Fool's Quest (The Fitz and the Fool, #2)

by Robin Hobb

The world had to change and for some reason the prosperity of men always results in them taking ever more from wild creatures and places.

“There is no path to the future, Fitz. The path is now. Now is all there is, or ever will be. You can change perhaps the next ten breaths in your life. But after that, random chance seizes you in its jaws again. A tree falls on you, a spider bites your ankle, and all your grand plans for winning a battle are for naught. Now is what we have, Fitz, and now is where we act to stay alive.”