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Sign in. Feedback Help. Royal Assassin. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family. Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake.
The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. The Farseer saga is destined for greatness—a must-read for every devotee of epic fantasy. Book II suffers from trying to pull the same stunt twice to an older and more experienced Fitz.
We tell ourselves Fitz would have learned from the ordeals in Book I, that he would try to forge his own identity, make his own decisions, be his own man for once. He doesn't. At no time did I feel him grow as a character, rather he was always complaining about how unfair life was to him, about what he wanted to do, never sparing a thought for others except occasionally and briefly. Fitz is always putting his urges, his desires, first, always at the expense of putting other people in danger.
An assassin should know better. So, yes, this turns Fitz into a selfish, little brat, but there's still worse to come. I've said it before and I'll say it again: heroes and their entourage needn't be stupid for villains to be smart. But this is what happens in Book II. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is dumb beyond the point of credulity, wielding feeble arguments to argue passivity. Of course, this only makes Fitz' character even dumber for going along with it all.
Treason is brewing in the royal court and everyone seems to believe inaction is the best remedy. Some even go so far as claiming it's their only choice, a ludicrous thought. Peasants, soldiers, lords, all are easily duped by a web of conspiracy that can be seen from light years away.
Not one character makes a sensible choice throughout the length of Book II and the author has utterly failed to convince me about the reasons why. I suppose what angers me the most is how the author manipulates hope to lure the reader in. Hope that Fitz will become his own man, hope that things will turn out okay, hope that somebody will have the sense to kill Regal once and for all and thus put an end to his far-fetched charade.
With every turn of page, every chapter that gets consumed by the reader, things take a turn for the worse; each successive title forebodes another dark, depressing chapter, and the reader's hopes slowly, but surely, ebb away.
It's an incredibly depressing book, not so much for the plot itself, but because of how unbelievably the characters act. The author seems intent on convincing you that two plus two equals five when you know it to be four. I tried to convince myself Book III would be better. I checked the one-star reviews to prepare for the worst and was not disappointed. Everything I've read points to a long and pointless read that turns productive towards its bittersweet ending that seems more bitter than sweet.
There's apparently another trilogy about Fitz' exploits that tries to tie some, if not all, of the plot holes of the Farseer Trilogy, but I presently feel too deceived by this trilogy to entertain the notion of beginning another one, with the same dumb protagonist and written by the same author.
Originally, I gave this a two-star rating out of pity, more than anything else, but then "Rule of Two" came to mind. I gave that one a one-star rating on the basis of its incredible -in the true sense of the word- plot, but I think "Royal Assassin" is the first book I've read that not only has a plot that doesn't hold water, of any kind, but it is also way too depressing going about it.
At this point in time, I wish I could erase this book from memory, commit it to some deep, dark corner of my mind and leave it there for all eternity. Some time in the distant future I may gather the will to read the end of this trilogy.
Or perhaps not. But if there's something Robin Hobb has helped me discover is what kind of fantasy I enjoy and what kind I don't. I've discovered I don't enjoy the kind of fantasy that puts its main character through a constant stream of endless suffering that furthers no plot or character development. Suffering for the sake of suffering itself is pointless.
Worse, it's bad writing or, in any event, it makes for bad reading. Every writer sets him or herself with an endgame. Some, in trying to organise their way through to it, lose perspective of their characters, wondering more about getting character X to do action Y and less about why character X should do action Y in the first place.
I won't say whether this is right or wrong, but I've always valued the latter over the former. So, my advice, for whatever is worth, is this: build strong characters, set your pieces, and only then play the game.
Who knows, maybe the game will take you in unforeseeable directions View all 49 comments. Dec 21, Adina rated it it was amazing Shelves: fantasy-sf.
I read books this year. And what a book it happened to be the one that helped my finish the challenge. Royal Assassin is the 2nd volume in the Farseer Trilogy and one of the few middle books in a series that does not suffer from the filler syndrome.
As per the previous installment, I have to mention that not everyone will enjoy reading Hobb. Royal Assassin is a beautifully written, very slow, characters driven story. It is all worth it though. As I said, Hobb can write so beautifully and the characters are complex and different. You get to befriend some and really dislike others. Yes, it can get repetitive at times but I realized I did not mind. The bonding between Nighteyes and Fitz is amazing; I could not wait to read more scenes between those two.
The last pages a way more alert and the ending has a cliffhanger of sorts. The novel is narrated by Paul Boehmer and I thought he did a wonderful job to bring life to the characters. I cannot wait to listen to him narrating the last part.
View all 13 comments. After being poisoned in the Mountain Kingdom towards the end of Assassin's Apprentice, Fitz is a broken and crippled shell of his former self.
He swears to himself that he will no longer be one of King Shrewd's men and will not return to Buckeep. The day before Burrich and Hands are set to venture back to the capital Fitz has a sort of fever dream. Without him truly understanding he finds himself Skilling and resurfaces in the King's body as he "Wolves have no kings. Without him truly understanding he finds himself Skilling and resurfaces in the King's body as he is talking to the Fool. He is made aware of an illness that ails the King and that all is not well in Buckeep at all.
After this confusing but eye-opening exchange Fitz changes his mind and sets off with his comrades the following morning. The Red Ship armies and their forged soldiers are attacking settlements continuously and are getting scarily close to, as if somehow they are being drawn to, the capital city.
It also soon becomes clear that Prince Regal has malignant ambitions and potential political turmoil is just around the corner. I raced through the pages in under 4 days and loved every second. I fell back into the mind of FitzChivalry effortlessly. Hobb's characters are phenomenally well-crafted and the way that she's able to arouse my heart, my tears, and also my utter hatred of certain players is masterful. The way she makes me despise Prince Regal is as if he were personally treating me the way that he does "the bastard.
We find out a lot more about the magic certain people can wield in this entry, especially The Wit known impassionately to most as beast-magic , showcasing what Fitz and his companion can do together to help each other.
Fitz uses Nighteyes senses sometimes, Nighteyes makes him aware when someone is following him, and likewise, Fitz helps his wolf hunt when he has wolf dreams. The Skill is also explained and utilised more frequently in Royal Assassin especially when Verity can speak to and follow the actions of Fitz when Fitz is fighting the raiders and vice-versa when Verity travels to the Rain Wilds in search of the Elderlings. Although it does include some stunning action segments, a lot of Royal Assassin is about the quieter times, the thoughts and conversations characters share, beautifully massaging every word, statement, motive, agenda into our mind so then the action scenes hit much harder as we completely understand the consequences from all angles.
An average day for Fitz would be a conversation with Burrich, with Patience, meeting the Fool, keeping Kettricken company, talking to Nighteyes, conversing with Verity, being summoned by the King, insulted by Regal, still infatuated with Molly and then meeting Chade is the assassin's hidden abode.
It doesn't sound the most exciting when spelled out like that but I was hanging on every word and adored the entire reading experience. Assassin's Apprentice followed Fitz over 10 years of his early existence. This narrative takes place over much less time. Perhaps a year or two. Fitz is a brilliant protagonist, extremely intelligent and he always knows much more about what is happening than anybody else can acknowledge, apart from Chade, but even from him, Fitz keeps a few secrets.
We share Fitz's highs, lows, dreams, dramas and even his utter lucid, revenge-inspired madness at one point. The last or so pages are absolutely phenomenal. Due to the incidents taking place I was gripping my book with such intensity that I thought I was going to rip it in half. Eyes glued to the page, every word attacking a plethora of my emotions. Royal Assassin is an engaging and intense character-focused political fantasy masterclass. I'll be reading Assassin's Quest as soon as I can and if things continue this way then Hobb might have written what could become one of my top 3 fantasy series of all time.
View all 15 comments. I very much enjoyed this on audiobook and plan to finish the trilogy that way, as I think it would be much slower going on physical copy. This is much more of a character driven fantasy, focused on slow subtle moments between characters and an intricate web of interactions.
And wow does Hobb love to make her main character suffer. View all 3 comments. Fitzchivalry really does feel sorry for himself. He is very whiney at times, and this is often misinterpreted as self-indulgent uselessness. Resting on his shoulders is a whole host of burdens.
They would, no doubt, overcome a lesser man. Every decision he makes is hindered by his obligations. Indeed, nothing is easy for Fitz; he is restricted by his position in the world.
So Fitzchivalry really does feel sorry for himself. A touch of Romance in the chaos Somehow amongst his vast duties to his King, which include being his personal assassin and a reservoir of magical strength for his son, Fitz manages to find romance. This is a feat in itself because Fitz is also magically bonded to a wolf, which demands a great deal of his already sought after attention.
And to top it off, he is hunting down and killing those that have had their minds destroyed by the mysterious invaders.
So, the fact that he has actually managed to find love, in this quagmire of murder and court intrigue, is truly remarkable. Therefore, what will lead him into love will, ultimately, lead him out of it. His honour demands it; the six duchies demand it, and his masters demand it.
He has no choice but to give everything he has over to the Farseer reign; he has to because they have no hope of defeating the red ships without him. Not yet anyway. I guess he learns a lot through this novel and, as ever, develops into a better person. A king that could should? His honour and integrity are immortalised in this moment; it was at this point in the story that I realised the true nature of the protagonist.
He is an assassin, but his personality is more suited to that of a noble knight. He will always have a role to play; he will always be truly loyal to the Farseer throne, but could never take it for himself. Leave the pain behind and let your life be your own again.
There is a place where all time is now, and the choices are simple and always your own. Wolves have no kings.
I think this is mainly because Fitz has a much larger role to play. He can change things and has strong political opportunities of his own; he can, essentially, become more than he is, if he so chose. Fitz was too young to alter the fate of the Six Duchies before.
Now, in this, he is much older. His voice has more weight and his actions have larger consequences. When the chance comes for justice he almost loses everything; he will most certainly learn from this most reckless error. I love the magic; I love the characters; I love the writing: I simply love it all. The Farseer Trilogy 1. Assassin's Apprentice - An overwhelming five stars 2.
Royal Assassin - A character defining five stars View all 16 comments. Actual Rating: 4. I haven't read an abundance of older Fantasy books, but I have discovered from the few I have read that I'm not always a fan of the "Classic" feel.
Even after a 3 star beginning to the Farseer Trilogy, I'm really glad I continued on with the series. Royal Assassin step Actual Rating: 4. Royal Assassin stepped up to fill in all the places where I wanted more from Assassin's Apprentice. Yes, the pace is still slow.
Yes, Fitz is still a poster boy for suffering. But the foundation provided by the first installment created an attachment to Fitz's well-being that makes his suffering meaningful for character growth. Yes, the setting is still largely at Buckkeep.
Seeing him forge his relationships while balancing his promises of loyalty, the attacks of the Red Ship Raiders, the Forging of Six Duchies folk, and figuring out how his Wit and Skill will best serve the Realm was quite a treat. Each scene felt immediately important to the overarching conflict or to developing a critical piece of characterization. I've said it before, but I must say again just how excellent Hobb's writing is.
Dialogue, description, action, you name it, she can write it masterfully. If all such scenes were written with this degree of skill I'd probably never find them intrusive as I often do. I knocked off half a star because I feel like by this point in the story I should be more familiar with the magic systems of The Skill and The Wit. There's plenty of experience with both forms of mental magic through Fitz, but I feel like they remain ill-defined as far as magic systems go.
It doesn't feel detrimental to the story largely because of the First Person POV, we experience the magic in the same way Fitz does without much of a clue. But I still wish I understood the fundamentals a bit better than I do after spending so much time in this world. Altogether a splendid upgrade from the first novel. View all 12 comments.
May 03, Nicole rated it really liked it Shelves: , fantasy. I started the Farseer trilogy 4 years ago , it certainly doesn't feel like 4 years went by since then and although I really enjoyed Assassin's Apprentice, I didn't continue this series. I knew I wanted to continue the Farseer one day, it was just a matter of when. I'm glad a few of my friends wanted to read it so we BR, and it was very helpful to me since I remembered close to nothing from the f I started the Farseer trilogy 4 years ago , it certainly doesn't feel like 4 years went by since then and although I really enjoyed Assassin's Apprentice, I didn't continue this series.
I'm glad a few of my friends wanted to read it so we BR, and it was very helpful to me since I remembered close to nothing from the first book. View all 29 comments. The mental strain, people! RTC 4. View all 4 comments. The pace of Assassin's Apprentice was slow. In Royal Assassin, the pace of the story is even slower. Despite the slow pace, this book and its predecessor managed to stay my interest in the story. The world building in this book is done brilliantly.
The author vividly depicted a life at the royal court, with colorful narratives and a carefully executed, suspenseful plot. The characterization in this book remains a strength worthy to be praised. The characters in this book are believable. The aut The pace of Assassin's Apprentice was slow.
The author allowed her protagonist, Fitz, to make mistakes and suffer the consequences. Fitz is a worthy hero. He ticks off some of the usual fantasy checkboxes by being a royal bastard and a wielder of special powers.
But Hobb also cripples him—twice. He learns to manage the resulting weakness and seizures, but rarely overcomes them entirely. The supporting cast is just as endearing. I also want to share, that I found writings in this book a pleasure to read.
Like in Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb wrote beautifully and powerfully. Usually, I am not overly fuzzy about the quality of prose in a novel. But in the case of Farseer trilogy, I appreciate the excellent writings, because it enhanced the charm of the story.
All in all, a stellar read. I recommend this to all those Name of the Wind lovers out there. This is right up your alley. In all sincerity, I could not find much to complain about Royal Assassin. In my opinion, this book is a solid sequel to Assassin's Apprentice.
While the pace in this book may be slow, but in the last 50 pages, every plot device was triggered simultaneously, crescendoed to a mind-blowing conclusion that ended with a cliffhanger. At this point, I am eager to venture into the last book to this trilogy, Assassin's Quest, which will be the final chapter to this moving tale. Mar 21, Samir rated it it was amazing. Upon his return he is immediately entangled in perilous events taking place inside and outside of the court.
The main antagonist, Prince Regal, is plotting his way to the throne while the Red-Ship Raiders are continuing to represent a constant threat to the Six Duchies. There is an abundance of intricate schemes and plots woven into the story making it a compelling read. Hobb uses a lot of motifs to establish the overall atmosphere and to weave together the thematic complexities of the plot.
One motif that prevails and has a great effect on the story and the characters is loyalty. Characters are often torn between what they wish to do and what they need to do and that is a great way to flesh out their emotions and inner thoughts making them more believable. Emotions which manifest from those relationships are setting off the storyline and keep it moving making it a richer experience. That leads me to the relationship and a character which is, for me, a highlight of this novel; a wolf named Nighteyes.
Saved by Fitz from a life in cage when he was just a weak cub and giving him food and shelter, teaching him how to hunt so he could one day live on its own. Even though reluctant at first, Fitz forms a very strong and unbreakable bond with Nighteyes.
It's wrong to think of Nighteyes as mere pet or a simple companion, he is way more than that, he is a quintessential part of Fitz's life, he gives him strength, he is loyal to the core and he makes him complete. They have a strong and mutually dependent bond. They are a pack. Royal Assassin will appeal to readers who enjoy classic fantasy tales but also readers who enjoyed contemporary fantasy novels like The Name of the Wind.
So, if you belong in any of those groups, I highly recommend that you give this series a try. View all 17 comments. A big shout out to my fierce and loyal wolven brother Nighteyes.
He is everything in this book. Robbin Hobb knew how to grab your attention. Intrigue, magic, conflicts, characterization. The smell of danger hidden behind the political upheaval, a twist of fate. She gave you a perfect world to immerse in. It was lovely to see how my boy grew in the second book. I was heartbroken to witness the suffering he endured, but I was so proud to see what he had achieved. I fell hard for Burrich. He was the one who always truly cared for Fitz. It might be just a responsibility for him at first for his respect and loyalty to Chivalry, but you can tell how he grew attached to Fitz and tried his best to raise him as his son.
I appreciated Robin Hobbs's effort to make Molly seem to be a mentally strong character, but in my eyes she had too much drama in her. I tried to understand her, but her constant and unnecessary drama really wearied me and nearly ruined the whole book. Overall, the magical and epic world Robin Hobb built up helped me ignore the weakness in this book, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
Libby Excellent review, Icey. Apr 27, Sean Gibson rated it really liked it. Plus, as suggested by the proposed alternate title above…man, poor Fitz just gets constantly pummeled in the giggleberries by life. And then it gives him a wedgie. And points and laughs. And then shoves a brontosaurus up his backside without even doing him the courtesy of lubing it up.
Side note: how much KY would be required to fully coat a brontosaurus? I bet no one has ever bothered to figure that out. Inexplicably, I might add. I just hope the epicness ramps up a bit in the concluding volume… View all 14 comments. Royal Assassin begins just where Apprentice Assassin ended. If you read the books you know what happened to Fitz. Suffice it to say, he didn't do so well on his first solo quest as an Assassin to help his King and King-in-Waiting, Verity.
In the beginning, Fitz is not sure about himself. He was hurt during the events that happened a the end of book one and he's still recuperating. But Fitz must go back to Buckkeep not only because of his promise to his King but also because he wants to look for Molly, his friend. When he gets to Buckkeep, King Shrewd is not himself. He looks sick. King-in-Waiting, Verity is trying to keep the raiders off the Six Duchies without much success.
The one good piece of good news is that Molly is now working at Buckkeep. The bad news is that by him caring for her, he has painted a target on her back. Fitz does make a new connection with an animal, NightEyes who becomes one of my favorite characters in this book Just like I loved Nosy and Smithy. In Royal Assassin, nothing really good happens to Fitz.
He has the bad luck of being a bastard and having Regal as an enemy. His life is nothing but dangerous situations and people trying to kill him. Despite things not going well for him, I did enjoy this book and so many of the characters have become dear to me, including Kettricken, Verity, NightEyes, The Fool, Patience, Lacey, and Burrich.
The ending of this book is quite sad in a way. Easily one of the best books I've read this year. Hobb improved on Assassin's Apprentice in damn near every conceivable way with this entry. It's full of great characters, tragic storylines, and absolutely gorgeous writing. The hype and praise is to be believed for this book, that was excellent. View 1 comment. Buddy read with Alexa! Come, hunt with me, the invitation whispers in my heart.
Having barely survived his first real mission as a royal assassin, Fitz first vowed to renounce his oath to King Shrewd and abandon the shadow Buddy read with Alexa!
We have the same enemy raiding the shores of the Six Duchies, inflicting the same horrors on the same people. We have the same antagonist, leashed but not put down. We have the same protagonist taking his lessons from the same people and essentially doing exactly what he did in the first book.
And except for a character or two, there is little new. For the first seventy percent of this book yes, seventy , nothing happened. The first book was also incredibly slow to get the plot moving, but really not this slow, and in that book it had a purpose: introduction of characters, plot and setting.
The first edition of the novel was published in April , and was written by Robin Hobb. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of pages and is available in Mass Market Paperback format. The main characters of this fantasy, fiction story are ,. The book has been awarded with , and many others. Please note that the tricks or techniques listed in this pdf are either fictional or claimed to work by its creator.
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