Review: Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb

Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy #2
Pages:768
Copyright: 2015
Publisher: Del Ray
Buy: Amazon

Summary: from Good Reads
Acclaimed and bestselling author Robin Hobb continues her Fitz and the Fool trilogy with this second entry, following Fool’s Assassin, ramping up the tension and the intrigue as disaster continues to strike at Fitz’s life and heart.

After nearly killing his oldest friend, the Fool, and finding his daughter stolen away by those who were once targeting the Fool, FitzChivarly Farseer is out for blood. And who better to wreak havoc than a highly trained and deadly former royal assassin? Fitz might have let his skills go fallow over his years of peace, but such things, once learned, are not so easily forgotten. And nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing left to lose…

Feelings:
***Warning this review has spoilers for the previous novel***

FitzChilvalry and the Fool are at odds about how to deal with the Servants. This book picks up exactly were the last book left off and for a while Fitz is unaware of the fact that Bee has been taken. As a reader this added to the tension I felt watching him struggle to be a good father.

We again follow Bee and Fitz. Although, more chapters are dedicated to Fitz's point of view. I liked the alternation and seeing the world from two points of view.

When I write about series, I worry about giving something important about the first book away in my review. To say anything about this plot of this book is impossible without giving away crucial points from the first book. I already ruined the ending if you haven't read the first book. That being said, I recommend looking at the first book in the trilogy, Fool's Assassin, or the first set in this world, Assassin's Apprentice. At the time that I read the start of this trilogy I had not read the Farseer trilogy. I had read the Rain Wild Chronicles. It is beneficial to start at the beginning of the world Robin Hobb creates. The Rain Wild Chronicles stood by themselves, but I wonder how much I missed not having read from the beginning of this world. I intend to go back and start at the beginning. I realize I have drifted from my topic though, so let me get back to my thoughts about Fool's Quest.

The first book in the series covers about 14 years of time. This book covers less than six months. While I enjoyed the first book, this one was a much quicker read. After the first few chapters, the book read very quickly. The slow pace worked for the first novel, and this one benefited from the quicker pace and tension it created.


I liked that this novel developed Perseverance, Lent, and Shun. They served their purpose in the first novel, but now they are becoming people and I really liked seeing them develop.

This was a great second novel, and I highly recommend it. If you are looking for an introduction to Robin Hobb and the world she has created I recommend you start at the beginning. I feel like I missed a lot not starting at the beginning.