Rating: 
Summary: Very Well Developed Characters
Review: I don't think I've read a character as frustrating and endearing as Fitz. Robin Hobb does an excellent job developing interesting,and human (if not always completely realistic) characters. Usually with a main character who makes decisions as poorly as Fitz, I can't enjoy the book, and in fact, that tainted my enjoyment of the Farseer trilogy. It seems that either I've gotten used to it, or Ms. Hobb has done a better job walking that tightrope, because I've greatly enjoyed the Tawny Man series thus far.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful novel - her best since "Royal Assassin"
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Fitz stays true to himself-- frustrating and very human.
Review: Hobb is consistently such a good fantasy writer and this book is not an exception to that rule. It isn't her best, which is why I'm giving it four stars instead of five, but I'm impressed at the number of books that she's managed to write while still keeping me enthusiastically attached to the series. I was actually pretty seriously disappointed that the final book in the trilogy won't be released in paperback for another six months. People have pointed out that this is a character development book, and that's clearly true. But there isn't anything wrong with that and endless saga writers like Rober Jordan should take a lesson about how it's done.
Rating:
Summary: Superb characterisation
Review: This book is excellent, a worthy successor to the Liveship and Assassin series. It is reminiscent of Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books with a protagonist who has very human failings and has to live with the consequences of the decisions he has made in the past. The other characters in the book are similarly complex, and it's the interaction between the various characters, and the dialogue that keep you turning the pages, rather than the somewhat low-key plot. I also enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the Liveship books, and the hints about what is happening in Bingtown. The other thing I like about the series is that I am confident that Hobb will tie finish the series up in the third book, rather than subjecting to us to a long, drawn-out sequence of novels of ever-decreasing quality, a la Robert Jordan or David Farland. Can't wait for book three!
Rating:
Summary: Great but slower than you'd expect
Review: I've been disappointed with a lot of eagerly awaited novels lately, authors and series I've always enjoyed suddenly have seemed padded and slow ( Jordan, Cherryh, etc)
I'm not disappointed here but maybe slightly wistful for the furious and frantic pace of her earlier books. Ms. Hobb normally builds up a trilogy of seemingly intactable and heartrending problems that are only resolved in the last third of the last part of a trilogy, normally in a fairly bittersweet fashion.
This isn't the case here, for instance a plotline is wether Fitz's adopted son will lose his apprenticeship. Beautifully written and observed but not saving the world stuff.
I wonder if this will conclude in three novels. For Ms Hobb to conclude this in a single book she will have to seriously accelerate the pace.
As usual the writing is of the finest quality, though as others have said start with the Assasin books and Liveships before you read this.
If you are a Hobb fan you should love this but I wonder if I'm alone in feeling that this was a trifle slow.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: Each and every book of this series has been outstanding. The people are real, the story well thought out. Finally we see the connection between the Farseer books and the Liveship Traders. I clued in just before I read about the Fool. Alhough there is so much more Ms Hobb an do to expand on the middle trilogy. Based on what I have read so far of Ms Hobb's, I will buy whatever she writes. Although she says she will not write more of this world unless there is a real story to write ... I hope that happens. There is a whole series just on the return of the Elderlings! Anyway. Oustanding book. Outstanding series. Outsdtanding writer. Can't wait to read the next one, although I do it with a heavy heart if it's the last.
Rating: 
Summary: Give it a rest!
Review: I picked up the first of this series thinking I was in for a treat. After finishing the first, I wasn't particularly happy with how things were turning out, but I figured things could only get better, so I decided to read the other two in the trilogy. Boy was I wrong! I think every imaginable bad thing, as well as a whole bunch of unimaginable bad things, happened to the main charracter, Fitz. I was thoroughly disgusted with the trilogy, the author, and everyone else in general, after finishing the third book. Then, much to my suprise, the first in The Tawny Man trilogy came out. I was unable to control my morbid curiosity, and reluctantly picked up the first book. It was like when you drive by a car accident and you can't help but look over and see what's happening. I knew I wasn't going to like what I saw, but I had to look anyway. I was right. I really really didn't like it, or the second one, _The Golden Fool_. The author, I think, was trying to make the characters seem real. According to the other reviews, she did a good job. I, however, was disappointed with how Fitz would agonize over decisions and events, but for some reason refused to make any intelligent choices. Everyone else seemed to like all the disasters that happened to Fitz. Gave the book depth, or whatever. Not me. I mean, I would consider myself a pretty mature reader. I can take it when characters die, and bad things happen. But these books just totally depressed me and infuriated me. There were about a million different things Fitz could have done to make things turn out okay for everyone, but he had this masochistic tendency to do things for other people that would directly result in the destruction of everything he held dear.
Overall, I disliked these books. I gues most would disagree with me saying they weren't a good read. I don't know. If you like books where everyone but the main character are happy, then go for it. They were definitely interesting. I just found myself wanting to shoot someone/thing after reading these books. I will not be reading the final installation. This book felt like a waste of time, and I refuse to read the last book, because I'm not sure I can take another depressing ending. This book got so many good reviews, I felt obligated to write a bad one. Especially since I didn't like it.
Rating:
Summary: Intrigue, Secrets, and Deceit galore!
Review: A middle book?! A boring book?! These things I have read in others' reviews of this book, and have left me flabbergasted! I have never read a Robin Hobb book before, nor have I had much luck before with reading fantasy novels. But this book, I could not put it down! For two nights, I got little to no sleep... It is a rare thing to find in fantasy novels: such intrigue and deceit that could compare to castle courts of the Renaissance and Middle Ages, yet such an imaginative and fanciful twist to it as well. This book is written with a rich historical flair, but you can expect to find dragons and magic coursing through these pages. The characters come to life, and you'll find yourself reading each chapter with fear and eager anticipation as you sympathize with these people you have come to know and love so well! Character development, yes... If you are one of those people who need daring fights and bloody, smoking battlefields to be "action" enough for you, you might miss the mind-tangling subtlety of court intrigue. Everyone is caught in a spiderweb, all the threads interconnecting and leading everywhere. This book is definitely addictive, and definitely going to leave you running in circles, rethinking things over again and again! A fantastic worth-while read!
Rating:
Summary: Good Writing but Still a Middle Book
Review: This second book, like so many others, suffers from the Middle Book Syndrome. The main (only?) focus of this book is character developement. There is hardly any action, and it was a little hard for me at first to be able to put my finger on a climax. In fact, I think there is less action in this book than any of her other books so far. Why, then, could I not put it down? Well, in a manner of speaking, I think that Robin Hobb can write the most interesting boring story of any of the authors out there. While there wasn't much action, there were plenty of plot developements to keep me interested. Lots of things going on at the court and in Fitz's life, and it was hard to keep up with all them. Something important did happen in almost every chapter, so the novel did seem fast-paced. In fact, I don't think I've ever been so entranced in a novel that had apparently no action. The characterization no doubt played a part there as well, and this time it's not so limited to Fitz. And, Mrs. Hobb also brought unfinished plot threads from her Liveship series into this book. I'm starting to see the picture: the Tawny Man is going to be a conclusion to both her previous series. So, this novel was, all in all, a gripping read. However, I still couldn't give more than four stars. The best books are the ones that combine fast-paced action with complex plots and great characterizations. (Assassin's Quest was one of those.) Those books are rare, and that's five stars in my book. I think many reviewers don't realize what five stars means. Anyway, Golden Fool could've been better if there was action. It's a middle book. While it was entertaining of its own accord, it still served mainly as an introduction to the last volume. Mrs. Hobb has certainly introduced a lot; it makes me wonder if she will wrap it all up. But then, I felt the same way while reading Assassin's Quest, and I was pleasantly surprised when she did it , without rushing. I get the feeling that Fool's Fate is going to be one hell of a book. Now I just have to wait for it to come out in paperback.
Rating:
Summary: An amazingly intricate series
Review: The main reason I love this series is because of it's complicated political plot. It really makes you think about what's going on. I like the way the characters are all flawed; none of them is perfect,not even close. The biggest problem with this book and the first one is that a lot of text is used to describe not much happening, but you only notice that at the end. And when you get down to it, who cares? It's really gripping and if nothing much happens, so what? the third book certainly makes up for it with twice as much happening as in the first 2 books combined. The good thing is, it doesn't even seem rushed. This book opens some intriguing questions, mainly about Elliania and Peottre. What is that tattoo, for example? Where is Elliania's mother? Who are the rain wild traders and this dragon which seems to be popping up everywhere? (If you want to know more about Tintaglia and the rain wilders, read the liveship traders series. I wouldn't reccomend it as much - it's a bit slow to start). The Outislanders and their customs is a refreshing break from the Six Duchies culture, which I find is a typical fantasy setting somewhat resembling the middle ages. I like the way the women are in charge, but it still has the traditional, and irritating, belief that women should stay home to look after the home. Not for the first time, we are shown Fitz's relationship problems in very close detail. I understand his trouble with his bastard daughter, Nettle (who doesn't know she is his daughter) but I wish he would do something about it. Also, he never even seems to attempt to copy Nettle's dream making talent, simply submitting to his terrifying and traumatic nightmares without putting up a fight.
I feel for him with his troubles with Hap. Isn't that every father's worry? And didn't he do the same when he was young? But the episode with Jinna is frankly embarrassing. (get a life, Fitz!)
I hated it when Fitz and the Fool had that fight. Hobb is really good at helping you see from Fitz's point of view; it's like you're right inside his head. But when the Fool explains his reasoning, I felt that that was perfectly reasonable too. Alas, Fitz, you do have a problem with your relationships, don't you?
And last, but not least, why didn't Fitz go and see Burrich? It's the one of two things in the entire series that I just think 'No, that's not what he would have done'. It's a great book. Everyone, read it. It's definitely worth it and doesn't succumb to any of the usual problems with Fantasy.
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