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A review by shandyt
Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb
4.0
4.33 stars.
This far into the series, it should be clear that I am a fan of the slow burn. This book was a little too slow, even for me—but it's still probably my favorite of the "slow" RotE books. There are also some times when my suspension of disbelief runs thin, because surely Fitz can't be that obtuse.
Where this book truly shines, as usual, is the depiction of the characters and their emotional reactions to the events that befall them.
As an audiobook reader, I must say that I was not thrilled by the change in narrator. I was initially disoriented by the switch to James Langton for Tawny Man, but rapidly grew to love him. He made Fitz sound his age, and injected a lot of emotion into his reading. I can't imagine anyone else for the in Fool's Fate. This new narrator, Elliot Hill, sounds far too young to be talking about aging, having adult children, etc., and I am baffled by some of his choices for certain voices. He makes Kettricken of all people sound snooty, and when I realized what he was doing for , I had to pause the book and just laugh for a minute. It's so bad! Ah, well. I will have to listen past him for the rest of this trilogy.
Onward, on my newly-decided quest (a Fool's Quest, you might say) to finish RotE in a month.
This far into the series, it should be clear that I am a fan of the slow burn. This book was a little too slow, even for me—but it's still probably my favorite of the "slow" RotE books. There are also some times when my suspension of disbelief runs thin, because surely Fitz can't be that obtuse
Spoiler
regarding Bee, who and what she is, and the obvious hint that prophecies about White Prophets and White-adjacent people have repeatedly proven unreliable about gender. Use your noggin, Fitzy! Unexpected Son indeedWhere this book truly shines, as usual, is the depiction of the characters and their emotional reactions to the events that befall them.
Spoiler
Bee is a wonderful addition to the series, weird and wise and yet still very much a child. The way both she and Fitz dealt with Molly's death was so very real. Where sometimes I have had trouble getting through long sections of grief in other book series, likely due to a failure to connect, I loved Fitz and Bee so much that I grieved alongside them. I'm not sure how I feel yet about Shun and FitzVigilant. (As an aside, that's another place where I can't fathom Fitz's failure to connect the dots. I wonder what will happen if those two find out they're related.) I want to like FitzVigilant, and I suspect Shun will play a larger role and either shape up, or become a villain. But just like FitzChivalry, I am side-eying them hard until they prove me wrong.As an audiobook reader, I must say that I was not thrilled by the change in narrator. I was initially disoriented by the switch to James Langton for Tawny Man, but rapidly grew to love him. He made Fitz sound his age, and injected a lot of emotion into his reading. I can't imagine anyone else for the
Spoiler
Burrich reunion sceneSpoiler
The FoolOnward, on my newly-decided quest (a Fool's Quest, you might say) to finish RotE in a month.