Fool's Errand is a book by Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is the second pen name of novelist Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden who produces primarily fantasy fiction, although she has published some science fiction....

, the first in her Tawny Man Trilogy. It commences 15 years after the events in Assassin's Quest

Assassin's Quest

Assassin's Quest is a book by Robin Hobb, the third in her Farseer Trilogy. It was published in 1997.-Plot summary:FitzChivalry Farseer is raised from the dead using his despised Wit magic, but he is now more wolf than human. Only Burrich and Chade know he survived his tortures in Regal's dungeons;...

, a period covered by The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic

Ship of Magic

Ship of Magic is a 1998 fantasy novel by Robin Hobb, the first in her Liveship Traders Trilogy.-Plot summary:Ship of Magic is the first book of the Liveship Traders series and is reminiscent of C.S. Forester's and Patrick O'Brian's writing style concerning the details and subtleties of ship life...

, The Mad Ship

The Mad Ship

The Mad Ship is a book by Robin Hobb, the second in her Liveship Traders Trilogy. It appeared in the USA as simply Mad Ship.-Plot:...

, Ship of Destiny

Ship of Destiny

Ship of Destiny is a book by Robin Hobb, the third and last in her Liveship Traders Trilogy.-Plot summary:Ship of Destiny continues where The Mad Ship left off and reveals some of the secrets that were hinted at in the first book and second books.The dragon, Tintaglia, released from her wizardwood...

); it resumes the story of FitzChivalry Farseer after he has wandered the world and finally settled to a quiet, cottage-dwelling life with his adopted son Hap.

Plot summary

Fifteen years have passed since the end of the Red Ship War with the terrifying Outislanders. Since then, Fitz has wandered the world accompanied only by his wolf and Wit-partner, Nighteyes, finally settling in a tiny cottage as isolated from the Farseers and Buckkeep politics as possible.

Starling finds him soon after he settles down in the cottage and visits him often. On one of her visits she brings him a young orphaned boy, named Hap, that Fitz raises as well as he is able.

The Fool finds him and convinces him that he is needed. The young prince Dutiful has gone missing just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to an Outislander princess. Fitz's assignment to fetch Dutiful back in time for the ceremony seems very much like a fool's errand, but the dangers ahead could signal the end of the Farseer reign.

Editions

• An American English
  American English
  American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
  
   paperback edition was issued in New York by Bantam Books in 2002 with ISBN 0-553-58244-5.
• A British English
  British English
  British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
  
   paperback edition was issued in London by Voyager/Harpercollins
  HarperCollins
  HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
  
   in 2002 with ISBN 0-00-648601-0. This edition's cover is illustrated by John Howe.