Book Review: Farseer – Assassin’s Quest

Title: Assassin’s Quest
Series: Farseer Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 1998
ISBN: 0-553-56569-9
Length: 757 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

After narrowly escaping King Regal’s Dungeon in Buckkeep, Fitz is in dire need of rehabilitation to get back into everyday life after being tortured to the brink of death. To help Fitz get a grip on his life, Burrich spends time living with him as he goes through the process of readjusting.

After a falling out with his very dear friend, Fitz strikes out on his own with the intention of avenging both himself and his former king. By the time Fitz realizes that he is playing into the hands of his adversaries, it is nearly too late to correct the mistake and he is forced to rely on help to get him to safety.

From this point on, Fitz is bonded to a side quest in which he has pledged himself. He journeys far to the north to seek out his long missing King-in-waiting, Verity. It is on this quest that he learns a great deal about both of his magical abilities, the Skill and the Wit.

My Thoughts:

In the grand scheme of things, I really enjoyed Assassin’s Quest. By little more than half-way, the reader is given a closer look at the magic system within this series. When we receive more exposure, the possibilities begin to open up and the story takes an interesting turn and focuses more on how deeply the magic system is involved in solving the problem at hand.

The biggest complaint that I have heard about this book is the ending. Some feel as though it is a little too gloomy after all that Fitz has been through, although I feel that the ending was fitting. There was realism in the way the book ended and I don’t know that I could have appreciated a typical fairytale ending where the hero rides off into the sunset, happily ever after.

When this trilogy came to a conclusion, it had me completely and utterly engrossed in it. I wanted nothing more than to dive right into the Tawny Man Trilogy which takes place several years later in Fitz’s life. Despite my interest, I have opted to read the Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb. This series is set within the same world as Farseer and supposedly gives the reader a broader view of the happenings of the land before being plunged back into the life of Fitz in the third trilogy.