Fool’s Quest: The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy, Book 2

Hobb’s second Fitz & the Fool fantasy novel (following Fool’s Assassin) untangles numerous story lines and weaves them into a complex tapestry of adventure, betrayal, destiny, and unrelenting peril. FitzChivalry Farseer has reunited with the Fool after years of isolation. Fitz is ecstatic at finding his friend, but a horrible misunderstanding—related to the Fool’s drastically changed looks, his blindness, and his torture-scarred body—leaves Fitz feeling off-balance and as unhappy as ever. Worse, even as Fitz has found his long-lost friend, he has had to abandon his own fragile but strong-willed daughter to the untrustworthy care of servants at his holding, Withywoods. The Fool is eager for a quest of revenge, which soon meshes with Fitz’s own needs when he finds his daughter has been kidnapped. Though there is some sluggishness in places, and a bit of reliance on magic to move the plot forward, Hobb’s expertise is evident as always. Agent: Chris Lotts, Lotts Agency. (Aug.)