Golden Fool (The Tawny Man, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: one of the best
Review: This is one of the best books i've ever read, one of the best series I've ever read. Hobb is a fantastic storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendously exciting!
Review: This is the second book in The Tawny Man trilogy (after Fool's Errand, and before Fool's Fate).

With Dutiful's safe return to Buckkeep, the castle is now abustle with the prince's bethrotal to Elliania, the Outislander narcheska, which will seal the peace treaty between the Six Duchies and their past enemy.

In the political background, there's a lot going on. Despite Queen Kettricken's efforts, the case of the Witted folk is far from being resolved, with the Piebald extremists still keen on getting people's attention by all means necessary, including denouncement and murder. To crown it all, a delegation from Bingtown arrived in the middle of the bethrotal festivities to ask for help in their conflict with the Chalced States. And strange veiled emissaries from the Rain Wilds have started to speak of dragons. The Outislanders threaten to end the peace negotiations if Kettricken agrees to help the Bingtowners.

This all leads to Dutiful blundering one evening, involuntarily insulting the narcheska. To prove the good will of the queen and prince, she'll dare the latter to slay the legendary dragon Icefyre, which lies imprisoned in a glacier on the island of Aslevjal. Dutiful has little choice but to comply.

So Fitz, who's posing as the Fool's (or should I say Lord Golden's) servant and bodyguard under the name of Tom Badgerlock, has got a lot on his mind too. Knowing his mastering of the magic is rather limited, he reluctantly agrees to become Skillmaster. Indeed, Dutiful will need the help of a Coterie in order to fulfill his quest. But where to find other potential members?

Meanwhile Fitz's foster son Hap is now apprentice to Gindast. But it isn't long before Svanja, a girl from town, turns his head away from the wood-worker's workshop.

Whereas Fool's Errand was set mainly in the countryside and forests of Buck, in The Golden Fool, most of the action takes place in Buckkeep castle and town themselves. So much happens, so many twists and turns, it's tremendously exciting! I got lost in the labyrinthine secret corridors of the keep, and I was as eager as a kitchen maid for the latest gossip. There are wonderfully exhilarating passages, such as when the Fool, Dutiful, Chade and Thick unite to save Fitz, or when connections with the Liveship Traders trilogy start to become obvious. I don't know how to explain this feeling, but I know that only Robin Hobb's books get me intoxicated with such glee!

Rating:
Summary: The rise of Dutiful
Review: Golden Fool is clearly a building exercise to book three, Fool's Fate. While the transition from book one to book two was clean, books two and three are really halves of the same book. You can't take a break between them because so much is left in the moment at the end of Golden Fool.

There are a few major plot lines that run through Golden Fool, however Hobb interweaves them with long wavelengths, such that one plot line is left hanging for very many chapters while another is addressed, and you being to stop caring about the other plot line, and even wondering if Hobb plans to pick it back up at all.

I was also disappointed at the lack of another Fitz witbond. His Wit usage was always one of the most interesting aspects of the books, and the current disuse leaves a void in the story.

Rating:
Summary: Very good middle novel
Review: "Golden Fool" is the bridge from "Fool's Errand" to "Fool's Fate." In "Fool's Errand," FitzChivalry Farseer accompanies the enigmatic Lord Golden (the Fool in another persona) on a quest to save Prince Dutiful so that Dutiful can be engaged to an Outisland Narcheska (princess) and thus build a peaceful coalition. In "Golden Fool," Fitz is believed, by most, to be dead, but sets up residence in the Royal Keep, in the guise of Lord Golden's servant. What he is really doing is investigating the work of the Piebald underground, trying to master the Skill, trying to teach the Skill to Prince Dutiful, and trying to help guide his well-meaning but love-struck son, Hap.


Robin Hobb's characters are very believable and very likeable. The Fool (Lord Golden) is a very strange entity, whose species and gender are not entirely certain. Fitz is the ultimate hero/non-hero; he does not seek glory, but always tries to do his best for those whom he cares about.


The pace of this novel is a bit slow, compared to the Farseer trilogy and to "Fool's Errand." For over half the book, FitzChivalry tries to be careful and avoid mistakes, but the end result is that his every effort goes awry. He damages every relationship he has, and becomes increasingly depressed. He is grieving the loss of his Wit bond-partner, Nighteyes the wolf, and is really trying to figure out to be a person, separate from Nighteyes. Unfortunately, this section is very detailed, very depressing to Fitz, and not much fun for the reader. Once Fitz finally throws caution to the wind and takes a bold, and necessary action, the whole story lights up with action, and emerges from semi-stagnation. The last quarter of the book has a very different tone to it and, while there are many loose ends left, the reader knows that the conclusion of the saga is definitely on the horizon.


Middle books of trilogies need to do several things: clarify a few things from the preceding book; develop the characters further; lay more groundwork for the conclusion; prune out some unnecessary storylines; add a few characters or items that will be needed for the conclusion; and point to a few possible directions for the conclusion. This book does all of those things. It would have earned five stars from me, if it were not for how bogged down it gets, in parts, in FitzChivalry's mourning and depressive self-defeatism.


A note about names: I was initially put off by the odd names used in these books, and I see that other reviewers have commented on the names as well. The tradition is explained in the Farseer Trilogy: people, and especially nobles, are given names which their parents hope will shape the characters of their children. That is how Hobb ended up naming characters things like, "Chivalry," "Dutiful," "Verity," "Regal," "Patience," and "Hap" (short for "Mishap").

Rating:
Summary: Hard to take any of this too seriously; after all...
Review: ...with character names such as Dutiful and Chivalry, Ms Hobbs' efforts are more suitable for the "Barney-Goes-To Camelot" generation than mature readers.

Many years of reading, and for the first time a book gave me a headache. Ms Hobbs delvings into the incredibly boring minutiae of castle life without a whiff or two of something resembling action makes this a tedious read at best.

Take a pass on these efforts and save yourself the expense of not only the book but the additional Excedrins necessary to complete the read.



Rating:
Summary: A very flawed story
Review: Guaranteed that the Tawny Man series is much better than the Farseer Trilogy, still there are too many flaws for me to simply ignore and enjoy the story.

1) How can a nation comprised of six dutchies have a ruler, but no administration under the ruler? There are no ministers, no councils, no army command line, nothing. There's just a useless old man called Chade, who has assumed the title of Councilor in this series, and who spends more time training assasins and spies than governing the realm of the Six Dutchies. And every character in the book then complaints that he / she has no time for anything else and is torn between family and duty! Can a story get more absurd and ridiculous than this?

2) Even though Fitz is thirty five years of age, he is still treated by a boy of 15 by everyone around him, including himself. Every other paragraph, you can see these words "I observed the room as Chade taught me (25 years back)". I mean, who the hell remembers what someone taught 25 years back, and makes a pointed reference to it everytime? These little things make it seem as if Fitz never really grew up. And the continued practice of Chade calling Fitz "boy" adds weightage to that feeling.

3) The author forces too many emotions into the characters. For example, everytime Fitz sees the queen, he would feel "proud" and have "tears in his eyes", or "feel grateful" or "become overwhelmed with sympathy". Which is strange, because no one else seems to reciprocate his intensity of feelings, and he never recognizes this. Despite all that he has gone through and he has shared with the others, he refuses to give himself the rightful respect that he deserves. And which is why everyone else treats him the same way too. The same conflicting emotions - duty vs family, or peace and solitude vs intrigue and excitement - continue to be a major part of Fitz's character. One would imagine that a man of 35, who has gone through hell and been back, would have mastered these once and far all and resolved himself to his fate.

4) The most important of Fitz's companions - Nighteyes - has been awarded very little importance in book 2 and book 3. There's hardly any mention of the wolf, and it's as he never existed! I can't believe that Fitz, who continous to mourn for Verity and Molly and all those people who never really shared his soul, would hardly even mourn for Nighteyes!

5) Just like the hero of Terry Goodkind's fantasy series, Fitz never gets around to mastering his magic even in Book 5! I know that this is a strategic decision by the author and central to the story plot, but it really becomes irritating to be constantly reminded of Galen's mistreatment of Fitz and how Fitz suffered during his treatment. We all know that Fitz cannot skill as well as others. So just get on with it, for God's sake! So why does Fitz need to get it reviewed every time with Chade in his chambers? And keep comparing himself to Dutiful? Will there be no end to this torture?

I can continue with the list of flaws, but I think readers would have got the idea by now. This was have been a good story with lots of potential, but the author has killed it with her immature writing and complete lack of character development. What a pity!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and Slow
Review: Unfortunately, the Golden Fool continues the downward spiral of the Fitz books. While the original trilogy was entertaining and lively, this volume plods on with unbearable slowness. The crossovers with the Liveship trilogy don't help matters, as those who are unfamiliar with those books will have a hard time keeping the characters straight. A number of reviewers have commented on the character development; however, what we really have is not so much development as Fitz acting far more stupidly than in past books. It is this 'stupid behavior' that creates much of the conflict (like a horror film where the people keep doing the one thing you know they shouldn't do). Further, Hobbs pulls her gay theme out of nowhere, springing it on the readers after the four previous books have not dealt with it. Those sensitive to the topic should beware of picking this book up. Overall, this volume simply doesn't compare to the first three. Frankly, Hobbs should have stopped there, while she was ahead.

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.