Product Description

A heralded writer of epic fantasy, Robin Hobb has given readers worlds within worlds in her heroic Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogies. Now she takes the final step in the breathtaking trilogy of the Tawny Man, as the tale of FitzChivalry Farseer comes to an epic end. Rife with boundless adventure and unforgettable characters, Fool’s Fate is destined to become a classic of the genre.

Assassin, spy, and Skillmaster, FitzChivalry Farseer, now known only as man-at-arms Tom Badgerlock, has become firmly ensconced in the queen’s court at Buckkeep. Only a few are aware of his fabled, tangled past—and the sacrifices he made to survive it. And fewer know of his possession of the Skill magic. With Prince
Dutiful, his assassin-mentor Chade, and the simpleminded yet strongly Skilled Thick, FitzChivalry strives to aid the prince on a quest that could ultimately secure peace between the Six Duchies and the Outislands—and win Dutiful the hand of the Narcheska Elliania.

For the Narcheska has set the prince on an unfathomable task: to behead a dragon trapped in ice—the legendary Icefyre, on the island of Aslevjal. Yet not all the clans of the Outislands support the prince’s effort to behead their
legendary defender. Are there darker forces at work behind the Narcheska’s imperious demand? As the prince and his coterie set sail, FitzChivalry works behind the scenes, playing nursemaid to the ailing Thick, while striving to strengthen their Skill—ultimately bringing his unacknowledged daughter into the web of the Skill magic, where the truth must finally unfold.

The quest emerges amid riddles that must be unraveled, a clash of cultures, and the ultimate betrayal. For knowing that the Fool has foretold he will die on the island of ice, FitzChivalry has plotted with Chade to leave his dearest friend behind. But fate cannot so easily be defied.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9223 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-23
• Released on: 2004-11-23
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 928 pages

Amazon.com
Fool's Fate is the third book of Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy, and the ninth and concluding volume of the Fitzchivalry Farseer saga, one of the best high-fantasy series of the turn of the millennium. Fitz is the bastard son of the royal family of the Six Duchies, which he serves as assassin, guardsman, and Skill-magician. Fitz also serves the White Prophet as "Catalyst," the unique person who may enable the White Prophet to change human destiny for the better. In Fool's Fate, Fitz must accompany his kinsman, Prince Dutiful Farseer, to a distant northern island, where the prince must slay the world's last male dragon to win the hand of the Out Islands princess Elliania, the woman he loves. However, not even Elliania wants the dragon dead; why, then, does she require Dutiful to kill Icefyre? Are darker forces manipulating Elliania? Even worse, if Icefyre dies, the White Prophet foresees not only his own death, but a grim future for humankind. The prophet's only hope of changing the future is his Catalyst. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly
In Hobb's riveting conclusion to the Tawny Man series in the Farseer world (after Fool's Errand and Golden Fool), FitzChivalry Farseer and the man known as the Fool follow the dizzying, complex and treacherous steps that destiny has arranged for them - even though they both know that the end of the dance leads to agonizing decisions and, ultimately, death. Thrown in with Fitz and the Fool are a band of travelers who are on a quest to seek the head of the dragon Icefyre so that Prince Dutiful Farseer may marry the Narcheska Elliania. Most of the group find the time-consuming undertaking difficult and repugnant, for none of them truly wants to kill the ice-bound dragon, not even the Narcheska, it seems. All, however, are duty-bound to honor their word. Since the Fool has foreseen that all the possible consequences of killing the dragon spell his doom, his is the lone voice of dissent. With its carefully modulated tension, wonderful final revelation and strong characters who remain true to themselves throughout, this series may well become a classic in the fantasy field.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The conclusion of the Tawny Man trilogy is generally as distinguished as its predecessors, Fool's Errand (2001) and Golden Fool [BKL N 15 02], although Fitzchivalry Farseer continues to be hardly a fool, and his fate is not particularly dire. He reaches the end of this portion of his journey only after physical, intellectual, and ethical travels that involve every part of the Six Duchies, most of the characters in the previous two novels, and plenty of adventures that show off Hobb's exalted world-building skills. As before in Hobb's work (see the Liveship Traders trilogy), the saga's ethical journey is its most important movement, and not only for the protagonist. Fitzchivalry has to find true love, remain bonded to his animal companion, deal with deadly intrigues to whose resolutions he is key, and realize that solutions all parties regard as ethical have the best chance of enduring. In this vast --and vastly rewarding --tale, Hobb largely avoids the sententiousness such an ethically loaded agenda portends. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Awesome end for an amazing trilogy
Amazing end to the trilogy...the final denoument could have been a little more grand, but I am not complaining. This was a fantastic piece of work.

Utterly unsatisfying.
I wasn't going to write a review for this book. Honestly, I was trying my hardest not to. But hopefully this will give me some way of venting after this book has turned me into an emotional wreck. No exaggeration, since I finished this book near exactly 24 hours ago, I've felt a profound despair and listlessness of spirit.

The sharp observer will notice I have given this book five stars. I couldn't possibly give any of the books of Fitz's saga any less. I simply disagree with the ultimate conclusion; Hobb's writing, to me, is spectacular throughout--the most enjoyable fantasy I've read since Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Dragonlance novels (and hands-down the most believable) and likewise the Fool is one of my favorite literary characters since Raistlin Majere.

I'm not trying to prevent anyone from reading this series, truly; I loved every minute of the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies with the exception of the last thirty minutes'-hour's worth, and I think only a select number will share my feelings on the inappropriateness of Hobb's chosen ending.

I've read plenty of books with sad endings and accepted them with a few tears and a little remorse, but none with an ending that was so blatantly WRONG that leaves such an indescribable feeling of ... loss, depression, despair, regret or... something. It's a mixture of these sort of uncomfortable feelings and more.

I agree completely with an earlier reviewer who gave this book three stars:

"This book broke my heart ... The ending is so tragic to me that I can find little solace in it. I am unable to follow her train of thought to what she deems to be the "natural ending". I follow the trail originally set out by her and arrive at my own conclusions."

Beware spoilers from here on!

This is exactly, exactly how I feel. Six of the greatest, most unique fantasy novels in my experience were not building up to that worse than mediocre conclusion. Every time I think on the ending it profoundly depresses me. Why the bloody hell did Hobb bring the Fool back to life with all of the pomp we witness--events that quite obviously show the Fool's love reciprocated by Fitz--only to completely slap the reader in the face with the actual end?! I notice she conveniently left Burrich dead so Fitz could take up his place with Molly. I feel absolutely betrayed by the way Hobb leaves things. Better to have left either the Fool or Fitz dead; with both of them alive they should have been together. To inadvertantly quote the prophetic Mr. T, I pity the Fool. He deserved more and better.

I'm going to need counseling to get over this cursed book.

Makes the whole series worth reading
After reading the prior Tawny Man books, I was really worried about finishing the series. My fear was that this was going to be yet another long book about how sad and pathetic Fitz's life has become because he is compelled by duty to wallow and wither away in the shade with grievous self defeating thoughts. I'm glad I read this book and restored is my faith in Robin Hobb's storytelling choices. This book was filled with adventure with several things going on at once, with a pace that kept me reading through at a fast clip. I loved the choice she made for Fitz at the end which merited his journey. His hero journey is now complete, his character 'arc' is finished with grand style. So many times, I was worried the tale would turn on its end, as I kept glancing how many pages where still left unread, fearing that Hobb would repeat the dismal ending she has employed many times throughout this series. This is definitely a book to read if you have journeyed this far in the series. Hope you enjoy and happy reading.