Rating: 
Summary: Excellent conclusion to a superb series
Review: I read this series straight through, something I rarely do, because it was so good. Hobb has developed her characters very astutely - I found myself feeling for them and caring far more than many other authors in the genre (Kettricken's love for Verity is excellently done for example and shows both the hapiness and pain of the emotion). The ending left a lump in my throat and thus makes it all the more memorable - the notion of Sacrifice continues throughout. The plot moves at a steady decent pace that keeps bringing you in that little bit more to Fitz's world - the last pages may seem rushed but thats because Fitz's own role is coming to an end. It is his story. Without a doubt Hobb is the best new author I have come across in years and unhesitatingly recommend you to discover her.
Rating: 
Summary: The third book does not match the quality of the other two
Review: I was a great fan of the first two books and jumped eagerly into the third. Unfortunately, Hobb fell into the trap that a lot of authors do and had difficulty concluding the story. There was just way too much going on near the last few chapters, at least as much as had gone on in the previous two and a half books, which became very confusing very quickly!
Rating: 
Summary: Gritty and heart-rending fantasy
Review: I had never heard of Robin Hobb until a friend recommended her. Having just finished this trilogy, I am immediately ranking her as one of my favorite fantasy authors. Her characterization of FitzChivalry is breathtaking - one of the best-written characters I've ever read. I usually don't much care for first person narratives but this is definitely the exception to that rule.This, the third book of the trilogy, kept me turning pages at an incredible rate. However, like many of the other reviewers, I was disappointed in the ending. Not because it was depressing - on the contrary, stories in real life don't always have happy endings, so why do books always have to? - but because it seemed rushed. All of the mysteries that were built up over the course of the trilogy (the Elderlings, the Raiders and Forged Ones) were suddenly summed up and solved in just a few pages, leaving me thinking, "That was it?" But regardless of my dislike for the ending, this trilogy was fantastic and I am looking forward to reading more of Robin Hobb's work.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastically Fabulous Read!
Review: What more can i say but WOW! Simply the best fantasy book i have ever read. The thing that really catches you is that this is not your standard-fare good-guy-goes-to-some-far-away-place-to-defeat-evil-creature sort of thing. The best part of this whole saga probably lies in the way Hobb builds up her characters with a life of their own. Even sub-plot characters come to life in her pen...simple marvelous. I was really caught up with how the characters interacted and how their relationships developed rather than anything else. Never before have i encountered a more interesting and entertaining character such as Fitz. Hobb's first hand narrative of his life makes you feel like you have grown up with him all these years through his ecstatic joys and heart-wrenching pain (yep...mostly pain). Does anybody else feel like he is perhaps the unluckiest guy ever? The ending was really really sad and i was left a little unsatisfied, but it was perhaps expected (though i was trying to deny it all the while). Her realistic portrayal of the believable characters makes the sadness more profound, as if you were the one who had to go through the torture. Somehow or rather, i feel that the story isn't quite done yet and i know that Hobb will make sure Fitz's life gains some measure of reward in one way or other. Surely all his hardwork and pain can't culminate in a life of loneliness and rejection? However, given that his whole life has been one sacrifice after and another, i will not be surprised if Hobb leaves his character as it is...but i'm crossing my fingers no less :)
Rating:
Summary: amazing!
Review: Okay, so I was disappointed with the ending of this book just as much as the next guy. I wanted to see Fitz live happily ever after, but what I got was reality. Well I still loved it. Robin Hobb is an amazing author. She has the ability to make the reader care immensly for her characters while at the same time constructing a complex and interesting plot. I highly reccommend! P.S. For those of you wishing Robin Hobb would continure Fitz's story with another series, you'll be getting your wish! She is currently working on a three book trilogy continuing in Fitz's point of veiw. Pretty exciting!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This book is soooo good. I could not put it down. I got the book for Christmas and had to finish reading the first and second books before I started this one. It was definitely worth the wait. If you have read the first two books you should definitely get this one, or if you have not read any of Robin Hobb's books, you should read them. I'm serious, because if you do not you are missing out on some serious fantasy here folks. I have started to read ship of magic and that one is good also, but nothing is as good as Assassin's Quest and the rest of the Farseer Trilogy. This book is definetely recommended to anyone. It has become my favorite. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Deft, yet too clever occasionally
Review: I give this rating fot the *whole* trilogy. I read the final two books in two days (12 hour sittings each), while the first book I had read "long long ago and far far away." Actually, the ending for the first book left me a bit unsatisfied, so I gave up, but decided to finish the trilogy after George R. R. Martin (read GAME OF THRONES or CLASH OF KINGS for what I believe is 5+ stars) said in an interview Hobb was a very good author...I figured he saw talent better than me so I gave it a second go around. I have to say that it was worth it. The plot certainly drove me on, and the characters were memorable. One can sympthasize and empathize with them due to their reality and grounding in our world. Despite the existence of magic, it is certainly less exalted in its uses and utilities than in most fantasy novels. So, I would say the plots are good enough, but the emotional content of the characters (written 1st person, so Fitz of course) are what stamp the books as a great read. Drawbacks: I agree with the other reviews when they say the ending was too pat. It fizzled, rather than going out with a bang. Honestly, after all the misery Fitz has suffered, it would have been a little nice to see him ride on the wings of victory. Instead, you get a short summation of the finale. I also believe Fitz was a bit petulant and overdone occasionally. Hobb tried to squeeze too much into Fitz the man-child, much of the time the emotional see-saws worked, but sometimes they felt forced. I agree with some of the readers who say that Fitz's payoff was not cominserate with his sufferings. Perhaps that is a noble conclusion, but as some have commented, this is FANTASY. I believe realism and grittiness should establish plausibility, that does not entail mundane or negative results. In any case, Fitz 'loosing the girl' was not a death-blow, but it certainly encapsulates the hollowness of his victory
Rating:
Summary: No pleasant, but real life ending
Review: I agree with many of the other reviewers. It is a great book, the story is enthralling and the end uncompromising. I was fascinated by the idea of an hero who really endures and though deserving receives hardly nothing at all personally. love ends,he loses many of his friend and his health, although he saves the crown and mankind. Fitz remains, as is often mentioned in the book, the catalyst of the story, and does not , as usual in the young prince who wins the crown and the girl. All those people complaining about the end, perhaps criticize its true greatness: not to give in to the easy, usual fantasy concept of sugar endings.It is tragic and I nearly cried frustrated. Does anybody remember what happened to Frodo in Lord of the Rings; III? Fitz fate is just as sad and lonely in its depth.
Rating:
Summary: Very worth while
Review: The whole book was very interesting, a good ending. Think you have to remember that it's Fitz telling this story and the ending wasn't that slash dash heroish conclusion, and i think that Fitz didn't wanna end the story a second time knowing that he didn't get what he wanted or expected. So when he got to the point of the end he rushed it, in order to end it. . . he was just as scared in his old age as he wrote, then when he was actually living it. All in all the whole series kept me captivated and wanting for more, i remember many sleepless nights as i read through the books. Good Reading
Rating: 
Summary: I was dissapointed at the ending
Review: I absolutely loved the first two books of the trilogy, but I was very dissapointed at the ending of the third book. The plot seemed to disintegrate, the characters went and did things that they never would have done in the beginning, and we exit the story with the knowledge that the main character will probably never do anything interesting for the rest of his life. Overall, I recommend this series to anyone who likes fantasy, but don't become too attachted to the story because you will be just as dissapointed as I was.
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