Fool's Assassin spoiler thread

[thjan]

Hi everybody, I'm a new member, but long time Robin Hobb fan(and especially Fitz fan).

Anyway, I greatly enjoyed Fool's Assassin, and I wanted to share my thoughts on it(even though I'm not very good at doing that). I loved being able to read about Fitz, Molly, Nettle, the Fool, Chade, Kettricken, Dutiful Patience, and even Nighteyes(very unexpected, but awesome) again. I had really missed Fitz and the Six Duchies. I also loved being introduced to a great new character in Bee. Of course as this is a Fitz book, bad things have to happen to him, and man they do. This book has the distinction of being the second book to ever make me cry(the first being Fool's Errand).

I really can't wait for the next book. This Wolf-Father thing as really got me intrigued, and I am really excited about when Fitz and the Fool finally have a conversation about Bee, and Fitz finally realizes what Bee is. I'm glad that Robin Hobb writes so fast. Imagine having to wait 2 or three years for the next one like you do with some writers, yikes.

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Now I wanted to reply to some people.

3. I really liked Revel, too bad she killed him off.

I know! I hated that too. I had really come to like him.

3. Cruel, so cruel, what has happened to the Fool.

Yep . I hope they are able to heal the worst of it in the next book.

4. So many missed opportunities and misunderstandings. Pretty standard for RH...sometimes so infuriating!

Definitely. It was very sad and frustrating at times.

I thought the same for ages until near the end when Fitz thinks he's going to demand Chade tell him all about Lant and Shun's parentage. Plus Fitz thinks about it on and off for ages and he or Bee at one point think how alike Lant and Shun look...I just get a feeling he's a Farseer in some way although it doesn't make sense that Lord Vigilant recognised him as his son I must admit? I'm also not convinced he's dead....I just cannot wait for the next book!!

I think he is a Farseer as well. I actually think he is Chade's son. There are a bunch of things that I think point to this-

1. Chade certainly took a great interest in the boy, and really wanted Fitz to protect him the same as Shun.

2. Like you said, Bee thought about how alike Shun and Lant look(same nose, good looking ect.), and I'm pretty confident that Shun is Chade's daughter.

3. The rumor that Laurel had quarreled with someone in a high position and it was well hushed. Chade is definitely in a high position and we know he likes to get around when it comes to women and is good at keeping it quiet.

4. Riddle thought Vigilant was a boor and he was surprised that he was able to get any woman to lie with him and was surprised that he would acknowledge a bastard. That doesn't sound like someone Laurel would go for.

5. Riddle said that Vigilant's estates were in disorder for many years, but that he finally got a good man to help run his estates and began to prosper. I think that maybe Chade helped him get his estates in order in exchange for saying that Lant was his bastard to help in the cover up of Lant being Chade's.

6. Vigilant doing nothing to protect Lant from his wife. It might be just because he is his bastard that he doesn't care about now that he has legitimate children, but it could also be that he just didn't care at that point about showing concern or a stake in a son that was not even his own(especially since his estates were now in order).