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Assassin's Quest
  

Assassin's Quest (Paperback)

by Robin Hobb (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (193 customer reviews)

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From Booklist

In this conclusion to the Farseer saga, FitzChivalry's quest for revenge on the usurping Regal requires him to journey to the Elderlings (wise old mages in the classic mold) and afterwards to realize the emergence of his own magical gifts, at which point the quest comes to an end after a mere 688 pages. Like much high fantasy these days, the book could have been pruned more than a trifle; on the other hand, along with the extra wordage come extra measures of characterization, world building, and emotionally compelling scenes of both magic and battle. And this is definitely the end of one story, although the world Hobb has created is now sufficiently developed (even why the characters have such archetypical names is explained) to be the scene of future books. In all, this is an improvement over its predecessors that will please their readers and probably whet their appetites for more from Hobb. Roland Green --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Final installment--each entry independently intelligible--of Hobb's stunning fantasy trilogy (Royal Assassin, 1996; Assassin's Apprentice, 1995) about the beleaguered Six Duchies and their Farseer kings. Months ago, King Verity vanished into the far mountains in search of the semi-mythical Elderlings, whose help he must have in order to defeat the rampaging Red Ship Raiders, leaving his murderous, venal, and insanely ambitious brother, Prince Regal, to dispose of Verity's last few loyalists at his leisure--including narrator, spy, and assassin FitzChivalry. Poor Fitz, unable to contact his beloved Molly (she thinks he's dead) and daughter (by Molly) for fear of exposing them to Regal's attentions, uses his magic Skill to locate Verity and receives an imperious summons: ``COME TO ME!'' So, abandoning his plan to assassinate Regal, Fitz enters the mountains with a small band of helpers. Eventually, having evaded Regal's minions, Fitz comes upon Verity Skill-carving a huge dragon out of black rock; nearby stand other lifelike dragon-sculptures that, to Fitz's animal-magic Wit, seem somehow alive. Are these eerie sculptures what remain of the Elderlings? Yet, for all his Skill, Verity cannot bring the dragons to life; and soon Regal will arrive with his armies and his Skilled coterie. An enthralling conclusion to this superb trilogy, displaying an exceptional combination of originality, magic, adventure, character, and drama. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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193 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (193 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3.0 out of 5 stars An average end for a story which started so well..., Aug 17 2009
By Philippe Carrier (Québec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The first 200 pages are excruciating. FitzChivalry goes through a transformation of sorts before going on his grand adventure. Instead of giving us glimpses of this change, the author spends a third of the book exploring it in explicit detail and virtually copy pastes passages from the first two books. It's a waste of the readers time and it totally destroys the pace which made the series such a pleasant read.

I very rarely skim read, but in this case I just had to do it to avoid stopping altogether.

After plodding through that first part of the book, the pace does pick up, although the story just isn't as compelling as I had hoped. There are a lot of elements to pique the reader's curiosity in the second half of the book and it's unfortunate that the author didn't explore them further and create a few more side quests at this stage, rather than spending so much time on the beginning.

The ending is a bit anti-climatic. I was hoping for an epic conclusion to the tale, but it's anything but. Albeit a few final hurdles, the story unwinds without gusto and the author simply ties up the loose knots without much story telling. We're told what happens after the mission is accomplished, when you'd expect that to be part of it. How boring.

So, although the first two books were thoroughly enjoyable, don't be too anxious to read the conclusion. If you don't keep your expectations in check, you'll be disappointed.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Assassin's quest was a bit of a let down, July 12 2004
By Shawn (Olympia Fields, IL United States) - See all my reviews
I know a lot of people tend to get defensive when their favorite author, actor, etc. is critiqued so no doubt some will be offended by this review but oh well.

First off like many have stated before the book easily is 100-200 pages to long. The search for Verity really dragged along for longer than it should have. But despite the length of this final book it was'nt completely bad. My biggest complaint was the way the story was wrapped up. The outcome of Regal, Verity, the mystery of the Red ships and a few other areas were really poorly done in my opinion. In fact in regards to the ending the only thing that wrapped the way that it should have been is Fitz and Molly's relationship. Outside of that the ending appeared to rushed with not a lot of thought put into it. I almost gagged on those last couple of chapters.

However I still would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first 2 books (which were remarkable). Since Hobb is still essentially a new writer its understandable how perhaps the conclusion of her first series could be a bit awkward. I just hope George RR Martin does'nt follow the same path when eventually concludes his series.

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5.0 out of 5 stars a fitting conclusion to an excellent trilogy, Jun 16 2004
By Joe Sherry (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
"Assassin's Quest" is the third and final book of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. When this series began, we met a young boy without a name. This boy was taken in by the royal house of Buck. See, this boy was the illegitimate child of one of the princes. He was given the name FitzChivalry and was trained as an assassin for the king. Through treachery, the king was slain and the prince that has Fitz's loyalty, Verity, was away on a quest to find they mythical Elderlings to enlist their help against the Red Ship Raiders that have been terrorizing the kingdom. With Verity gone and King Shrewd now dead, Prince Regal is free to act against, Fitz, whom he has always hated. At the end of book 2, "Royal Assassin", Fitz was presumed dead by Regal and buried. But like it is said in "The Princess Bride", Fitz was only mostly dead (he took a poison that would simulate death, much like Juliet did in "Romeo and Juliet"). The story picks up several months later and Fitz is in the care of Burrich, the man who has raised him all these years. Fitz acts like an animal, for that is what he believes he truly is (for the poison to work, Fitz had to use the "Wit" magic that has bonded him with a wolf). Burrich is working to restore Fitz's mind and reflexes to that of a human.

Fitz has to recover, or else there will not be much of a story. When he does, he decides to seek his revenge on Regal and Regal's coterie of Skill users who helped to kill Shrewd and sabotage Buck against the Red Ship Raiders. The title of "Assassin's Quest" is especially apt for this book. Fitz is the titled Assassin, and this novel truly has a quest feel to it, especially as the story progresses. Every since Verity first started out to find the Elderlings, I have wondered what will become of this quest, and Fitz also seeks to answer this question as well.

The Farseer Trilogy is excellent fantasy. Being told in the first person point of view, it is a change from the typical fantasy novel, and Hobb does not hold anything back. We know what Fitz can know, so this cannot be a broad sweeping saga. And yet, this series is not lacking for any depth of storytelling. Hobb also does not protect her protagonist any. Horrible, horrible things happen to Fitz throughout the series and that is a part of the raw power here. The series may be slower moving at times, but that is not for any lack of quality writing on Hobb's part. Quite the opposite. The story moves slowly by necessity, but it never fails to be interesting. "Assassin's Quest" only serves to make me want more Hobb, and to move on to the "Liveship Traders" and then onto "The Tawny Man" series.

-Joe Sherry

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars ohhh that burns!!!!
Now that you have read the first 2 books of the series you have no other choice than to read the third. Read more
Published on May 26 2004 by chipper_catch22

4.0 out of 5 stars Quit your whining
First of all, I just want to say that while it's been awhile since I last read this book, 4-5 months, I can still honestly say that while it was missing several of the elements... Read more
Published on April 16 2004 by codythetechnoid

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you really need a review at this point?
You must read Farseer books 1 and 2 first to really enjoy this story. Like George RR Martin's outstanding Song of Fire and Ice series it's a gritty, well written and engrossing... Read more
Published on April 1 2004 by Traderjohn

4.0 out of 5 stars Not so bad!!
I was glad I did not listen to the negative reviews given about this book. Sure some characters changed in the last book. Read more
Published on Mar 27 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow Letdown
I think the first two books of this series are great. In fact, I think they are some of the best fantasy that I have ever read. Read more
Published on Mar 12 2004 by Dave

3.0 out of 5 stars Sounds like I'm jumping on the bandwagon here.
Robin Hobb, Assassin's Quest (Bantam, 1997)

Homicide: Life on the Street was for many years the best show on televison, hands down. Read more

Published on Feb 9 2004 by Robert P. Beveridge

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible.
The worst book ending I can recall. See my reviews of books 1 and 2 (and PAY ATTENTION!!! Stop at book 1 for the sake of... Read more
Published on Jan 19 2004 by T Bone

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings
First of all, I must agree with a couple of the other reviewers about the cover art for the series. I compared what I saw with my minds eye (as described within the pages) and... Read more
Published on Jan 9 2004 by Celeste Colantonio

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Ending Ever
Without spoiling the ending for you, the last 200 pages of Assassins Quest are the best I've ever read - and I have read many, many fantasy novels. Read more
Published on Jan 7 2004 by Stefan Bolz

3.0 out of 5 stars hmm...
Perhaps I made an error in reading all three of these stories in a short time(a week)because the conclusion of the last book left me feeling unfulfilled. Read more
Published on Dec 24 2003 by Neoprod

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