The Golden Fool

4.5 out of 5 stars – see this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Golden Fool expands and improves upon every aspect of Fool's Errand, just as Royal Assassin did for Assassin's Apprentice. This story was firing on all cylinders – the pacing, the plotting, the action, and the intrigue; it was all on full display.

Fitz (as Tom Badgerlock) is firmly back in the game and he's juggling relationships with: his three children (one by blood, one adopted, and one...well, it's complicated), The Fool/Lord Golden, spymaster Chade, Queen Kettricken, Starling, Thick, and his past self. He's developed a keen insight into his own grief – something that is now fully realized after having so much practice at it. Even after five books in Fitz's story, the characters and relationships around him continue to evolve in fresh new ways – as does the overall plot of the Realms of the Elderlings narrative. This book marked the first major crossover between adjacent trilogies, as the events of the Liveship Traders series are reframed and what I understood about certain characters was cast in a new light.

This book fully rekindled my addiction to this world. I've been swept into the Skill stream and I'm happy to go wherever it takes me.