Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

The goal is formal peace between Fitz's Six Duchies and the Outislander Raiders, ending a cycle of war fought with weapons that kill the soul, whose horror dominated that first trilogy. A royal marriage is arranged, with the puzzling condition that the Duchies' heir must bring a bride-price of the head of the last male dragon--who's alive but entombed in a glacier. Why?

Fitz's old friend the Fool, a once-albino who believes himself the White Prophet of this age but has mysteriously darkened into the Tawny Man, opposes this dragon-killing. It seems necessary to deceive and betray the Fool for his own good, if only to prevent his self-prophesied death.

Another betrayal: a halfwit master of the psychic "Skill" is needed for this mad quest, and must be lured by Fitz on to ship after ship despite his horror of the sea. Old deceptions return to haunt Fitz, such as the Skilled girl who doesn't know she's his daughter, and others long kept in the dark for what seemed excellent reasons.

Grim surprises, confrontations, a hidden enemy and the old horror of soul-draining ("Forging") all await on the island of the glacier and the dragon. Fitz has more than once been traumatically hauled back from death: now the risks are worse than ever, with an impasse that surely can't be resolved.

Do Fitz and his closest friends win through? That would be telling, but whatever happens, there are high prices to be paid. It's a measure of Robin Hobb's skill with characters and relationships that the final compromises and realistic settlements are so satisfying. Smoothly readable despite great length, laden with charm and terror, Fool's Fate is a fine ending to what is a family as well as a fantasy saga. --David Langford

Average Customer Rating:

A Grand Finale

Customer Rating:

Both Assassin's Quest and Ship of Destiny left me with the feeling that neither trilogy was really over. Fool's Fate is the finally we've all been waiting for- the tying off of the many loose ends. Not only do we finally meet the Pale Woman and Kebal Rawbread, but we see the conclusion of the Dragon issue as well. For me, the best part of this series has been Fitz dealing with all those who think of him as the Witted Bastard of Buck, and all the friends that think he's long dead. Fool's Fate is a true finally on all levels- we have the action, the adventure, the loss, and even a happy ending of sorts. Hobb's talent has always been to achieve this without the cliches.

A Short Story...

Customer Rating:

Once there was a young boy who never enjoyed reading in fact he found it dull and avoided doing it where ever possible. Then not suspecting what would happen his mother left a book lying around the house. The boy picked it up and thought what the hell i'll give it one more go with all this reading stuff and from the first page he was hooked. That first book was hungrily devowered before dawn the next day followed by the next and then the next. That boy was me aged only 10 i had really hated reading untill i read that first book by Robin Hobb "Assasins Aprentice" and i've never stopped reading since. These are the greatest books i have ever read and i've now read a lot in the interviening 11 years since that first fatefull evening! I hope everyone reads these books they really are the best litarary thing that ever happened to me.

Just boring!

Customer Rating:

I've never written a review before, I usually leave it to others who seem to enjoy it. However, I could not keep quiet about this book and the previous one in the trilogy, I mean, come on, nothing happens! For the entire second book I can honestly say I only continued due to Robin Hobb's previous books, which I very much liked and the thought that maybe she was building up to a cracker in the third. How sorely dissapointed was I! Half way through the book and they're only just getting to Icefyres Lair. If I'd have been on the boat with Thick I'd have thrown him overboard and I would have told Chade and Dutiful to smarten up too! And the ending . . . well. I realise the need to engage us with the characters and to try to get under their skin but I would also like some action, I am very sorry that a writer as good as Robin Hobb came up with a trilogy as poor as this. If you have read the first two then you should read this just for closure,if you haven't started the Tawny Man series then don't bother (although on the brightside you will sleep soundly).

Haunting

Customer Rating:

This is my favourite fantasy series by a mile. This tops Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin (very hard to do) & Terry Goodkind (very, very hard to do). Very engaging and fascinating in detail. The pace never halts or gets bogged down in descriptive passages. These books will haunt me forever. I felt for Fitz so much, the character was drawn so well that it felt like it was happening to me, it was so personal. The friendship and bond between the Fool and Fitz is remarkable. When Fitz finds out what happened to the Fool in the ice caves, I had to put the book down and weep - it was unbearable. It's been three years since I read these books, and I can still remember the emotion I felt when first read them. I thoroughly recommend these books.

Great series, shame about the ending

Customer Rating:

As with many other readers i was captivated by the plot and characters of Robin Hobb's dual trilogies, and from Assassin's Apprentice through to The Golden Fool I spent many a sleepless night unable to put these books down. I really cannot praise the series enough, and yet it was the level of enjoyment I felt reading the books which has caused my near depression upon finishing the last one, Fool's Fate. A more disappointing, unimaginative and cliche conclusion to a truly spectacular series I cannot imagine. Honestly, I almost shed a tear when I realised such a fun and original collection of books was ending with such a whimper. In fact, writing this review is upsetting me so much I have to stop now before I destroy my keyboard. Please read the series, I assure you it will be worth your while, but brace yourself for disappointment beyond measure at it's conclusion.