Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Robin Hobb (Author), Stephen Youll (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003 | Series: Hobb, Robin

The acclaimed Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogies established Robin Hobb as one of the most splendidly imaginative practitioners of world-class fantasy.

Now, in Book 2 of her most stunning trilogy yet, Hobb continues the soul-shattering tale of FitzChivalry Farseer. With rich characters, breathtaking magic, and sweeping action, Golden Fool brings the reluctant adventurer further into the fray in an epic of sacrifice, salvation, and untold treachery.

Golden Fool

Prince Dutiful has been rescued from his Piebald kidnappers and the court has resumed its normal rhythms. But for FitzChivalry Farseer, a return to isolation is impossible. Though gutted by the loss of his wolf bondmate, Nighteyes, Fitz must take up residence at Buckkeep and resume his tasks as Chade’s apprentice assassin. Posing as Tom Badgerlock, bodyguard to Lord Golden, FitzChivalry becomes the eyes and ears behind the walls. And with his old mentor failing visibly, Fitz is forced to take on more burdens as he attempts to guide a kingdom straying closer to civil strife each day.

The problems are legion. Prince Dutiful’s betrothal to the Narcheska Elliania of the Out Islands is fraught with tension, and the Narcheska herself appears to be hiding an array of secrets. Then, amid Piebald threats and the increasing persecution of the Witted, FitzChivalry must ensure that no one betrays the Prince’s secret—a secret that could topple the Farseer throne: that he, like Fitz, possesses the dread “beast magic.”

Meanwhile, FitzChivalry must impart to the Prince his limited knowledge of the Skill: the hereditary and addictive magic of the Farseers. In the process, they discover within Buckkeep one who has a wild and powerful talent for it, and whose enmity for Fitz may have disastrous consequences for all.

Only Fitz’s enduring friendship with the Fool brings him any solace. But even that is shattered when unexpected visitors from Bingtown reveal devastating secrets from the Fool’s past. Now, bereft of support and adrift in intrigue, Fitz’s biggest challenge may be simply to survive the inescapable and violent path that fate has laid out for him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blindness comes in many forms. For angst-ridden FitzChivalry Farseer, the blindness isn't physical but rather an inability to gauge character. Fitz, the hero of this second volume in the trilogy that began with Fool's Errand (2002), reluctantly returns, disguised as a servant, to Buckkeep town in the Six Duchies to be skill-master to Prince Dutiful, the king-in-waiting. Fitz is mourning the loss of his wolf bondmate Nighteyes, hating his disguise, worrying about his foster son's behavior in Buckkeep and frantically trying to learn enough about the Skill to stay ahead of the prince during their training sessions. Fitz jumps from crisis to crisis like a bowling ball tossed onto a trampoline-his failure to look deeply at others' motivations plunges him into a morass of poorly thought-out actions and badly managed confrontations. The harder Fitz tries, the worse his situation gets. The author juggles all the balls with aplomb, besides providing spot-on characterizations. The intrigue and double-dealing of the Farseer royal court are spider webs of interconnections, while the plot itself keeps the reader bouncing from one theory to another, right up to the somewhat abrupt ending. The writing may not be quite as fine as that in Hobb's Assassins series (Assassin's Apprentice, etc.), but this latest nonetheless shows why she ranks near the top of the high fantasy field.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A stout and good if not independently readable continuation of Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy, Golden Fool follows Fool's Errand [BKL D 15 01] closely in the real world as well as its predecessor's fictional realm. FitzChivalry Farseer is back at work as apprentice to master assassin Chade, but the master is nearing the end of his life. Nor is that the young assassin's only problem. The rescued Prince Dutiful isn't living up to his name and in his dereliction threatens to disclose his secret and scandalous possession of beast magic. Moreover, Farseer's wolf bondmate, Nighteyes, is dead, and the valuable companionship of the Fool (formerly known as the Tawny Man) is threatened not only by the Fool's own quirks of character but also by a number of deadly secrets he holds. Altogether, there is enough intrigue of both the martial and magical variety to keep the characters up to their tailbones in alligators and readers turning pages--effects Hobb has yet to fail at producing. Fantasy readers know this, and librarians should react accordingly. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; First Edition edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553801511
• ISBN-13: 978-0553801514
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin Hobb lives and writes in Tacoma, Washington. Robin is best known as the author of the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest.) Other works include The Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, and the Soldier Son trilogy. The Rain Wilds Chronicles is now complete, published as Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven. A story collection, The Inheritance, is now with the publishers and should appear in 2011. As of July 2010 the current work in progress is a tale another Rain Wilds story, one that continued the adventures of the Tarman Expedition. This untitled work will be published in 2012.

Robin Hobb also writes as Megan Lindholm.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How much can one man take?, January 5, 2003

By 

Richard Raley "The King Henry Tapes" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2) (Hardcover)

What to say of FitzChivalry Farseer? An epic character, who's, thanks to Robin Hobb, life unfolds before us. So many different things happen within "Golden Fool" that it feels like real life. You know you had something for dinner a couple nights before but you just can't remember what.

This is fantasy at its best. It doesn't get bogged down with side plots but revels in them, the characters don't develop but live as we do, and most of all you really care what happens to any single person, whether it be Queen or cook. One of the most amazing parts is Hobb's ability to make you recall a character, even if they seem so small in the plot you still know them as a close cousin. They may pop up for but a page but you remember and enjoy every part of their character and the life they share with our hero.

You live the life of FitzChivalry as you read the Tawny Man Trilogy. You don't see the history of the Six Duchies, but embrace it through his eyes. In the first novel, "Fool's Errand" you felt just like Fitz. Reading the first half you felt like you were always catching up, as if time was flying by, trying to remember everything of old. You always were playing catch up through out the whole novel. But "Golden Fool" is different. In this novel you feel the weight of duty, each day in Fitz's life seems like a month as he dives back into the court of Buckkeep. And just so every page seems like a chapter to you, the book expands beyond its page numbers. You will sit down for hours unmoving only to stop and realize you've only read through a chapter or two in awe. You'll wonder if you will ever get through this novel just as Fitz wonders if he will ever go back to his quiet life in the country.

It is amazing work, beyond words, though I have tried. The only problem is that you must wait another year for the last piece of the trilogy. That you begin this story in the middle and you end it there too. Until a novel is written in which Fitz's soul crosses over to join those that have left before him it will never end for you, you'll always want more of him, and perhaps even after that you will cry for more of the Farseers from this extraordinary author.

Final Thought: Robin Hobb's Farseer novels are not read, they are experienced.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful novel - her best since "Royal Assassin", February 3, 2003

By 

S. Carroll (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2) (Hardcover)

First off: if you're a fantasy lover who's never read Robin Hobb before - or even if you're a non-fantasy reader who thinks fantasy books are too unrealistic for your taste -- do yourself a favor and go read "Assassin's Apprentice" right now. Right. Now.

For those who have read Hobb before:

This book is her best since "Royal Assassin." It's a splendid follow-up to her earlier series and easily surpasses the last Fitz book (which, though it was a pleasant return to the character, lacked a sweeping plot). Be warned, this is more of a "nefarious plot and royal intrigue" book than a slam-bang action riot - although there's one excellent action scene that shows us the deadly Fitz of old is back in business.

"Golden Fool" begins a few days after the end of "Fool's Errand." Grieving from the loss of Nighteyes, Fitz has to reintegrate into Buckkeep as "Tom Badgerlock" while avoiding the threat of assassination by the Witted Piebalds who survived the last book. There's more to Prince Dutiful's betrothed than meets the eye, and plots are afoot that even a cunning ex-assassin and the increasingly erratic Chade can't protect the Farseers from.

I liked the way the previous books haunt the background of this one. Old characters return, often with emotionally-devastating consequences as Fitz sees the effect his death has had on those he loves. The legend of the Wit-Bastard also dogs his steps as he sees himself proclaimed as a Witted hero by enemies and allies alike, at the same time that rumors of his survival come back into circulation. Meanwhile, Fitz's determination not to repeat mistakes made in his royal assassin days sometimes helps avert a crisis, and sometimes leads him to make new mistakes.

I'd recommend buying this book, even in hardcover, and I'm not much of a book buyer. What pushes it over the top for me is that there's a lot of emotional payoff from storylines left hanging from the last book and the original assassin series. Fitz's character has matured a lot, and though he is still capable of making disastrous mistakes, he's getting better at handling the routine demands placed on him by the Six Duchies and the Farseer family. Dutiful is also maturing into a very likable youth, and his growing relationship with Fitz makes for an enjoyable read.

The characterizations are as powerful as ever; be warned, however, that the cameos from The Liveship Trader books are quite substantial here. You can read the book without having read Hobb's other trilogy, but it's better if you have.

I give this one 5 stars.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great character development, January 20, 2003

By 

Douglas K. Bissell (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor, and if truth be told, better than the Farseer series. It's true that this volume consists mostly of character development, with little action (except for an incident involving Fitz). I found the description of the aftermath of that incident, that is Chade's, the Queen's, and Dutiful's individual reactions to it, to be very moving. And some family secrets are gradually coming out, too.

I can't agree with an earlier review that compared this to Robert Jordan's latest book. Jordan's is the 10th volume in a series in which lately everything happens at a glacial pace. Hobb's book is the second volume of a trilogy, and if it isn't full of action, it certainly sets the stage for the next book. If Hobb were Jordan, this book would be followed by another character development book...and another...and so on. This book does introduce several new characters, but they are vital to the plot, not tangential (like Jordan's).