Hobb, Robin - Golden Fool
Mon, Jul. 28th, 2003 02:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterStayed up till truly bad hours of the morning finishing off Robin Hobb's Golden Fool. Thoughts below, with tons and tons of spoilers.
First thought upon finishing: When is the last book coming out?!
Anyway.
I liked Golden Fool a great deal, much more than Fool's Errand. I don't know, it just seemed a change of pace from the usual action adventure, but in a good way. I missed Nighteyes dreadfully, but also found myself growing very fond of Dutiful. He's a good boy, even though I wasn't sure I'd like him after the first book. Kettricken is still wonderful, everything a queen should be, and a good friend to Fitz to boot. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Kettricken mourned with Fitz for Nighteyes instead of merely sympathizing. I also loved the forming of Dutiful's coterie, Fitz and Dutiful together winning over Thick and the Skill lessons in the tower. I got a very solid sense of who Dutiful was, of what he could become, and the core of goodness in him.
I like the Narcheska very much. Hope that in the third book she and Dutiful start talking or something! Because I think they would find each other interesting once they got past mutual dislike of an arranged marriage.
And oh, Fitz. It's so strange to have him back. I haven't reread the Assassins series for quite some time, and I don't really plan on doing so. That trilogy is simply heart-wrenching, and I'm not sure I could. That, and it's so painful watching Fitz make all the mistakes he makes. GF finally brought it home for me that this was Fitz, fifteen years after the book, a headstrong boy no longer. He's very much a man here, and a father to boot, but in his heart he still seems and acts like the lost boy he used to be at times. But I loved watching him finally grow up a little and realize Chade's weaknesses, form a friendship with Dutiful. He's been broken and bloodied in so many ways in the first trilogy that it's nice to see him get a little peace at last. Even though he almost dies again! And he's still Fitz, and he can still mess up any relationship he has with a few very ill-chosen words.
Which brings me to the heart of the book and the series (for me) -- Fitz and the Fool. It was strange... I remember after reading Fool's Errand, I hopped online to see if there were any Fitz/Fool shipperes or whatnot out there, and instead, I found half the forums were saying things like they were just friends or whatnot, even after reading this book! Anyway, they're a great love story to me, except Fitz is so stubborn and just... so stupid sometimes. There's something about the character of the Fool/Amber/Lord Golden/Beloved that I love, the randomness and jesterness he had as the Fool in the first trilogy, the quietness of Amber, the foolishness and frippery of Lord Golden. And I desperately want to see more of Beloved.. I think we did see him/her (?) when he revealed his tattoo to Fitz. There's something about the Fool that's heart-breakingly open and vulnerable that I love. And he and Fitz are trapped in something too big, and he's in love and Fitz is... stupid, and there's everything else going on too. Guh. I'm really kind of scared that Hobb will actually kill off the Fool. Well, not really. But the possibility is still there, and I feel she's a bit like Joss. You never really know for sure. I remember my heart stopping at the end of Royal Assassin... and I didn't know it was a trilogy! But I want the Fool and Fitz to go off somewhere and be happy. Because I am a sap.
Other things... loved the shout-outs to the Liveship series, because I love Bingtown and the Rain Wilds. I really want Fitz to go there and to meet Paragon and to see the dragons. I loved Jek just walking in and completely messing up the Fitz/Fool dynamic. I loved the catch-up they played and learning that Althea was pregnant. And I very much loved seeing Selden again, and now I'm very much looking forward to Fitz and company meeting Tintaglia. I'm just so amazed that things in the past two trilogies are being tied up here and that Hobb has actually connected them all so that they're all necessary parts to the entire story of the White Prophet and the Catalyst. I do wonder what Amber was looking for in Wintrow and in Althea though... another Catalyst? Is this why the Fool was so scared and so relieved that they were still on the right path, because she had kind of messed up as Amber? I remember Amber's words about scribes becoming kings when they didn't want to... but then, in Verity's case, it was because of Fitz, and ended with a Farseer heir, and was a good thing.
And loved the last scene with Fitz and Beloved.
And I just had to make an icon like this. Not as pretty as I wanted, but having Buffy quotes and other characters collide in icons is fun!
First thought upon finishing: When is the last book coming out?!
Anyway.
I liked Golden Fool a great deal, much more than Fool's Errand. I don't know, it just seemed a change of pace from the usual action adventure, but in a good way. I missed Nighteyes dreadfully, but also found myself growing very fond of Dutiful. He's a good boy, even though I wasn't sure I'd like him after the first book. Kettricken is still wonderful, everything a queen should be, and a good friend to Fitz to boot. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Kettricken mourned with Fitz for Nighteyes instead of merely sympathizing. I also loved the forming of Dutiful's coterie, Fitz and Dutiful together winning over Thick and the Skill lessons in the tower. I got a very solid sense of who Dutiful was, of what he could become, and the core of goodness in him.
I like the Narcheska very much. Hope that in the third book she and Dutiful start talking or something! Because I think they would find each other interesting once they got past mutual dislike of an arranged marriage.
And oh, Fitz. It's so strange to have him back. I haven't reread the Assassins series for quite some time, and I don't really plan on doing so. That trilogy is simply heart-wrenching, and I'm not sure I could. That, and it's so painful watching Fitz make all the mistakes he makes. GF finally brought it home for me that this was Fitz, fifteen years after the book, a headstrong boy no longer. He's very much a man here, and a father to boot, but in his heart he still seems and acts like the lost boy he used to be at times. But I loved watching him finally grow up a little and realize Chade's weaknesses, form a friendship with Dutiful. He's been broken and bloodied in so many ways in the first trilogy that it's nice to see him get a little peace at last. Even though he almost dies again! And he's still Fitz, and he can still mess up any relationship he has with a few very ill-chosen words.
Which brings me to the heart of the book and the series (for me) -- Fitz and the Fool. It was strange... I remember after reading Fool's Errand, I hopped online to see if there were any Fitz/Fool shipperes or whatnot out there, and instead, I found half the forums were saying things like they were just friends or whatnot, even after reading this book! Anyway, they're a great love story to me, except Fitz is so stubborn and just... so stupid sometimes. There's something about the character of the Fool/Amber/Lord Golden/Beloved that I love, the randomness and jesterness he had as the Fool in the first trilogy, the quietness of Amber, the foolishness and frippery of Lord Golden. And I desperately want to see more of Beloved.. I think we did see him/her (?) when he revealed his tattoo to Fitz. There's something about the Fool that's heart-breakingly open and vulnerable that I love. And he and Fitz are trapped in something too big, and he's in love and Fitz is... stupid, and there's everything else going on too. Guh. I'm really kind of scared that Hobb will actually kill off the Fool. Well, not really. But the possibility is still there, and I feel she's a bit like Joss. You never really know for sure. I remember my heart stopping at the end of Royal Assassin... and I didn't know it was a trilogy! But I want the Fool and Fitz to go off somewhere and be happy. Because I am a sap.
Other things... loved the shout-outs to the Liveship series, because I love Bingtown and the Rain Wilds. I really want Fitz to go there and to meet Paragon and to see the dragons. I loved Jek just walking in and completely messing up the Fitz/Fool dynamic. I loved the catch-up they played and learning that Althea was pregnant. And I very much loved seeing Selden again, and now I'm very much looking forward to Fitz and company meeting Tintaglia. I'm just so amazed that things in the past two trilogies are being tied up here and that Hobb has actually connected them all so that they're all necessary parts to the entire story of the White Prophet and the Catalyst. I do wonder what Amber was looking for in Wintrow and in Althea though... another Catalyst? Is this why the Fool was so scared and so relieved that they were still on the right path, because she had kind of messed up as Amber? I remember Amber's words about scribes becoming kings when they didn't want to... but then, in Verity's case, it was because of Fitz, and ended with a Farseer heir, and was a good thing.
And loved the last scene with Fitz and Beloved.
And I just had to make an icon like this. Not as pretty as I wanted, but having Buffy quotes and other characters collide in icons is fun!
(no subject)
Wed, Jul. 30th, 2003 08:53 pm (UTC)And I love that entire scene with Dutiful, when Fitz finds that Kettricken thinks he's the true Sacrifice all along and how so many people have loved him and cared for him over the years.
I think Fitz is already down the path of breaking with his preconceptions -- Dutiful telling him about Chivalry was just one crack... Love the first chapter when Fitz discovers that he is lonely not because he has to be, but because he chooses to be. 'Course the Fool helps with that ;). And for me at least, I could very much see him wrestling with this notion and finally deciding to not be alone like he was for so long, especially in that last scene when he calls the Fool Beloved *cue tears again*