Fool's Fate, The Tawny Man series, Robin Hobbs

[agoodwinsmith]

I finished the third book of the Tawny Man series, which is actually the ninth book of the Farseer series.

Humph.

That took way too much of my free time for I'm not sure what benefit.  I won't go back to begin the series.  I might read the next one, if she writes another in the series - but not if it is 914 freakin' paperback pages long.  Actually, I probably won't.  For the type of story (high fantasy adventure), the endings were not endings, but rather just coasting to a stop.  There were interesting characters, but the one I found most interesting and appealing died in the first (seventh) book.  I was just "not that into" the rest of the characters.

The author writes well, however.  I did not feel an urge to cast the book off my balcony, but the pages of pulsing pearlescent prose rhapsodizing vast vistas of shallow palid shadow on a lonely homeless landscape really got through to me, especially since some of the action was recounted as a truncated tale told with skipped scary stanzas.

Hmm.  It was not that bad, but it was definitely too long for me.

Comments

[cat63.livejournal.com]

given Fitz's lack of flexibility, it wasn't too much of a surprise.

Point. But you'd think someone trained to be an assassin in a royal court might have managed to acquire at least a trace of sublety, diplomacy and ability to hide their true feelings...Bleh.

The Fool may have thought of Fitz as some sort of pet

I missed that entirely. I may have a reread some day to see if I can spot it. But probably not :-)

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

Okay, I grant you the expectation of subtlety and diplomacy. I didn't read the parts (6 previous books)where he was this suave assassin, but he did go on and on about it, so you would think he would have had some ability at discretion.

[cat63.livejournal.com]

I didn't read the parts (6 previous books)where he was this suave assassin,

Well only three of them - the three middle books are set in an entirely different country with mostly an entirely different set of characters, and the events in them are largely not important to the ones you've just read - that is, I think they get referred to, but it isn't crucial to know the details in any way.

And I'm not sure suave was ever an accurate description of Fitz, but he did manage to survive at court for a year or two at least :-)