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107th out of 592 books
—
745 voters
The Assassin King (Symphony of Ages #6)
The Assassin King opens at winter's end with the arrival by sea of a mysterious hunter, a man of ancient race and purpose, who endlessly chants the names of the pantheon of demons that are his intended victims, as well as one other: Ysk, the original name of the Brother, now known as Achmed, the Assassin King of Ylorc.
At the same moment of this portentous arrival, two gat...more
At the same moment of this portentous arrival, two gat...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
December 26th 2006
by Tor Books
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As much as I enjoyed the first books in this series, I suspect it may be time for Haydon to move on. I was actually really looking forward to The Assassin King, because Achmed is hands-down my favorite character in the series, and I thought it would center on him... but rather, this book jumped around so much it's hard to say what it was about, exactly. We hardly spend more than a few pages with each main character, and the bulk of the first half of the book is dedicated to reintroducing us to t...more
It was extremely hard to read this book. Unlike the other books of the series which took me three days to read, it has been three weeks and I still have not finished. Trust me I have tried to finish, but when a book just is not good other things take priority. There is too just much reference to the previous books which have just become tiring.
Come on Haydon how many times do you want to tell us about the travel beneath the earth!!! Maybe I haven't finished because I skipped to the end and foun...more
Come on Haydon how many times do you want to tell us about the travel beneath the earth!!! Maybe I haven't finished because I skipped to the end and foun...more
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Nov 19, 2007
Erinn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
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review of another edition
Shelves:
chicks-that-rock,
fantasy
I was a little disappointed with this one. It's clear that author is going somewhere with the story, this is just a little bit in the middle and didn't do much on it's own.
I really want to think of it this way: Rhapsody/Prophecy/Destiny; trilogy. Done. Fantastic. Requiem/Elegy; stand alone books. Really a good story with more world-building, explanations of the greater forces of the universe and how they manipulate the characters. And finally, I really want to think of The Assassin King as the start of a new trilogy; it really seemed like it was, didn't it? That's not just me, right? A rehashing of the previous story, dark forces closing in, and then... nothing. O...more
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I have mixed feelings about this book. I remember that I loved reading it because there were some interesting developments with Achmed, one of my favorite characters. However, sometimes I wish I never did read it because I don't know if the author ever plans to finish the series. This book was supposed to be the start of another trilogy, and it has been years since I last read it or heard any updates from the author. I really hope she decides to return to the series at least to wrap up what she...more
I was really excited about this latest installment in Haydon's Symphony of Ages series. The title character (Achmed) is nasty, violent, sarcastic, ugly as sin, and just about everybody's favorite. Personally, I adore him. He is so snarky, he makes Hugh Laurie's Dr. House seem like such a sweet guy! We do get to know him better as information about his birth, and about the Dhracian people, is filled in. He and his Seargeant Major, Grunthor, get in quite a few hilarious one-liners and some decent...more
Apr 21, 2011
Meg
marked it as did-not-finish
The first three books in this series (Rhapsody, Prophecy, and Destiny) were fantastic, I read them, loved them, and thought they were supposed to be a trilogy. Then a few years later, as I was walking through a bookstore I came upon the 4th book, Requiem for the Sun, and I hated it. But because I loved the first three so much I went ahead and picked up Elegy for a Lost Star and it was so so, no where near as good as the first three but it didn't make me want to throw things like the 4th.
So afte...more
So afte...more
I read the first three in quick succession and enjoyed them (well, I enjoyed Achmed and the worldbuilding). Then I kept reading because I was all, oh boy, more of my favorite characters! But Requiem was meh, Elegy was even more meh, and this...I expected from the title that it would be an entire book filled with Achmed, my favorite character, doing awesome things!
Instead it was basically a giant book of filler. whaaaat?
Instead it was basically a giant book of filler. whaaaat?
A HUGE disappointment. First, in the sixth book of a series, most of your readers have read the previous five. Therefore, the need to expound on every minute detail from the previous books just becomes tiresome, especially when you are still doing it in the last third of the book. Needless to say I did a lot of skimming just to get done.
Second, it became obvious after finishing half of the book that she wasn't wrapping anything up. The third book in the second installment, and nothing is resolve...more
Second, it became obvious after finishing half of the book that she wasn't wrapping anything up. The third book in the second installment, and nothing is resolve...more
More often than not, an author's series grows tired and old, and the quality of the story deteriorates as the theme is simply overdone. This has not happened with Elizabeth Haydon's books. Her storyline is as rich in this book as it was in the first, the character development just as good, and it leaves you wanting more. I'm interested to see how the living stone man is defeated by Grunthor.
I've got a big bone to pick with this one, I real big bone. For one thing, the text got bigger, and that friggin annoyed me even more, and the maps they started putting in EFTLS made it seem like I wouldn't know where the KravensFeild Plain was. And I do!! It's action was fake, everything about it was wrong wrong wrong!! What's going on Haydon, what?
For some stupid reason I was expecting this book to be the end of the series, expecting it to wrap everything up with a nice neat ending. Towards the end of the book as there were still far too many things going on and far too few pages left to read, I began to realize that wasn't the case. There's bound to be another book in the works, or at least I'd hope so, I've not seen any indication of it in any of the places I've looked.
There was no shortage of action, no shortage of drama and truly ther...more
There was no shortage of action, no shortage of drama and truly ther...more
Achmed was my favorite character and I was disappointed when this book didn't focus on him hardly at all...even though he's obviously the purpose behind the title. He was also the reason I kept reading this series...however, after being let down once again I stopped reading this series after this book.
WTF? I thought this was supposed to be the last book in the series! I enjoyed the first three so much, the fourth and fifth were distinctly less appealing, and the sixth was a bit of an improvement. But I was looking forward to finishing the series and pretending that the series ended at the end of Destiny, but noooooo. I've got to wait for at least one more book (I'm hoping only one more, with the current obsession with sevens) to find out what finally happens with The Three. I don't even care...more
Haydon is clearly very talented as an author however this is not one of my favorite books by her. It just left me feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. Still I am so wrapped up in teh story that i can't wait to read more.
One of my favorite authors who I haven't read in a while and this book does not disappoint. Great characters and rich world full of lore. I can't wait for the next book to come out.
The book had some moments but a lot of time was spent refreshing my memory over stuff I already knew. It was frustrating because Melindase was out of the picture for such a long time. It seems like there are 5 different story-lines now. Never-the-less the plot moves forward and I'm ready for the next.
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I absolutely loved her first trilogy (Rhapsody especially; prophecy & destiny just follow behind.) The rest of the books so far haven't lived up to her usual standards- Elegy for the Lost Star & Requiem for the Sun, I think. But this one finally picks up where she left off in the first trilogy. It's finally back to character development, it's fast-paced, everything we know and love. Usually I won't but so much stock in the familiar, but here, it is definitely a good thing. It makes me ha...more
I thoroughly love this series! I'm just wondering when is she going to finish it?
I was actually sad to finish this series. Fantastic writing and an immersive setting.
I loved the book... wanting to know when the next one is coming out...
Another good read, but frustrating because there is, as of yet, no 7th book.
Needs more Achmed and Grunthor
Dec 15, 2008
Victoria
added it
GREAT of course
It was Good
This set the scene for the next one. It explained more of the history behind the characters and races which I found interesting. It also gave some updates on other characters.
Dec 15, 2009
Zabe Bent
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
only someone who needs to continue the series
I mean that recommendation literally, folks. if you're one of those ppl who can't not read the next installment in a series, you should read this book. it wasn't a bad storyline and the writing was as good as it always is. there was just a lot of it. a hair too much re-description of events and backstory from the previous books. and I don't know that I gained much more insight on the characters really. otherwise it was a good addition to the series.
Of course I didn't realize until halfway through this book that it was the first of the trilogy that ends the series. Which also means that the "War of the Known World" has just begun and no resolution is in sight for years considering I haven't even seen a release date for book 7. But as always, I love Elizabeth Haydon and this is my fantasy series of choice.
Wow, I think most of the pages in this book were dedicated to references to the previous books. That always annoys me. I felt like this book was just a place holder, and apparently, there is at least one more book to come. I really need to follow my rule: no reading a book unless it is in a completed series!Argh.
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Elizabeth Haydon (* 1965 in Michigan) is a fantasy author, whose 1999 debut, Rhapsody: Child of Blood, garnered comparisons with Goodkind, Jordan, and even Tolkien. She has written two fantasy series set within the same universe, The fantasy/romance/whodunit fusion called The Symphony of Ages and the young adult series The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme.
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