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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hoo boy. Yet another entry in this series has gotten me so involved that I can't stop thinking about it, and also am upset deep down in my core at some of the heart-wrenching things that went on here. I truly feel these gifs are the only thing that convey my feelings:
Thankfully, there were some heartwarming things accompanying the agony otherwise I would not have survived.
I was a bit nervous of this one, because we were headed back to Buckkeep and to court, and part of me was wary of that because of the leftover trauma I apparently still hold, from books one and two especially, from the Farseer Trilogy. And it did feel slightly aimless yet still stressful at first, but once I got far enough into it, I just sort of gelled with what Robin Hobb was going for. A lot of this book is about Fitz confronting his past and reevaluating his relationships and desires with his new duties. There's also a lot in here about fathers and parenting, and what kids need from those who are caring from them, and how it affects them (coughFitzcough) as adults.
Another pretty big part of the book is that bigotry is confronted/revealed in both overt and subtle ways. The plot about the Witted being persecuted, and Queen Kettricken working to protect them and bring them out into the open continues here. Our protagonist, Fitz, is of course one those persecuted, and he remains a lightning rod figure, even as most people think him dead. This parallels in heartbreaking ways with other minor incidents, such as the terrible treatment the "halfwit" boy Thick receives (I believe he has Down's Syndrome?), and the homophobia Fitz both experiences when rumors flourish that he is sleeping with his master, Lord Golden, and which he hypocritically perpetuates himself
It's clear that we are meant to think those exhibiting homophobia are in the wrong, here. This was hard to read about for me, as I've been reading so many queer positive books in the last couple of years, but for its time (in the early 2000s) it was probably pretty revolutionary of a thing to have in a mainstream epic fantasy book. I understand why Hobb did it this way, but it's still disheartening that queer people seem to have even further to go towards being treated like full human beings than people with the Wit have (though it's obvious that Hobb is using the persecution of Witted people to also stand in metaphorically for those bigoted against, and you could very easily read into them as representing a sort of queer personhood if you wanted to). It's also clear to me that.
Another thing I think this book does well is really start bringing in the overarching mythology that begins to tie all the trilogies in this world together. We get appearances from the Liveship Traders characters, and their political situation is also imporant to that of the Six Duchies, and the future of magic (and dragons!) in this world, which in turn is tied intimately in to the fate of Fitz and the Fool, aka the White Prophet and his Catalyst.
I am very obsessed with all of this right now, and sort of regret scheduling the last book in the trilogy for October instead of September, but maybe it's good that I take a break and let my brain rest. I'm sure as agonizing as the build-up is, the resolution will be moreso.
[4.5 stars]
Thankfully, there were some heartwarming things accompanying the agony otherwise I would not have survived.
I was a bit nervous of this one, because we were headed back to Buckkeep and to court, and part of me was wary of that because of the leftover trauma I apparently still hold, from books one and two especially, from the Farseer Trilogy. And it did feel slightly aimless yet still stressful at first, but once I got far enough into it, I just sort of gelled with what Robin Hobb was going for. A lot of this book is about Fitz confronting his past and reevaluating his relationships and desires with his new duties. There's also a lot in here about fathers and parenting, and what kids need from those who are caring from them, and how it affects them (coughFitzcough) as adults.
Another pretty big part of the book is that bigotry is confronted/revealed in both overt and subtle ways. The plot about the Witted being persecuted, and Queen Kettricken working to protect them and bring them out into the open continues here. Our protagonist, Fitz, is of course one those persecuted, and he remains a lightning rod figure, even as most people think him dead. This parallels in heartbreaking ways with other minor incidents, such as the terrible treatment the "halfwit" boy Thick receives (I believe he has Down's Syndrome?), and the homophobia Fitz both experiences when rumors flourish that he is sleeping with his master, Lord Golden, and which he hypocritically perpetuates himself
Spoiler
when he forces the Fool to confess his love for Fitz, and the Fool admits that his love has "no boundaries" as Fitz believes his does (newsflash to Fitz: the way you feel about him is not platonic!). Fitz is then disgusted and they have a major falling out, as the Fool is understandably wounded by Fitz's behavior. Of course, there are also other complications in their falilng out, but that was a huge part of it.It's clear that we are meant to think those exhibiting homophobia are in the wrong, here. This was hard to read about for me, as I've been reading so many queer positive books in the last couple of years, but for its time (in the early 2000s) it was probably pretty revolutionary of a thing to have in a mainstream epic fantasy book. I understand why Hobb did it this way, but it's still disheartening that queer people seem to have even further to go towards being treated like full human beings than people with the Wit have (though it's obvious that Hobb is using the persecution of Witted people to also stand in metaphorically for those bigoted against, and you could very easily read into them as representing a sort of queer personhood if you wanted to). It's also clear to me that
Spoiler
the Fool aka Beloved is the love that goes in and out of Fitz's life, as prophesied by Jinna, not Molly as Fitz probably believes)Another thing I think this book does well is really start bringing in the overarching mythology that begins to tie all the trilogies in this world together. We get appearances from the Liveship Traders characters, and their political situation is also imporant to that of the Six Duchies, and the future of magic (and dragons!) in this world, which in turn is tied intimately in to the fate of Fitz and the Fool, aka the White Prophet and his Catalyst.
I am very obsessed with all of this right now, and sort of regret scheduling the last book in the trilogy for October instead of September, but maybe it's good that I take a break and let my brain rest. I'm sure as agonizing as the build-up is, the resolution will be moreso.
[4.5 stars]
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I understand why people reread this series so frequently. I love these characters so much and 1/2 I cannot believe my time from here on will be shorter and shorter. Hobb finds new ways to wound but her love of these characters could not be clearer on the page. I can’t imagine anyone who is not a true believer is left in this series. So glad I read Liveship Traders too. The world of Realm of the Elderlings is like nothing I’ve ever read.
I very nearly DNF’ed this, but I persevered (this was also the case with Assassin’s Quest and Ship of Magic). Robin Hobb books can feel frustratingly slow while you are reading, but they usually pick up and have great back halves. I expected to really love Golden Fool because I’ve seen multiple people online list it as their favorite Hobb. I didn't like it and here is where I part from the Realm of the Elderlings.
This didn’t have enough of the Fool in it, despite the title! Their scenes were so deliciously painful. The Fool admits to being in love with Fitz in this book and it hurts. Their final scene, in which they call each other ‘beloved’ for the first time, really hit me. If anyone wants to argue that the Fool doesn't love Fitz romantically, I don't know what to tell you. We are reading different books.
But this book felt plotless overall–or like a lot of different plots with no true throughline, and very much the middle book in a trilogy. Skills lessons are so effing boring, in my opinion. And I still don't understand the Skill. It seems to do whatever it needs to do for the plot. I thought Thick was a deeply problematic character. I have no interest in the Outisland delegation or Selden's group from Bingtown (NOT Tintaglia! I hate her!). Fitz continues to be denser than concrete about pretty much everything and extremely skilled at ignoring things he doesn't want to think about.
I basically just realized that I had no interest in much of what was happening and the idea of picking up Fool's Fate literally filled me with dread. That's when I knew that I'm done with Robin Hobb. I gave her my best shot and there have been some high highs (I'll always have the climax of Royal Assassin) but I'm not going to continue the series from here.
This didn’t have enough of the Fool in it, despite the title! Their scenes were so deliciously painful. The Fool admits to being in love with Fitz in this book and it hurts. Their final scene, in which they call each other ‘beloved’ for the first time, really hit me. If anyone wants to argue that the Fool doesn't love Fitz romantically, I don't know what to tell you. We are reading different books.
But this book felt plotless overall–or like a lot of different plots with no true throughline, and very much the middle book in a trilogy. Skills lessons are so effing boring, in my opinion. And I still don't understand the Skill. It seems to do whatever it needs to do for the plot. I thought Thick was a deeply problematic character. I have no interest in the Outisland delegation or Selden's group from Bingtown (NOT Tintaglia! I hate her!). Fitz continues to be denser than concrete about pretty much everything and extremely skilled at ignoring things he doesn't want to think about.
I basically just realized that I had no interest in much of what was happening and the idea of picking up Fool's Fate literally filled me with dread. That's when I knew that I'm done with Robin Hobb. I gave her my best shot and there have been some high highs (I'll always have the climax of Royal Assassin) but I'm not going to continue the series from here.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had forgotten how extra Fitz-y Fitz is in this book but I guess my reread has reminded me. Still love him, but wanted to slap him a few more times than in previous books.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes