Assassin's Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 3)

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Summary: More Please!
Review: I just finnished reading the series and am desperate for more. I hope Hobb continues the adventure. BTW is it Mr or Ms Hobb?

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Summary: Absolutely engrossing
Review: I bought the series and it sat on my shelf for quite a while; then I read "Ship of Magic" and immediately went back and started the Farseer series (had to do *something* while I waited for "Mad Ship"!). Robin Hobb is a truly talented writer who creates strong characters and images through her creative and extraordinary use of language. The last few paragraphs of "Royal Assassin" and the last line "Wolves have no King" had me in tears. The protagonist, Fitz, is a truly believable individual and she was kind enough to share him, letting us tag along unseen while he navigates the twists and turns of his life. It is not your typical "happy ending" book and is a richer tale for it, remaining true to the themes Hobb threads through all three books rather than succumbing to "and our heroes live happily ever after". I read this series in three days straight and it has stayed with me ever since; I've recommended it to my friends and have even bought and sent copies to them. This will be a series that I will be reading again and again for many years to come. I hope Fitz continues to talk to Ms. Hobb and tell her more about his life so that she can share it with us.

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Summary: Simply the best fantasy book I have ever read.
Review: Robin Hobb's characters are extremely complex, but used very well. This book got to me like no other book has. This book is the perfect ending to one of the best trilogies that fantasy books have ever seen! If you are thinking about getting this book, than get it! (You won't be disappointed.)

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Summary: A fantastic conclusion to Hobb's gripping trilogy.
Review: Robin Hobb is a fantastic writer. In the third book of the Farseer trilogy, FitzChivalry's world crashes down around him. Though both me and many other people who read this book would have preferred a happy ending, I still believe this book to be one of the best I have ever been privelidged to lay my eye's on.

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Summary: An exciting conclusion; perhaps a tad long winded.
Review: I have been reading fantasy for 25 years, and Hobb's trilogy is simply the most compelling I series I have ever read. I am impressed by her depth of characterization and the vitality of the setting. I also enjoy how she weaves contemporary social issues into a fantasy setting: integrating women into an army, drug abuse, the problems of keeping a coalition together, humane treatment of animals, the limitations of leaders, and the impact leaders and their subordinate's actions have on entire populations. I have re-read each of her books at least once, with equal enjoyment. (My love for this body of work may be biased. While I read Assassin's Apprentice, my four-year-old son was bonding with his first puppy, Figaro--whom I still call Nosey. My sense of the Fitz/Nighteyes link at a personal level may blind me.) Bottom line: I love the story. Assassins Quest takes us on a memorable journey into the Inland Duchies, the Mountain Kingdom, and beyond. The final book suffers only from lack of liposuction. Plot development, particularly the revelation of the Fool's true place in the story, was particularly gratifying. Fitz finally learns the moral difference between killing for his king, as he has been trained to do by Schade, and killing for purely personal reasons, which Schade (and one hopes all of us) would characterize as plain murder. In this lengthy conclusion to the trilogy, only the digressions into the time of the "Elderlings" is superfluous. The patience shown in finally revealing Kettle's place in the story requires the same patience from the reader. The story of sacrifice in pursuit of a greater good is well told here. I note that some reviewers are disappointed with the lack of a so-called "happy ending." They miss the author's none-too-subtle point that great accomplishment requires great sacrifice. The ending was true to the protagonist's character development throughout the story. It really fits. I cannot thank the author enough. Fitz, a protagonist with a somwhat jaundiced attitude, will hopefully re-appear somewhere. As far as I can tell, he is one of the few trained Skill users in the "world," where I continue to journey in Hobb's Liveship series. Will Fitz pass that legacy on? I hope so. If not, it is enough that we got to share his epic struggle to save the Six Duchies. If you have teenaged children, get them to read this series.

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Summary: Fantastic - but why the ending
Review: I found the series addictive but found the ending left me with too many questions and dissapointed. I can't believe that the fool would just take off without seeing Fitz again. The Old Blood thing was left behind. Will nettle have the wit as well as the other children since Burrich had the wit. Won't Fitz feel some responsiblity toward them knowing of their old blood properly so they don't have to suffer like he did? What about the skill knowledge that has been lost that Kestrel referred to? What happens if the red ships come back and Fitz is dead, did he pass on his writings of the blood and wit needed to wake the dragons, or do they do it all over again? Overall, great but too many question, hurried ending.

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Summary: A disappointing conclusion to the trilogy...
Review: The previous books unfolded a whole new world in almost a "realistic" way. The concluding part, "Assassin's Quest", ruined that illusion. The first part of the book, of Fitz going after Regal was the same good quality reading that was the lifeline of the previous books. Then Fitz started hearing "Come to me..." and everything went down. The last 2/3 of the book was actually boring! Traveling stories and frequent beatings soon caused me to lose my interest, and the ghost cities with Skill-rocks and -roads, carving dragons and becoming one yourself, just didn't fulfill the expectations I had for the Elderlings... The best chapter was the last one, explaining what happened after the "epic" part of the story was finally finished.

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Summary: Assassin's Quest
Review: This third book in the Farseer triology, ends the series in the only way it could end. At times when reading it, I felt sick beacuse of the twisted things that poor Fritz must go through. The ending allmost SKILL-blasts YOUR mind, and you will feel all empty inside, with a feeling of despair beacuse the triology is over. But a small warning: DO NOT READ WHILE OPERATING HEAVY MACHINERY! STRONGLY ADDICTIVE!

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Summary: One of the best series I've ever read!
Review: I want to congratulate "Robin Hobb" for a fantastic series! I am an admirer of both Jordan and Goodkind and would rank her right up there with them. I found it a refreshing and original story with a great ending. Who cares if it doesn't end with the typical "and they lived happily ever after"? I found the ending fitting to the main character. It was great to have the central character be a complex and REAL individual. I get so tired of reading about a zillion main characters, stories that never seem to end, and heroes with no faults! Keep up the good work, Hobb! If you haven't read this series, do it NOW!

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Summary: Probably the best trilogy I've ever consumed...
Review: Consumed has to be the right word. From the first instalment I have eaten these books up. Not till the middle of Assassin's Quest did I take a single break, and then only for one single reason. I didn't want it to end. I've read hundreds and hundreds of books both fantasy and many other genres, and never, ever have I come across such an engrossing series. The characters were just SO REAL! Fitz isn't the "Superhero-you-know-will-save-the-day". He is as close to a real person, as I have ever experienced the written word to come. Sharing in all the aspects of his life, the love, the grief (and a staggering amount there is too), the joy, the betrayals... everything... When he is destroyed, time upon time, I had to force myself to read on, because it was just so hard to face the trials of his getting back on his feet again. The end, too, was hard. First I was angry, as I have read most of you were. But then I thought again... How else should it have ended? I think that the sheer force of the ending (see how it turned so many people from joy to grief?) proves it to be the most realistic, true and finally the right way to end this fantastic tale. Robin, I too salute you and hope for much more from your hand...