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Assassin's Fate: Book III of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy Hardcover – May 9, 2017
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“Every new Robin Hobb novel is a cause for celebration. Along with millions of her other fans, I delight in every visit to the Six Duchies, the Rain Wilds, and the Out Islands, and can’t wait to see where she’ll take me next.”—George R. R. Martin
More than twenty years ago, the first epic fantasy novel featuring FitzChivalry Farseer and his mysterious, often maddening friend the Fool struck like a bolt of brilliant lightning. Now New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb brings to a momentous close the third trilogy featuring these beloved characters in a novel of unsurpassed artistry that is sure to endure as one of the great masterworks of the genre.
Fitz’s young daughter, Bee, has been kidnapped by the Servants, a secret society whose members not only dream of possible futures but use their prophecies to add to their wealth and influence. Bee plays a crucial part in these dreams—but just what part remains uncertain.
As Bee is dragged by her sadistic captors across half the world, Fitz and the Fool, believing her dead, embark on a mission of revenge that will take them to the distant island where the Servants reside—a place the Fool once called home and later called prison. It was a hell the Fool escaped, maimed and blinded, swearing never to return.
For all his injuries, however, the Fool is not as helpless as he seems. He is a dreamer too, able to shape the future. And though Fitz is no longer the peerless assassin of his youth, he remains a man to be reckoned with—deadly with blades and poison, and adept in Farseer magic. And their goal is simple: to make sure not a single Servant survives their scourge.
- Print length864 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDel Rey
- Publication dateMay 9, 2017
- Dimensions6.45 x 2 x 9.52 inches
- ISBN-100553392956
- ISBN-13978-0553392951
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Every new Robin Hobb novel is a cause for celebration. Along with millions of her other fans, I delight in every visit to the Six Duchies, the Rain Wilds, and the Out Islands, and can’t wait to see where she’ll take me next.”—George R. R. Martin
Fool’s Assassin
“Hobb knows the complicated workings of the wayward human heart, and she takes time to depict them in her tale, to tell her story sweetly, insistently, compellingly. . . . A book meant to be inhabited rather than run through.”—The Seattle Times
“[Hobb’s] prose sparkles, her characters leap off the page.”—Tordotcom
“Fantastic . . . emotionally rich storytelling.”—Library Journal (starred review)
Fool’s Quest
“A complex tapestry of adventure, betrayal, destiny, and unrelenting peril . . . Hobb’s expertise is evident as always.”—Publishers Weekly
“Glorious and beautiful storytelling . . . Hobb lets rip with revelations, treachery, vengeance, sword fights and full on magical mayhem.”—SciFiNow
“If readers have any doubt that Robin Hobb is one of the finest writers in the fantasy genre, then they haven’t read any of her work.”—SFFWorld
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Bee Stings
The map-room at Aslevjal displayed a territory that included much of the Six Duchies, part of the Mountain Kingdom, a large section of Chalced, and lands along both sides of the Rain Wild River. I suspect that it defines for us the boundaries of the ancient Elderlings’ territory at the time the maps were created. I have been unable to inspect the map-room of the abandoned Elderling city now known as Kelsingra personally, but I believe it would be very similar.
On the Aslevjal map were marked points that correspond to standing stones within the Six Duchies. I think it fair to assume that the identical markings in locations in the Mountains, Rain Wilds, and even Chalced indicate standing stones that are Skill-portals. The conditions of those foreign portals are largely unknown, and some Skill-users caution against attempting to employ them until we have physically journeyed there and witnessed that they are in excellent condition. For the Skill-portal stones within the Six Duchies and the Mountain Kingdom, it seems prudent not only to send Skilled couriers to visit every site, but also to require every duke to see that any such standing stones are maintained upright. The couriers who visit each stone should document the content and condition of the runes on each face of the stone as well.
In a few instances, we have found standing stones that do not correspond to a marking on the Aslevjal map. We do not know if they were raised after the map was created, or if they are stones that no longer function. We must continue to regard them with caution, as we do all use of Elderling magic. We cannot consider ourselves to be masters of it until we can duplicate their artifacts.
—Skill-Portals, Chade Fallstar
I ran. I hiked up the heavy white fur coat I wore and ran. I was already too warm and it dragged and snagged on every twig or trunk I passed. Behind me, Dwalia was shouting for someone to “Catch her, catch her!” I could hear the Chalcedean making mooing noises. He galloped wildly, once passing so close to me that I had to dodge him.
My thoughts raced faster than my feet. I remembered being dragged by my captors into a Skill-pillar. I even recalled how I had bitten the Chalcedean, hoping to make him release Shun. And he had, but he’d held on to me and followed us into the darkness of the Skill-pillar. No Shun had I seen, nor that Servant who had been last in our chain of folk. Perhaps both she and Shun had been left behind. I hoped Shun would escape her. Or perhaps had escaped her? I remembered the cold of a Buck winter clutching at us when we fled. But now we were somewhere else, and instead of deep cold I felt only chill. The snow had retreated into narrow fingers of dirty white in the deeper shade of the trees. The forest smelled of early spring, but no branches had yet leafed out. How did one leap from winter in one place to spring in another? Something was very wrong but I had no time to consider it. I had a more pressing concern. How did one hide in a leafless forest? I knew I could not outrun them. I had to hide.
I hated the coat fiercely. I could not pause to wriggle out the bottom of it, for my hands felt as clumsy as fish flippers, but I could not possibly hide from my pursuers in a huge white fur coat. So I fled, knowing I could not escape but too frightened to let them reclaim me.
Choose a place to take a stand. Not where they can corner you but not where they can surround you, either. Find a weapon, a stick, a rock, anything. If you cannot escape, make them pay as dearly as you can for capturing you. Fight them all the way.
Yes, Wolf-Father. I spoke his name in my mind to give me courage. I reminded myself that I was the child of a wolf; even if my teeth and claws were pathetic things, I would fight.
But I was already so tired. How could I fight?
I could not understand what the passage through the stone had done to me. Why was I so weak and so tired? I wanted to fall where I was and be still. I longed to let sleep claim me, but I dared not. I could hear them calling to one another, shouting and pointing at me. Time to stop running, time to make my stand. I chose my spot. A cluster of three trees, their trunks so close together that I could dodge between them but none of my pursuers could easily follow me. I could hear at least three people crashing through the bushes behind me. How many might there be? I tried to calm myself enough to think. Dwalia, their leader: the woman who had smiled so warmly as she stole me from my home. She had dragged me through the Skill-pillar. And Vindeliar, the boy-man who could make people forget what they had experienced: He had come through the stone. Kerf was the Chalcedean sell-sword but his mind was so scrambled from our Skill-journey that either he was no danger to anyone or he might kill any of us. Who else? Alaria, who would unquestioningly do whatever Dwalia told her, as would Reppin, who had so harshly crushed my hand as we came through the pillar. It was a much smaller force than she had started with, but they still outnumbered me five to one.
I crouched behind one of the trees, pulled my arms from the sleeves of the heavy fur robe, and at last wriggled and lifted until I could slide out of it. I picked it up and threw it as far as I could, which was not far. Should I run on? I knew I could not. My stomach was doubling and twisting uneasily, and I had a stitch in my side. This was as far as I could go.
A weapon. There was nothing. Only a fallen branch. The thick end was no bigger around than my wrist and it diverged into three limbs at the other end. A poor weapon, more rake than staff. I took it up. Then I pressed my back to one of the trees, hoping against hope that my pursuers would see the coat and pass me by, so I could double back and find a better hiding spot.
They were coming. Dwalia shouted in gasps, “I know you are frightened. But don’t run. You will starve and die without us. A bear will eat you. You need us to survive. Come back, Bee. No one will be angry at you.” Then I heard the lie as she turned her fury on her followers. “Oh, where is she? Alaria, you fool, get up! None of us feels well, but without her we cannot go home!” Then, letting her anger win, “Bee! Stop being foolish! Come here right now! Vindeliar, hurry! If I can run, so can you! Find her, fog her!”
As I stood behind the tree, trying to make my terrified breathing as quiet as I could, I felt Vindeliar reaching for me. I pushed hard to make my thought-walls strong, as my father had shown me. I gritted my teeth and bit down on my lip to keep him out. He was making memories of sweet, warm foods and hot soup and fragrant, fresh bread at me. All those things I wanted so much, but if I let him make me think about them he could find a way in. No. Raw meat. Meat frozen onto bones, gnawing it off with my back teeth. Mice with their fur on, and their little crunchy skulls. Wolf food.
Wolf food. Strange, how delicious it sounded. I gripped my stick with both hands and waited. Should I stay hidden and hope they would run past me? Or step out and strike the first blow?
I did not get a choice. I saw Alaria go stumbling past my hiding place, several trees away. She halted, looked stupidly at the white fur on the ground, and then as she turned to call back to the others, she saw me. “She’s here! I found her!” She pointed at me with a shaking hand. I set my feet shoulder-width apart as if I were going to play at knife-fighting with my father and waited. She stared at me and then sank down in a crumpled heap, her own white coat folding around her, and made no effort to rise. “I found her,” she called in a weaker voice. She flapped a limp hand at me.
I heard footsteps to my left. “Look out!” Alaria gasped, but she was too late. I swung my branch as hard as I could, connected with Dwalia’s face, and then danced back to the right between the trees. I set my back to one trunk and took up my stance again, branch at the ready. Dwalia was shouting but I refused to look and see if I’d hurt her. Perhaps I’d been lucky enough to put one of her eyes out. But Vindeliar was lumbering toward me, his doltish smile beaming. “Brother! There you are! You are safe. We found you.”
“Stay back or I’ll hurt you!” I threatened him. I found I didn’t want to hurt him. He was a tool of my enemy, but left to himself I doubted he had any malice. Not that a lack of malice would prevent him from hurting me.
“Brothe-er,” he said, drawing the word out sadly. It was a rebuke but a gentle one. I realized he was radiating gentleness and fondness at me. Friendship and comfort.
No. He was not truly any of those things. “Stay back!” I commanded him.
The Chalcedean lolloped past us, ululating as he went, and I could not tell if he deliberately or accidentally jostled against the little man. Vindeliar tried to avoid him, but stumbled and fell flat with a mournful cry just as Dwalia rounded the tree trunks. Her hands were extended toward me like claws, her lips pulled back from her bloodied teeth as if she would seize me in her jaws. Two-handed I swung my branch at her, willing it to knock her head from her shoulders. Instead it broke and the jagged end dragged across her reddened face, trailing a line of blood. She flung herself at me, and I felt her nails dig into my flesh right through my worn clothing. I literally tore myself free of her grip. She kept part of my sleeve as I squeezed between the tree trunks.
Reppin was waiting there. Her fish-gray eyes met mine. Hatred gave way to a mindless glee as she leapt toward me. I dodged sideways, leaving her to embrace the tree face-first. She hit, but she was spryer than I thought. One of her feet hooked mine. I jumped high, cleared it, but stumbled on the uneven ground. Alaria had regained her feet. She wailed wildly as she threw herself against me. Her weight carried me to the ground, and before I could wriggle out I felt someone step hard on my ankle. I grunted then cried out as the pressure increased. It felt as if my bones were bending, as if they would snap at any instant. I shoved Alaria off me but the moment she was clear, Reppin kicked me in the side, hard, without getting off my ankle.
Her foot slammed all the air out of me. Tears I hated swelled in my eyes. I thrashed for a moment then wrapped myself around her legs and struggled to get her off my ankle, but she grabbed my hair and shook my head wildly. Hair ripped from my scalp and I could not focus my vision.
“Beat her.” I heard Dwalia’s voice. It shook with some strong emotion. Anger? Pain? “With this.”
I made the mistake of looking up. Reppin’s first blow with my broken stick caught my cheek, the hinge of my jaw, and my ear, mashing it into the side of my head. I heard a high ringing and my own shriek. I was shocked, outraged, offended, and in a disabling amount of pain. I scrabbled to get away but she still had a thick handful of my hair. The stick fell again, across my shoulder blades as I struggled to break free. There was not enough meat on my bones and my blouse was no protection: The pain of the blow was followed by the instant burn of broken skin. I cried out wildly and twisted, reaching up to grip her wrist and try to wrest her hand free of my hair. She put more weight on my ankle, and only the cushion of forest humus kept it from breaking. I shrieked and tried to push her off.
The stick fell again, lower on my back, and I suddenly knew how my ribs joined my spine and the twin columns of muscle that ran alongside my spine, for all of it screeched with wrong.
It happened so fast and yet each individual blow was a single event in my life, one to be always remembered. I’d never been treated harshly by my father, and the very few times my mother had disciplined me it had been little more than a cuff or a light slap. Always to warn me of danger, to caution me not to touch the firescreen or reach over my head for the kettle on the hob. I’d had a few tussles with children at Withywoods. I’d been pelted with pinecones and small stones, and once I’d been in a serious fight that left me bloodied. But I had never been beaten by an adult. I’d never been held in a painful way while a grown-up tried to deliver as much pain as she could, regardless of how it might injure me. I suddenly knew that if she knocked out my teeth or struck an eye from its socket, no one would care except me.
Stop being afraid. Stop feeling the pain. Fight! Wolf-Father was suddenly with me, his teeth bared and every hackle standing up.
I can’t! Reppin is going to kill me!
Hurt her back. Bite her, scratch her, kick her! Make her pay for giving you pain. She is going to beat you anyway, so take what you can of her flesh. Try to kill her.
But—
Fight!
I stopped trying to wrest her grip from my hair. Instead, as my stick fell again on my back, I lunged toward her, caught the wrist of her stick-hand, and pulled it to my mouth. I opened my jaws as wide as I could and then closed them. I bit her not to hurt her, not to leave toothmarks or make her shout with pain. I bit her to drive my teeth down to her bone, to gain a mouthful of flesh and sinew and try to tear it free of her body. I set my teeth as she shrieked and flailed at me with the stick, and then I worried the meat of her wrist, shaking my head fiercely. She let go of my hair, dropped the stick, and danced about, yelling in pain and fear, but I kept my grip on her wrist, with both my hands and my teeth, and kicked at her shins and feet and knees as she dragged me about with her. I tried to make my molars meet as I clenched my jaws and hung my weight from her arm.
Reppin roared and thrashed. She’d dropped the stick and thought only to pry herself free. She was not a large person; she was slight of build and I had a good chunk of the stringy meat and flabby muscle of her forearm in my teeth. I worked my jaw together. She was shrieking. “Get her off me! Get her off me!” She set the palm of her hand to my forehead and tried to push me away. I let her and she screamed as she helped me tear meat from her bones. She slapped at me but weakly. Jaws and hands, I gripped her tighter. She sank to the earth with me still locked to her arm.
Beware! Wolf-Father warned me. Spring away!
But I was a cub and I did not see the danger, only that my enemy had collapsed before me. Then Dwalia kicked me so hard that my mouth flew open. It knocked me free of Reppin onto the damp earth. With no air in me, all I could do was roll feebly instead of getting to my feet and running away. She kicked me repeatedly. My belly, my back. I saw her booted foot coming toward my face.
When I woke up, it was dark and cold. They had managed a fire but its light barely touched me. I was lying on my side, facing away from the fire, bound hand and foot. My mouth was salty with blood, both thick and fresh. I had wet myself, and the fabric of my trousers was cold against me. I wondered if they had hurt me so badly that I peed or if I had been that frightened. I could not remember. I woke up crying, or perhaps I realized I was crying after I woke up. Everything hurt. My face was swollen on one side from where Reppin had hit me with the stick. My face might have bled, for dead leaves were stuck to my skin. My back hurt and my ribs caged my painful breaths.
Can you move your fingers? Can you feel your toes?
I could.
Does your belly hurt like a bruise or does it hurt like things are broken inside?
I don’t know. I never hurt like this before. I drew in a deeper breath, and the pain forced it out as a sob.
Product details
- Publisher : Del Rey; First Edition (May 9, 2017)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 864 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0553392956
- ISBN-13 : 978-0553392951
- Item Weight : 2.6 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.45 x 2 x 9.52 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #182,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,035 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books)
- #5,581 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #7,297 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Robin Hobb is a New York Times best-selling fantasy author. She is published in English in the US, UK and Australia, and her works have been widely translated. Her short stories have been finalists for both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, as well as winning the Asimov's Readers Award. Her best known series is The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest.)
Robin Hobb was born in Oakland California, but grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. She has spent her life mostly in the Pacific Nortwest region of the US, and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington State, with her husband Fred. They have four grown offspring, and six grandchildren.
Robin Hobb is a pen name for Margaret Ogden. She has also written under the name Megan Lindholm.
She published her first short story for children when she was 18,and for some years wrote as a journalist and children's writer. Her stories for children were published in magazines such as Humpty Dumpty's Magazine for Little Children, Jack & Jill and Highlights for Children. She also created educational reading material for children for a programmed reading series by SRA (Science Research Associates.) She received a grant award from the Alaska State Council on the arts for her short story "The Poaching", published in Finding Our Boundaries in 1980.
Fantasy and Science Fiction had always been her two favorite genres, and in the late 70's she began to write in them. Her initial works were published in small press 'fanzines' such as Space and Time (editor Gordon Linzner). Her first professionally published story was "Bones for Dulath" that appeared in the Ace anthology AMAZONS!, edited by Jessica Amanda Salmonson in 1979. A short time later, a second Ki and Vandien story entitled The Small One was published in FANTASTIC in 1980.
During that time period, she and her family had moved from Alaska to Hawaii, and subsequently to Washington State, where they settled. She had various money making occupations (waitress, salesperson, etc.) while striving with her writing. Her husband Fred continued to fish Alaskan waters and was home only about 3 months out of every year. The family lived on a small farm in rural Roy where they raised lots of vegetables, chickens, ducks, geese and other small livestock.
In 1983, her first novel, Harpy's Flight, was published by Ace under the pen name Megan Lindholm. Her later titles under that name included Wizard of the Pigeons, Alien Earth, Luck of the Wheels, and Cloven Hooves.
In 1995, she launched her best selling series of books set in the Realm of the Elderlings. At that time, she began writing as Robin Hobb. Her first trilogy of books were about her popular characters, FitzChivalry Farseer and the Fool. The Farseer Trilogy is comprised of Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest. These books were followed by The Liveship Traders trilogy, set in the same world. The Tawny Man trilogy returned to the tale of Fitz and the Fool. Most recently, the four volumes of the Rain Wilds Chronicles were published: Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons and Blood of Dragons.
In 2013, it was announced that she would return to her best-loved characters with a new trilogy, The Fitz and the Fool trilogy. The first volume, Fool's Assassin, will be published in August of 2014.
Other works as Robin Hobb include The Soldier Son trilogy and short stories published in various anthologies. A collection of her shorter works as both Lindholm and Hobb is available in The Inheritance.
She continues to reside in Tacoma, Washington, with frequent visits to the pocket farm in Roy.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the story engaging and enjoyable. They describe the book as a great read for fans of the series. The characters are described as masterful and realistic. Readers appreciate the emotional content, including tearful moments and relationships between love and pain. They praise the writing quality as brilliant and a crowning achievement in fantasy writing. Overall, customers find the book thrilling and entertaining.
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Customers enjoy the story quality. They find the ending fantastic, exhilarating, and one of the best they've read. The story is described as wonderful, poignant, and an amazing adventure.
"...There is action and magic and wonder and struggle and sorrow and loss, so much frustrating separation, too much pain, and marvelous weaving together..." Read more
"...in immortal form, present yet removed from mortal reach, was a poignant end, reminiscent of earendil doomed forever to watch over middle earth,..." Read more
"...This volume presents some exciting developments in regard to the nature of the liveships and their relationship to dragons, too...." Read more
"...this consistency, the emotional ride of Assassin's Fate is a classic Hobb rollercoaster. So grab your Feels, and let's jump into it...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and a must-read for fans of the series. They appreciate the skillful culmination that brilliantly ties everything together. The trilogy is considered one of their favorite fantasy books of all time, with the middle part worth the wait.
"So good, but I haven't wept this much in years! .... Oh, how excited I was to see the first book of this last trilogy (Fool's Assassin)...." Read more
"...If you have eagerly followed Fitz’s story over the years, this book is a necessary read and very highly recommended...." Read more
"...However, it's definitely still worth reading. Prepare yourself. I'm not sure it will be enough...." Read more
"...the end I think I'm going to give it four stars, even though it's a great book and an interesting end to a character that readers saw grow for his..." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters engaging and alive, with a long journey through the book. Readers appreciate reading the characters' thoughts and interactions. The end of a character's story is interesting, with an inherent mystery.
"...too much pain, and marvelous weaving together of many details, people, & places from all the previous sagas...." Read more
"...I enjoyed the chance of reading the characters' thoughts and interactions in the confined space of paragon...." Read more
"...One thing that continually brings me back is this inherent mystery of this character - which he manages to retain, despite divulging a few more of..." Read more
"...give it four stars, even though it's a great book and an interesting end to a character that readers saw grow for his whole life...." Read more
Customers enjoy the emotional content of the book. They find the realistic characters accurately portraying human emotions. The heart wells up throughout the series, especially in Fate. Readers mention the relationships between love and pain are depicted with depth. The ending is poignant and the books are enjoyable and compelling, leaving readers laughing while crying.
"...There is action and magic and wonder and struggle and sorrow and loss, so much frustrating separation, too much pain, and marvelous weaving together..." Read more
"...denouement is a thrilling read of suspense, action, surprises and tearful moments...." Read more
"...The end of the novel is both right and emotionally wrenching...." Read more
"...That stung a bit to read. It worked for the characters, story, and world though, so it’s not a complaint. Just a warning." Read more
Customers praise the writing quality as brilliant, well-crafted, and a crowning achievement in fantasy writing. They appreciate the author's vivid descriptions of rich settings and characters. The book is described as literary magic by readers.
"..." for so many pages, yet was so utterly engrossing....so good, so rich, and the precious wonderful addition of Bee......." Read more
"...of her tapestry to an epic conclusion is nothing short of sheer literary magic...." Read more
"...It really is all very masterfully written and shows Hobb at her very best as an author...." Read more
"...The book is written incredibly well, as always, and it was a pleasure to read, even when it was tough to see the words on the page with the tears..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it thrilling, engaging, and satisfying. The book keeps them entertained for a long time with its great pace and plot twists. Readers appreciate the author's thought-provoking writing style and the two lives coming together.
"...The denouement is a thrilling read of suspense, action, surprises and tearful moments...." Read more
"...it does become dramatically more engaging – not even so much on the “action level”, but more because..." Read more
"...Great adventure." Read more
"...The three trilogies dealing with Fits and the Fool are the most satisfying, and I must admit that at first I viewed the Liveship and Dragon series..." Read more
Customers find the book creative and skillfully crafted. They praise the richly developed characters, well-thought-out magic systems, and imaginative writing. The book is described as remarkable, entertaining, and meaningful.
"...so much frustrating separation, too much pain, and marvelous weaving together of many details, people, & places from all the previous sagas...." Read more
"...between fitz and the fool must be one of the most skilfully crafted of the fantasy genre; Tolkien may have devoted more thought to the..." Read more
"You get swept away with the characters. Each one is so richly developed that you want to reach out and touch them. Great adventure." Read more
"...But one of Hobb's strengths in previous books was to make the fantastic plausible, to make the reader "suspend disbelief.")..." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's pace. Some find the action unfolding neatly and swiftly, with a satisfying resolution. Others feel the book drags on at a slow pace, with too many details that slow down the story.
"...There is action and magic and wonder and struggle and sorrow and loss, so much frustrating separation, too much pain, and marvelous weaving together..." Read more
"...Just nothing. *I was not happy with the the very end. It felt rushed, arbitrary, and unjust...." Read more
"...Once, however, everyone does arrive at clerres, the action unfolds neatly and swiftly. One can feel the tension thrumming through the pages...." Read more
"...There has been no pause in that momentum since Fool's Quest...." Read more
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I Cried
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2018So good, but I haven't wept this much in years!
....
Oh, how excited I was to see the first book of this last trilogy (Fool's Assassin).
...Well, looking back, I was giddy every time another Fitz/Fool/Elderling saga appeared on bookshelves, but this time I inexplicably overjoyed beyond most any other fan thrill I've had yet; brimming with anticipation of adventures to unfold.
And then.......
well, I recall back to when I finished the Tawny Man trio, I was so .... I just needed to sit and not read for a couple days - which almost never happens, I'm truly a reading addict, but i was just so emotionally drained after a beautiful couple-years & 6-novels marathon of living Fitz's tragic exciting poignant life.
But I'd forgotten about that when I scooped up Fool's Assassin, which had so little "adventure" for so many pages, yet was so utterly engrossing....so good, so rich, and the precious wonderful addition of Bee....
Then the way Hobb ends..., no, not ends but stops both Fool's Assassin and Fool's Quest, just stops! At such awful moments! Gah! The term cliffhanger at least leaves the feel of holding on to something. But reaching the last page of those 2 books is more like Wile E Coyote running off the edge of the cliff and wondering just how long it'll be until there's ground again....
And oh boy is Assassins Fate some rough ground!
Finally, BACK TO ASSASSIN'S FATE --
Yes, adventure and struggle are certainly in abundance !
and also, Oh, my heart can hardly bear it. So good, kinda dark, and so deep....
There is beauty & brilliant characters,
There is action and magic and wonder and struggle and sorrow and loss, so much frustrating separation, too much pain, and marvelous weaving together of many details, people, & places from all the previous sagas. And just as he has been ever since his first moment, the wolf makes everything even better. ❤💞
Still, father & daughter should have more time together, it's just not fair
And it breaks my heart.
This is a glorious master work Robin Hobb, Thank you.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2017From the very first pages of assassins apprentice I was irresistibly drawn into the characters robin hobb has created and the world they abide in. The story arc of the unique friendship between fitz and the fool must be one of the most skilfully crafted of the fantasy genre; Tolkien may have devoted more thought to the language\history of middle earth, thus imparting a perhaps more "epic" feel to lotr, but hobb gives center stage to the characters' development and interaction with one another, thus allowing for greater emotional impact.
Over the course of the past few months I read all eight previous books relating to fitz and fool (have not read live ship or rain wilds chronicles) with much enjoyment and wonder at their creative magnificence and poignancy. It seemed nearly impossible that assassins fate could bring all the strands of such a beloved series to a satisfying culmination. And with a few reservations, I say that robin hobb has in this final book crafted a fitting end to her literary spectacle.
Much complaint has been made of the length of the journey to clerres. Perhaps it is simply a matter of taste, but I felt not at all those chapters to be boring or "useless". I enjoyed the chance of reading the characters' thoughts and interactions in the confined space of paragon. I especially liked per and motley; lant and spark, though necessary, felt more to me as " sideline" characters. The inclusion of several characters from robin Hobbs liveship and rainwild series, though feeling a bit contrived, somewhat akin to a troop of actors marching out to take their bows onstage, provided an additional sense of closure as they drew toward the finale of all series set in the eldering realms. My main grief with this section of the book is the predominance of amber and the near absence of the fool. I felt this last chapter in the saga of fitz and the fool should have included more interaction between them, instead of the indifference instilled by amber. Furthermore, as noted by other reviewers, I thought the reasoning for Fitz's inability to skill here insufficient.
The chapters of bee's journey are, yes, grim and rather depressing to read. She is in the hands of a ruthless dwalia and her all too brief experiences of hope are met with harsh reprisals later. I suppose the account of all the abuse and maltreatment is essential to informing bee's later action; it develops vindeliar as well, leading up to a transformation on his part too.
Once, however, everyone does arrive at clerres, the action unfolds neatly and swiftly. One can feel the tension thrumming through the pages. Here robin hobb delivers on the promise of previous chapters, and the elements woven in the "slow" buildup of earlier pages converge in a gripping conclusion. The denouement is a thrilling read of suspense, action, surprises and tearful moments. Beware-- you will slack shamefully on mundane tasks and get nothing productive done whilst absorbed in the final chapters.
***warning: there be spoilers ahead***
I see from comments here that opinion is divided on the end robin hobb wrote for fitz and fool. I felt the Fitz's carving of a stone "dragon" was no great surprise; even fitz expresses that he somehow always knew this was the end he would choose, to follow in his king's footsteps, and it seems as though ms hobb envisioned this a long time ago. The fools unification as well was a harkening back to the repeated references of "no limits" and "two beings as one". So the whole unfolding of this scene invoked a beautiful sense of symmetry, of things coming full circle. Fitz's infection by parasitic worms, however, was simply too grotesque. I am aware a gradual but inevitable decline was necessary to explain his urgency in carving a stone dragon, but could it not have been contrived in a less gruesome manner? For example, could fitz have not simply succumbed from having pure silver coating half his body? As many reviewers have noted, fitz did not deserve to be the victim of such a bloody spectacle before his loved ones. It rang discordant with the beatific unification that follows immediately afterward. Even so, goosebumps ran down my arms and tears pricked my eyes when the prophet and his catalyst sank into the stone, finally merging as one. Their continuance in immortal form, present yet removed from mortal reach, was a poignant end, reminiscent of earendil doomed forever to watch over middle earth, sailing in wingilot amidst the stars.
Despite the few aforementioned grievances, the way in which ms hobb weaves the strands of her tapestry to an epic conclusion is nothing short of sheer literary magic. It has been a long time since I have been so transported, and even longer since I have experienced such an emotional connection with the story. I am left with the indefinable ache of a bittersweet farewell to two of fantasy's most beloved characters. Thank you, ms. Hobb for giving us the saga of fitz and the fool. It has been a beautiful journey.
Top reviews from other countries
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Math1238Reviewed in Brazil on August 12, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Melhor livro de Fantasia desde Tormenta de Espadas
Simplesmente magnífico, um dos melhores finais (se n o melhor) de qualquer história q eu ja li ( li a versão de kindle e depois comprei versão física)
- Sandy VentonReviewed in Canada on March 21, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent end to an excellent series!
Of course, it doesn't hurt to have read all of Robin Hobbs' books prior to this one, as they are all starting to come together in this last book III of the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy!
- Mr. S. BuckinghamReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning finale
Simply stunning finale to Ms Hobb’s epic 16 book odyssey. From Assassin’s Apprentice to this, the final book, Ms Hobb has weaved a spellbinding, complex, wholly believable world, filled with immaculately drawn and ever interesting characters. Above all, there is Fitz, one of if not the greatest of fantasy characters. I read a lot of sci-fantasy - Joe Abercrombie, Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson to name but a few, and Ms Hobbs writing rises majestically above them all. A truely brilliant conclusion
- DevelinReviewed in Spain on December 19, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A great end for an Epic Tale.
This book culminates one of the best tales written about any character in fantasy writing. We, those who read all the books, saw Fitz a small kid become an animal, an assassin, a warrior, a prince, a father and husband. Many readers grew up with in these last 20 years. Many of us learned a lot from his actions. What an amazing word Hobb created. Pure genius.
- C. PReviewed in Mexico on May 10, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying, melancholic ending.
Frustrating and exciting in equal measure, a very fitting end to the series and a wondrous linking of all the stories that comprise this universe.
This is the kind of book that surprises you and throws you off your feet and yet you realize the clues were there all along.
I can see how some would tire of bad news after bad news, but that's kind of expected with Hobb and there's always her intriguing, complex and unpredictable characters to rely on.
There are many unanswered questions yet (and so many new ones!) but the resolution broke my heart by how right it felt, the last sentence so evocative of everything we've gone through with these characters.
If I could I'd pour my happy, anguished, angry, exhilarated, afraid, heartbroken memories of reading this books for the first time in some memory stone, to experience this adventure again.