Rating: 
Summary: FitzChivalry Farseer returns as Tom Badgerlock
Review: Ms. Hobb again delivers a very good story, and actually expands the Wit considerably, and continues to expand the fertile world of her imagination.Fitz still is Fitz, but he has changed a bit. It starts with a visit from Chade, and continues with the return of the Fool. Chade is very much similar to who he was at the end of Assassin's Quest, the Fool is considerably changed. As always, the story is far more character driven than many stories in the standard Fantasy genre. This is not to say there is no action, only that the action is not central to the story, but is appropriate when it occurs. Again the call of responsibility and duty pull Fitz into an adventure, ironically to in service to the Queen and the tracking of Prince Dutiful, her son. This proves to be a bit more difficult than it originally seems. Success does come, but as is normal with the Six Duchies, not wihtout sacrifice. It would appear that Assassin's Quest was written while Ms. Hobb had been indulging herself in Elfbark tea. This does not continue to be the case here. Though there are certain dark aspects to this book, it is much brighter than the conclusion of the Farseer trilogy. I would strongly recommend this book, but would suggest that one reads through the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest) first. The characters' histories are as much a part of the story as the story itself. There is no preface to delineate those very rich histories.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW....
Review: I awaited the release of this in paperback after having read the Farseer triology. I won't wait for the second book in this series to hit paperback. As soon as it is out in hardback, I will be buying it. This book lives up to everything I hoped it would be. It is a fluid continuation of her Farseer trilogy. Reading the Farseer trilogy is almost a must to get the full dynamics of the emotion Hobb weaves in this book. I honestly tried to "ration" this read. I simply could not do it.
Rating:
Summary: Warm, familiar and very very readable...
Review: I loved Hobb's Assassin series and persevered through the Liveship Traders series and was most relieved to be back with Fitz and the fool in this series. Although the story intially started with all the substance of the 2nd Liveship Trader book (I wasn't very nonplussed by that book - even if Hobb's won back my favour with the 3rd Liveship Trader book!), it picked up very quickly with the appearance of the Fool - now Lord Golden - and Fitz's return to Buckkeep. I found new respect for Hobb's at the end there - she had me absolutely balling my eyes without with her turn of phrase (I shall not mention anymore than that!)
But where this takes off, is the next book - already released in Australia... All I can tell you is if you haven't read the Liveship Traders - you HAVE TO, because the sequel to this contains a jaw-dropping chapter which rocks the entire foundation of the series (for me anyway) and if you haven't read the Liveship Traders, it will mean nothing. So, persevere folks because by golly, its worth it for the ending to this book and the developments in the next book!
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Summary: A multi-dimensional world
Review: 15 years have passed and FitzChivalry has grown older and weary of the world. Or so he thought. His isolation from the rest of the world had only brought his hunger for contact to greater heights with Chade's visit. Once again, he found that he has to play the role of the Catalyst that threatens to make or break the destiny of the Six Duchies. Hobb cleverly avoids making the mistake of many epic writers whose sequels circle around a fixed amount of information. With this new series, character development is aplenty, as Fitz struggles against dark memories of his past to strike out meaningful life for himself. What is more intriguing in this series is that it began to explore the half of Fitz's life that we didn't manage to examine in the first series, the Wit. While the Farseer series explored the magic of Skill, the Tawny Man began centering on the magic of Wit - its lore, its use and more importantly, its implications on the fate of the Six Duchies. The imagination and creativity that flowed to develop this new angle was impressive, showing yet another dimension of the magical world. And one begins to form the links between the Farseer and Liveship Traders as Hobb begins bridging the two magical worlds together, creating a multi-dimensional universe. Like all Hobb's books, Fool's Errand promises and delivers a well-rounded characterisation, with their flaws. Fitz is as stubborn as he once was 15 years ago, only older and more willing to listen and only to the Fool and Nighteyes at that. They have fears, rage and emotions that we can adapt to as a real person, very much alive rather than a 2-dimensional caricature. I have been an avid reader of Hobb's books, including the Farseer series and the Liveship Traders. She has shone a delightful new light at fantasy's favourite creatures, dragons, and magic. When I decided to pick up Fool's Errand, expectations were high that I will be brought to that magical world once again. I was not disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A novel to savor
Review: Those of you who have yet to read much of Robin Hobb's work are in for not merely a treat, but a veritable banquet. With her usual eloquence and imagination she breathes riotus, abundant life into the world of the Farseer dynasty .
Her novel opens with Fitzhugh Chivalry holed up on the edges of a civilization that teeters on the edge of anarchy. Fitz has been ill-used and has spent the last 15 years recovering from his trials and wounds and attempting to find meaning in a life beset with much pain and heartbreak. He is forced by old loyalties to aide his few, remaining friends in recovering the Farseer heir from the jaws of a magical plot.
As is usual for most of her books, this is not a novel to race through from one exciting battle to another. A reader will want to sip, sniff and savor the depth of feeling and description that Robin Hobb so ably imparts to her works. There is action aplenty, but I know of no other author able to develop characters, plot and bring a sense of wordly coherence that write in this genre. She is, in my view, the best current writer of fantasy and this book goes far in cementing her in that position. Hurrah!
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: As others have pointed out this book is best read after the assasins/liveship triology. Still a wickd read though (didn't want to finish it cos it was sooo good)
Rating:
Summary: A must read for Fantasy lovers
Review: I've just finished this book, the seventh in Hobb's magic world of intrigue, romance and balls-to-the-walls action. They've all been well written, well plotted and imaginative, with this Fool's Errand as good as the original Assassin's Apprentice. Read them in order, though -- they're all worth it. Hobb's style is a kind of cross between Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy and Robert Jordan's massive Wheel of Time. She has Ms. Le Guin's heart wrenching purity and characterization, and she has Mr. Jordan's fine story telling and action sequences. Painfully, she also has George R. R. Martin's exquisite sense of tragedy, crashing the reader into despair on a regular basis, then lifting them back to a peak of relieved joy. I realize I've just compared Ms. Hobb to three of my favorite modern fantasy writers. She may be the best of the lot. Read these books.
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Summary: mature followup to her first trilogy
Review: Fool's Errand begins a new trilogy from acclaimed fantasy novelist Robin Hobb. It is not required to read the previous trilogy, but it does make the experience richer. All important past events are mentioned a few times, so I kept up although I hadn't read the first series for several years now. There are great tie-ins with both her other trilogies, so if you have read her other books, you will really enjoy this one. I wasn't able to relate as much to this older, more mature character as I was to the characters in the Liveship Traders trilogy. I suspect this is because I am a young female and this book's main character is a middle-aged, experienced man. However, this very reason may make the book appealing to older readers, as so many fantasy novels focus on a youthful hero. Robin Hobb's matured writing style is reflected in the matured characters and broader range of human emotions. This is a complex book character-wise, although the story is easy to follow. As with all of Hobb's series, this one starts slow, allowing us to know our main characters before thrusting them into the action. However, it is never dull as so many introductions can be. Words and events are used judiciously. I liked the underlying premise of this particular book, which seemed to be that beasts can be more noble than humans. This is shown both in the character of Nighteyes, Tom's wolf companion, and his distaste for unnecessary killing, as well as in the villain's disregard for the well-being of animals. I cannot say much more without giving away the plot, which has many surprises. These surprises are well set up in the beginning of the book, without giving away what they are. That kind of foreshadowing takes talent.
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Summary: Good follow up finds a new angle
Review: As a follow up to a sucessfull series, this novel has managed to find a new angle to approch old and well known characters. While it may be possible to follow this book without haveing read the farseer series, I do not sugest it. The joy in this book is as much in how Fitz looks back at his old life fifteen years later, as it is in the specfic plot of the new book.
The book takes place fifteen years after the last time we saw Fitz. He is living with his step-son in a small costal farm, when his old life comes back to reclaim him. How he decides to face this new crisis will agian shape the fate of his nation.
This novel reads well and seems very short for its four hundred page leangth. Overall it is not as good as the first books, but is still a quality novel worth the time to read.
Rating:
Summary: yay
Review: robin hobb still rocks. this book seems to be better than her liveship ones, almost parallelling her assassins' books!
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