Search - Assassin's Quest (The Farseer Trilogy, Bk 3)

You know, I may have read a book where the author puts the hero through more traumas and trials than Hobb puts FitzChivalry through in this series... but I really can't think of one offhand. The guy really just does not get a break!

This installment takes more of the classic fantasy quest format, as Fitz, whom everyone thinks is dead, sets off on a quest to travel beyond the mountain kingdom and find the rightful king, Verity. Hotly pursued by Regal and his coterie of Skill-wielders who wish to kill him, he is plagued by his own uncertain use of the Skill, which is a vulnerability, but which shows him visions of his love, Molly, and the child he has never seen - which may be the heir to the Farseer bloodline.
Along the way, he is joined by the minstrel, Starling, who seeks fame and fortune by attaching herself to those who may do songworthy deeds; the old pilgrim woman, Kettle, who seems to know more of both history and magic than one would guess, the enigmatic Fool, the Queen Kettricken, seeking her husband...
Will they find Verity? Will Verity have found the mythical Elderlings, and/or a way to save the Six Duchies from both the Red-Ship Raiders and Regal's treachery? Will Fitz ever be able to have the simple life that he yearns after?

Quest fantasy has been done to death, but this book doesn't feel formulaic at all... definitely entertaining! On to the second trilogy!

Wow! I did not want this book to end. I had become so attached to all the wonderful characters and the amazing world that they live in that I did not want to say good-bye. Fitz comes so far, and goes through so much, and it was so painful to see what has to happen actually occur. I don’t think I’ve been so touched by a series of books in a long time. I can’t recommend this series highly enough. And hats off to Little Ferret, the best assassin in the book!

This is the third in the Farseer Trilogy featuring Fitz, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry. The book stands well on its' own, but manages to tie everything together nicely. I just discovered Robin Hobb's writing a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed this whole series--and looking forward to more!

The hints of incredible wonder seen in the trilogy's earlier novels bear exciting fruit in this final installment. The hidden mysteries of Skill, Forging, and the Elderlings unfold bit by intriguing bit. However, the conclusion was one of the oddest I've ever seen in a fantasy series, and a little on the depressing side.

This is a review for the entire Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest) because I find it almost impossible to rate them as individual books.

This trilogy has just placed itself on my short list of all-time favorite books. There is something about these characters and their stories that I found to be incredibly moving. This is not an easy series to read because it reads so much like real life. It is messy. There is just as much pain and hardship and disappointment as there is hope and encouragement and love. The pacing is timed so that you feel like you have truly lived every long day with these characters. Hobb's talent for world-building and character development is nothing short of masterful.

This is a painfully beautiful fantasy series but it will not appeal to all fantasy readers. It totally lacks the fast paced, slash and dash, sword and sorcery feel of many fantasy novels and anyone looking for that in this series might find themselves bored senseless in the intricate tedium of the plot. On the other hand, I think that this is a series that defies genre stereotypes and could appeal to any typical non-fantasy reader who could appreciate what Hobb has accomplished here.

This is truly a series to savor.

Another great book. This conclusion of the first trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings is very compelling. I didn't want to put the book down for anything; sleep, work. :)
I felt as if I knew the characters and cared about them as friends.