Aieee...another Robin Hobb trilogy. If you haven't read the first couple (the Farseer and the Liveship Traders), they're well worth a read.

Released on Saturday, May 29, 2004 at Fellow BookCrosser in Postal release, Postal Release Controlled Releases.

Right...making release notes is good.

Blyargh was kind enough to mail me this book when I went in search of Hobb books. Thanks again! Onto Mt. TBR it goes! ;)

2005 Book #18: Tawny Man 01: Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb
I was just going back looking at where I got this book and I was surprised and a little embarassed to see that I'd had this book for a year by the time I finished it!!!

This is the second trilogy of Hobb's that I've picked up. All I've been able to get from each is the first book though! I was able to find the second book to this one at the library, but it would've been nice to have my own copy.

It wasn't until I'd started this trilogy that I realized that the characters were established in a different one, the Farseer Trilogy. Gah! Then the more I read the more I came across references to a third one of Hobb's trilogies, the one I'd started called The Liveship Traders Trilogy. Wah!

The main character in this book, FitzChivalry (Fitz), is a man who has in the past helped the royal line maintain peace and as his reward all he wanted was to be relieved of his duties and live alone and in peace. However, he's a man of special talents. Some people are born with the ability to bond with animals and communicate with them. In addition he has the ability of listening to the thoughts of other people. These skills are referred to as the Wit and the Skill. On top of everything else he's a "bastard" member of the royal family and since he disappeared he's been considered dead.

However, things are becoming dangerous again with problems escalating between regular people and their fear of those who are Witted. It turns out that one of the royal family's secrets is that the throne's heir is Witted. The prince, Dutiful, (yeah, that's his name!) bonds without proper instruction with a feline which is given to him as a gift and one day he disappears from the castle.

No one is sure whether he left of his own volition or if the feline gift was a trap to lure Dutiful out of the castle and into the manipulative hands of those who would use him for their own ends, to achieve power. The Queen and her counselor/chief assassin, Chade, don't want the word to get out that the prince is missing and cause a political mess. It's particularly important since a girl he's supposed to be betrothed to in a few weeks is on her way and it's crucial for this political alliance to go through without hitches.

Fitz is the only person Witted whom Chade and the Queen fully trust and he's brought out of obscurity to search out and return Dutiful with the help of his trusted and longtime wolf friend Nighteyes.

I found the story and the ability of being bonded to an animal intriguing enough to track down that next book at the library. It's a good fantasy story. Now if I can only get ahold of those other trilogies and finish them so I don't get any more surprises in this one! :D

On to the next loving hand. I mailed this out today to roadweaver. I hope you enjoy it as I did!

Received book from Synergy--Thanks very much. Can hardly wait to dive into it.

Just finished reading this book and truly enjoyed it. My favorite character was "The Fool". I am hoping that he plays an even greater role n the second book of The Tawny Man Series.