Fool's Errand - Softcover

Hobb, Robin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0006486010 ISBN 13: 9780006486015

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2002

Synopsis

Return to the world of the Farseers! Robin Hobb's best loved characters, Fitz , The Fool and Nighteyes the wolf, face new adventures and trials in the first book of The Tawny Man trilogy. When Assassin's Quest closed, Fitz was living in self-imposed exile. Wracked with pain, he had chosen to discard the magical gifts that had seen him survive the wonders and torments of navigating the legendary city of the Elderlings, and of raising a dragon. Now, in this the first of a new trilogy, we are returned to the world of the Six Duchies and the lives of those who managed to survive the events of the first Assassin trilogy. Fifteen years have passed and events are about to sweep Fitz out of his quiet backwater life and into the main political current again. Persecution of the Witted has become rampant throughout the Six Duchies despite Queen Kettricken's effort to damp it. The Witted themselves have begun to strike back. So when 15 year old Prince Dutiful disappears, is it only because he is nervous about his betrothal ceremony to an Outislander princess, or has he been taken hostage by the Witted? Worse, is he perhaps another 'Piebald Prince', a Farseer tainted by Wit magic? As the desperate situation worsens, Kettricken has no choice but to summon Fitz to Buckkeep, for who better to track the young prince down than another gifted with the Wit, together with his bonded companion, the wolf Nighteyes?

About this title

Review:

This first volume of a new trilogy from one of fantasy's most popular and skilled authors will delight longtime Hobb fans as well as first-time readers of her work.

FitzChivalry, the hero of The Farseer trilogy, now lives an isolated and quiet life with his foster son Hap and his Wit partner wolf, Nighteyes, until he is sought out by his old mentor Chade and the enigmatic, charming Fool. Once again, duty calls: Fitz must find a missing prince and prevent political chaos in the Six Duchies. The mission will test his conflicting loyalty to country and family, his uneasy compromise with his own magic, and all the relationships he values most.

If you're a fantasy fan who hasn't yet explored the Farseer world, this is a fine place to start: Hobb deftly provides new readers with all the needed information. The finely detailed world building and intensive character development rarely slow down the action of the story. Fool's Errand is a complex, beautifully written and sometimes heart-rending examination of the consequences of duty and love. --Roz Genessee

From the Back Cover:

Critical acclaim for Robin Hobb’s magnificent Liveship Traders trilogy:

Ship of Magic

“Promises to be a truly extraordinary saga.... The characterizations are consistently superb, and [Hobb] animates everything with love for and knowledge of the sea. If Patrick O’Brian were to turn to writing high fantasy, he might produce something like this. Kudos to the author and encore!”
— Booklist

“I fell right through the pages.... Even better than the Assassin books. I didn’t think that was possible.”
— George R.R. Martin

Mad Ship

“Hobb displays a wonderful imagination.... Should delight fans.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“A major work ... read[s] like a cross between Tolkien and Patrick O’Brian. Hobb gives high fantasy a nautical spin that will please a great many readers.”
— Publishers Weekly

“Imaginative and compelling.”
— Library Journal

Ship of Destiny

“This book soars.... A splendid conclusion to one of the finest fantasy sagas to bridge the millennium ... A masterful achievement.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The triumphant conclusion to what is probably the best fantasy trilogy of the past decade and a prospective fantasy classic.”
— Booklist (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0006486010
• ISBN 13: 9780006486015
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1