Fool's Errand: Robin Hobb

Book I of The Tawny Man. 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 into a tiny cottage as remote from Buckkeep and the Farseers as possible. But lately the world has come crashing in again. The Witted are being persecuted because of their magical bonds with animals; and young Prince Dutiful has gone missing just before his diplomatically crucial 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. Cover art by John Howe.