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Golden Fool by Robin Hobb

My Robin Hobb adventure continues through book two of the Tawny Man series.

Prince Dutiful has been rescued, just in time for his betrothal ceremony to the Narcheska Elliania of the Outislands.  Tensions remain high as these recent enemies are invited into the very heart of Buckkeep and Fitz, resurrected once more as Tom Badgerlock, manservant to Lord Golden, is in the thick of it.  He must serve as spy, confidant, Skillmaster, and Catalyst while maintaining as low a profile as he kind, for the Piebalds have sworn their vengeance on him, until Dutiful and Elliania are safely bound together.  But dark forces are working against him and the young Narchescka is but an opening gambit from the Fool's great nemesis, the Pale Woman.

There's a lot of setup in this book and it is much more character-driven than some of the previous works in this series.  A host of new characters are introduced and previous characters' storylines are either expanded or wrapped enough to be safely set aside.  This feels very much like it is gearing up for the final showdown.
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