Mass Market Paperback, 914 pages
English language
Published Nov. 23, 2004 by Spectra.
The moving end to the tale of the Farseers, in which kingdoms must stand or fall on the beat of a dragon's wings, or a Fool's heart. A small and sadly untried coterie - the old assassin Chade, the serving-boy Thick, Prince Dutiful, and his reluctant Skillmaster, Fitz - sail towards the distant island of Aslevjal. There they must fulfil the Narcheska's challenge to her betrothed: to lay the head of the dragon Icefyre, whom legends tell is buried there deep beneath the ice, upon her hearth. Only with the completion of this quest can the marriage proceed, and the resulting alliance signal an end to war between the two kingdoms. It is not a happy ship: tensions between the folk of the Six Duchies and their traditional enemies, the Outislanders, lie just beneath the surface. Thick is constantly ill, and his random but powerful Skilling has taken on a …
The moving end to the tale of the Farseers, in which kingdoms must stand or fall on the beat of a dragon's wings, or a Fool's heart. A small and sadly untried coterie - the old assassin Chade, the serving-boy Thick, Prince Dutiful, and his reluctant Skillmaster, Fitz - sail towards the distant island of Aslevjal. There they must fulfil the Narcheska's challenge to her betrothed: to lay the head of the dragon Icefyre, whom legends tell is buried there deep beneath the ice, upon her hearth. Only with the completion of this quest can the marriage proceed, and the resulting alliance signal an end to war between the two kingdoms. It is not a happy ship: tensions between the folk of the Six Duchies and their traditional enemies, the Outislanders, lie just beneath the surface. Thick is constantly ill, and his random but powerful Skilling has taken on a dark and menacing tone, while Chade's fascination with the Skill is growing to the point of obsession. Having ensured that his beloved friend the Fool is safely left behind in Buckkeep, Fitz is guilt-stricken; but he is determined to keep his fate at bay, since prophecy foretells the Fool's death if he ever sets foot on the isle of the black dragon. But as their ship draws in towards Aslevjal a lone figure awaits them.
The ending of the trilogy was perfect. Nicely tied up loose ends, opened up the world further, and lots of character development.
My favorite bit was in the epilogue, when Icefyre puts his head on the hearth to fulfill the promise the prince made.
Best book of this series, previous books were a long build-up to this one.
Devastating and elating.
Better to regret unsaid words than repent of words I could never call back.
Sad, heartbreaking, touching and beautiful are just a few of the words for how I would describe "Fool's Fate". The book weighed in at nearly 1000 pages, and for a book of that size it's uncommon for me to say, but I wish there was more.
I am constantly impressed with how Hobb's has written the characters in her books and "Fool's Fate" continues to build and expand on what is already in motion. The characters are real, true to themselves, full of faults and each action has a reaction. Events from decades ago still reverberate through this story, and more recent events cause noticeable tension between the characters.
I share in the agony and grief of the characters at their low points and can celebrate the victories because, as a reader, you are so invested …
Better to regret unsaid words than repent of words I could never call back.
Sad, heartbreaking, touching and beautiful are just a few of the words for how I would describe "Fool's Fate". The book weighed in at nearly 1000 pages, and for a book of that size it's uncommon for me to say, but I wish there was more.
I am constantly impressed with how Hobb's has written the characters in her books and "Fool's Fate" continues to build and expand on what is already in motion. The characters are real, true to themselves, full of faults and each action has a reaction. Events from decades ago still reverberate through this story, and more recent events cause noticeable tension between the characters.
I share in the agony and grief of the characters at their low points and can celebrate the victories because, as a reader, you are so invested in them. Each character has been carefully, and slowly introduces that each one is integral to the story and others around them.
...a man makes time for what is important in his life.
When Icefyre was introduced in " The Golden Fool" I was disappointed that that story was pushed off to the final book in the trilogy, but everything involved with the island of Aslevjal required time and I was glad that it wasn't rushed because it was perfectly executed. I have found the story in some of the Farseer books to be secondary to the characters, but "Fool's Fate" has a great story that kept me fully engaged and eager for me.
Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.
This was a fantastic trilogy that returned to Fitz after the events of the first trilogy. The story tied everything together and you felt as if characters would finally get to know peace and a moment of enjoyment in their lives.
