Spoil(er) me

[resonant]

Any Robin Hobb readers out there? Anybody want to tell me one good reason why I shouldn't assume she's doing the slashy thing on purpose?

I loved her novella in the Legends II compilation, so I went looking for the series. However, because our library is staffed by the Undead, Book 1 from the first trilogy is missing from the shelves, and no one knows what to do about this because the computer shows that it's there; and the library doesn't own Book 1 of the second trilogy, though they were nice enough to buy Books 2 and 3. So the best I could do was to grab Book 1 of the third trilogy, i.e. Fool's Errand.

I'm not completely sold on this book yet; there's an awful lot of musing, reminiscing, denying facts which are right before our eyes, and longing for the past. But the minute the Fool walked in (looking like Draco in a slash story as described through the eyes of a thoroughly besotted Harry) and began doing things like asking Fitz to call him "beloved," my interest level began to grow -- mainly because I don't, really, believe that we're headed into a canonically slashy place, but I cannot imagine how on earth she's going to explain the Fool's behavior in any other way, unless he's going to turn out to be a girl in Book 2.

So somebody who's read Book 2, come and tell me how I'm supposed to be interpreting this stuff! (And if there's any decent Fitz/Fool on the web, I'd love recs.)

Comments

[shrift.livejournal.com]

Oy. I'd have to re-read all of the novels thus far to really talk about this without sounding like an idiot, and ideally, you would have started with The Assassin's Apprentice. *g* 'Cause there's lots of history there.

History that I myself am forgetting. So I dearly hope somebody jumps in and corrects me if I'm wrong.

Them books are insanely thick. I think I have them all, too...

Anyway. In the first three, I don't remember the romantic element between Fitz and the Fool being there. The Fool was too... child-like in that incarnation, I think. Child-like and not mentally all there.

Although Fitz and Verity... yeah, there's a case for THAT. *g*

So somebody who's read Book 2, come and tell me how I'm supposed to be interpreting this stuff!

My take on it -- since I believe the Fool is only *impersonating* a girl on several occasions, although not everyone knows it's an impersonation -- is that the Fool is physically male (although fairly androgynous) and in love with Fitz. Deeply so, both friendly and romantic.

Fitz loves the Fool back, but *platonically*, he likes to insist. Platonically! I'm pretty sure the Fool makes an overture in the second book, which Fitz rebuffs. He's very uncomfortable with the situation, but I remember finishing the second book still having hope that there might be slash to come in the third. Although I also remember wanting to bonk Fitz over the head.

At the very least, they're *dear* to each other.

As for the hope... Fitz used to be the apprentice to the court spy and poisoner (Chade), so he used to be pretty good at sussing out secrets and relationships between people. But he's always been *hopeless* at seeing anything in relation to himself. And since Nighteyes died, Fitz really hasn't had anyone around but the Fool to smack him upside the head when he's being a dolt.

And I get the impression that he knows he's being a dolt. But that may be wishful thinking.

(And if there's any decent Fitz/Fool on the web, I'd love recs.)

God, if you find any, let me know! I've toyed with the idea of writing some myself, but I haven't got 'round to it yet.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

That's helpful, though discouraging. As I mentioned, the novella was quite enjoyable; the book, on the other hand, really didn't seem to have a whole lot going for it at all until the Fool showed up, and I'm disappointed that all that romantic description of him with the firelight gilding his face and all (in Fitz POV) is not going to go anywhere.

[shrift.livejournal.com]

I think Robin Hobb's earlier novels are well worth reading, although her more recent work seems to suffer from (what appears to me, anyway) a lack of firm editing. Kind of like J.K. Rowling, actually.

I honestly don't know if she's going anywhere with the romantic descriptions -- if the subtext is deliberate and misleading, or if she's perhaps terribly fond of the Fool as a character. Then again, I've done plenty of literary criticism in my time, so I don't really want to go to an authorial intent place. I'm going to read the third book, regardless. I think that the relationship between Fitz and the Fool is hands-down the most compelling thing about The Tawny Man series, but I'm prepared to be disappointed and frustrated.