[challenge-progress for=”Realm of the Elderlings” bg=”black” font=”white”] [book-info title=”Golden Fool” author=”robin-hobb-2″] Progress: Golden Fool 43% complete. I don’t actually have a great deal to say about today’s reading. It’s more setup. I was interested in the beginnings of Dutiful’s Coterie with Fitz, Dutiful, Chade, Thick and Nettle clearly being setup for that. I was less involved shall we say in the whole Hap/Jinna subplot. Hap’s pure raison d’être was to act as a comparison to Dutiful – both of Fitz’s “sons” need him and he’s struggling to balance the two and also to highlight Fitz’s own youthful indiscretions. I was glad that Hobb made it clear that Fitz really didn’t return Jinna’s affection in any meaningful way. I’m still completely shipping Fitz and the Fool, but in any case Molly is still hanging around in the background <sigh> In terms of the pairings, I’m a little frustrated that Hobb isn’t sticking to her “Molly is Fitz’s youthful fling, there’s someone (i.e. the Fool) in his future for a deeper relationship.” I remember that Fitz ends up with Molly at the end of Fool’s Fate, so I hope that’s reversed in Fool’s Assassin. Speaking of the Fool, from the name of…