Fool's Errand: Book One of the Tawny Man (Tawny Man 1)

I laughed and cried often late into the night absorbing every word,

I feel as if I personally know the characters and have lived their experiences with they rather than just being a voyeur. I can't get enough of them and know that I will be mortified yet strangely satisfied when I have completed this series.

thank you Robin Hobb for enriching my life so!


A welcome return...   April 9, 2005
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The only thing I wanted to know before I started this book was whether or not it would live up to the Farseer trilogy (I didn't expect it to be the same type of story), but I was desperate to know whether I would be disappointed or relieved. I was...relieved!

The sedate pace set at the beginning of this book may be in contrast to the dramatic Farseer trilogy, but it's the perfect introduction for our hero, as it mirrors the circumstances in which we currently find Fitz (or Tom Badgerlock, as he now likes to be known) who is certainly transformed from the young lad we met in 'Assassin's Apprentice' into a man middle aged, set-in-his ways, yet restless.

It's only been a matter of months since I finished the Farseer Trilogy and so only one piece of information made me think "hold on...I don't remember that!" but I trusted that before long I'd be subtly reminded by Hobb and of course, I was rewarded for my patience. Depending on your memory and the length of your gap between 'Assassin's Quest' and this story, there will probably be only a couple instances like this for you along the way, but always the author rescues you from ignorance, so no worries there.

P.S. If you're able to get a BCA copy of this book, you'll find the binding perfect for reading hours at a time i.e. from page 1 to 584 of 'Fool's Errand' the book will fall open and remain on your current page, which for devotees of Robin Hobb, Fitz and all the rest will not make an unwelcome relief from aching arms! So I won't keep you any longer, it's a scintillating return to the Six Duchies and our beloved characters, so get reading now!!!


No let down!   January 16, 2005
 5 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is the first book in The Tawny Man trilogy (before The Golden Fool, and Fool's Fate).

Fool's Errand takes place fifteen years after the events of the Red Ship Wars. Fitz, who goes by the name of Tom Badgerlock, now lives a quiet life in a remote cottage by the woods with his wolf Nighteyes and his foster son Hap, a mismatched-eyed boy brought to him years ago by Startling.

The Minstrel's visits are the only regular ones he gets, bringing him comfort but also news from the world around. The only other people he ever sees are the casual travellers stopping for shelter, such as Jinna, a hedge-witch Hap once met when Starling took him to Buckkeep for Springfest.

But all of a sudden his former life comes knocking at the door, when one day the visitor turns out to be Chade. Fitz's old secret mentor, now the queen's counsellor, asks Fitz to return to Buckkeep to teach the Skill to Prince Dutiful, Queen Kettricken's son and heir to the Farseer throne, and to Nettle, his own daughter, whom he's never met. But at first, although well-knowing he's the only remaining person trained in the Skill, Fitz refuses to go.

Weeks go by, and during that time Hap, a teenager now, says he wants to find an apprenticeship. Of course Fitz wants the best master for him, but ashamedly realizes he hasn't put any money aside for this day. Hap has no choice but to leave and find jobs to pay for his apprenticeship.

And while Hap's gone, Fitz gets another unexpected visitor: the Fool, whose colour has changed to a tawny gold, is now a very well-respected, if a tad excentric Jamaillian nobleman known in Buckkeep as Lord Golden. All summer they make up for lost time by talking about their youth together and about what happened in their lives since they parted fifteen years ago. Slowly Fitz picks up thread of his old life.

Until Hap returns, empty-handed. But soon Fitz has news from Buckkeep: Chade is calling for help, as Dutiful has gone missing. Was the prince kidnapped by the Piebalds, a group of Witted rebels claiming that the Prince also has the Wit? Indeed, despite Kettricken's new laws, people with this magic are still being persecuted and murdered. Or did the solitary, introvert boy just run away from court duty? The prince's bethrotal with an Outislander Narcheska, to secure peace treaties, is in two-weeks' time. Something has to be done, quick. Reluctantly, but also seeing this as a good opportunity to ask Chade to help Hap in return, Fitz finally agrees to go. He sets off with the Fool, Nighteyes, and Laurel, the queen's hunstwoman and confidente.

It's weird. I think in the beginning I got the same feeling of disappointment I get each time I've been expecting something for a very long time. It can be a book, a film, or my favourite band's new album. You expect the new thing to be exactly the same as the old one, but it's not. Of course it can't be. So I was finding the story was a bit too slow, and that Fitz was worrying too much about his wolf's mortality. Moreover, I was travelling and sadly could only read Fool's Errand periodically, which made me think I was losing interest inbetween reading sessions. But the truth is, each time I picked it up again, it wasn't long before I was hooked, living the story as if I was part of it. So I grew even fonder of the Fool, or was sometimes shocked by Fitz's violent reactions, etc. In the end I realize my favourite author hasn't let me down, and this sure is one of my favourite books.

I'm very excited about what's going to happen next now, and I'm very intrigued by the feathers Fitz found on the beach. Quick, on to Golden Fool!


More heartaches and adventures for Fitz   March 29, 2004
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

Fool’s Errand is the second volume in The Tawny Man series, the follow-up trilogy to Hobb’s immensely popular Farseer Trilogy.

As in the original trilogy, Fool’s Errand is written in the first person. It’s a style that I do not usually like but once again Hobb uses it to great effect here as the reader is fully exposed to all that Fitz the narrator feels and experiences.

Set 15 years after Assassin’s Quest (the last book of the Farseer Trilogy), Fitz is forced to come out of his self-imposed exile to find the missing Prince Dutiful and bring him back to Buckkeep in time for the ceremony that will see Prince Dutiful promised in marriage to an Outisland princess, thus securing peace between their two previously warring lands.

We don’t get to see fantastic creatures or even witness much magic being used as we accompany Fitz in his quest to find the Prince. Instead we get to share in Fitz’ often overwhelming feelings of sadness and loss as he finds himself once again making sacrifices for the family that had already caused him much pain. This is what makes this series unique: it is as much a family saga as a fantasy adventure. The book examines what it is to be a member of a family as it explores loyalty, expectations, responsibilities, and conflicts.

Veteran readers of Hobbs will know that she is not afraid to break her characters’ hearts and she does so a few times in this book. The book ends with a tragic loss but I will be coming back for more regardless. Roll on the next two books!