Fool’s Quest (Fitz and the Fool, Book 2)

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It's a great story, much better than the first book in this final trilogy and with some satisfying and tragic moments. I sobbed like nobody’s business over that ending, and honestly still haven’t recovered over a year after reading it! Hmmmmm… If the Servants hadn’t been so needlessly cruel to the people of Withywoods, these descriptions of the Fool as a child might actually make me start to doubt him.

To me, this felt like Robin Hobb had simply forgotten about one of the best, most heart-wrenching scenes she’d ever written, and I hated it! There are no surprises thrown in to make you feel, simply methodical building to where when looking back you can imagine no other way things could have gone. But this book certainly had the best usage of traditional fantasy elements out of any of the Farseer books due to how important these aspects were for the story that was being told.He is no longer capable of what he once was, and it takes the advice of his old mentor, and trusted friend, Chade, to make him realise that the only way to get Bee back is through the cold and calculated approach of an assassin. Then something new would happen, but within the same chapter or the next, characters are rehashing that action as well. What that means is that this book starts in the fray, there’s no slow getting reacquainted with the quiet life of Fitz.

Somehow, I doubt letting yourself remember a whole bunch of trauma all at once is going to be super easy, but then again, what do I know? I loved seeing the Farseers together and acting as a semi functional family unit in this and I can’t wait for Fitz and Beloved to reunite with Bee, but knowing Robin Hobb I doubt things will be that simple. It took quite a while for the plot to really develop, but when it did the setup felt extremely well done and it made the payoff of these pivotal moments even more important to the reader. This author has the ability to slam home the force of the previous events in fresh ways, making us feel and remember all the special things that made the earlier books so great. I really enjoy it when Hobb manages to weave various plotlines together from previous series and the Rain Wild books and the events within them definitely have a big part to play in the latter half of this book so you get to see what has happened since the ending of their story to some of the characters from that Rain Wilds, and also exactly how they tie into the larger arc of Fitz.I just fully enjoyed this story and have been rather sad since finishing it up because I know it means that I don't have any more Realm of the Elderlings books to read now (a pretty sad thing) and I will have to eagerly await the next book in the series with all of my buddy reading friends who are also sad about having to wait. Actually, scratch that – at least there is one person in this family who has their priorities straight and is genuinely happy about their relatives’ good fortune! I previously would have recommended that people who weren't in love with the direction of the Rainwild Chronicles books could skip them and still enjoy this series, but I now revoke that opinion entirely.

In the last section of this book, Hobb unleashed every groundwork she has laid within all her previous series, this includes Liveship Traders and The Rainwild Chronicles. Then to top it off in the last chapter she suggests that Bee may find shelter under the wing of someone long departed. Everything you want from a Fitz and Fool book is here, and the surrounding characters who many of us hold so dear are put front and centre, given roles and interaction that reveal more and more of themselves to us, the reader. In addition to all of this, Hobb really shines in her character work in some of the newer characters of this story and particularly, the younger ones. Even though I didn't give this book perfect 5/5 star ratings in each of my arbitrary categories, I struggle to see how I could have enjoyed my time reading this book more than I did.But if you’re curious about my overall thoughts on the book, I do have a short section on the entire series in my August 2022 wrap-up, and of course, I’m always thrilled to talk about Assassin’s Fate with anyone who wants to! Since he is there, Chade puts him to work, and Fitz plays the part of a minor noble to explain his presence. Also, FitzVigilant has gone up considerably in my estimation by accepting so calmly that someone had tampered with his mind and volunteering to be the first to take the elfbark tea.

I was going to add a link to a review I have written on NG, but then I saw what had been added since I last visit.

And finally, is it just me, or were all of the Wit issues resolved way too easily considering how deep-rooted the hatred of that magic was in the Six Duchies?