Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings uber-series is something to be savored. As much as I regret not discovering the sheer joy of her books until after the last was released, rushing to consume them all is the wrong way to go, at least for me. I am restraining myself to one trilogy or quartet per year so that I have a guarantee of top-tier fantasy to newly experience for years yet. When done, I can loop back to the beginning and re-experience them with the full course of the story in mind, for an even fuller experience. Fool's Errand has further convinced me of the wisdom of this plan.

Returning to the Six Duchies, site of most of the Farseer trilogy, after an initial visit south down the coast in Liveship Traders, we re-enter to the story of FitzChivalry and Nighteyes more than a decade since the end events of [b:Assassin's Quest|33396914|Assassin's Quest (Farseer Trilogy, #3)|Robin Hobb|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1481883253l/33396914._SY75_.jpg|503752]. The span of intervening time is recounted naturally, in that seemingly effortless manner of worldbuilding and reader revelation that Hobb has mastered. Are you a new author, wondering how best to "show, don't tell" without a hint of artifice? Let these books be your guide. All of the key events from Fitz's preceding trilogy are re-engaged into this story alongside newly mentioned events, so seamlessly that I occasionally accused myself of forgetting details from the prior books when they were in fact post-"Quest" happenings.

I don't care to share more of the story for fear of spoiling your own journey of discovery. Suffice it to say that this ongoing saga follows paths both familiar and unpredictable, with characters steeped in complex motivations and emotions, acting in a richly believable landscape, where politics, history, and magic are tightly woven with and against characters' desires. It remains the best developed fantasy setting that I have ever encountered.