Fool's Errand vs The Blade Itself: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

Fool's Errand Robin Hobb · 2001 ★★★★☆ 4.4 666 pages · ≈ 12 h 20 m · Moderate

“He came one late, wet spring, and brought the wide world back to my doorstep.”

Robin Hobb has emerged as one of today's foremost fantasy authors. Now she continues the adventures of one of her most popular heroes in the first book of what promises to be her most spectacular trilogy yet. Fool's…

Magic

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The Blade Itself Joe Abercrombie · 2001 ★★★★☆ 4.3 531 pages · ≈ 9 h 50 m · Moderate

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of…

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The Blade Itself is the quickest read — about 9 hours vs 12 for Fool's Errand.
Fool's Errand has the widest readership — 112505 ratings behind its score.
Fool's Errand runs the darker storyline; The Blade Itself stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The Blade Itself ≈ 9h vs 12h for Fool's Errand Want the crowd-tested pick? Fool's Errand 112505 ratings vs 2045 for The Blade Itself In the mood for something dark? Fool's Errand a darker storyline than The Blade Itself Want something lighter? The Blade Itself an easier tone than Fool's Errand

Scores by source

	Fool's Errand	The Blade Itself
Goodreads	4.4 (112505)	—
Hardcover	4.3 (516)	4.1 (2045)
Google Books	5.0 (1)	—
Apple Books	4.5 (395)	4.5 (1214)

Reception

	Fool's Errand	The Blade Itself
Ratings	112505	2045
Editions	13	16
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	67904	—
Reading it now	3315	—
Written reviews	5690	—
Wikipedia attention	1395	410
Pages	666	531

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Fool's Errand or The Blade Itself?

Fool's Errand has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Fool's Errand 4.4/5, The Blade Itself 4.3/5).

Which is shorter to read: Fool's Errand or The Blade Itself?

The Blade Itself is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Blade Itself (531 pages, ≈ 9 h 50 m); Fool's Errand (666 pages, ≈ 12 h 20 m).

Which is harder to read: Fool's Errand or The Blade Itself?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Fool's Errand: Moderate; The Blade Itself: Moderate.