some happy and stuff 😫



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sean Barrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

All friendships go through rough patches, and in this Fitz’s relationship with the Fool is pushed almost to breaking point.

Fitz has begun to have doubts which come from even stronger feelings of fear; he fears for the future, a future that may not correspond with the Fool’s crazy ideas.

A dragon lies between them, one Fitz has to slay and one the Fool wishes to save. Friendship becomes the problem and the answer, as Fitz begins to realise that everything that has ever happened to him is because of the Fool’s touch. For the first time in this series I thought their time together may actually come to an end.

The Prophet’s Chosen One



Fitz is the Fool’s oldest, and perhaps only, friend. He is the only person he has ever granted the knowledge of his true name, but he is also his tool: his catalyst. Fitz may doubt his friend, and ignore his kindness and guidance, but he can’t ignore his power. He has shaped Fitz’s future, and he intends to shape the future of the world by resurrecting the remnants of a dying race: the dragons. Fitz can’t realistically stop such an individual; he should stand by his friend always.

Chade is guiding him on the opposite path; he wishes to extinguish the race because, well, they’re dangerous. But so are men. And Fitz is stuck in between the two men who have shaped his life. However, as frequent readers of the series will know, Fitz will always follow his own mind; this normally changes in the heat of the moment, as the assassin has learnt to adapt the most carefully of laid plans as circumstance warrants.

Neither Fitz, the Fool or Chade were fully ready for what awaited them in the dragons lair. And neither was I. Inside Robin Hobb revealed how complex her fantasy world actually is and how much more we are yet to see.

An ending that Fitz deserves?

Fitz doesn’t seem to get any real lasting happiness in his life; he has had more than his share of heartache, and it is only going to get worse as the story progresses, so it was wonderful to see him get a glimpse of something at the end of the story. He has sacrificed everything for the Farseer throne, his blood, his youth and even his life have been shed so it seems only appropriate to see him sheath his daggers and hang up his axe even if it is for a short time.

This had a great ending, one that allows the story to move even further forward in the future as Hobb protagonist enters a new stage of life.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally I am done crying (thanks to Ms. Kate Daniels) and now I can jot down my thoughts on this fantastic finale of Tawny Man.

As I said in my earlier reviews, Hobb is getting better and better with every story. She once again spun a tale stretching over 900 pages and yet I never felt bored. True, there were moments when I felt few of the events are being mentioned repeatedly but once I got over that hurdle, it was a fantastic story. A story that just put a spell on me and didn't let me go until I turned that last page.

Story picked up right where Golden Fool ended and we see Fitz & Co. making arrangements to embark on the journey to kill the dragon. Making a plan that would leave Fool in Six Duchies to prevent that fate that Fool has foreseen for himself. But fate has other plans for this party and they find themselves amid an enemy that is invincible.

I am in awe of Ms Hobb for how she intertwine different threads to move the story forward. She will keep throwing all the possible fates at the characters, all the while making characters realize that they can't just pick any one as the future of the world depends upon that one decision, so that they can't make a mistake. So they don't have any choice but to trod on the path that will test them the most, and hence the patience of the readers.

I loved how she ended this book and the trilogy. She tied all the loose ends but expense for that in opinion was high as I have to say good bye to few of my favorite characters. I am glad that there's another trilogy waiting for me after this, had this been the end of Realm of Elderlings I would be devastated.

I had high expectation from this book and this gave me everything. Highly recommended.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've made it this far, you probably know what you're getting into when you start a Robin Hobb book. I certainly did, and it doesn't change the fact that my soul is now a heap of shreds on the floor. Oh, is that melodramatic? I don't care! I can count on one hand the number of books that have made me cry, and this is one of them -- twice, in fact, and a few times afterward. My poor soul!

That is not to say that this was a perfect book. I thought the beginning started out rather slowly, so at first I had no trouble sticking to my 50ish-page per day limit as a futile attempt to stave off the inevitable post-book blues. But then, once everyone got to Aslevjal, that idea collapsed and there was no way I was putting the book down until I realized it was one in the morning and the words were swimming before my eyes and I'd stubbornly read the same paragraph five times without comprehending any of it BUT OH MAN the poor Fool had just been chained to a memory stone dragon and sentenced to a slow death by forging so how could I just calmly go to sleep after that?!.

I also thought the ending was too rushed. There was a lot of catchup and reforged (or maybe un-Forged) connections, and a number of events fell into place without Fitz making active choices. Some of the changes in Fitz's character between the two series are made more clear, but I didn't have enough time to adapt to that revelation. It's therefore hard to reconcile the ending with lines like "My dream was dead in my arms." That, especially, was a crying line! The only way I can make sense of it is if I decide that Fitz a) refuses to talk about how painful the loss of his truest friend actually is, which is so Fitz, because I do not buy for a Bingtown minute that he's not upset about that; or b) has finally learned to live like a wolf, and therefore chooses to be content in the present; or c) there's something else fishy going on; or d) both a and b; or e) all of the above, and now this is starting to sound like an SAT question. In any case, I broke down again during the penultimate, pre-epilogue chapter, and cried for the fact that Fitz gets the past he wanted -- and yes, still wants -- at the expense of the future.

However, these books also present one of the most complex relationships I've encountered in fiction, with a lot of commentary about relationships, friendship, love, gender, and sex woven in. It would probably take me a few pages to describe it, and there's not really any good solution to the problem. Now I'm flailing around trying to disentangle what the characters think they want, what I think they want, and what they actually want. Basically, I just want everyone to be happy, and I can't figure out how that could ever occur. Damn Burrich and his line about the horse and the two saddles.

Final note: line up all three books of this series on your bookshelf and look at them. Then think about how a certain character changes throughout the series. AWESOME.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

So... I don't know how I am supposed to begin writing up a review for this book because never in my whole life have I been as affected and devastated, happy and excited, lonely and angry as I was throughout the adventures of this book. This is my all-time favourite book. It's exceptional. It's leagues ahead of all others (except for The Mad Ship, also by Hobb, which was recently my favourite book... overtaken by another Hobb book!) for so many reasons, and trying to gather my thoughts and rein them in enough to write a cohesive review that not only convinces everyone to read this, but also shows just how special it is to me... it's going to be hard...

So, with all of that said, this book was great right from page one. As with all of the Farseer, Tawny Man and Fitz and the Fool books the main characters are once more Fitz, the bastard, and the Fool, a friend of his with some peculiar abilities. This book picks up not too long after the ending of book 2 when we're following Fitz, Chade, the Fool, Dutiful, Thick, the Narcheska and many more characters as they're about to embark on a rather grand quest. This quest is taking place because it will allow the young Prince the chance to prove his worth and slay a great beast, bringing the head back to the Outislander people and sealing an alliance between them.

This story IS epic, in all senses of the word. There's big long journeys, there's many different characters, there's magic of various kinds. We get to see creatures in the skies and seas who are mystical and magical. We see journeys through all sorts of terrain and waters (yeah, there's ships - I like ships!). We also get to see a lot more than just a regular epic fantasy because not only does it have all of these elements and more, but it focuses on the characters (it is, after all, by Hobb).

Robin Hobb has a way with words. Maybe even more than a way with words. She has an ability to create not only a world which is magic and a wonderful place to escape to, but she can convince me fully about this world. She is one of the few writers I have read where I can visualise all the scenes laid out before me and SEE what is happening as I read the words. The characters that Hobb creates and the scenes of dialogue between them all is fabulous because they make mistakes, they do stupid things, the apologise, they try again, and against all odds they try and get by in this crazy world. She's a master of making the characters become real people who you feel like you know and feel like you understand. She's got an ability to lay down all the words and from them you can draw out a living and breathing world within your head. You can imagine and see it all before you, and you're privy to all the dirty secrets, crude betrayals and strong tragedies and horrors that she unveils.

This story took me in from page one and it's fabulous to be able to say that I started at book 1 of the Farseers and have followed these characters through 6 books now (some characters even through more if they've overlapped with those in the Liveship books). I think the change in both Hobb's abilities and the characters as they have grown and evolved as people and as elements in the world has been superb to watch.

I have to say that I cannot even think of any way that this book could have been better. Every single one of the many, many storylines, questions and plots that Hobb was juggling she managed to tie off beautifully. I can see why, having read this, so many people (Hobb included) didn't think she'd ever return to this set of characters. That's not to say that this is a Martin book and everyone dies or anything like that, but there are some VERY emotional moments where I was sobbing my heart out (no joke, at least 20 times!) There were also so many moments of joy and happiness, redeeming moments and perfect, thought-provoking speech.

Another thing which I adore about Hobb is that she is not afraid of addressing issues. She's got the ability to slide in ideas about gender-equality, race, deformities, sexuality, standing up for things, differing customs and much more. She manages to integrate all of these 'big issue' topics into her books and make them a seamless part of the story, but she doesn't focus on them. The story itself is more about the characters themselves, who they are, what they do and the decisions that they make, but at the same time each of those character have different 'issues' associated with them or as a part of them and we're constantly exposed to these things without even realising it (whether it was her intention or not I don;t know, but she does it very well!).

This story was perfection. There are so many moments I want to tell you all about and cry over because thinking back on the read-throguh of this book it was truly wonderful. However, I don't want to spoil anything about it, all I want is for you all to go and enjoy the wonder of Hobb's world yourselves. If you've read this book I have no doubt that you know what it is I adore about her, and if you've not yet read it then please do try something by her, whether you're in for the long haul and you start at Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer #1) or if you just want to dip your toe in to her stuff and start with Ship of Magic (Liveships #1). Either way is a perfect start, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I can say with certainty that this is my #1 book I've ever read. 100% highly highly recommended!

[Jonah Evarts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A billion stars. Fitz is the greatest character ever put to page in a fantasy series. I love him so so much, and empathize with everything he goes through to the point that this series is actually difficult to read at times for me. I feel like this trilogy not only is a beautiful, raw depiction of what it is to be human, but also how to grow from mistakes and learn to feel and love fully.

Robin Hobb, the woman you are. This is just incredible. No notes.

[Maddie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 5⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 5⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 5⭐️

Wow. This is brilliant.

Tawny Man concludes with this epic quest to Ice Fire, and along the way there are betrayals, surprises, suspense, action, devastation, sacrifice, and ultimately the final choice Fitz has to make to decide who he is, where his loyalties truly lie, and what he believes to be right. This is so epic. The stakes are so high. The stress I felt reading this was insane.

I cried at what this all had to cost, and I was well and truly scared and then devastated for long stretches, but this journey was so worth it. I've scarcely read a more satisfying conclusion.

At the beginning of this trilogy, I needed Fitz to face some demons. I needed him to discover his own heart's longings and loyalties. I needed him to break free of the insecurities that made him a tool for other men, and gosh dangit, I needed him to find a home with people who love him and know him fully.

I wasn't disappointed. This was so beautiful, and it feels well and truly earned. Hobb pulled no punches. She went all the way to the heart of the soul's wounds and the cost and time for healing; the real loss that comes with any journey toward wholeness. And the implications for the wider series are huge.

I cannot wait to read the Rain Wild Chronicles.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying ending to this trilogy!

Hobb is able to connect all the loose ends and make its conclusion a smooth one.

In the Fool's Fate, Fitz is trying to prevent the Fool from getting into the ship leaving for the island of Aslevjal. As per the last book, Elliana has asked Dutiful to bring him the head of IceFyre in order to seal their alliance. The Fool has confided in Fitz, the Fool knows he needs to save the dragon but traveling to the island means his death and Fitz will do anything to prevent his friend from dying.

During the voyage, things are not easy. Thick is seasick and with his Skill, he is making everyone feel miserable on the boat. Tempers are running high and Dutiful puts Fitz to the task of helping Thick who in turn asks Nettle for help. Yet, their dreams are invaded by Tintaglia who wants to learn more about IceFyre.

Before leaving for the frozen island where Icefyre is supposed to be, they learn of a legend involving the Black Man. Once on the island, someone is already waiting for them. Can you guess who?

The Skill and Witt coteries are in disagreement. One wants to slay the dragon, the other one wants to save it.

So many secrets are finally revealed including the Pale Woman, the Black Man, the dragons, the Skill, the Witt, Fitz, The Fool, the memory stones. I love the explanation we are given about why the Fool and the Black Man were able to change colors while the Pale woman was not.

The Fool and FitzChivalry's friendship and bond are unlike anything else. I love these characters together. I was also happy to see so many other characters reappearing and completing their circle. Yes, they were also some very sad moments that hurt me just as well.

I'm not sure knowing there are 3 more books involving the Fool and Fitz (after the Rainwild 4 books) is a good thing. I think I liked how this ended and I'm not sure I want to know what happens next. What am I saying? Of course, I need to know.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

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[Deborah Obida · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are the sum of all we have done added to the sum of all that has been done to us.

Fool's Fate is a great conclusion to The Tawny Man Trilogy, after the disappointment that was Assassin's Quest I was scared this will be another even though Liveship Traders was amazing. This is one of those instances that I'm glad I was proven wrong.

This book started just where Golden Fool ended, the journey that they spent a whole book preparing for has finally arrived. It was quite slow at the beginning but picked up 20% in. There was friendship, love, loyalty, amazing plots and wonderful characters. There are also dragons in this, how cool is that, not to mention the revelations 🤯

All of life, is in our minds. Where else does it take place, where else do we add up what it means to us and subtract what we have lost? An event is just an event until some person attaches meaning to it.

The world building and writing is one of Hobb's strong point and she didn't disappoint, I thought the previous book was good, this is way better. 80% of the book took place on an ice filled island and this was well depicted. Just like it's predecessors, this is written solely in first person perspective of Fitz.

The skill and the wit the magic system of this series was finally explained here, they found lots of skill scroll that told them how to better use the magic, so now it's not only telepathy but healing and teleporting. I feel like the author is just adding that now, I still prefer the wit to skill, I wish Fitz used the both not just one at a time.

My favourite character still remain FitzChivalry Farseer, his character growth is tremendous. I remember how he was in Assassin's Quest and this grown up him. Not only is he no more whinny and pitiful he now stands up for himself, he's still loyal to the Farseers but there is a line now. I hope that doesn't change.

The Fool is also here, his friendship with Fitz is one of the highlights of this book for me. He loves Fitz more than everyone. I know more about him than I did before but not enough.

Dutiful is growing up to be a good king, he's so different from the other Farseers like Chade who is manipulative and old school.

Nettle and Elliania also played prominent roles in this. Thick is the character that surprised me the most. Despite being a simpleton he is smart.

Patience was just at the ending but her parts was wonderful as usual.

‘Much too soft. I’ll never be able to sleep on this. Do they think I’m a hen, setting in a nest?’ Then, as she lay back and I helped her lift her feet onto the bed she said, ‘You’ve quite ruined my surprise, you know. Here, I was all set to summon a grandchild to me and reveal to her that she was well born of noble blood, and pass on to her keepsakes of her father’s. Oh, help me take my shoes off. When did my feet get so far away from my hands?’

Burrrich and Molly with their brood of children were also here.

The plot follows Dutiful, Fitz, Chade and the rest of them to the Outislands to kill the dragon buried in ice. As usual things didn't go according to plans, not only was the dragon buried hundreds of feet in the ice that also have oppositions.

Spoilers Ahead
Molly Chandler, here's a character that I never got around to liking, I didn't like her in Farseer Trilogy and nothing have changed.

Like she married Burrich who is Fitz's adopted father few months after giving birth to Fitz's child, yes I know she thought he was dead but still couldn't she pick someone else? She did the same thing again when Burrich died she moved on with Fitz, does that mean she never loved Burrich or loved them both.

Burrrich is as guilty as her, he never gave any of them a choice. When Fitz was in a bad place after almost dying in Assassin's Quest, he needed a lifeline, Burrich should have told him then that Molly was pregnant with his child but he never did and vice versa he never told Molly that Fitz survived the dungeons so to her he died then, he is even more guilty than Molly. Hr had the guts to say he was the better man for her, no one is denying that if only he gave any of them a choice.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

//slight spoilers//

fitzy you cannot say things like "my dream lay dead in my arms" and then still have the audacity to claim you are straight

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! An ending that leaves me happy with Fitz’s fate. And yet, as much as I cherished the lengthy (and long overdue) denouement that this book provides, this is the first Hobb book that was not a 5-star read for me. Yes, four stars tell you I still enjoyed this book very much overall, but I’ve become used to solid 5-star ratings.

These past eight books, I’ve loved her character-driven storytelling and never had any issues with what some feel is slow pacing. Here, I did for the first time. My heart just wasn’t in the whole quest to find the dragon Icefyre and as a result I had to occasionally push myself to keep reading. That was a novel Hobb experience for me which left me disappointed at myself for not loving it more. To be honest, if not for some major payoff regarding truths/identities discovered and characters reunited, the rating would probably have been lower.



________________

!!!SPOILES BELOW!!!

Speaking of reunions and revelations, my favorite reunion was Patience and Fitz’s; it both made me laugh at her old woman’s cranky attitude and tear up at her genuine joy. Seeing Burrich’s reaction at finding out Fitz is alive through Nettle’s eyes worked really well for me and I was not upset it happened off-page because of it – much unlike Mollie’s off-page reaction, which left me feeling unsatisfied. Still, I liked how their second courtship played out, even if I’d have welcomed even more page time for them. And it did help that all the actual reunions (as in seeing each other again for the first time) all happened on-page, though Burrich and Fitz's was more moving to me than Molly and Fitz's.

What I’m still not sure about is the Fool’s death, followed by yet another resurrection. Sure, his death and the gruesome manner of it made for some awful reading, but since death here is not as final as in other books, I didn’t really buy into the Fool remaining dead. I think that lessened my emotional investment. I don’t know, couldn’t Fitz have found the Fool close to death and saved him much the same way he did? I’m aware that this precipitates other changes in the narrative, but I can’t help wondering if that hadn’t worked better for me.




!!!END OF SPOILERS!!!
__________________

All in all, this was still a great book, mostly because it has Fitz in it and I love that man with all my heart – so much so that I wish I could continue with his next trilogy instead of the Rain Wild Chronicles tetralogy that is bound to involve more insufferable dragons. And yet, I'm just generally excited that there are more Robin Hobb books to love ahead of me.

Onward!

[Jennifer (Insert Lit Pun) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotional intelligence of this trilogy is staggering. My heart feels swollen looking back on the trajectories of these characters, and Hobb subtly weaves in so many broader ethical questions about the decisions that individual people make, and that humanity makes as a whole. She also plays with the advantages and limits of first-person narration in a way that’s so much fun for anyone who enjoys thinking about how stories are constructed. If you need more convincing I’ll be doing a spoiler-free video overview soon on three of Hobb’s trilogies, but for now I’ll say that Fitz’s story is phenomenal and I’ve loved every hour I’ve spent in his world.

[Kaora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was all set to be my Robin Hobb all time favorite surpassing even Liveship Traders.

The writing is absolutely superb and the world Hobb has created continues to wow me in its complexity. It is a world I wouldn't mind spending forever in. And she has frequently brought me to tears with the beautiful moments she captures between her amazing characters.

All that night, I cradled him in my arms, as closely as if he were my child or my lover. As closely as if he were my self, wounded and alone. I held him while he wept, and I held him after his weeping was done. I let him take whatever comfort he could in the warmth and strength of my body. I have never felt less of a man that I did so.

If you had asked me at about 80% through I would have said there weren't enough stars on this site for this book.

But the ending ruined it for me.

Unfortunately the why is a bit of a spoiler, so read under the tag at your own risk.


Okay I admit. I've never liked Molly. I know some people do, but I felt she was nothing special, and her frequent pout sessions where she would ignore Fitz drove me crazy. Granted Fitz did hide a lot from her and wasn't exactly honest, something that drove me absolutely nuts about his character. However, she knew going in that he was the King's Man so her getting upset when he was off being the King's Man annoyed me to no end.

So I was kind of happy when she wandered off with Burrich.

And now Fitz finally admits to Burrich he is alive, and Burrich is back. And it was awesome for a while seeing them together again, Burrich being one of my favorite characters.

But Burrich knows that Molly has always loved Fitz and will choose him. Then Hobb removes him from the picture so Fitz and Molly are finally clear to be together.

No. Fucking. Way.

I thought it was highly inappropriate that one of Fitz first thoughts when Burrich dies is now I can be with Molly. Fuck Molly and fuck you for thinking that first after the man who raised you dies.

So he goes about trying to being with Molly/"fulfill his promise to Burrich to care for his children" by ignoring the children and trying to pursue Molly. And then bypassing Molly and telling her children who he is and what he meant to their mother in order to gain their affection and approval.

NOT OKAY.

You do not tell young children that you were your mother's old lover without the mother's consent. Unforgivable. I don't care how fucking desperate you are. THEY ARE NOT YOUR CHILDREN. They are hers and it is her business what she tells them and does not tell them.

This as a parent made me absolutely LIVID.

So disappointed.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

God damn it.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the love of a book comes from the sum of it's parts. Had it not been for the ending in this final chapter of the Farseer world...I would have given Fool's Fate five stars. However, I was sorely disappointed (possibly depressed) with how the story closed between Fitz and Beloved.

R. Hobb has an extraordinary gift for emotionally engaging readers into this beautiful, complicated world she has envisioned. This, perhaps...is why I find the ending so unforgivable. Had she not made the relationship between Fitz and the Fool so powerful and moving - I might have been less horrified to see him cast aside so frivolously. The final chapters with Molly felt empty and dull in comparison. Her character seemed petty.

Ironically, this has still been one of my favorite fantasy adventures....though I sincerely hope she changes her mind about not continuing the story. I would normally cringe at a series that lasts beyond 3-4 books...but this would be the rare exception. Too much was left incomplete.

[Lema · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In that last dance of chances
When I know you'll not be mine
I will let you go with longing
And the hope that you'll be fine"

WHAT TO SAY WHAT TO FEEL WHAT THE EFF DID THIS STUPID BOOK DO TO ME?!
Started out great! actually started out not-so-great with sailing on ships and Thick getting seasick for like 400 pages, but I was still living for it because it's Robin Hobb and I'm a dedicated fan and it's Fitz and it's the Fool and it's going to chatter my brain completely and it did and my feels were all over the place... aaaaaand suddenly the train took a sudden swivel into NOPEville.


One week since I finished this and I'm still not over it

Well my style is to never write any spoilers (hidden or otherwise) in my review, and thank God for that otherwise I would be ranting for pages and pages. Let's get it out of the way why I'm so bitter about this effing book. Because its ending made me freaking uneasy and I felt it was completely wrong and completely untrue to the series' temperament. Not to mention that I hate it, HATE IT, when authors use death as a way out of having to solve problems like an adult, and the way everything else was handled in the aftermath was just a trainwreck and made me not like some of my babies as I used to.
What else grated on my nerves? The Skill and the Wit aka Dumb and Dumber (ok I'll tone down the salt, they are decent, just NOT IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK), when they are used in a pish-posh way that would just to serve the plot I call bullshit, some events (well mainly one event in particular) could have been handled in a totally different if the old rules or at least the way they've been handled in the past were to be used, but OH NO, that would not serve the stupid plot so let's change it! *sigh*



Ok I'm done with the rant, moving on to the positives... I haven't had such an emotional feelstrip (from a non-Hobb book) since I read The Nightingale one year ago... I swear there was this chapter near the end where I was despairingly sobbing my heart out one page and then I was smiling like crazy and joyously sobbing my heart out the next, TRUE STORY.
The interaction between Fitz and the Fool was always a delight to read, ALWAYS *full force shipping*.
Not to mention that no one can beat Robin Hobb when it comes to prose, the lady is boss and no one can change my mind -not even the drunken verbal diarrhea I had in the first half of this review-, I probably highlighted half the book.

"All of life, I wanted to tell him, is in our minds. Where else does it take place, where else do we add up what it means to us and subtract what we have lost? An event is just an event until some person attaches meaning to it."

Here is an example of the emotional disorder that Hobb infected me with... I would be reading peacefully and something humorous would pop it and make me laugh and think that life is all rosey...
"Dragons at a distance are amazing and noble creatures of legend. My closer experience of them makes me suspect they'd burp nobly after consuming me."
And then a sentence that is so meaningfully poignant (maybe not to all but it was to me as someone who had left their war-ravaged country) would come up that would resonate me with so hard, I probably was tearing up here at some point.
"Fitz, home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore"

OK this is getting overly long, I'll wrap it up by saying, this wasn't the god-sent book that everyone on Booktube made it out to be, it definitely is not my favorite in the series, but the series is definitely still up there with my absolute favorites of all time.

[Benghis Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow -- bravo! What a unique and impactful trilogy this was from start to finish. The first two books had me so invested in this story that I just ate this one up since it's paying off all of that deliberate set-up with a classic quest. I was enjoying the quiet first half with Hobb's brilliant slice-of-life style that still always manages to feel tense and interesting and that also allowed for some fascinating new worldbuilding for the series. But when the major inciting incident happens out of nowhere to kick off the climactic sequence, it was just a mind-blowing Hobb-alanche from there on out.

I truly love reading long series because they build to moments of unmatched intensity and emotional involvement, and I got to experience so many of those in the latter half of Fool's Fate. This book had some of those transcendently awesome and tragic and cathartic moments that are the reason I read. This also had some of my favorite falling action sections I can ever remember, and I can see how it would have been suitable as a place to end the series -- but I'm supremely glad she decided to continue the tale!

[Samantha (ladybug.books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many emotions. I loved this book and the Tawnyman trilogy as a whole.


Robin Hobb’s finales are always a little off to me and there are some plot threads that I just didn’t care about at this point in the Realm of the Elderlings. I get the impression that this was intended to be the finale to Fitz’s story so I see why we revisited that relationship. But I was rolling my eyes through most of those last pages.


Despite my lack of interest in some elements of the story, I can’t imagine giving this less than five stars. The way it builds on Fitz’s character, his relationships, and the future of the Six Duchies was incredible. Very few books have made me feel as much as this book did.

[Sarah Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
the emotions I felt while reading this could not be found in a psychology textbook and probably should be studied

[aria ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every small, unselfish action nudges the world into a better path. An accumulation of small acts can change the world.”

“Fool’s Fate” is the third book in the Tawny Man trilogy of Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series. And what an ending.

Fitz, now Tom Badgerlock, must now accompany Prince Dutiful on his quest to kill the dragon Icefyre as tasked by Ellania, to prove his worthiness. Icefyre has passed into legend and not many believe in his existence but the Fool knows that he exists and informs Fitz that for the world to shift to a better place, Icefyre must live. Fitz is torn between his duty to the Farseer throne and his friendship, though strained, with his Fool. But when the Fool speaks of visions of his death, Fitz is determined to keep him at Buckkeep Castle, safe. For it is at Icefyre’s legendary home—Aslevjal, that the fool’s fate would come to pass.

‘Don't be stupid! I'm not going to let you die, Fool!' My throat suddenly closed. I picked up my cooling cup of tea and gulped from it hastily.

He caught his breath and then laughed, a sound like glass breaking. Tears stood in his eyes. 'You believe that so thoroughly, don't you? Ah, Beloved. Of all the things I must bid farewell to, you are the one most difficult to lose. Forgive me that I have avoided you. Better, perhaps, that we make a space between us and become accustomed to it before fate forces that upon us.'

That’s all I’m going to say about the book because from here on, it’s just spoilers. I’ve marked them but I know some phones don’t block them out.

Guys. GUYS! I SHIP FITZ x BELOVED SO HARD!!! I literally could not handle their scenes. I cried so hard towards the end of the book. I mean look at this:

I wanted to kill her then. But I would have had to set his body down and I would not do that. She could not make me abandon him again. I would not set him down and I would not look back at her.

I hunched my back against her pelted words and trudged away.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

(The Pale Woman describing how she could make all of Fitz’s dreams come true)
My dream was dead in my arms. I continued to walk.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

'Oh, Beloved,' I said. I bent and kissed his brow in farewell. And then, grasping the rightness of that foreign tradition, I named him as myself. For when I burned him, I knew I would be ending myself as well. The man I had been would not survive this loss. ‘Goodbye, FitzChivalry Farseer’ I took the crown in both hands to ease it onto his brow.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

He was dead. Nothing could change that.

But I was the Changer.

I stood suddenly. I lifted the humming crown high overhead in my hands and shook it at the sky. 'NO!' I roared. I still do not know to whom I spoke. ‘No! Let it be different! Not this way! Whatever you want from me, take it! But don't let it all end like this! Let him take my life and give me his death. Let him be me and I be him. I take his death! Do you hear me? I take his death for my own!'

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

'Go to sleep, Fool,' I told him gruffly. 'I'm here. I'll take care of you.' His hands came up between us and I feared he would push me away. Instead, he clutched the front of my shirt and clung tightly to me.

All that night, I cradled him in my arms, as closely as if he were my child or my lover. As closely as if he were my self, wounded and alone. I held him while he wept, and I held him after his weeping was done. I let him take whatever comfort he could in the warmth and strength of my body. I have never felt less of a man that I did so.

━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━

AND THE POEM!!!!

In that last dance of chances
I shall partner you no more.
I shall watch another turn you
As you move across the floor.

Fellas, is it gay when your platonic childhood best friend writes you a break-up poem? Well, is it?

These two have quickly become one of my top couples in fiction, even though they never actually get together. But if you want to read a post Tawny Man fic that sees them together, here are two ongoing ones: No Other Homeland and Of Cats And Closed Doors. Now let me continue weeping over these two.

[Franco Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.»

Puedo decir con total seguridad que este libro es el mejor de Robin Hobb que he leído. Pocas veces una novela supera mis expectativas cuando sé que esta va a ser excelente, sin embargo, desafiando las probabilidades, Fool's fate me demostró que siempre se puede dar un poco más.

Aquí no terminan las aventuras de Fitz, todavía queda una serie más. Pero por ahora voy a saborear la vida que me fue devuelta con este cierre de The Tawny Man.

[Майя Ставитская · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are not afraid of books with a volume of more than one and a half hundred pages, go here. "The Fate of the Fool" is the culmination of the "Saga of the Fool and the Murderer". Let me remind you that the condition of Prince Dutiful's engagement to the heir to the crown of the Outer Islands, designed to consolidate peace and promote mutually beneficial trade, is the head of the frozen dragon Icefyre, which must be delivered by the groom to the bride's maternal hearth. Would you agree to such an adventure? No? Me too. That's why we're not heroes of epic fantasy. The hero is fifteen-year-old Dutiful, who is annoyed rather than attracted by the arrogant, and moreover imposed, bride - he agrees.

That's what Robin Hobb is all about, with the delightful vagueness of her world, where there are no black and white, purely positive and downright negative characters. Well, that is, there are notorious villains, but "ours" are never unconditionally good, and the suffering endured, coupled with previous achievements, does not give a lifetime of indulgence, each time facing a new difficult choice.

The endless swings between desire and duty, love and hate, life and death, beauty and ugliness will stop in the finale (for a while, because there will be more) at the most favorable point for the beloved characters, giving them some time off, and strengthening us in the (very relative) belief in the victory of goodness. Well, good people should be lucky at least in books!

Будить дракона
Узнать друг друга – и все потерять,
И жить… и не жить… не жить.
Всякий раз, возвращаясь к Робин Хобб и чувствуя козьмапрутковское "словно разговаривать с другом после долгой разлуки", я удивляюсь, почему не читаю ее книг, с которыми так хорошо, подряд. Каждый раз, заканчивая очередной цикл - а пишет она, по большей части, трилогиями - понимаю, что массив примерно на две тысячи страниц, и есть та самая причина. Погружение в миры Хобб, со стандартным для нее: первый роман трилогии страниц на 650, второй на 820, третий на 890 - берет много времени, сил, внимания. Заметьте никто из читателей не пеняет на чрезмерную затянутость и не сообщает, что если бы сократить вдвое (втрое. вчетверо) вышла бы отличная вещь, а так... Событийная плотность, внезапные повороты сюжета, безупречная повествовательная логика и мотивированность персонажей, каждого из которых видишь живым - здесь каждое слово на месте. Но это именно странствие по миру писательницы, не туристический экскурсионный набег, и в наше торопливое время нужно очень соскучиться по хорошему, чтобы пренебречь тяготами путешествия ради даруемых им радостей.

Однако ключевое здесь "соскучиться по хорошему", и если вас не пугают книги объемом больше полутора сотен страниц - вам сюда. "Судьба шута" кульминация "Саги о Шуте и Убийце". напомню, условие помолвки принца Дьютифула с наследни��ей короны Внешних островов, призванной закрепить мир и содействовать взаимовыгодной торговле - голова вмерзшего в лед дракона Айсфира, которая должна быть доставлена женихом к материнскому очагу невесты. Вы бы согласились на такую авантюру? Нет? Я тоже. Вот потому мы с вами не герои эпического фэнтези. Герой пятнадцатилетний Дьютифул, которого заносчивая, да к тому же навязанная, невеста скорее выбешивает, чем привлекает - он соглашается.

В ходе плавания к Внешним островам, главный золотовалютный резерв скилла Шести Герцогств, олигофрен Олух, создает приставленному к нему Фитцу множество проблем, ставя под угрозу миссию в целом. Внезапно помощь приходит от Неттл, родной дочери героя, наделенной стихийным скиллом, которым овладела самостоятельно. Девушка давно приходит в сны Фитца, демонстрируя удивительную способность изменять реальность в ходе снотворчества, может даже изгонять драконицу Тинталью, которая все настойчивее вторгается в них за сведениями об истинном драконе. Хотя это до поры. Когда герой понимает, какую опасность представляет леди-дракон для его дочери в реальности, он просит королеву забрать девушку в замок. Мир Неттл без того пошел трещинами: братишка Свифт сбежал, отец пустился на поиски и был ограблен-избит; после тот, кто являлся ей в сновидениях в образе волка и кого она считала другом, обещал возвращение брата, но тот так и не появился (на самом деле, Фитц отослал мальчишку домой, узнав, что семья не отправляла его в Замок для обучения уиту, но тот нашел способ пробраться на корабль посольства, нанявшись пажом). А тут еще и отрывают от семьи, везут в место, где заносчивые придворные будут потешаться над ней, фермерской дочкой. И она разрывает связь с Фитцем.

В этом вся Робин Хобб, с упоительной непростотой ее мира, где не бывает черного и белого, сугубо положительных и прямо отрицательных героев. Ну, то есть, отъявленные злодеи таки есть, но "наши" никогда не безоговорочно хороши,и перенесенные страдания вкупе с прежними заслугами, не дают пожизненной индульгенции, всякий раз заново ставя перед новым непростым выбором. Вот и теперь, Шут признается герою, что намерен помешать убийству Айсфира, что возрождение Эры Драконов, которое станет результатом встречи оживленного Черного и Тинтальи не сулит человечеству легкой жизни, но оно необходимо, чтобы мир не рухнул. Это не только ставит под угрозу миссию, но грозит смертью самому Шуту, с чем Фитц смириться не может. Спасая друга, он должен не допустить его участия в экспедиции, тем предавая его.

Бесконечные качели между желанием и долгом, любовью и ненавистью, жизнью и смертью, красотой и уродством остановятся в финале (на время, потому что будет еще продолжение) в наиболее благоприятной для любимых героев точке, подарив им некоторое время передышки, а нас укрепив в (весьма относительной) вере в победу добра. Ну должно же хорошим людям повезти хоть в книгах!

[Jake Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beautiful, and heart wrenching finale to Tawny Man trilogy is another masterpiece from Robin Hobb
Updating to say that 9.6/10 was too harsh, and that is basically the rating of a hater, so bumping it up to

It just got better with age, and time to sit on it
9.8/10

[Evie Byrne]

I was very happy with this series (though I wouldn't recommend anyone read it without reading the Farseer trilogy first). I must have been happy because I read all three books within a week at the cost of many hours of sleep.

However, can I just say to those of you who have read these books that I couldn't really buy the Molly thing? Is anyone with me on this? I understand she represents home and hearth for him (or cave and cubs!) and perhaps his lost youth. But she just wasn't a compelling character for me. More like a port in which to dock a ship.

[Helene Jeppesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things picked up a lot from the second book in this trilogy, and this conclusion to the Tawny Man series became highly entertaining and compelling. I loved how things developed for Fitz and obviously, I loved the conclusion as well. Right now, I'm actually tempted to continue reading about him in Hobb's 5th series that takes place in this world, but for now I will just enjoy what I've already read of him because it was really good :)

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that we get to see Burrich again and that finally Fitz gets the life he deserves. The Fool sees his vision fulfilled, Dutiful becomes a man, the mystery of the Narcheska, solved. Robin Hobb really leaves no stone unturned in her writing, so much detail and connection, all minutely threaded between her books. Magnificent!

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

So viel Liebe!!🤧🤧❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[ana ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

frankly i dont like this review but i want to write smth so here it is

i took a long time thinking of what to write here and what are my final thoughts on this trilogy and while many readers find the Tawny Man trilogy to be a superior reading experience, particularly in terms of character development and emotional impact, i don’t share that view. indeed, i enjoyed the Tawny Man books a lot, the Farseer Trilogy still stands above it in every way. for me of course.

so… after a whole lotta prep and emotional damage back home, we finally board the ship that’s supposed to drag us and Molly's entire bloodline into international politics. thank god, cus i’d been cooped up in the six duchies for way too long. now we’re sailing straight for the narcheska and her icy archipelago of cryptic cultural customs. finally, some movement.

prince Dutiful has to prove his love (or at least his diplomatic usefulness) by decapitating a ice-blocked dragon and yeeting its head into his fiancée’s ancestral fireplace. this is apparently the only acceptable way to secure peace and economic prosperity. personally i’d swipe left. but Dutiful, my favourite fantasy poster boy says “yolo😹✌️”

we get a lore drop and all the weird loose ends and cryptic worldbuilding finally start clicking into place. so apparently the universe has a user manual and Fitz has been ignoring it since birth. his dad was never supposed to make it past chapter one and Fitz was never meant to live either. and yet Fitz just keeps dragging himself forward, dragging everyone else with him too. the Fool dumps a lifetime of suppressed feelings back into his head, and basically hits reset on Fitz's emotional development. unfortunately now he has to go fix decades of burned bridges, ignored children, and whatever emotional shrapnel he left behind on his way to becoming the saddest man alive.

about the Fool, i never expected hobb to break him so completely that he’d lose all sense of purpose. it felt harsh, especially since he was one of the few who truly understood his value and believed in every plan his changer set in motion. their relationship still feels blurry, like we got explanations but not the full picture. for now i see them as one unit, neither could have saved the world without the other.

i'm not happy that Fitz suddenly ends up back with Molly. i've always disliked the cliché where the hero marries his high school sweetheart after saving the day and frankly i don’t like Molly either. after seeing his amazing relationship with the Fool grow over three books, it feels frustrating that he ends up with someone he hasn't talked to in 16 years. sure Molly gives him a sense of family and community, but ending up with her feels like such a sharp disconnect from all the growth Fitz has shown in other parts of his life. it’s super unsatisfying from a storytelling perspective. yeah it’s classic Fitz to retreat into simplicity instead of facing messier stuff, but he’s evolved so much elsewhere that teasing big change and then pulling this feels like a letdown.

the adventures never grabbed me in this trilogy as much as their relationships and personal growth. the bond between the farseers was huge for the plot, it showed how different everything might’ve been if Fitz hadn’t kept so many secrets for sixteen years. now he’s stuck feeling ashamed and scared to face the consequences. thanks to Patience for shaking everyone awake, she’s got more energy and common sense than this entire kingdom.

to me Hobb’s story feels like a family saga starring Fitz, who somehow manages to mess up everywhere, every time, with everyone. plus there’s this fascinating world of magic that’s complex, layered, and demanding real skill, not the usual “wave your hands and poof” stuff. but i’m taking a breather before going into the next Fitz and Fool trilogy

[seana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit 1: I haven’t cried this much because of a book since Babel. Just the sheer amount of angst and hurt-comfort killed me.



“I wanted to kill her then. But I would have had to set his body down and I would not do that. She could not make me abandon him again. I would not set him down and I would not look back at her.”

““I will give you all your dreams, if only you come back!”
My dream was dead in my arms. I continued to walk.”

“I pushed his golden hair back from his tawny forehead. “Oh, Beloved,” I said. I bent and kissed his brow in farewell. And then, grasping the rightness of that foreign tradition, I named him as myself. For when I burned him, I knew I would be ending myself, as well. The man I had been would not survive this loss. “Good-bye, FitzChivalry Farseer.””

“All that night, I cradled him in my arms, as closely as if he were my child or my lover. As closely as if he were my self, wounded and alone. I held him while he wept, and I held him after his weeping was done. I let him take whatever comfort he could in the warmth and strength of my body. I have never felt less of a man that I did so.””

“He lifted my hand and tenderly kissed the sword-callused palm of it, and then held it in both of his. It was farewell, and I knew it, and knew I could do nothing to stop it. ”


These two will genuinely be the death of me, all these scenes and more had me in a wreck, I mean like sobbing my eyes out at 2AM and waking up the next day with puffy eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that Fitz defied literal fate and destiny itself to bring The Fool back to life.Yeah no one is doing it like them.

Also the poem. THE FUCKING POEM.

“In that last dance of chances
I shall partner you no more.
I shall watch another turn you
As you move across the floor.

In that last dance of chances
When I bid your life good-bye
I will hope she treats you kindly.
I will hope you learn to fly.

In that last dance of chances
When I know you'll not be mine
I will let you go with longing
And the hope that you'll be fine.

In that last dance of chances
We shall know each other's minds.
We shall part with our regrets
When the tie no longer binds.”

How am I supposed to be move on from this?!


This isn’t five stars because as much as I loved this book I think it could’ve been a 100 or so pages shorter, and also I don’t really know how to feel about that ending. Anyways I’m going to speed my way through the rain wild chronicles so that I can get to the fitz and the fool trilogy!

Edit 2: I know I initially said I was going to give this four stars but I feel like I have to bump it up to a 5 or at least a 4.5 despite the few problems I had with it, solely due to the fact that I CANT STOP thinking about this damn book.

Every day since the day I started it to the day I finished it and even now weeks since it’s been over, the events of this book and the characters literally haunt my mind.

So 4 → 4.5