Royal Assassin (The Illustrated Edition) (Farseer Trilogy) (original 1996; edition 2020)

by Robin Hobb (Author)

Series: The Farseer Trilogy (2), Realm of the Elderlings (2)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations / Mentions
8,357	137	978	(4.14)	1 / 199
Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:�Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb�s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.��George R. R. Martin Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king�s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family. Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz�s hands�and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest. Praise for Robin Hobb and Royal Assassin �[Robin] Hobb continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the shocking.��Locus �[Royal Assassin] reaches astonishing new heights. . . . The Farseer saga is destined for greatness�a must-read for every devotee of epic fantasy.��Sense of Wonder.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	GracePettit
Title:	Royal Assassin (The Illustrated Edition) (Farseer Trilogy)
Authors:	Robin Hobb (Author)
Info:	Del Rey (2020), 704 pages
Collections:	Your library
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Work Information

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (1996)

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	75 Books Challenge for 2018: Group read: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb - Farseer trilogy	39 unread / 39	souloftherose, May 2018

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▾Member reviews

English (131) Dutch (2) Italian (1) German (1) Finnish (1) French (1) All languages (137)

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Showing 1-5 of 131 (next | show all)

Had to rate this at 3 stars, one fewer than volume 1, because it was rather a repeat in the sense that a lot of text is expended on minutiae until the last 50 or so pages when we get a tour de force of angst, suffering and hopelessness, just as at the end of volume 1.

As in the first volume, there is a frustrating amount of discussion among Fitz and his friends about Regal's evil but how no one can do anything to stop it due to lack of proof. King Shrewd eventually acknowledges Regal's perfidy, but far too late to prevent him triumphing. It does also strain the suspension of disbelief that everyone, apart from a handful of people, can't see what Regal is up to and how dangerous. Even when the Coastal Dukes realise they are being abandoned to the raiders, they are unbelievably restrained

The series is well written but very downbeat and I just wonder what Fitz is going to be put through in volume 3, given the impossible position he and the Six Duchies are left in.
(

)

kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |

A second strong book in the Farseer triology. A medieval setting with additional mental powers for specially gifted such as communication a long distances, eavesdropping on or influencing other's thoughts, and even becoming one with animals, which is controversial and much frowned on in the book's setting. Our hero is a bastard son of royalty and so should have little say in the fate of the kingdom, but ends up playing a pivotal role in the struggle between his lord, the rightful heir to the throne, and the heir's scheming evil brother. (

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Matt_B | Oct 6, 2023 |

While I am still really enjoying this series, I really didn't enjoy how doom and gloom this entire book is. Book one included many stories from Fitz's youth and thus the reader was able to feel some hope and kinship. This book is a downward spiral. Nothing goes right. Nothing progresses. Fitz is self-tortured and miserable from the beginning to the end.

Sticking with the series, because I've gone too far now to turn back - but hoping for more balance in the trilogy's conclusion! (

)

BreePye | Oct 6, 2023 |

My enjoyment of fantasy novels definitely has its limits and this book really was hitting a number of them. Drawn-out romantic drama, the world of the protagonist becoming increasingly cluttered with side characters and his often tedious relationships with them, Hobb's hard hammering at tired tropes about binary gender roles, social status based on "bloodlines" and the literal fantasy that people with real power would actually remain beholden to their "duty" in a noble fashion while those who exploit it are the nasty minority, all while the major plot developments drown in the middle of the mess. The first novel of this series built a very complex world, which was impressive, but this novel largely just makes that world overly crowded and suffocating. Still, Hobb is a very good storyteller and that makes this book readable and to an extent enjoyable, even if this book could have been easily 150-200 pages shorter. (

)

CJdeBoix | Oct 4, 2023 |

The first, I don’t know, 65% of the book was very slow. I was drawn in and enjoying it, but there was very little action and lots of character development. It was all worth it for the ending. The last chunk kept me on the edge of my seat.

The Fool is my favorite character in the series so far. I want to like Molly more but I cant, she reminds me too much of the women in The Wheel of Time.

Overall this book left me very excited to dive into the next book! (

)

Lairien | Jul 26, 2023 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Robin Hobb	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Villeneuve, Magali	Illustrator	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Boehmer, Paul	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Howe, John	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Santikko, Sauli	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Whelan, Michael	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

The Farseer Trilogy (2)

Realm of the Elderlings (2)

Is contained in

Assassin's Apprentice [and] Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Royal Assassin [and] Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice / Royal Assassin / Assassin's Quest) by Robin Hobb

▾Awards and Honors

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▾Common Knowledge

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For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Royal Assassin

Original title

Royal Assassin

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1996

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Giles
And for Raphael and Freddy,
the Princes of Assassins

First words

Why is it forbidden to write down specific knowledge of the magics?

Quotations

Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

"Het zijn kwade tijden. En ik vroeg me af of er wel ooit een eind aan zou komen. Het was een vraag die ik me in de daaropvolgende jaren nog vaak zou stellen." - FitzChevalric

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

in the portuguese edition the royal assassion was split between o punhal do soberano e a corte dos traidores

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

File:Robin Hobb - Royal Assassin Cover.jpg

▾Book descriptions

Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:�Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb�s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons.��George R. R. Martin
Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king�s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.

Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-Ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz�s hands�and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Hobb's Assassin's Quest.

Praise for Robin Hobb and Royal Assassin

�[Robin] Hobb continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the shocking.��Locus

�[Royal Assassin] reaches astonishing new heights. . . . The Farseer saga is destined for greatness�a must-read for every devotee of epic fantasy.��Sense of Wonder.

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