Customer Reviews
Die horribly for turning Fitz into a little girl. - By: F. Shamim, 02 Aug 2008 
I was amazed with Assassins Apprentice & loved Royal Assassin, but this was an atrocious way to end what could have been one of the greatest fantasy epics ever conceived. Yeah, she can write, there is no doubt about that, but the direction that she took Fitzin mentally is of a whining self pitying little girl. And he was anything but thatin the previous two books. An absolute shame, & everything she's written since is pretty bland too.
Poor ending - By: Everton Gayle, 26 Jun 2008 
Loved the first two. Deliberately saved the final book for my two-week holiday to Canada. Great start but it is as others have said: a rushed & poorly thought out ending. I could not believe what I was reading. She set the bar high but let the side down with a real shoddy finale.
Brilliant - By: Ms. C. Burgess, 03 May 2008 
It is without doubt a fantastic story; fast paced & enthralling. I would highly recommend it. Mind you the trilogy has stolen the last three days of my life- i've been unable to put it down!
Readers-on-a-Dragon are swept away in body and spirit - By: IJ, 19 Dec 2007 I must say I revelledin the beginning of this story the very first time I read it, carrying on as it does from the excruciating cliff-hanger that brought `Royal Assassin' to a stunningly climactic close. It's a measured, thoughtful & yet utterly engrossing entrance into the final chapter of the Farseer trilogy & sets the tone very well indeed for all that's to comein this revelatory, far-removed & yet exhilarating concluding story.
The first time I read this book I was so excited to learn how the eventsin the lives of FitzChivalry, the Fool, Verity & Kettricken would conclude that I realise now (having just read it for the second time) that I overlooked some lullsin the story, & there are some lullsin the middle particularly, albeit brief & stillin the traditional, maddeningly-addictive Hobb style. These lulls are however necessary, for Fitz needs to come to terms with his own demons, delusions & short-falls before he can confront the powerful forcesin Wit, Skill, brute force & cunning that will thwart himin the final series of battles at the end of this story. Therefore `Assassin's Quest' holds a special placein my heart, as the story that takes Fitz beyond the confining & defining walls of Buckeep, into the world & finally sees him become a part of it, aware of his failings, but accepting of his role as Catalyst, despite all the sacrifices from him it demands.
In retrospect (and since Hobb has published the Tawny Man trilogy, which continues on the eventsin the lives of these characters) it's easy to read this book & have the certain feeling that much is left undone & unfinishedin `Assassin's Quest' for Fitz & his followers. Or perhaps that's simply due to Hobb's expert story-telling abilityin how she was able to gather all the many minute loose threads of this tale & weave them together into another trilogy of books so credible, vibrant & worthy of being told as the talesin the Tawny Man trilogy. But I must admit `Assassin's Quest' still feels to me to be an incomplete tale, or rather only a stepping stone leading to an even greater tale of keen human insight & heart-wrenching adventures. Luckily for us all this immensely satisfying & yet bittersweet example of story-telling is continuedin `Fool's Errand', which you might be able to guess is precisely the book I am currently re-reading as you finish this review...
A brilliant conclusion to one of the greatest fantasy stories - By: A. Gordon, 30 Sep 2007 After the heartbreaking ending of Royal Assassin, things are about to get a lot worse for FitzChivalry Farseer. While the seemingly-relentless barrage of torments & angsts Fitz suffers can get almost funny at times, the effect is that as the book nears its end you realise you have no idea what is going to happen. And, while there are long sections where nothing much happens at all, Hobb's writing saves the day as Fitz explores the hidden past of his world, or uses magic to spy on the loved ones he wants so desperately to be with. Admittedly, this can seem a bit contrived, as if Hobb belatedly decided she'd rather not write from a first-person perspective. Nevertheless, they're enjoyable to read.
Fitz's continued development as a character is probably the series's masterstroke. He has realistic gripes, worries & hopes. He makes the wrong decisions with the best intentions. He wants nothing more than to go home & livein peace with his childhood sweetheart. But he does his duty instead. As is saidin the series itself, sacrificing your life for your people means so much more than simply dying for them. Fitz learns about self control, & morals, & I learn with him.
Funnily enough, one of the gripes people have about this book- the abrupt ending- is one of my favourite elements. After over a thousand pages of tragedy & betrayal the happy ending (or the happiest ending Fitz could make for himself) is thrust on you allin one go, which adds to the emotional impact. Perhaps there would have been issues with this if the ending had resolved less or felt too cliched or sloppily done, but I think it's done wonderfully. Regal's fate,in particular, is one of the most satisfying things I've ever read. The endingin general wrapped everything up quite nicely,in just a few pages. The lesson is that a really good ending doesn'tr have to take up the last hundred pages of a book- a lesson I wish Hobb had rememberedin Fool's Fate.
Most highly recommended. Memorable characters, very well-written, some great twists & an epic story with an original take on the dragon myth.
