The Golden Fool
The acclaimed Farseer and Liveship Traders trilogies established Robin Hobb as one of the most splendidly imaginative practitioners of world-class fantasy.
Now,
in Book 2 of her most stunning trilogy yet, Hobb continues the
soul-shattering tale of FitzChivalry Farseer. With rich characters,
breathtaking magic, and sweeping action, Golden Fool brings the reluctant adventurer further into the fray in an epic of sacrifice, salvation, and untold treachery.
Prince Dutiful has been rescued from his Piebald kidnappers and the court has resumed its normal rhythms. But for FitzChivalry Farseer, a return to isolation is impossible. Though gutted by the loss of his wolf bondmate, Nighteyes, Fitz must take up residence at Buckkeep and resume his tasks as Chade's apprentice assassin. Posing as Tom Badgerlock, bodyguard to Lord Golden, FitzChivalry becomes the eyes and ears behind the walls. And with his old mentor failing visibly, Fitz is forced to take on more burdens as he attempts to guide a kingdom straying closer to civil strife each day.
The problems are legion. Prince Dutiful's betrothal to the Narcheska Elliania of the Out Islands is fraught with tension, and the Narcheska herself appears to be hiding an array of secrets. Then, amid Piebald threats and the increasing persecution of the Witted, FitzChivalry must ensure that no one betrays the Prince's secret – a secret that could topple the Farseer throne: that he, like Fitz, possesses the dread ”beast magic.”
Meanwhile, FitzChivalry must impart to the Prince his limited knowledge of the Skill: the hereditary and addictive magic of the Farseers. In the process, they discover within Buckkeep one who has a wild and powerful talent for it, and whose enmity for Fitz may have disastrous consequences for all.
Only Fitz’s enduring friendship with the Fool brings him any solace.
But even that is shattered when unexpected visitors from Bingtown
reveal devastating secrets from the Fool’s past. Now, bereft of support
and adrift in intrigue, Fitz’s biggest challenge may be simply to
survive the inescapable and violent path that fate has laid out for him.
Hobb covers portrayed here are from UK editions, by John Howe.
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Robin Hobb
Robin Hobb's stories are woven from the fabric of dreams, doubt, and destiny. Within the pages of her books, readers don’t just meet characters—they walk alongside them through kingdoms of intrigue, forests of magic, and oceans of inner turmoil. Known for crafting intricate worlds that feel as real as our own, Hobb's works capture the essence of what it means to be human, even when the characters are far from it.
Born Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden in 1952, Hobb’s childhood began in Berkeley, California, before she moved to the remote wilderness of Fairbanks, Alaska, where her deep connection to nature and isolation shaped much of her future storytelling. While her early years in Alaska filled her with a sense of rugged independence, it wasn’t until her teenage years in Colorado that she found her true calling. A communications major at Denver University, she honed her writing skills and went on to work as a journalist, weaving tales of human experience with the same depth and empathy that would later define her novels.
The Tawny Man
The Tawny Man continues the life of FitzChivalry Farseer from The Farseer Trilogy. It commences 15 years after the events in Assassin's Quest.
The Tawny Man consists of three books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series The Realm of the Elderlings
Book Reviews
The Golden Fool is the second book of The Tawny Man and it continues the story which began in Fool's Errand. Robin Hobb has once again managed to write an entertaining and complex book. The character development is superb and the story is interesting. If you liked Fool's Errand, you must read this book.