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bibliophilicwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
amblygon_writes's review against another edition
3.0
This is between 3 and 4 stars for me. I love the setting and I love many of the characters. I think Hobb writes extremely well, and her books always keep me engaged (in fact, I couldn't put this down). But at times, I felt like the story seemed a little forced. Many of the characters seem the same as they did in the first trilogy and only sometimes will we get a "oh yeah, they're actually quite old" moment. I also found the plot quite predictable at points, which is not something I could say for the first three books. And I know sometimes characters act in a stupid way, but there were just too many of those moments in this book and I wanted to shake some of the characters to stop them from completing some idiotic activity. Oh well, I still loved finding out what happens and I want to find out what happens in the last book of this trilogy.
tmah23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
shandyt's review against another edition
4.0
4.33 stars.
My new favorite Middle Book of the RotE series. Many spoilers from hereon, so I'll just put them all in one block for convenience.
A non-sequitur; this has more to do with the previous book, but I only thought of it now—I like that Fitz was not chaste between the times he was with Molly. Maybe some would see it as romantic if he'd "saved himself" for only her, but I find it more realistic that he didn't. For such a dour guy, he actually got laid quite a bit. I like that; it makes him feel more like a full and complex person with needs and desires.
On the whole, though, I'm not sure that I connected as fully with all the characters the way I have in previous books. I will admit to being upset with Dutiful several times throughout Fool's Quest. Yes, the running of a kingdom is an immense burden, but he's done it for twenty years without Fitz's help. Why is Dutiful so determined to slot Fitz into a functional government role when he is grieving? Fitz lost his wife and daughter within the space of six months; give the man a break!! Require him to behave like a prince in public if you must, but honestly. Maybe it's the narrator. For the first time, I also found myself getting truly annoyed with the Fool. I was not a fan of Paul Boehmer's version of the Fool, who sounded like a 40-year-old jester stereotype, but it was still preferable to whatever Elliot Hill thought he was doing. His wheezing Teutonic muppet impression (or was it Bobcat Goldthwait?) was a chore to listen to, even when the Fool wasn't whining or raging hypocritically lashing out at Ash/Spark or acting like a spoiled child. Speaking of children, I was surprised that Fitz didn't get angrier at the Fool for repeatedly calling Bee "our child." It got my back up even as just a reader, so I can't imagine Fitz not feeling more proprietary over his offspring—no matter whose genetics she favors.
Still, all the goodbyes in the latter portion of this book were like a slow series of blows. Fitz's meeting with Chade, where Chade gives him the maps, made me surprisingly emotional. Fitz has always acknowledged Chade's many flaws, and yet both he and I appreciated the old spider's brilliance. What a rich and complex man. Fitz's time with Kettricken cemented in my mind that she is the series' best female character. The scene did unfortunately suffer from Elliot Hill's delivery; when listening to that section, I closed my eyes and imagined the kind, earnest Kettricken of Paul Boehmer or James Langton. I wish Fitz had had a longer goodbye scene with Nettle (I wish he'd had more time with her over the whole series, to be honest, and I don't love that he abandoned his older daughter yet again just to go claim vengeance for the younger daughter), but their parting was still touching. Riddle, too; I'm happy to see Nettle and Riddle finally fully together.
After having listened through all those goodbyes, the last few hours of the book felt weirdly vestigial. I think I'd have preferred it if Fitz's part of the book ended with him tumbling out of the skill pillar with Lant and Perseverance. Then the next book could have paralleled their disjointed timelines in the same space. For example, Bee finds evidence of the bear attack—what happened? And only then do we read about the attack, however long ago, from Fitz's POV. Oh well, maybe that's too daring for this series, which has never done anything nonlinear before.
Kelsingra was interesting, or at least what we saw of it. It can't have been inhabited for too long, considering the state it was in when Fitz was last there.......... forty years ago. Gosh. Fitz, you old. I did not read the Liveship or Rain Wild series, because, frankly, I'm in it for Fitzy. Still, I didn't feel lost, though I'm sure I would have felt more if I'd been reuniting with those characters. I look forward to seeing more of Kelsingra in the next book.
Onward... to the end.
My new favorite Middle Book of the RotE series. Many spoilers from hereon, so I'll just put them all in one block for convenience.
Spoiler
Finally, Fitz starts to get some closure on things that have haunted him from the beginning of Assassin's Apprentice. The Prince FitzChivalry Farseer sequence had me alternating between cheering and fighting back tears. Starling's song! Fitz's bewilderment! Dutiful wryly keeping his cool as bombshell after bombshell gets dropped around him! What a triumph! Even though dread lurked in the back of my mind for Fitz's reaction to finding out Bee had been abducted. Speaking of which, the return to Withywoods was another powerful sequence. So emotional, so sad, especially the doubling down of the horror after the elfbark tea. This sequence gives us the external conflict for the Fitz and the Fool trilogy: if Farseer was about Red Ship Raiders and royal infighting, and Tawny Man was about the Old Blood and the Outislanders, then Fitz and the Fool is... Taken. Seriously. FitzChivalry Farseer has a very particular set of skills. I just hope—and am honestly a little anxious about it—that nothing too bad happens to Bee, and she and Fitz get to meet again. He needs his chance to finally do right by at least one of his children.A non-sequitur; this has more to do with the previous book, but I only thought of it now—I like that Fitz was not chaste between the times he was with Molly. Maybe some would see it as romantic if he'd "saved himself" for only her, but I find it more realistic that he didn't. For such a dour guy, he actually got laid quite a bit. I like that; it makes him feel more like a full and complex person with needs and desires.
On the whole, though, I'm not sure that I connected as fully with all the characters the way I have in previous books. I will admit to being upset with Dutiful several times throughout Fool's Quest. Yes, the running of a kingdom is an immense burden, but he's done it for twenty years without Fitz's help. Why is Dutiful so determined to slot Fitz into a functional government role when he is grieving? Fitz lost his wife and daughter within the space of six months; give the man a break!! Require him to behave like a prince in public if you must, but honestly. Maybe it's the narrator. For the first time, I also found myself getting truly annoyed with the Fool. I was not a fan of Paul Boehmer's version of the Fool, who sounded like a 40-year-old jester stereotype, but it was still preferable to whatever Elliot Hill thought he was doing. His wheezing Teutonic muppet impression (or was it Bobcat Goldthwait?) was a chore to listen to, even when the Fool wasn't whining or raging hypocritically lashing out at Ash/Spark or acting like a spoiled child. Speaking of children, I was surprised that Fitz didn't get angrier at the Fool for repeatedly calling Bee "our child." It got my back up even as just a reader, so I can't imagine Fitz not feeling more proprietary over his offspring—no matter whose genetics she favors.
Still, all the goodbyes in the latter portion of this book were like a slow series of blows. Fitz's meeting with Chade, where Chade gives him the maps, made me surprisingly emotional. Fitz has always acknowledged Chade's many flaws, and yet both he and I appreciated the old spider's brilliance. What a rich and complex man. Fitz's time with Kettricken cemented in my mind that she is the series' best female character. The scene did unfortunately suffer from Elliot Hill's delivery; when listening to that section, I closed my eyes and imagined the kind, earnest Kettricken of Paul Boehmer or James Langton. I wish Fitz had had a longer goodbye scene with Nettle (I wish he'd had more time with her over the whole series, to be honest, and I don't love that he abandoned his older daughter yet again just to go claim vengeance for the younger daughter), but their parting was still touching. Riddle, too; I'm happy to see Nettle and Riddle finally fully together.
After having listened through all those goodbyes, the last few hours of the book felt weirdly vestigial. I think I'd have preferred it if Fitz's part of the book ended with him tumbling out of the skill pillar with Lant and Perseverance. Then the next book could have paralleled their disjointed timelines in the same space. For example, Bee finds evidence of the bear attack—what happened? And only then do we read about the attack, however long ago, from Fitz's POV. Oh well, maybe that's too daring for this series, which has never done anything nonlinear before.
Kelsingra was interesting, or at least what we saw of it. It can't have been inhabited for too long, considering the state it was in when Fitz was last there.......... forty years ago. Gosh. Fitz, you old. I did not read the Liveship or Rain Wild series, because, frankly, I'm in it for Fitzy. Still, I didn't feel lost, though I'm sure I would have felt more if I'd been reuniting with those characters. I look forward to seeing more of Kelsingra in the next book.
Onward... to the end.
briely's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The depths of dread and despair I felt reading parts of this made me feel physically ill
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Death
guppyur's review against another edition
3.0
Book 2, still good. Suffers from the same curse as other Book 2s, where it's transitional and not all that much can happen. But it's Hobb, so of course it's good. Enjoyed the read, gonna need a breather before Book 3.
raiju01's review against another edition
5.0
This book, I feel, is largely one last stop to revisit all that we have seen with Fitz over the past trilogies, of course it is interlaced with the contemporary, and the usual suffering of Fitz.
It was wonderful.
It was wonderful.
dwrib's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
robertbeeger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0