Royal Assassin (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: Top-Tier Fantasy
Review: This book was absolutely fabulous. What else can I say? I actually read it months after reading the first Farseer book, Assassin's Apprentice, which I honestly did not find particularly spectacular. So I moved on to Royal Assassin and could not put it down. This book and the third one cost me some serious school credit, but being a burned out high school senior I did not really care.

Never have I read a fantasy so emotionally racking. I traditionally don't like first person perspectives, but in the instance of this book, it fully illuminates intense emotions in a way that a third person would have tremendous difficuly achieving. Yes, this book is extremly depressing, perhaps overly so for many readers, but immensely intriguing becasue of its dark depressing quailities. I admit that it is one of the very few books I have read that made me almost cry. Its ability to rip your guts out is its beauty, and I say this with me being the most unemotional person I know.

The main character, FitzChivalry Farseer, through whose perspective we see the story, is my favorite literary character to date. What makes him so good is that he is his own character, not some plot device that we see far too often in fantasy.

This book and the rest of the trilogy stand head and shoulders above the rest of the genre. If you want phenominally good fantasy, by all means read Farseer. If you are tired of reading the average trash by the likes of Robert Jordan, then treat yourself to something that is more than deserving of your time.

Rating:
Summary: Inexplicably Captivating
Review: I don't know why I loved reading this book so much: The characters are either good or evil and never deviate from this, the subplots resolve themselves in a predictable fashion, and the title is ludicrous assuming it is a reference to FitzChivalry (though if it were a clever reference to Will I would excuse the misnomer). But I simply could not put this book down.

There is no doubt that Hobb is one of the most skilled fantasy writers that I have every had the good fortune to discover -- every time I planned on reading a chapter I would find myself reading 200 pages. But it is more than skillful word play. The characters she creates, though steadfast to their mold, are so captivating, so likeable, that you just want to remain in their lives for a little while longer. This must be why the book is so enthralling.

I have to recommend this book because it brought me an incredible amount of entertainment, but not without some reservations. This book, this trilogy, may not be for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing Book 2
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Better than average, but disappointing
Review: After reading all of the glowing reviews on this site as well as a cover quote from George RR Martin, I expected this series to be wonderfully intricate and darkly surprising.

Unfortunately, while the series manages to create some interesting ideas, it is suprisingly slight for a book supposedly about an assassin. For an assassin, the main character Fitz, seems remarkably unburdened with any truly unethical duties. The "jobs" he performs are rarely morally ambiguous.

There are few suprises in Royal Assassin. The good guys are good from the start and can always be depended upon. The bad guys are bad from the start and act in predictable ways. Because of this, it's hard to reconcile some of the more foolish moves by the protagonists.

I am still giving this book 3 stars because it really is better than most dreck out there. The style is consistent and moving and the hero is likeable and easy to root for.

One last bit, the title of this book should really have been Royal Beastmaster ;)

Rating:
Summary: Another Triumph from Robin Hobb
Review: "Royal Assassin", a book with a tremendous and growing reputation, defies attempts to summarize its greatness. People love it, critics laud it, but few can truly say why it's so great. The story starts with Fitz and Burrich in the mountain kingdom recovering from their injuries at the end of "Assassin's Apprentice". Fitz flirts with the idea of running off to forge a new life elsewhere, but a Skill dream draws convinces him not to forsake his promise to King Shrewd. This rapid shifting of Fitz's attitudes keeps up throughout the novel. And well it should. Those who are in their middle teens or accurately remember their middle teens know them as years of mental shifting. You feel desperate and depressed one minute, calm the next, then full of rage. I can barely name any novel that so captures teenage moodiness and its draining consequences as well as "Royal Assassin".

In any case, the world will not wait for Fitz to sort out his emotions. Forged ones converge on Buckkeep, Red Ship Raiders attack in renewed numbers, Prince Regal schemes to overthrow his brother, Molly returns beset with her own emotional storms, and a new wit-bonded wolf puppy demands his attention. In the midst of all this turmoil, Fitz will have to struggle with his feelings, his loyalties, his priorities, and his relationships.

"Royal Assassin" defies all expectations. Like a great jazz improvisation performance, it has its own rhythms, but then takes you on surprising turns that you don't see coming. Rather than going for the predictable pattern where every event getting neatly wrapped up before the next event begins, here one crisis piles up on top of the next one and the total hits an almost unbearable pitch. I can't explain it better, I'm afraid, but in the end "Royal Assassin" is what it is, a top notch epic fantasy about an entire nation convulsing between its own decay and external attack, told entirely through one single unforgettable character. It never condescends to the reader or grows hubrisitc. I'm making my second journey through the Farseer trilogy now, and I can say without hesitation that nobody alive does it better than Robin Hobb.

Rating:
Summary: This is where it gets annoying
Review: This whole series would have been cut totally short if one critical thing had been done right from the beginning. Here on end it gets really annoying.

Rating:
Summary: Impotent
Review: 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 of the life of the varying 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 deterimental results have 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! The circumstance 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 is so unbelievable that it monumentally 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 if the series and the author improve.

Rating:
Summary: A great series continues
Review: ROYAL ASSASSIN is the sequel to ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE and shows us FitzChivalry Farseer's transition from childhood to young adulthood, as he hones his skills as a journeyman assassin and tries to gain control of his magical talents. Plots and schemes and treachery abound, along with loyalty and fidelity and true friendship.


THE FARSEER TRILOGY is epic fantasy that ranks right with THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER and THE SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. What puts it there is that it excels it all the areas of good story-telling: well-developed and believable characters, a richly detailed setting, lots of meaningful action, technically good writing, and magic that follows the "rules" (it has limits, it comes with a cost, and it does not come out of nowhere).


ASSASSIN'S QUEST is next, and I eagerly delve into it!

Rating:
Summary: The whole world collapses for Fitz, a wonderful read!!
Review: Once again I was VERY impressed with Hobb's writing and world building skill. After reading the first two books of this series I almost feel like I actually know the characters. A couple of them I really like and a bunch of them I really hate. It really makes it interesting when the author can actually make her readers care about the characters. While this book might not be as complex as some of the other popular fantasy out there (George R Martin, Robert Jordan) its still a really great read and I would reccomend it to anybody!

In Royal Assassin, Fitz has come back from the Mountain Kingdom knowing that he has enemies and even knowing who they are while still not being able to do anything about it. Its incredibly frustrating for him to watch as his world is wrecked all around him and him being powerless to do as he wishes because his King forbids it. Throughout the book, bad things just keep happening more and more and Prince Regal gets more and more blatant with his treachery until it all comes crashing down in the last part of the book.. The next in the series should be really great. Hopefully Regal will get whats coming to him (as Im sure he will!)

Definite *****!!

Rating:
Summary: Save your time and money
Review: I've read a good amount of fantasy and I've never come across a book that was as grotesquely misnamed as this one. I read Assassin's Apprentice and it was a decent read but still too long at 435 pages. Do yourself a favor if you read also read it: STOP THERE!! Royal Assassin is 675 pages and I would think that a royal "assassin" would have a hell of a lot more confidence in himself and his own decision making ability and also would have assassinated someone well before page 550 but that just isn't the case with this book. When he does finally kill his first victim in the book, it is a lowly guard who is in his way and the author never really says that the guard actually dies, only that he was very incapacitated and might die. The next time the Royal Assassin kills anyone is nearly 75 pages later and he simply goes on a rampage of killing, not any kind of sneaky assassination. I think Miss Hobb needs to learn to develop her plots a lot faster, with less talk. And if the payoff for sludging through 675 pages in her books is always as week as this one was, I wouldn't recommend any of her books to anyone. I started the 3rd book, Assassin's Quest, (only because I already owned it) and was planning on using it as speed reading practice. From what I've read so far, Ms. Hobb seems to be using the dialog in Assassin's Quest to explain away all the faults with the second book. Save yourself some time and money and, if you really must know what happens in this book, go to the Book-a-Minute web site and read what they wrote about this one. It is very accurate.