Fool's Errand: The Tawny Man Trilogy Book 1 (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 2001; vuoden 2002 painos)

Plus another half star..... I thoroughly enjoyed the first assassins trilogy years ago and I've really enjoyed being back with Fitz and Nighteyes. This series is 'The Tawny Man' so I expect the Fool's presence to build up in part 2. It's a comforting read and good for bedtime despite dealing with unsettling issues - race, class and gender. Usually I go pale at the sight of a single volume of 700 pages, much less 3 books, but while I would encourage a bit of condensing I do read it all - no skipping along as it has content, not just filler. ( )

After spending some time in Bingtown, the Rain Wilds and the open sea I'm finally back in the Six Duchies. Yet another fantastic book by Robin Hobb. This one was very dark and quite sad though. Fitz gets some new scars, as he usually does. Oh, and there are cats in this book. Lots and lots of cats.
All in all, I warmly recommend this book. Robin Hobb is a word-magician. ( )

Quickly turning into one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. ( )

I really enjoyed getting back into the bastard's world, although honestly, most of the novel was pastoral and catching up with the main character after almost two decades of living without adventure. When the story picked up, the intrigue was decent and the developments hinted at greater things for the future. It was almost like enjoying his comfortable life was a well earned and just reward for what happened to him as a child. Being drawn back into the world of royalty seemed inevitable because of his children, his friendship with the Fool, and the decline of Nighteyes. He needed to find a new reason to live, and becoming a teacher seemed right to me.

The plot really began much later in the book, and while I don't have a problem with that, per se, I did feel a little like the later action was an afterthought. Or the pastoral was only a means to make sense of the later action. Either one or the other was fine, but together I was left with an odd disjointed feeling.

That being said, I still really enjoyed the characters and the direction it's taking. I'm still very interested in seeing the developments.
( )

Fitz is grumpy and lonely and his head and back hurts all the time and both the mundane and enormous responsibilities of his life feel equally unbearable which like, big mood. I was hoping for escapism though. ( )