New trilogy featuring Fitz and the Fool by Robin Hobb

[HexMachina]

So wait, it's still a trilogy right?

As far as I can tell, yeah. Why?

[Futhorc]

Because rainwilds was meant to be a single spin off book to get new readers into the setting, and ended up as a four book series. Not impossible that the author might do it again.

[Houndbird]

That to me suggests that, as I posted earlier, Fitz will die.

All men must die.

Love Fitz and the entire series. Can't wait for books 2 and 3.

[HexMachina]

Because rainwilds was meant to be a single spin off book to get new readers into the setting, and ended up as a four book series. Not impossible that the author might do it again.

Yeah, I knew that. I just thought Calibandar had asked in response to what I posted about the 3rd book and rewrites.

Love her or hate her, you cant deny that she has a very good writing pace. I seem to remember hearing that she sets herself the goal of writing a certain number of pages per day (3 maybe?) and then goes back over them and decides whether to keep then/edits them. Not sure if that was the exact way but close enough. Either way, it seems to work.

[Bronn Stone]

Just picked it up and finished it within a day and a half.

Most predictable book she's written. The 'twist' was protected by a 'thought armor' that prevented anyone (especially Fitz) from jumping to obvious conclusions. He knew more about White Prophets than anyone in the Six Duchies and it never crossed his mind??? C'mon.

But I do love the setting so any more is fine with me.

Re-read underway.

[Serious Callers Only]

It shouldn't have been a twist, and was only one because of her propensity to want drama & angst in all of her books even if it doesn't make sense. It just makes Fitz look like a moron (which i already thought so...). He is so unfit to be a spy it's almost funny when he

suddenly turns into hyper suspicious killer mode and then immediately forgetting all about the ASSASSINATED WHITE PROPHET GIRL MESSENGER not even discussing it with Cade.

The ending was infuriating because it's a long chain of predestination that's enabled by Fitz being a dumbass, and also because it follows the patterns of her other series, where the middle book is a angst bomb, so i'm even already suspecting the next book of being predictable, with

Fitz little Bee being brainwashed, and he not being able to save her. Bee looks smarter than Fitz but no doubt writers plot dementia will strike.

At least the Soldier Son guy problems were not caused by being dumb, which i find unsympathetic. I think the book would be better if

Bee wasn't Fitz child at all and a clean break was done, for instance, using one of the 6 duchies ancillary characters as family, and fitz brought in as rescuer/party member for book 2 if she really really wanted it. The reader would be on it, he would be on edge about characters brainstorming, but it wouldn't be abnormal if they didn't

[peterbound]

It shouldn't have been a twist, and was only one because of her propensity to want drama & angst in all of her books even if it doesn't make sense. It just makes Fitz look like a moron (which i already thought so...). He is so unfit to be a spy it's almost funny when he

suddenly turns into hyper suspicious killer mode and then immediately forgetting all about the ASSASSINATED WHITE PROPHET GIRL MESSENGER not even discussing it with Cade.

The ending was infuriating because it's a long chain of predestination that's enabled by Fitz being a dumbass, and also because it follows the patterns of her other series, where the middle book is a angst bomb, so i'm even already suspecting the next book of being predictable, with

Fitz little Bee being brainwashed, and he not being able to save her. Bee looks smarter than Fitz but no doubt writers plot dementia will strike.

At least the Soldier Son guy problems were not caused by being dumb, which i find unsympathetic. I think the book would be better if

Bee wasn't Fitz child at all and a clean break was done, for instance, using one of the 6 duchies ancillary characters as family, and fitz brought in as rescuer/party member for book 2 if she really really wanted it. The reader would be on it, he would be on edge about characters brainstorming, but it wouldn't be abnormal if they didn't

Hmmm, I think most of the problems you've listed have more to do with fitz being stubborn, and human.

I'm sure you're used to your fantasy heroes being a bit more 'heroic' but fitz is anything but.

People, in real life, make a shot ton of idiotic mistakes. On a daily basis. You should go read some tie in novels or YA if you expect something with more perfection in its characters.

[Serious Callers Only]

If you're worried about Bee not being Fitz ruining the father-daughter thing going on, just add a connective character like her BFF daughter of Fitz and let it be the link, just something that doesn't make clear that Fitz is thinking about her 24/7 and is still not able to work out basic inference.

Or just change the plot a bit. Why does Fitz have to be unware anyway, from a writers perspective. Only to enable the pathos of not beliving Bee's warnings near the end, or thinking her retarded for a long while, which could be worked around by many other things, including the other characters not believing him, which they don't anyway when he tries to explain she's smart later on, it would just be one more thing for they not to believe in. This is what i mean by drama for drama's sake. It's lazy.

Yeah sure, it fits Fitz mental conception of the world that she's mentally deficient since he could never conceptualize a child growing more slowly or differently than others therefore being mute for a long while, but the albinism that is the one character trait shared by another proeminent character is pushing it. He could have perfectly believed both until near the end when he would realize they're related, since he never saw the Fool growing up, which wouldn't be genius level inference, but at least it wouldn't be embarassing.

I like the 'feels' of the book but i dislike the severe IQ drop. And i bet that even on the next book, he's not going to ask the hard questions about the fool's childhood he needs to ask to get a complete picture, because the writer is saving that ammo for some stupid climax (and the sex thing too). He probably doesn't even remember that the white prophets are a eldering/dragon creation (genetic project) even though that was spelled out to him in the previous trilogy.

Ironically, i would totally support childsupport taking Bee off Fitz dumb hands if it existed in the six duchies world, just let him keep visitation rights so he doesn't kill everyone in a paroxysm of rage :bang:

[peterbound]

If you're worried about Bee not being Fitz ruining the father-daughter thing going on, just add a connective character like her BFF daughter of Fitz and let it be the link, just something that doesn't make clear that Fitz is thinking about her 24/7 and is still not able to work out basic inference.

Or just change the plot a bit. Why does Fitz have to be unware anyway, from a writers perspective. Only to enable the pathos of not beliving Bee's warnings near the end, or thinking her retarded for a long while, which could be worked around by many other things, including the other characters not believing him, which they don't anyway when he tries to explain she's smart later on, it would just be one more thing for they not to believe in. This is what i mean by drama for drama's sake. It's lazy.

Yeah sure, it fits Fitz mental conception of the world that she's mentally deficient since he could never conceptualize a child growing more slowly or differently than others therefore being mute for a long while, but the albinism that is the one character trait shared by another proeminent character is pushing it. He could have perfectly believed both until near the end when he would realize they're related, since he never saw the Fool growing up, which wouldn't be genius level inference, but at least it wouldn't be embarassing.

I like the 'feels' of the book but i dislike the severe IQ drop. And i bet that even on the next book, he's not going to ask the hard questions about the fool's childhood he needs to ask to get a complete picture, because the writer is saving that ammo for some stupid climax (and the sex thing too). He probably doesn't even remember that the white prophets are a eldering/dragon creation (genetic project) even though that was spelled out to him in the previous trilogy.

Again,

Do you never make mistakes? Do you remember every story ever told to you?

Maybe I'm being to easy on fitz (Cus I love the bastard), but I do think you're being pretty hard on him.

[Serious Callers Only]

Rant over man, rant over. But this is why this book is disapointing, even though the early-mid feels are magnificent (but will probably not be on the future trilogy books, pattern remaining, since there won't be much feel good stuff in the tragedy the author wants to force). I wouldn't be surprised if he dies in book 3 yes.

Speculation time. Is it possible that White Prophets are children born with a wit connection to dormant dragons? Since they grow up slower than normal people like(1) wit users grow older slower after bonding to their partner, their wit bond might go mostly dragon->human way allowing their probability abilities?

1: I don't even remember for certain why Fitz is growing older slower, maybe it's not the wit, but the skill or both or neither and i'm misremembering. It would make sense that both abilities are needed to activate the white prophet gene since Fitz's child is one, which doesn't explain why he himself isn't one, maybe molly... If Bee/Fool were genetic women that could be differenting factor, but they're probably not, since that hamfisted prophecy.

edit: doesn't work anyway since he has another daughter with molly doh. But she didn't inherit the wit so maybe it does, speculation of possible mechanics is futile i guess.

But the fact itself that both Fitz and white prophets have more life is suggestive of a relationship to the magic.

[AverageGuy]

This isn't a spoiler thread?

1: I don't even remember for certain why Fitz is growing older slower, maybe it's not the wit, but the skill or both or neither and i'm misremembering. It would make sense that both abilities are needed to activate the white prophet gene since Fitz's child is one, which doesn't explain why he himself isn't one, maybe molly... If Bee/Fool were genetic women that could be differenting factor, but they're probably not, since that hamfisted prophecy.

Fitz is aging slower because of the Skill. Skill healing slows down aging, which we saw with what's-her-name in Royal Assassin, and Fitz went through an intense healing that's still kind of working after the fact during Tawny Man.

I think Bee being a White Prophet is more to do with Fitz's connection to the Fool-- I do remember that White Prophets meant to be descended from a separate race, so normally there's a genetic component, but I don't see any reason for Fitz and Molly both to happen to have those genes. It could be a massive coincidence, but I suspect magic shenanigans. There's even mention of her as the Fool's daughter.

[peterbound]

1: I don't even remember for certain why Fitz is growing older slower, maybe it's not the wit, but the skill or both or neither and i'm misremembering. It would make sense that both abilities are needed to activate the white prophet gene since Fitz's child is one, which doesn't explain why he himself isn't one, maybe molly... If Bee/Fool were genetic women that could be differenting factor, but they're probably not, since that hamfisted prophecy.

Wait? You don't remember something that was pointed out in depth during the last book? That's not realistic. I expected more from a thread poster.

[Darth Richard II]

Eh, some days I have trouble remembering who I am.

[The Reckoner]

Hey Richard, all: I've read up to the point in Assassin's Apprentice where Verity tells Fitz that Gallen was basically someone's lapdog and was really a terrible Skill user.

[Darth Richard II]

Uh, you lost me. Are you making some sort of joke? Or are you admitting that when you called them YA you had not actually read them and were talking out your butt?

[The Reckoner]

No, that's the point where I sort of just lost interest. I had made that statement about the book after I finished that chapter between Fitz and Verity.

[HexMachina]

Nice to know, I'll rest easier at night knowing that.

[Serious Callers Only]

Wait? You don't remember something that was pointed out in depth during the last book? That's not realistic. I expected more from a thread poster.

At least i have the recollection of it happening, unlike Fitzgoldfish.

[Gigei]

As long as it doesn't end up with some fat hero having chubby chaser sex with a hippie girl out in the woods for 300 pages.

+1

LMAO.

Edit: Okay finished reading it.

Not bad, could have been much worse! I'm actually not a big fan of the Fool and I remember being quite surprised that the fandom seemed to be into Fool+Fitz. Molly has always been pretty blah - you could replace with a doll or something and not notice the difference. But I guess Fitz has enough drama in his life and just wants some quiet time doing domestic chores. Okay, it's reasonable enough.

Of course, since the book is more about Fitz's domestic life its really very boring. The only action is at the very end.

I did raise my eyebrows about Fitz being extremely thick about his daughter being a White Prophet, especially after she told him about a prophetic dream that came true right in front of his eyes but I can swallow that idea, kinda.

See, IMO Fitz has always had his blind spots. I remember when Starling (the bard) told him "The Fool is clearly a woman who is in love with you" and supposedly Fitz was shocked because he never noticed it. Either Fitz is just totally oblivious sometimes or he is deeply in denial. Both interpretations work for me.

However, one (not so) small thing stood out for me. Before the messenger woman died she told him about her magical cloak and told Fitz not to lose it. Then Fitz completely forgets about it.

Whoa, when did Fitz become stupid? I can accept it if some things are too emotionally scary for him to realize - his daughter's strangeness, for example, but just completely becoming idiotically forgetful? Meh.

Other somewhat random observations:

- I don't understand why Fitz is like completely unWitted. Not even small observations about the horses? Why? His Wit has always been a big part of who he is.

- Fitz is just such a bad father.

- No guards at his home even after he got the message from the Fool? Almost criminal carelessness.

- WTF about Molly's pregnancy. It took soooo long and it was extremely repetitive. She's fixing up the nursery, then she is still fixing up the nursery, then Fitz leaves for a bit and when he comes back the nursery has been refurbished, like 10x. Seriously, does Hobb think I will forget about the nursery if it's not mentioned every few paragraphs?

[Alex.]

Magnificent book. The pacing and atmosphere of these Fitz/Fool books has always worked for me and this one is no different. Reading some of the objections in this thread has baffled me. Everything Fitz does is in character and believable, however frustrating he can be at times.

Eagerly awaiting the next one