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Submitted by Kseniya Shabanova 
(Feb 15, 2004)

This book is a jumble of words that takes all the messy things in life and swirls them into a storm all about you, and never sets them down again. All loose threads are tied off and yet life continues on, messy as ever, because that's just life.

I do not want to recount the plot because those that stuck with the series through it's last eight books will know where it must go - Buckkeep, Icefire's icy island, Tintaglia's blue skies and back again. Knowing this was the last book in the story, the very last, I treasured each page. And such is Robin Hobb's writing, that I could have accepted a dozen moments in the story as the conclusion.

There are so many moments of homecoming, looming gulfs of intrigue, hopelessness and bubbling hope, that a lesser writer could have accepted any one of them as the conclusion of this book. Then, they could go on and write another book, and then another, from any of the plot twists here.

Not Robin Hobb. This is a heart pouring out, not a milking cow of a book. The pacing is just what it should be. In every place where she could have gone faster, and summarized instead of showing every detail, and left me wondering forever what that scene could have been like had it been more complete - she went all out, holding nothing back. That's a gift and it is given in this book more times than I can could. It's like the moments in your favorite books that you go back to over and over and reread every year.

Here, you can reread the whole book or any part of it and you'll never have enough, I think. Her talent owes me and makes me green with envy.

I could think of no more perfect conclusion to not just one, but three trilogies. It is, in every way, a satisfying and crowning achievement, not least for the fact that it leave a door open for unexpected futures to intrude.

This series (all nine) was on its way to being the best I have ever read, until this book for one main reason and that is the way the most interesting and engaging character, the Fool, is dealt with.

I needed a good closure and there wasn't one. (Interpret that however you like.) Add this to a few too many characters giving synopsis of what happen to them, instead of being able to see what happens along with the first half of the book being a bit slow and I was left disappointed.

This series, this book even, is still a good book, and much better than anything Jordan or Goodkind has ever written in my opinion. I only gave it a three in comparing it to Robin Hobb's other books.

Hobb left the best till last. This 3rd in the Tawny Man series starts at the preparation for leaving on the Dragon Quest. I felt the Wit and Skill magic was used more expensively here, which made it the best in this trilogy. I liked the character relationships, especially Fitz's and the Fools. The story was sad at times and once again the author wasn't frightened to kill our favourite characters. Some surprises and I loved the dragon scenes. The ending brought this to a conclusion for Fitz, but left it open for other characters. A thoroughly enjoyable read.