Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man: No. 1: Amazon.co.uk: Robin Hobb: 9780007110568: Books

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Robin Hobb Page

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In Fool's Errand, first of the "Tawny Man" trilogy, Robin Hobb brings back Fitz, hero of her emotionally powerful and intrigue-filled Assassin trilogy, from 15 years of self-imposed exile from his royal relations and from the world of power. Hobb is particularly good at the passage of time and the things it does not change; Fitz plausibly thinks of himself as older and more settled than he actually is. She is also good on the actual changes--Fitz's mentor Chade is teetering on the brink of old age and his androgynous ally the Fool has returned to court as the fop Lord Gallant; these are characters we cared about before and she makes it matter that they have aged or altered. Fitz is bonded by Wit to a wolf; the heir, Prince Dutiful, the son he never saw, is adrift with his own Wit in a world where people get lynched for it. Hobb's leisurely story-telling never lacks urgency and menace; this is a humane book which includes nightmarish touches along the way. Her sense of the world of magic and the world of political power is acute--she makes us see more than her flawed hero, even though we share his eyes.--Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

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.’
BOOKLIST

‘A wonderful book, written by a writer at the height of her abilities’
J V JONES

Assassin’s Apprentice:
‘A gleaming debut’
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Royal Assassin:
‘Hobb continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the deeply shocking…’
LOCUS

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
He came one late, wet spring, and brought the wide world back to my doorstep. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

robin hobb(31)

fantasy series(21)

dragons(15)

tawny man(8)

farseer(8)

epic fantasy(8)

hobb(8)

epic(5)

magic(4)

elderlings(3)

Customer Reviews

57 Reviews

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (57 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unchanged by Time?, 4 Nov 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man (Hardcover)

This book will leave you begging for more. From the first pages of the first Farseer series I was well and truly hooked. Hobb's writing style, putting the whole story in the first person, we see what he sees and little else, makes it all the more personal, and captivating.
At the end of the first series I was left hanging, and this book was a great comeback to something that many may have left for dead.

Though some may say it is a little long until it gets back into Fitz' court life, it is still captivating and i cannot wait until the next installment. It is definitly a great read, so long as you understand what occured in the first series.

The book very clevely covers the passage of fifteen years since the Red Ship wars (1st series), she does not just blurt out what happened in those years and leav it, she tells it succinctly but references do crop up throughout the book, she makes it important thet people have changed, especially the Fool, who has changed dramatically but beneath it all he is still the Fool, an enigmatic but terribly likeable character.

Though not as fast paced as the first series, it is still a captivating read. And it is important to have read the first series first, it explains a lot about all the characters.

Altogether a well deserved five stars, and we can but hope that this trend continues throughout her work. I wonder if she'll add to the Liveship Traders series next (though not quite as brilliant, still well worth reading)

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life Companions, 27 Oct 2002

By

Patrick Shepherd "hyperpat" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man (Hardcover)

Robin Hobb (Megan Lindholm) has attracted quite a devoted audience with her last two sets of books, the Farseer 'Assassin' trilogy and the Live Ship Trader series, and with good reason, as these are fantasies of quite a different stripe from the normal and told with power, wit, and depth. While not absolutely necessary to enjoying this book, as there are enough explanatory sections here to catch the gist of the action of the prior books, I do recommend that you read the Assassin trilogy first, as it will not only provide the reader with all the past action, it will give you a fine benchmark of the how the characters were at the time of those books, allowing you to easily see the changes that time has wrought.

This book picks up 15 years after the ending of the Farseer set, with FitzChivalry Farseer and his Wit bond-mate wolf Nighteyes leading a quiet life as a farmer trying to raise his adopted son Hap, carefully avoiding any traffic with his former life of intrigue as a royal assassin. This early section of the book is remarkable for how strong the character development is, even though there is almost no action during this portion, showing a much more mature Fitz who has almost come to terms with the sacrifices he was required to make in the earlier books. Of course, this idyllic setting can't last, as first his former mentor Chade arrives for a visit to try and convince Fitz to return to service at Buckkeep Castle, followed by the very enigmatic Fool, now known as Lord Golden, and finally is convinced to return to Buckkeep by a summons from Chade to help find Prince Dutiful, Fitz's son by body, but not by himself as a person, who has either been kidnapped or run away.

Thus the action is enjoined, leading Fitz not just away from his farm, but into consideration of the whys and needs of both his Wit and Skill abilities. A set of considerations that have relevance for everyone, questions on should you lead if you can, can you let a social injustice continue when you have the means and ability to do something about it, about the importance of life and the time to properly allow death to reign, the strength of personal relationships and what is owed to friends, where the responsibilities of a parent begin and end. Throughout, Fitz, Nighteyes, and the Fool continue to grow as characters, till you feel that these are people you know, have lived, ached, lost and triumphed with.

Hobb's descriptive powers are well in evidence here, and her characters are neatly folded into her imagined universe, that includes not just the world of Wit and Skill of the Assassin works but also is explicitly tied to her Live Ship set, though that tie, so far, is only mentioned in passing, not fully developed. This book, unlike so many that are planned as part of a larger group of works, is very complete in itself, with an excellent resolution to all the problems and concerns it starts with. But I have a feeling the next book will make more of the tie to the Liveships and Bingtown traders, and I am looking forward to it.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this was wonderful, 7 April 2003

By

Deirdre E. Stewart "deirdre-of-the-sorrows" (Bonnie Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man (Paperback)

I thought this was the most wonderful story, it stood on its own but is also a more than worthy sequel. Robin Hobbs narrative just keeps on getting better, the characters in this book have grown and developed from the Farseer books, into people that you can really care about. The relationships have such depth and feeling, and Hobbs description and way with words means that you feel every event personally. I look forward to The Golden Fool with great anticipation. I enjoyed the Liveship trilogy and certainly think you need to read these and the Farseer trilogy to get the best from the Tawny Man. I never thought I would enjoy a 'fantasy' story so much but this has got to be one of the best tales I have read, and I do read a lot. I am in a way dreading the final instalment as I have an awful feeling that we may lose more of the central characters. But these tales are compulsive reading and once started, putting them down is painful. I guess I will just have to start again and reread them to pass the time until Fools Fate is issued.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse | Permalink

Comment Comment

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 57 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

Would you like to see more reviews about this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 149 reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars

Were these reviews helpful? Let us know

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Every bit as good as before
The first book in Robin Hobb's third trilogy set in the 'Realm of the Elderlings' returns to the setting of the first trilogy and the first-person narration from Fitz, who is... Read more

Published 7 days ago by J. R. Johnson-Rollings