The Golden Fool

November 18, 2002
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. (Jan. 7)FYI:Robin Hobb is the pseudonym of Megan Lindholm.

January 15, 2003
After the death of his wolf bondmate, FitzChivalry Farseer seeks to hide himself from the world and mourn his loss. His responsibilities as Prince Dutiful's skill master (assassin), however, require him to remain at Buckkeep Castle to keep an eye out for trouble brewing in the kingdom. The sequel to Fool's Errand continues the tale of an unlikely hero trying to serve his kingdom in a land wracked by internal and external strife. The author of the "Farseer" and "Liveship Traders" series once again demonstrates her storytelling expertise as well as her knack for creating genuinely believable characters. A good choice for most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2002
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)