The Tawny Man trilogy is a series of novels by American author Robin Hobb, and the third trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings sequence. Narrated in first person by FitzChivalry Farseer, it follows his life in his mid-thirties, and is set after the events of the Farseer Trilogy and the Liveship Traders. Background and publication As the third trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings series, the events of Tawny Man occur after and are influenced by the Farseer and Liveship novels. Hobb described her personal response to going back to Fitz's narrative voice as akin to "putting on a really comfortable pair of jeans", finding it a relaxing writing experience. She stated that her goal was for the trilogy to stand independently of the conclusion of the Farseer novels, following Fitz's life 15 years after its events. Fool's Errand was published in October 2001 by HarperCollins Voyager in the UK, and in January 2002 by Bantam Spectra in the US. The second volume followed exactly one year later in each country, and was titled The Golden Fool in the UK and Golden Fool in the US. The concluding book, Fool's Fate, was released in October 2003 in the UK, and in February 2004 in the US. The series was marketed as The Tawny Man trilogy, and is also known as the Tawny Man trilogy. The UK covers were illustrated by John Howe, while the US versions were designed by Stephen Youll. The setting of the Elderlings novels, in particular the Tawny Man trilogy, has been recognized as resembling the Pacific Northwest, where Hobb grew up. Scholar Geoffrey B. Elliott notes that the Out Islands feature ice- and glacier-filled isles as well as a group of people with a matrilineal system of rule; this shares resemblance to Northwestern geography and indigenous cultures. Hobb wrote two further series in the same world: the Rain Wild Chronicles and the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, which the series concluded with in 2017. Plot Fool's Errand The start of the trilogy finds Fitz in his mid-thirties, living in a cottage with the wolf Nighteyes and his adopted son Hap. Visitors to his home include the Fool, who prompts him to recount memories of life away from society, as well as the minstrel Starling, who shares his bed on occasion. In remembrance of old times, Fitz proceeds on a hunt with Nighteyes and the