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

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

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I picked up the first book in the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice) in a library, knowing nothing whatsoever about Robin Hobb or the world she created. What an incredible surprise!

She has quickly become one of my favourite fantasy writers. The world of the Six Duchies is richly crafted, her characters are real and the themes she deals with resonates true throughout the book.

The main character, Fitz, is well developed and brings a touch of humanity to the story that is sadly lacking in many fantasy books. I found myself holding my breath near the end of the book - I remember reading almost until dawn to finish it, because I simply could not go to sleep without knowing what would happen to Fitz and the other characters. And I was not disappointed in the ending.

Some have found the ending to be disappointing, but I disagree. I believe the ending is true to the story line that Hobb follows with Fitz throughout the trilogy - whether I would have wanted it to end differently, for Fitz's sake, I don't know. But I do know that it ends as it should.

And if you've enjoyed this one, make a point of also reading the Tawny Man trilogy, as many of the story lines in this book is satisfactorily resolved there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: LIVESHIPS NEXT!
Review: I enjoyed this trilogy, A LOT. So seeking more on the life and times of FitzChivalry Farseer, I plunged into the Tawny Man series, woefully unaware that for half the concepts discussed in the Tawny Man series to make sense you HAVE to read The Liveship Traders. Do not mourn this pause in your epic journey. The Liveship Traders is a lively set of books written in true epic scale that definatly keeps up with Hobb's other works. And then you will know the truth of the Rooster Crown, Dragons, and the ways of Wizardwood.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hobb the sadist . . .
Review: Well I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected after the last. To its credit, the protagonist is much truer to what I would expect a real person to be in his shoes, also the book moves at a steady clip that moved it beyond the walls of the royal abode, where most of the action took place in the previous two books. This book is quite a change from the last two books in that it almost wholly abandones many of the characters that played prominent roles there. I didn't mind that. The new characters are interesting and add to the story, but I did sometime miss the old characters. Some might feel the abscence of Chade and Burrich more keenly than I did though.

After completing the trilogy I was struck by how poorly they were named. The stage that Hobb set initially seems much more interesting to me than the direction that she took it. I liked the idea of an assassin employed for nothing more in some cases than for political gain. I liked the idea of confronting how this would reflect on the assassin and those that employed him. Unfortunately, there is very little of that in the series and I think that the protagonist is generously named "assassin" given his tasks.

A couple of the things that bothered me about this book: implausible barriers thrown up so the author can take the story where she wants it to go. I just didn't buy Fitz' reluctance to reveal his resurrected self to his old friends. The reasons he gives felt manufactured. This feeling increased by the reception he receives from those to whom he does reveal himself. In fact, it seems that there is hardly anyone close to him who is repulsed by his use of the wit. But the author has somewhere she wants to take us, so he must refuse to reveal himself. It detracted from the story and I didn't buy it.

The author is unmerciful to poor Fitz. He suffers and how. The whole series is chalk full of one abuse after another. This did not bother me throughout the entire series, because it seemed that it was building to a payoff. Not so. I don't mind if everything doesn't turn out as expected at the end, in fact I prefer it - it adds verisimility of the story - but the way she ends this book was entirely unsatisfactory. It turns out that Fitz truly is a dog who needs his master to lead his life given what he does with it when it is his own. It really detracted from the story. So much so that tainted the whole book and the series.

Finally, Hobb showed a penchant for a brief denouement in her first two books, so I should have seen it coming, but I was still surprised at how broadly she treats overriding mysteries at the end of the book. I think that many will be left scratching their heads about the significance of certain events and items. I don't know why, after painting such a rich picture in developing the story, she doesn't do the same in finishing it. Hobb feels stingy in giving up those payoff moments in the series, and given that this is the last of the three, it really stings here.

That said the world was great and the characters were sympathetic. I believe that the story will leave a lasting impression on your mind - unlike many other fantasy novels - just not a completely satisfying one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Okay, put a hole in the ceiling
Review: After reading, thoroughly enjoying, and reviewing the first two books of this trilogy ("Assassin's Apprentice" and "Royal Assassin"), I expected another high quality story in this book, with glorious detail, rich characterization, startling magic, and lots of intrigue. What I found was all of that, but raised another whole notch from the first two books. I gave the first two books five stars, which means this one will have to settle for five stars, although it deserves a sixth.


I know that some readers will find this book to be long and too slowly paced. But, it is a quest story; much is sought, and even more is found.


All of the characters grow, become more three-dimensional, and develop their interrelationships. Nighteyes is one of the most memorable supporting characters ever written (he reminds me of Oreb in Gene Wolfe's "Long Sun" novels), and he has his own interesting philosophy of life (hedonism, existentialism, and realism blended together?).


As to endings, I will not include a spoiler, but will say it is reminiscent of the transcendent magnificence of George R. R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Got a little dragged out but finished off a great trilogy.
Review: Assassin's Quest is the final book in the excellent Farseer Trilogy. When taken as a whole, this trilogy is really one of the best fantasy stories I've ever read, and that is saying a lot. That being said, this final book of the series was a bit frustrating at times. It was still really good and fun to read (the characters and the drama in these books make them hard to put down) but at times it really seemed to be stretched out too much. I mean, this whole book was just about Fitz's journey to find King Verity somewhere past the mountains and only in the last 30 pages or so did anything really get wrapped up. But, that's the way it was meant to be so I won't complain too much.. This book does a fairly nice job of tying up all the loose ends and mysteries that the reader has been wondering about ever since book one (except Hobb never really explained Forging to my satisfaction). The characters learned tough lessons and Sacrifices were made out of almost all of them in some way but the ending came out to be a fairly happy one. I look forward to reading Hobb's next series, The Liveship Traders.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Disheartening
Review: I read the 2 first books and all through them things just get worse and worse for Fitz. By the end of book 2 I had a feeling "Now it can only get better".
This is the first time I have bought a book and read 2 chapters into it and then decided I wanted to know the ending. After looking over the last pages I have now put this book away knowing fully well that I will never finish it.
I think Robin Hobb is an excellent writer but I simply don't have the heart to finish this book. When I read a book like this I become the main character and there is no way I want to read a book to the end where it this early is so clear that none of the things I wish for will come to be. Finishing this book will just leave me with an empty and hollow feeling so instead I put it down now and end it here.
Why do I award the book 4 stars? I mentioned that Robin Hobb is a great writer. The book and the trilogy as a whole is very catchy and has made me read more pages per day than most books do. It is not the trilogy's or Robin Hobb's fault things do not turn out the way I want.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Get on with it already
Review: The first two books were great, with one exception. It appears that a major theme of the story is Fitz growing up. But he doesn't. He nearly dies in one stupid decision only to "learn better." Then, having survived that calamity, he moves directly to make some new dumb move. He's not really learning anything. He doesn't get smarter.

Also, the trip to Verity is annoying. Go to find Verity. Get betrayed and captured. Escape. Go to find Verity. Get betrayed and captured. Escape. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It makes for tedious reading.

With all that said, Robin Hobb is a great writer. I hope the next books don't fall into similar patterning because I really enjoyed the first two in this set.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: interesting... very interesting.
Review: Book two, Royal Assassin, was probably my favorite in the series, but this one is only a slight notch below. Assassin's Quest starts out with intrigue, and ends with greater intrigue. Robin Hobb, again, writes a masterful work of fantasy literature.

Fitz, after his torture, does not know if he wants to be human or animal. The urge is to be an animal and run free in the wild, but his thirst for revenge on Regal overrides every other feeling and forces him to be human. His first attempt on Regal's life fails, but rather than try again he is skilled by Verity to come to his aide. Even with his strength in the Skill and the Wit, Fitz is still scared of the coterie run by Regal, which is led by Will, who hates Fitz.

Verity is deep in the mountains, without food or water, and all by himself. He is trying to waken the Elderlings, but needs Fitz to help him.

I was both happy with the ending and sad that it had to end. Robin Hobb is an excellent writer, proven by this series. I can't wait to read her next two series.


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