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    Fool's Fate
    Fool's Fate
    Fool's Fate
    Audiobook32 hours

    Fool's Fate

    Written by Robin Hobb

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    FitzChivalry Farseer has become firmly ensconced in the queen’s court. Along with his mentor, Chade, and the simpleminded yet strongly Skilled Thick, Fitz strives to aid Prince Dutiful on a quest that could secure peace with the Outislands—and win Dutiful the hand of the Narcheska Elliania.

    The Narcheska has set the prince an unfathomable task: to behead a dragon trapped in ice on the isle of Aslevjal. Yet not all the clans of the Outislands support their effort. Are there darker forces at work behind Elliana’s demand? Knowing that the Fool has foretold he will die on the island of ice, Fitz plots to leave his dearest friend behind. But fate cannot so easily be defied.

    Praise for Robin Hobb and Fool’s Fate

    “Fantasy as it ought to be written.… Robin Hobb’s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.” —George R. R. Martin

    “[Robin] Hobb’s rich, vibrant and unique world [is] filled with sentient ships, magical beasts, and fascinating characters.… Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

    “Rich, enchanting fantasy from one of today’s best practitioners…reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin’s The Other Wind [and] Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series.” —BookPage

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateAug 26, 2014
    ISBN9781491512951
    Fool's Fate
    Author

    Robin Hobb

    Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska. It was there that she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of five critically acclaimed fantasy series: The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons, Blood of Dragons), The Soldier Son Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Farseer Trilogy. Under the name Megan Lindholm she is the author of The Wizard of the Pigeons, Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. The Inheritance, a collection of stories, was published under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov's Readers' Award and she has been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.

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    Reviews for Fool's Fate

    4.5/5

    1,616 ratings33 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As with the previous books in the trilogy, I've just re-read this after first enjoying it around 9 years ago. It's a very satisfying read and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. I very much liked the long, drawn-out ending - such a contrast to the disappointingly rushed wrap-up at the end of Assassin's Quest!Again, I didn't remember very much about the events in this book before I re-read it, so it was very enjoyable in that respect. Despite remembering the outcome of the major events, I still found myself enthralled by the twists and turns of the story, and came close to tears quite a few times. I've never come across a fictional relationship quite as intense, joyful or memorable as that between Fitz and the Fool (or between Fitz and Nighteyes). Hobb has such a rare talent for building those connections while also creating an immense, detailed world that feels fully as real as ours.I'll be tackling the Rain Wilds books after I've got through a few more titles on my to-read pile. I would dearly love to move straight on to the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, but at the same time, I want to put off my first-time read of Assassin's Fate for as long as possible!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book was a good work listen. It kept me engaged without distracting me from the job at hand. The narrator has a pleasant tone and good pacing.
    • 4/5
      A lovely ending to the series -- and, after everything, a happy one. The way she ties everything in and brings the story to a close is good without being a cop-out happy ever after, and it's nice to leave Fitz in -- finally -- a good place.

      Of course, to get that you have to read all the way through the book, which can be quite heartbreaking. Wonderful writing and wonderful, fully realised characters, as ever.
    • 5/5
      All I can say is wow, what an adventure the series has been! Highly recommend
    • 4/5
      There is just something about Robin Hobb's writing style and characterization that sets her work apart from, not just other fantasy, but just literature in general. Fitz and the Fool are 2 of the best characters ever in literature and the world building is great. I actually prefer Tawney Man over Farseer and Fitz and the Fool.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite out of the three Tawny Man series. Things are made right here; things put back in place and characters reunited. You almost forget that Fitz gave his pain to the waking of a dragon and only when he gets it back do you realize, with him, all that he has been missing in his life and while he has acted the way he has. Fitz finally gets his happy ending here. Hobb does this really well in all her books. They are usually depressing as hell but they always have happy endings at the very end. Her writing is fantastic as always, and her characters believable. I will be reading all the books she will publish. Her newest series of the Rain Wilder Dragons is the next and last series I have yet to get it and the first book in already on my desk waiting. I'm looking forward to it.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful story. The tale is so vivid that the listening experience was like watching a captivating movie. Excellent narrating James Langton.
    • 5/5
      Great book. They keep getting better! Good work Robin Hobb.
    • 5/5
      Great series. patiently waiting for next title in this series
    • 5/5
      Outstanding! Beautifully written and narrated!
      I highly recommend all four volumes.
    • 5/5
      My favorite of the six of these I’ve read so far. So well written. So glad I started reading these books. Read this doorstop in just a few days while recovering from COVID.
    • 4/5
      Got four stars because I just read all three of this series back to back over 3 months. And I did read them, hardly skipped a word despite them being 700 pages each. Still told entirely from Fitz/Tom's point of view with only hints of the Fool - but enough to satisfy. I may have come across these books at a time when they were what I needed but despite the escapism there is plenty of substance in them and comfort in being certain that she won't let her characters down. Even if she kills a character they will get a good death (if they deserve it) and any suffering will be character building in the long run. Totally unlike life!
    • 5/5
      I tried to write a review yesterday when I finished but I was too busy bawling, and I'm tearing up now just thinking about it. Suffice it to say, this book is...affecting. Fitz and the Fool's relationship pulls my heartstrings like nobody's business. If I didn't already know there was a follow up trilogy I don't know how I'd survive.

      This book is peak Hobb in so many ways. It deftly pulls together the previous books in a culmination of Fitz's personal and interpersonal development, and the underlying mythology of the world. It manages to be epically thrilling while radically down to earth---attentive to the mundanities of day to day and the world-changing drama in equal measure.

      It's going to take some serious discipline on my part to take the time to wipe my heart off the floor and get back to my life after this weekend binge instead of diving right into the next series.
    • 4/5
      The ending of the Tawny Man Trilogy ties everything together ending the series nicely. The book starts off where the 2nd book left off. The story has plenty of action, drama, intrigue, and danger. It also continues expanding the relationships in the previous books. The storyline of the Fitz and Fool is very gratifying, but also pulls on the heart strings a lot. My main criticism is how long the ending is. While important things happen, it seems to drag on after such a well written climax.
    • 4/5
      Heerlijk verhaal. Beetje trage start en een enigzins afgeraffeld einde. Hoewel deze serie goed los te lezen is, is het aan te raden om te beginnen met de 'Boeken van de Zieners' te beginnen, en dan de 'Levende Schepen'-trilogie.

      De vriendschap tussen Fitz en de Nar bereikt bijna een einde als Fitz probeert om de nar niet mee te nemen op hun 'queeste'. Fitz realiseert zich ook dat alles wat met hem is gebeurt te maken heeft met de nar.
      De nar was een man met vele geheimen De Nar, heer Golden, Amber,.. (nog meer?) en veel kwaliteiten.

      De speurtochten en fysieke actie bereiken een climax ruim voor het einde van het boek, maar dat betekent nog niet dat al het drama is voltooid. Je zult misschien nog wel merken dat er nog genoeg te doen is, voor Fitz uiteindelijk thuis is.

      Het verhaal op de Buiteneilanden ging mij eigenlijk een beetje te lang duren, en had naar mijn idee weinig in het verhaal te zoeken.

      Het boek had een passend einde. Zeer tevreden laat ik Fitz en Molly met hun kinderen achter in hun landgoed.
    • 4/5
      This was awesome, but I definitely need a break from giant fantasy series now!
    • 5/5
      Just finished my audio reread of this book so I can read the final? series.It was just as good as I remembered and I cried more than once. I'd forgotten a lot though including the fact that what would often be the climax of many series is only half way through and there is a lot more to go. But I loved this book when I first read it and I still love it. It's sad and happy and I remember crying my eyes out the first time when Fitz actually gets his happy ending back with Molly .This series is one of my favourites of all time.
    • 5/5
      The Narcheska’s challenge to Prince Dutiful: Lay the head of the dragon Icefyre, whom legends say is buried deep beneath the ice of the island Aslevjal, upon her hearth. Only then can they be married and there be peace between the Six Duchies and the Outislands. An impossible task, assuming there even is a dragon somewhere in the ice. Not all the Outisland Clans agree with this effort to kill their country's mythic defender. There also appears to be something strange, a darker force, behind the Narcheska's demand. Can Fitz and his strongly-Skilled but untested coterie get to the bottom of the mystery and save the alliance? And what about the Fool, the White Prophet, who was left behind on the docks?Fool's Fate is the final book of The Tawny Man trilogy. The story picks up right where the second book leaves off, with our band of unlikely heroes setting off on the Prince's quest. The book is aptly titled. For the first third of the book we are left to wonder about the Fool's fate, how he has been left behind. How will his vision of the future come true if he is separated from his Catalyst? Can Fitz, as the Changer, prevent a part of those visions and still save the world? Then, as the story progresses, the title takes on a whole new meaning as events unfold and still we wonder, what will be the Fool's fate?While dragging in places, overall plot moves at a better pace. As always the story is heavily focused on the characters. This time it is the Skill coterie: Fitz, Chade, Dutiful and Thick. Prince Dutiful is growing from boy to man, from prince to king. He is in a difficult situation and makes the best of it as he can. Chade is his scheming self, highly intelligent and stubborn, with fuller understanding of the political element that is involved. It was interesting to watch his power plays and maneuvering, and even more fun when he's thwarted. Fitz is Fitz, always thinking he knows what's best for everyone else and proven wrong at inconvenient times. Thick is the true surprise of the series. It has been great to watch his character grow within the confines of his limitations. While he may be a half-wit, he ends up the strongest of the Skill users with some truly astonishing powers. At it's heart the story centers around the Fool and Fitz's relationship. The White Prophet and his Catalyst. The Fool, who has been much in the background, is finally approaching his moment. Driven by his visions to save the future of the world, he is prepared to face his destiny even if Fitz doesn't agree. Theirs is a different kind of love story. While not the typical romantic love that most epic fantasy series have, it is a love story just as moving and heartbreaking. It is a reminder that there are many types of love and each is powerful in its own way.It is a bittersweet ending to the series. I think both Fitz and the Fool were short changed. I don't feel nearly as happy for Fitz/Molly as I thought I would. After living a whole other life for 15 years, believing your first love dead, Molly would've moved on. She had married, had 7 children and then shortly after her husband's death she can take Fitz back? It was too easy how Fitz returned to her life and just wasn't believable for me. On the flip side, the fact that Fitz still doesn't get what it cost the Fool to give him up is absolutely in line with Fitz's character. He really is that dense. It's not that Fitz and the Fool went their separate ways. I find it believable that the Fool needs time to heal just like Fitz did at the end of Assassin's Quest. Just that Fitz/Molly feels so superficial. Things were tied up a little too neatly and felt rushed. The last couple chapters, after all the hardships the characters went through, seemed too easy, too perfect. I am glad that Hobb is writing another series as the story doesn't feel complete.
    • 5/5
      Very entertaining, as I expected... Prince Dutiful has sworn to bring the head of the legendary dragon Icefyre to her mothers' hearth before he weds the Narcheska... but when he made that promise, he didn't realize that other Outislanders would object to the very idea of his slaying the dragon... It's a strange group that makes their way to the ice-covered island where the dragon is supposedly buried in a glacier - the Prince and his advisor Chade in favor of killing it... the Prince's Witted advisors against killing any animal... the Outisland lords, threatening revenge if it is killed... and FitzChivalry, not at all sure what the right path is.
      To complicate things, the Fool has made his own way to the island, even though Fitz conspired to leave him behind after he confided that he knew that his destiny was to meet his death there...
      And maybe the real question is, why did the Narcheska ask Dutiful to kill this dragon, anyway?
    • 3/5
      To win the hand of the Narcheska Elliana, Prince Dutiful must travel to the Outerislands and slay a mythical dragon. Accompanied by both a Skill and Wit Coterie, the search for the dragon becomes the least of the challenges the group encounters. FitzChilvery and the White Prophet, known as the Fool, encounter an old enemy from the Fool's past. Powerful in the Skill and determined to destroy the Fool, this White Woman becomes the greatest foe that Fitz and the Fool have ever encountered. Fool's Fate is a satisfying ending to the Tawney Man trilogy. Loose threads from both this series and the original Farseer trilogy are wrapped up. The one complaint is that the novel does tend to drag on in several places. Still, readers should be satisfied with the fate of FitzChilvery Farseer by the end of this novel.
    • 4/5
      This epic fantasy trilogy is actually a continuation of The Farseer Saga trilogy. I would say it is more accurately a hexalogy (a set of six related books), except that I understand the author will be going back to the same characters in a new series next year (a development about which I am more than delighted) so the story may encompass even more than six books.Background (Big Spoilers for the Farseer Series - Skip to Evaluation for NO Spoilers)Fitz was born out of wedlock to Chivalry Farseer, the King-in-Waiting of the Six Duchies. At age six, Fitz was taken away from his mother by his grandfather and handed over to Verity, Chivalry’s brother, at Buckkeep Fortress.With Fitz's existence known, Chivalry was forced as a point of honor to abdicate his right to the throne and to leave Buckkeep. Fitz’s care was given by Verity in part to Burrich, the Stablemaster of Buckkeep and Chivalry’s right-hand man. A third brother, Regal, was jealous of Chivalry and Verity, and when Fitz came, Regal began to hate Fitz the most of all of them. Regal resolved to get rid of all three of them so he could rule after the death of their father, King Shrewd.The others ignored Regal, because the Six Duchies had bigger (or so they thought) problems. They were being besieged by pirates from the Outislands, who traveled in distinctive red ships, raiding the shores and stealing the wealth of the Six Duchies. Then the Outislanders began kidnapping villagers and by some unknown process returning them as zombie-like monsters. Because this practice began with the village of Forge, such people, no matter their origin, were ever after known as “Forged.”People who were Forged could not even be detected by the Skill. This was magic common to those in the Farseer line enabling a person to reach out to another’s mind, no matter how distant, and know that person’s thoughts. If the other person were Skilled also, the two could even communicate through mind-speak, and if one had evil intent, he or she could control or even kill the other person via the Skill.Some people also had a magic called the Wit. This was the ability to form a special, and mutual, bond with an animal. Fitz was witted, and had such a bond with the wolf, Nighteyes.As The Farseer Series ends, the Outislanders have been defeated, and Chivalry, Verity, and Shrewd are gone. Verity’s Queen Kettricken now rules Buckkeep and has a son who is heir to Verity, Prince Dutiful. Chade has come out of hiding to be the Queen’s counselor. Burrich and Molly, thinking Fitz dead, have married. Fitz lives as a hermit in an isolated cottage outside Buck with his wolf Nighteyes and with the young boy Hap brought to him by the minstrel Starling. During the day, Fitz still wrestles with being drawn to the Skill, and at night, he dreams of dragons.Specifics for Fool's Fate (Spoilers for Book One and Two or skip to Non-Spoilery Overall Evaluation)A large party sets out to assist or at least witness the slaying of the dragon Icefyre by 15-year-old Prince Dutiful, a task he has sworn to undertake to win the hand of Elliania from the Outislands. Elaine and her uncle/guardian Peottre are in the party as well as some Outislander guards.Fitz conspires with Chade to keep Fool from boarding the ships to the island of Aslevjal, where the dragon is supposedly entombed under the ice. Fool was convinced it was his destiny to go along and there die, and Fitz wants to avoid that outcome. But of course, the Fool manages to get there nevertheless.Also on the journey are the Prince’s Skilled Coterie, which includes Thick, who is terrified of the sea. Fitz must spend almost all his time taking care of him. The Prince also brought along his Witted Coterie, among them being Swift, Burrich’s wayward son. Nettle communicates to Fitz that Burrich is despondent over Swift’s disappearance, and Fitz tells her to let Burrich know "the wolf" is sheltering Swift and will bring him safely home. From that message, Burrich deduces Fitz is alive, and soon Burrich is a part of their voyage as well. Everyone comes together in an exciting, tension-filled dénouement, all the more powerful because Hobb is not an author to protect even her most beloved characters from death. Indeed, the ending is packed with emotion, and seems as realistic as possible for a fantasy set in a world of dragons and magic. But Hobb never once puts the aspects of being human in second place to fantasy elements. Hope, despair, loss, love, and survival are always more important than “magic.” Overall Evaluaton - No Spoilers This is a wonderful series, which really should be read as part of a six-book saga rather than a trilogy, with The Farseer Series preceding this one. (In fact, one of the mysteries of The Farseer Series - about Forging - is not uncovered until the third book of this series.) The characters are unforgettable, and their lives in this story full of fantasy are nevertheless richly exemplary of "the human condition." This is a tale made up of a lot of pages, and perhaps there is a bit of repetition. But I didn’t regret reading any of it, except for the matter of all the kleenex I went through, and for the reluctant necessity of leaving the world of the Farseers when the saga was over.
    • 3/5
      The last book in the Farseer Trilogy - far too much of child marriage and teen pregnancies for my taste. Otherwise, quite alright, without being really thrilling.3/5
    • 4/5
      Overall the story is quite good. It explores quite a few deeper issues by having Fitz be introspective, examines the value of a variety of relationships, delves into intrigue and deceit, and even brings in some of my favorite characters from the earlier books. If you are a fan of sci-fi/fantasy and you haven't had a chance to, I suggest you check out the Tawny Man trilogy and the Assassin Series by Robin Hobb.
    • 4/5
      I just re-read this whole saga, in one gluttonous binge. The Fool has to be one of the most intriguing and delightful creations in modern fantasy, and this series puts him (her? it?) directly in the spotlight, and brings a complex debate about sexuality, gender, and identity right into the heart of the boy's club that is high fantasy.

    • 5/5
      I've been on a major Robin Hobb binge, and I don't think I can stop. She's just fabulous! This Tawny Man trilogy picks up the characters from the Farseer trilogy but has some very intriguing (and unexpected ties) with the Liveship trilogy. Fitz has exiled himself for the last 15 years, but he's dragged back into Buckkeep politics. Kettricken's son, Prince Dutiful, has been captured by Witted folk, and Fitz is called into duty. I've never met a more bedraggled, constantly beat up character, but regardless of the bitter chip on his shoulder, Fitz always seems to come back for more. The trilogy centers around Fitz helping Prince Dutiful return to the castle and complete a quest of killing a dragon, while teaching him the Skill and not revealing that he is Fitz's biological son. So many tense moments. Plus, it turns out that Fitz's daughter, who also doesn't know that he's her father, is highly Skilled and as stubborn as her father. Of course, our old favorite characters, the Fool, Kettricken, and Chade, are still in the mix. It's a fabulous story of a slightly angry yet talented man who is still growing up, and it does end more happily than the Farseer trilogy. I love it. Go read all of Robin Hobb's books right now.
    • 5/5
      A great end to the trillogy (well, actually both the Farseer trillogy and the Tawney Man trillogy) !!! I couldn't put this down - stayed up LATE several nights in a row to finish. There were tedious parts - I tired of Thick much as Fitz must have at time - but overall, what a great story. I was so glad that the end of the adventure wasn't the end of the story and that all the personal threads were tied together (OK, most of them anyway). Moving and exciting! I gave it 5 stars - which is a rare occurrance in my rating of stories.
    • 5/5
       Just as good as the original trilogy!
    • 5/5
      The final book in the three trilogies that follow the adventures of the lowly royal bastard, Fitz. I am devastated that there is nothing new to read about Fitz. Robin Hobb is fantastic if you enjoy reading fantasy
    • 5/5
      the fool. is most absolutely one of the best characters I have ever read . this book was stunning and is in my top 3, without shame or doubt....the complete series is beautifully build up to this stunning end.......I wish there were more fantasy books of this aliber.....
    • 5/5
      Wow. This is a big call, and I might get into trouble for saying this coz it's 'just fantasy' but this is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read, and the Fool is one of the most beautiful characters I will ever meet. 'Nuff said.