Customer Reviews

Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2)

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I read this book first, then read Assassin's Apprentice to see where it started, then finally Assassins Quest with bated breath. Glad I picked it up.

"Royal Assassin" is a lovely play on words, best understood once the story is over, as is the premise that "Chivalry ain't dead" which, while never uttered, provides the foundation for the protagonist's existence. That sense of irony is ever present throughout the series, and is beautifully complemented by Hobbs' use of adjective given names: Shrewd, Desire, Verity, Constance, Regal, etc. The measured development and revelation of each character's flaws and motivations is a beautiful example of how to write a book that startles you with plot twists, all of which ultimately make sense. The hardest character to reach is Regal, which is a shame, since he is a believable self-justified villain.

Hobb's system of magic is easy to grasp, and does not require too great a suspension of disbelief to incorporate, since so few people in the book actually practice the Skill or the Wit. Her ability to demonstrate the suspicions and superstitions of commoners is admirable. Most compelling, however, is her ability to get inside the "coming of age" problem with a stark realism that most cannot achieve. Hobb is also able to address intimate relationships, love, and marriage from a very human, and often humorous perspective, a skill that is rarely displayed in the fantasy genre. The setting is rich with vivid depictions of life in a medeival castle. You can smell the stew cooking in the kitchen, and taste the warm bread that Fitz wheedles from Cook when it is fresh out of the oven. You also appreciate the plain difficulty of getting things done, even for one endowed with the Skill. And you empathize with the archetypical ailing king, whose hold on life and his kingdom are both weakening, and who nonetheless battles to impose his will on the events shaping his kingdom.

Best of all, Fitz is an imperfect protagonist, who must rely on tenacity and his various friends to achieve his goals and survive in the deadly environment of court intrigue. The only problem with reading this book is that most contemporary fantasy pales in comparison. Robin Hobb has raised the bar.

With the second volume of the Farseer trilogy, Robin Hobb has certainly written a compelling saga strong on characterization. The first volume saw young Fitz growing as a boy and learning the ways around the court of Buckkeep, the capital of the Six Duchies. It seems to me that once Fitz was able to grow into his teens, the author finally has more freedom in making him the center of the happenings. Whereas Fitz was mostly a spectator in Assassin's Apprentice, he now tries to direct the action in the court; whether he is cleverly manipulated by others or truly acts on his own is an interesting question. This novel is less a novel of action or of epic proportions. It is obvious that Robin Hobb has no interest in becoming another Tolkien or Jordan. This is a novel of court intrigue, machinations, moves and countermoves. And Fitz finds himself with far more to deal with than he can chew. The characters are even livelier and interesting than in the first novel. I found it remarkable how Fitz seems to grow from page to page as he becomes more observant and active with the daily activities around him. From a boy, he becomes a man, with the unfortunate resulting consequences. The only drawback I found is that the underlying moral seems to be that the more resposibilities you shoulder upon yourself, regardless of your intentions, the more ruthless your enemies will act toward you. And, goodness, are they ruthless. Perhaps i was hoping for a traditional hero, and Fitz tries his best to be one, but Hobb yanks him back again and again.

Truly after having become instantly enamored with Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin had me hooked before I even finished the first page. I will begin this review with my sincere puzzlement in the fact that there is so much overhyped fantasy in the world by highly decorated (see award winning) authors that it amazes me to no end how the Farseer trilogy tends to slip through the proverbial cracks. This series is easily on par with the efforts of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and perhaps some of the finer moments of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.

That said, this tale picks up literally where the first book ends (with no recapping) and continues in the first person narrative of Fitz Chivalry as he recounts his life in effort to document the history of the Six Dutchies.

Like before, the imagery is just stunning and Hobb once again demonstrates that her greatest strength as an author is through development of incredibly rich characters that the reader can't help but feel like they know personally.

Perhaps therein lies the greatest source of frustration mingled within the beauty of this series: Robin Hobb isn't afraid to let the bottom drop out and does so very frequently. They say that hopelessness is a powerful literary tool (and certainly a motivator to turn the pages in effort to find resolve). The trouble some have with Hobb is that resolve is painfully slow to come (and often times doesn't come at all). Readers were treated to a taste of this in the first book but it pales in comparison to the mental and physical torture they will endure through Fitz's eyes in this one!

Without giving away too much of the plot's key moments, let me just summarize by saying that nearly everything Fitz has worked for comes crashing down by the conclusion of this novel. How Robin Hobb plans to tie up all of the loose ends of the saga in the third entry (Assassin's Quest) is truly anybody's guess. Although I must confess that it will be nearly impossible for anyone (regardless of how frustrated) to finish this book without desperately seeking the third entry with ravenous passion.

Upon completing Royal Assassin last night, I concluded that:

1) Robin Hobb may just be one of the most powerful authors in our time and certainly one of the most under appreciated in the fantasy genre.

2) This series is absolutely gripping in every sense of the word but requires a reader willing to "ride out the storm" in the distant hope that resolve will come.

3) Readers who rely on fantasy to escape the drudgery of daily life/ world affairs may want to steer clear of this entire melancholy-riddled saga. This book has the ability to cast a gray cloud over the mood of even the most optimistic reader (that can follow into real life).

4) If you decide to forge through this book, have the third entry handy- it ends on such a note that you just may find yourself standing outside the bookstore at dawn waiting for them to open.

Come hear a tale of characters with marvelous abilities; characters with powers of stealth and strength, the ability to kill and read minds. The powers of suggestion are available to the characters; truly this is a wonderful bunch of heroes. But they are all wimps.

This book consists of nothing but one chapter after another of attempts on the lives of the various protagonists. An attempt is made on the life of every good character in the book and all they can do is wring their hands and complain that they cannot take action against the perpetrator. It is infuriating to read.

The characters possess wonderful skills that they will not use. And why won't they use them? Who knows? The time is not right, the king didn't command it. The excuses given defy belief.

Instead, one is asked to believe that every character in the book will accept these bumbling attempts on the lives of everyone they love, including themselves, without ever taking action. Indeed, the only action that the heroes in the book ever take is after detrimental results have already been suffered.

But don't worry, they will whine and complain about what is done to them and those they serve. If fact, the bulk of the book consists of nothing more than an attempt on every good natured character in the book followed by restraint and complaint. This makes for a painfully irritating read. This irritation is only aggravated by how long the book drags on. I don't mind long books, if they are taking me somewhere. Here, the author beats the drum for hundreds of pages without advancing the story anymore that to communicate that the players are exasperated with their circumstances. Of course they are! Their circumstances completely control them.

Also, the book's title is terrible. The "assassin" does not assassinate anyone for almost six hundred pages. The book does merit a rating greater than one star because of its ending, which may free the characters up to act in a manner that is believable, but I wouldn't count on it.

This implausibility has been central to both books, and seems to be a part of the author's style. I like the world the she has created. I like the characters, in theory. But the execution is so poor; the players' reaction to the stimulus so unbelievable, that it really detracts from what could be a great book.

Hobb, you're going to have to better than this to gain a following from this reader. I have, however, already purchased the third book - I bought all three together - so I will finish the trilogy and report to you here if the series and the author improve.

My first foray into Robin Hobb's literary world was the book Fool's Errand--> at the recommendation of George RR Martin's website. It (of course) was very good. In fact, it was jolly well enough to compell me to read the originating Farseer trilogy. The first book (Assassin's Apprentice) was OK-- a 3.5 star effort-- a good start to a series.

Royal Assassin, however, is a different beast. Whereas Assassin's Apprentice was a good, but not great, beginning, Royal Assassin is the consummate trilogy midpoint. A 5-star effort in every sense (think: "Empire Strikes Back" kind of mid-trilogy effort), leaving disappointment only in it ending & heaving empathic protagonist-despair.

Both expected, of course-- being the calling card of a trilogy-- but also excellently implemented.

Are there hairs to split? Of course. The Fool is, perhaps, way too heavy with the ranting which, empathetically, is a huge stepdown from his portrayal in book 1; Regal, a pleasant villain, is portrayed as both amazingly vainglorious and treachoroulsy thorough-> a good character point, but, in my eyes, left slightly lacking in portrayal; Molly, accurately--to fault-- painted in puppy-dog/first-love love eyes... but these are minor quibbles.

Again, though, the book is a good read, solid read. It is a strong step forward from its predecessor and left me wanting more. Those are sure signs of an investment well made.

I rather enjoyed the first book in this series and was excited to get book two. But the second book was a disappoinment overall.

Conflict and problems are vital for the development of a book's plot. However, a good book will effectively mask the usage of conflicts to keep the reader's interest and this is where Royal Assassin fails. The conflicts created are nonstop, take up too many words and feel overtly manipulative. The protaganist revels in his insecurities for far too long and passes up far too many opportunities to just Do Something. To many oversights defy belief and exist only to further suspend resolution of the plot. Conflict upon conflict piles up in a manner that does not support a sympathetic and heroic character and Fitz is compromised as a protaganist that the reader can get invested in. The huge insecurities and depression indicated by the Fitz are simply incompatible with the expectation that he will, actually, do something heroic at some point and are jarring when compared to the few scenes where he actually does act heroically. Early on in the book he goes about several difficult tasks with aplomb and complete confidence only to later dwell in doubt and despair for pages upon pages, over seemingly much simpler tasks. We are given a few hints that each resolution might lead him to future confidence or a break-through in his abilities only to find him even more useless for the next task he must undertake.

Part of the problem is that the set of powers chosen for this world, the Skill in particular, is simply far too powerful and could easily solve massive plot problems in a very quick and easy manner -- if allowed to do so. Obviously such a Deus Ex Machina plot would not satisfy. Thus excuse after excuse is thrown at us to describe how, yet again, the protaganists fail to do much of use with the all-powerful Skill. Similarly the first book ended with a fairly decent resolution that was immediately contradicted in the beginning of the second book. It's easy to see how this might have happened (after getting published on the first book there was a need to drum up new drama to start the second) but the result is a let-down and seemed to ruin the feeling of fulfillment from the first book.

Heroic fiction is a genre about wish-fulfillment. We love to see our favorite characters relish in their hard-earned victories and we love to see them develop and gain in confidence and strength. This book however kills the satisfaction at prior accomplishments and has a protaganist that fails to develop much more satisfaction in terms of development or further accomplishments. At the end I was left annoyed and unfulfilled and liking the characters far less than I had after the first book, thus missing what I see as the necessity of Heroic Fantasy Fiction. As Fantasy readers, we don't just want conflict/resolution we also want a relatively monotonic growth of the characters towards being heros.

I also agree that the series, thus far, lacks any exploration of grayer morality and fails to break the mold of idealized, Good/Bad characterization. That is a bit of a disappointment but is something I tend to expect from the genre. So I won't hark too much on that point.

Because of my enjoyment of the first book I will read reviews and maybe scan through book 3. I still have some lingering interest in seeing how things end up for Fitz and so maybe I'll stick it out. I think Hobb has it in her to write very good stories but I think this one, ultimately, failed.

Robin Hobb, Royal Assassin (Bantam, 1996)

There should be a law against ending books like this, especially when they're the second part of a trilogy. Imagine what it must have been like for the poor souls who read this on the day of release, and then had to wait another year to find out what happened next.

Royal Assassin continues the story of Fitz, son of an abdicated prince, assassin for the king, user of magic both human and bestial. It also continues the building of the world of the Six Duchies, and adds a new component; while most of the diplomacy (outside the small world of Fitz, that is) in the world of the first novel in this trilogy took place with what amounts to a sledgehammer, the second novel brings in political intrigue on a much more delicate level. The king's two younger sons, Verity and Regal, sit ready to leap at one another's throats, as the four coastal duchies (who support Verity) and the two inland duchies (who support Regal) sit poised on the brink of conflict. It doesn't help matters much that the Mountain kingdom, which sits on the other side of the inland duchies, just married its daughter and queen-to-be off to Verity. Things look pretty bad for the inlanders, right? Well, if they were, we wouldn't have a novel.

Royal Assassin continues on at the same pace as did Assassin's Apprentice; it may be a huge-looking effort (my trade paperback version is 580 pages, and almost as thick as the trade paperback edition of that doorstop known as Harlot's Ghost), but believe me, now that you've gotten yourself into the story, the slowness with which it begins (as did Assassin's Apprentice) is easily forgivable, and you'll be sitting and reading long after you'd promised yourself you'd stop.

I warn you now: stop before you get to page five hundred, and wait until you've secured a copy of Assassin's Quest before reading the end of this novel. The twists and turns will leave you growling in frustration if you have to wait to dive into the last book in the trilogy. It's almost as memorable, and frustrating, an ending as we got from George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords (and two years later we're still waiting for the fourth book in THAT series, a form of slow torture that is crueler and more unusual than anything the U. S. Justice System has ever come up with).

And with that, I'll go back to chewing my fingernails and waiting for the library to get the third volume back in (since I can't find it in any of the bookstores near me). ****

Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin is a wonderful example of true adventure and fantasy. Hobb has a spectacular imagination and a talent for writing. This second book in the Farseer Trilogy links the young Fitz to the new, grown up FitzChivalry. The plot is not overly intense but is full of new and unique ideas. The story is so creative that the turn of each page brings a new suprise. Hobb's style of writing really makes the reader more involved in the book. He writes not only the actions and events that occur for the characters, but the feelings and emotions as well. Each character's personality is developed enough for the reader to understand yet leaves room for the reader's own imagination. Each character is unique in it's personality making the story even more interesting. I especially enjoy the action scenes in this book. The description of what is happening flows so easily and with just the right emotion. I find myself reading faster yet understanding it all. As a reader, I am much more involved in the story and the characters. I find myself hating the antagonist, Prince Regal. I pity the honorable Burrich, the father-like stablemaster and worry about the king-in-waiting, Verity, in his struggle to save his lands from both invasion from the Outislanders and curruption from within Buckeep itself. It isn't often that I find a book that is so involved and well-written. I would also recommend the first and third books of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy; Assassin's Apprentice and Assassin's Quest. Enjoy!

Not really much words for this book. It was ok I guess, a bit slow at times, didn't really like the characters, wasn't all that interested in the story. That's just me though. A disappointing sequel to a promising book... oh well.

This is the second installment of the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. In this installment we find FitzChivalry, [...] son of an ex heir to the throne and king's assassin, growing up. He has become an accomplished young man with the burden of many responsibilities. The six duchies that are Fitz' home have been under furious and relentless attacks by the Red raider ships who wreak havoc on the coastline murdering, burning villages and "forging" others by through an unknown process turn people into uncaring savages bent on destruction and death.

King Shrewd is in ill health and King in waiting Verity goes off on a quest to find the mysterious elderlings, of which ancient bards's tells proclaim can save the realm. This leaves Fitz at Buckkeep with little between he and the spiteful and treacherous Prince Regal. FitzChivalry soon finds that he may be little more then a fly caught in an ever growing web of intrigue.

Robin Hobbs' continues this captivating tale and plundering the depths of Fitzchivalry's psyche: His thoughts, his motivations, and his emotions, as well as adding layers and texture to the world she has created. While the book will serve to draw one in deeper and deeper into fitz' story, it does have its moments where it can be a bit overly descriptive and plodding.

This book is a second entry in the farseer trilogy and it should be recognized as such. This trilogy is not really three seperate books in as much as it is one very long book, so one should not expect there to be big climax's at the end, but instead part of the tale that builds the momentum to the climax at the end.

This trilogy is excellent and this book is excellent. Don't let yourself miss out on something well worth your time and effort!