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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Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

It feels really good to be able to get through two or three books at once again. Near the end of this month, Spring semester starts and I know I won't have time again until it's over so I'm trying to get in as many as I can. Thus we come to the conclusion of the Farseer trilogy. Having escaped death's clutches once more, FitzChivalry Farseer is a wreck of both body and mind. He slowly and reluctantly pieces himself together to discover that Regal has declared himself king and abandoned the coastal duchies to the Red Ships in favor of moving the keep to the soft, inner lands of his birth. Fitz knows no other desire but to assassinate Regal in retribution but the king is protected by his coterie of Skilled men who would love nothing more than to drain the strength from Fitz. Thwarted at the last by Verity's Skilled command, Fitz journeys instead past the Mountain kingdom where the deposed Queen Kettricken has fled with The Fool, jester to Verity's father,...

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb

Last one of the Tawny Man trilogy! Fitz has promised to accompany Prince Dutiful on his quest to kill the dragon Icefyre, but he is torn. The Fool insists on going with him but has already revealed that his prophecies end on the island. Meanwhile, the dragon Tintaglia continues to bombard Fitz's dreams, demanding Icefyre's location and threatening dire consequences should anything befall the last male dragon in the world. The journey to the Outislands proves fraught with danger for all the Prince's companions but offers an opportunity to bond with his betrothed that he cannot ignore. The ending to this series is so perfect that I had to walk away. It's a beautiful send-off to these characters that I have loved and it would only cheapen the experience to jump right into the next book. There's a reason she waited ten years to bring these characters back.

The Outsourcerer's Apprentice by Tom Holt

I don't know if I would call this a sequel but it is set in the same universe as Doughnut and When It's A Jar so it's definitely related. Benny just wanted to take a break from studying for exams by escaping into YouSpace for a while. Unfortunately, he has lost his doughnut and is trapped as Prince Florizel in a world that is falling apart. The Wizard who controls everything has been outsourcing all the magical labor for his own ends to different dimensions which has begun a ripple effect towards destabilizing the entire plane. Now, Florizel and his reluctant subjects Buttercup, a Red-Riding-Hood sick to death of having to kill talking wolves everyday, and Turquine, a knight suddenly curious about the increase in dragons and what that means for his union, must confront the Outsourcerer once and for all. Tom Holt is probably the next spiritual successor to Terry Pratchett in terms of humor. This series blends quantum mechanics, macroeconomics, and fantasy ...

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