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Royal Assassin / Assassin's Quest
Books two and three in The Farseer Trilogy by international bestselling author Robin Hobb.
‘In today’s crowded fantasy market Robin Hobb’s books are like diamonds in a sea of zircons’ George R. R. Martin
Honesty is the bedrock for any relationship. But how can Fitz – royal bastard, trainee assassin, holder of secrets crucial to the security of the kingdom – bare his soul to his beloved Molly?
Danger lies all around him – from the raiders savaging the coastal towns, and from within the court. The king has been struck down by a mystery illness and his eldest son, Verity, is bound up in the defence of the realm.
When Verity leaves the court in search of the mythical Elderlings, Fitz finds himself friendless apart from his wolf, Nighteyes, and the king’s strange, motley-clad fool, exposed to Prince Regal’s malign ambitions. He will be asked to sacrifice everything – his heart, his hope, even his life – for the sake of the realm.
Continue the adventure with books two and three of Robin Hobb’s magnificent Farseer Trilogy.
This bundle includes Royal Assassin (book two) and Assassin’s Quest (book three).
1509 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 27, 2013
72 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hobb
319 books113k followers** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 star from me means,yes, I liked the book, and I'd loan it to a friend and it went everywhere in my jacket pocket or purse until I finished it. A 3 star means that I've ignored friends to finish it and my sink is full of dirty dishes. A 4 star means I'm probably in trouble with my editor for missing a deadline because I was reading this book. But I want you to know . . . I don't finish books I don't like. There's too many good ones out there waiting to be found.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 20, 2018
¿Quiere saber más de estos dos libros, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
March 28, 2016
Because this was something I wanted to reread forever, and I realise now that I need to add Robin Hobb to my unholy triumvirate to make it the four authors who've had the most influence on me as a writer.
May 31, 2020
Could not put these books down! Would recommend these to everyone, fantastic story!
October 4, 2025
These books are long and feel a bit slow at times, but they are worth the read. The world and magic system are very unique while also including a wide range of complex, interesting characters. I believe this trilogy set up a complicated fantasy that I am excited to continue to unfold in the rest of the Realm of the Elderlings Series.
May 3, 2025
1. Royal Assassin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fitz has survived his first perilous mission as the King’s assassin, yet the cost has been harrowing. Wounded, embittered, and disillusioned, he resolves to abandon his oath to the King and to distance himself from the intrigues of the Farseer court. Nevertheless, love and a chain of dramatic developments draw him back to Buckkeep and to the deadly web of royal machinations.
The raiders of the Red Ships have renewed their assaults on the coasts, leaving in their wake scorched villages and ravaged souls — people transformed into a plague upon the kingdom by their senseless aggression. Yet the true threat is not solely external. A treachery brews within, aiming to seize the throne of the ailing King Shrewd.
In this time of compounded perils, the fate of the Six Duchies may once again lie in the hands of Fitz — though salvation, as ever, may demand unspeakable sacrifice and extract a terrible toll from all involved.
As the second book in the series gathers weight, Hobb is afforded the opportunity to develop the characters we met in Assassin’s Apprentice, and she does so with remarkable finesse, deftly escalating the plot with admirable control and rhythm. The characters remain richly three-dimensional — whether beloved or despised, noble or duplicitous, they are always solid and convincing. They compel the reader’s attention; one empathises with their plights, fears for their future, or despises them so deeply that one yearns for their downfall. And yet — nothing comes swiftly, and therein lies the beauty: the suspense grips you, page after page, keeping you ever on edge, ever invested.
And of course, there is Nighteyes — the beloved wolf. Burrich, Lady Patience, Princess Kettricken, the Fool, Verity, even the loathsome Regal would each suffice to make the novel compelling in their own right. But let us not dissemble: the pages attain a rare splendour whenever the wolf appears, who asserts unambiguously:
“Wolves have no kings.”
A favourite from his days as a pup, the wary cub rescued by Fitz evolves into the most captivating figure in the series — one whose appearances are anticipated with the keenest eagerness. For the bond they share is that of a true pack, transcending all else that transpires within this beautiful narrative.
King Shrewd lies dead, murdered by his conniving — and to the reader, thoroughly unsympathetic — son Regal. And Fitz, too, is dead — or so his enemies believe. Yet with the aid of loyal friends and his innate, mysterious power, he rises from the grave, though grievously marked in body and soul.
The Six Duchies teeter on the brink of ruin, for the vile Regal has plundered and deserted the capital while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, roams the wilderness in a near-mad quest that borders on a death wish. Only Verity’s return — or that of his heir — might avert the kingdom’s collapse.
Despite his wounds, Fitz will not remain idle. Driven by loss and painful memory, he takes on a perilous mission: to assassinate Regal...
2. Assassin's Quest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
King Shrewd is dead, slain by the treacherous hand of his conniving (and not particularly likeable) son, Regal. Just as dead, at least to his enemies, is Fitz. And yet, through the aid of his companions and the power he bears, he emerges from the grave—deeply scarred both in body and soul.
The Six Duchies teeter on the brink of ruin, for the wretched Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, wanders lost in a mad quest that resembles more a deathwish than a mission. Only the return of Verity—or, at the very least, his heir—might yet save the kingdom.
Despite his wounds, Fitz will not remain idle. Driven by loss and the bitterness of memory, he undertakes the perilous task of slaying Regal…
The third and final volume of the Farseer Trilogy, Assassin’s Quest, expansive in its scope, begins at a bleak juncture: all appears lost, and but the faintest glimmer of hope can be discerned amidst a kingdom in collapse. The atmosphere is heavy, oppressive even, and it grips the reader’s heart tightly (Hobb is, in general, unrelenting—neither to her readers nor to her characters, whom she subjects to both fire and steel, and most of all poor Fitz). And yet, there remains a thread, ever fragile, that suggests a way out of the labyrinth—something, however slight, for both reader and dramatis personae to hold on to.
Fitz has escaped death more than once, but his most recent brush marks a permanent transformation, reshaping his very character—one that continues to evolve throughout the trilogy. His bond with the wolf—arguably the most powerful element across all three volumes—has deepened to the point where he often thinks and acts as a wolf (even as the wise Nighteyes begins to adopt a more human perspective). Thanks to the magic that saved his life—or perhaps because of it—he becomes a different man: a man who seeks solitude, who no longer recoils from isolation but rather yearns for it. Yet, in his quest for vengeance through Regal’s death, he must rediscover vestiges of his former self and relearn how to function as a man—a task made all the more difficult when his only companion is the (albeit slightly "humanised" through their bond) Nighteyes.
Insofar as something human endures in his soul, he continues to long for his beloved Molly, though he knows he must let her go—for the world believes him dead, and his return to her side would place her in grave danger, surrounded as he is by numerous and powerful enemies. Thus Fitz learns to live with personal sacrifice and loss, undergoing a painful and unrelenting coming of age. He learns to lick his wounds and move forward. After all, Molly is safe with Burrich, and he may pursue the path of the lone (or dual?) wolf until he finds allies, for he cannot save the Six Duchies on his own. It is that solitary path he must follow—but this, too, he must overcome. He cannot save the realm alone, and as he moves beyond grief (and the ease, the simple pleasure, of thinking like a wolf), his resolve to act grows firmer within him.
Hobb manages to bring her trilogy to a close without dismantling the beauty so carefully constructed in the first two volumes, leaving a superb legacy which she will continue to build upon in subsequent works.
Despite the sombre tone that pervades much of the book, readers will delight in the direct-to-mind conversations between Fitz and Nighteyes—so much so that one might crave more of them. The worldbuilding never ceases, with ever more facets of the Six Duchies revealing themselves, often as a prelude to tales yet to come. The characters remain rich and compelling, with the sole exception perhaps of the villainous Regal, who does not always fully convince in the role of the petulant aristocratic scion. Still, this is a minor flaw, and one easily forgiven in light of the narrative’s breadth and literary merit. In the end, Assassin’s Quest delivers encounters and revelations of emotional weight, pivotal to the story, and if you manage to complete the trilogy without shedding a tear, then it might well be time for a visit to a specialist...
Fitz has survived his first perilous mission as the King’s assassin, yet the cost has been harrowing. Wounded, embittered, and disillusioned, he resolves to abandon his oath to the King and to distance himself from the intrigues of the Farseer court. Nevertheless, love and a chain of dramatic developments draw him back to Buckkeep and to the deadly web of royal machinations.
The raiders of the Red Ships have renewed their assaults on the coasts, leaving in their wake scorched villages and ravaged souls — people transformed into a plague upon the kingdom by their senseless aggression. Yet the true threat is not solely external. A treachery brews within, aiming to seize the throne of the ailing King Shrewd.
In this time of compounded perils, the fate of the Six Duchies may once again lie in the hands of Fitz — though salvation, as ever, may demand unspeakable sacrifice and extract a terrible toll from all involved.
As the second book in the series gathers weight, Hobb is afforded the opportunity to develop the characters we met in Assassin’s Apprentice, and she does so with remarkable finesse, deftly escalating the plot with admirable control and rhythm. The characters remain richly three-dimensional — whether beloved or despised, noble or duplicitous, they are always solid and convincing. They compel the reader’s attention; one empathises with their plights, fears for their future, or despises them so deeply that one yearns for their downfall. And yet — nothing comes swiftly, and therein lies the beauty: the suspense grips you, page after page, keeping you ever on edge, ever invested.
And of course, there is Nighteyes — the beloved wolf. Burrich, Lady Patience, Princess Kettricken, the Fool, Verity, even the loathsome Regal would each suffice to make the novel compelling in their own right. But let us not dissemble: the pages attain a rare splendour whenever the wolf appears, who asserts unambiguously:
“Wolves have no kings.”
A favourite from his days as a pup, the wary cub rescued by Fitz evolves into the most captivating figure in the series — one whose appearances are anticipated with the keenest eagerness. For the bond they share is that of a true pack, transcending all else that transpires within this beautiful narrative.
King Shrewd lies dead, murdered by his conniving — and to the reader, thoroughly unsympathetic — son Regal. And Fitz, too, is dead — or so his enemies believe. Yet with the aid of loyal friends and his innate, mysterious power, he rises from the grave, though grievously marked in body and soul.
The Six Duchies teeter on the brink of ruin, for the vile Regal has plundered and deserted the capital while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, roams the wilderness in a near-mad quest that borders on a death wish. Only Verity’s return — or that of his heir — might avert the kingdom’s collapse.
Despite his wounds, Fitz will not remain idle. Driven by loss and painful memory, he takes on a perilous mission: to assassinate Regal...
2. Assassin's Quest ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
King Shrewd is dead, slain by the treacherous hand of his conniving (and not particularly likeable) son, Regal. Just as dead, at least to his enemies, is Fitz. And yet, through the aid of his companions and the power he bears, he emerges from the grave—deeply scarred both in body and soul.
The Six Duchies teeter on the brink of ruin, for the wretched Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, wanders lost in a mad quest that resembles more a deathwish than a mission. Only the return of Verity—or, at the very least, his heir—might yet save the kingdom.
Despite his wounds, Fitz will not remain idle. Driven by loss and the bitterness of memory, he undertakes the perilous task of slaying Regal…
The third and final volume of the Farseer Trilogy, Assassin’s Quest, expansive in its scope, begins at a bleak juncture: all appears lost, and but the faintest glimmer of hope can be discerned amidst a kingdom in collapse. The atmosphere is heavy, oppressive even, and it grips the reader’s heart tightly (Hobb is, in general, unrelenting—neither to her readers nor to her characters, whom she subjects to both fire and steel, and most of all poor Fitz). And yet, there remains a thread, ever fragile, that suggests a way out of the labyrinth—something, however slight, for both reader and dramatis personae to hold on to.
Fitz has escaped death more than once, but his most recent brush marks a permanent transformation, reshaping his very character—one that continues to evolve throughout the trilogy. His bond with the wolf—arguably the most powerful element across all three volumes—has deepened to the point where he often thinks and acts as a wolf (even as the wise Nighteyes begins to adopt a more human perspective). Thanks to the magic that saved his life—or perhaps because of it—he becomes a different man: a man who seeks solitude, who no longer recoils from isolation but rather yearns for it. Yet, in his quest for vengeance through Regal’s death, he must rediscover vestiges of his former self and relearn how to function as a man—a task made all the more difficult when his only companion is the (albeit slightly "humanised" through their bond) Nighteyes.
Insofar as something human endures in his soul, he continues to long for his beloved Molly, though he knows he must let her go—for the world believes him dead, and his return to her side would place her in grave danger, surrounded as he is by numerous and powerful enemies. Thus Fitz learns to live with personal sacrifice and loss, undergoing a painful and unrelenting coming of age. He learns to lick his wounds and move forward. After all, Molly is safe with Burrich, and he may pursue the path of the lone (or dual?) wolf until he finds allies, for he cannot save the Six Duchies on his own. It is that solitary path he must follow—but this, too, he must overcome. He cannot save the realm alone, and as he moves beyond grief (and the ease, the simple pleasure, of thinking like a wolf), his resolve to act grows firmer within him.
Hobb manages to bring her trilogy to a close without dismantling the beauty so carefully constructed in the first two volumes, leaving a superb legacy which she will continue to build upon in subsequent works.
Despite the sombre tone that pervades much of the book, readers will delight in the direct-to-mind conversations between Fitz and Nighteyes—so much so that one might crave more of them. The worldbuilding never ceases, with ever more facets of the Six Duchies revealing themselves, often as a prelude to tales yet to come. The characters remain rich and compelling, with the sole exception perhaps of the villainous Regal, who does not always fully convince in the role of the petulant aristocratic scion. Still, this is a minor flaw, and one easily forgiven in light of the narrative’s breadth and literary merit. In the end, Assassin’s Quest delivers encounters and revelations of emotional weight, pivotal to the story, and if you manage to complete the trilogy without shedding a tear, then it might well be time for a visit to a specialist...
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December 31, 2023I have read about twelve (maybe more than that? not good at arithmetic) books by this fantasy author. This is part of a trilogy and there are three more trilogies, one of them set at sea, and one of them dealing with telepathy between animals and people). Before reading Robin Hobb's books, I did not like fantasy as a genre, and I still don't enjoy reading fantasy as a genre, except for Tolkien. I like it that she has women struggling with social roles and gay men among her characters, and even a character-being whose sex is impossible to determine. I like the way nature, and especially animals, is treated in these books The writer has a kind heart and a desire to understand what makes things work among people.
I don't know when I wrote the previous comment, because I didn't date it. I re-read three of these books this summer.
I don't know when I wrote the previous comment, because I didn't date it. I re-read three of these books this summer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2024
The Sheer Depth Of Everything Is Truly Amazing!
There are a limited amount of authors in the genre we can say are ‘masters’ of the craft. Robin Hobb is very definitely one of them.
The storyline is outstanding. The plotting - amazing. Characters - so, very magnificent and within all of this: brilliant and deep World-building, with such highly well conceived philosophy & spatial supremacy.
I don’t quite think I understand how I only came to the author this year. I’ve been reading Fantasy for many years and simply had no idea what I was missing out on. I bought her complete collection to binge!
There are a limited amount of authors in the genre we can say are ‘masters’ of the craft. Robin Hobb is very definitely one of them.
The storyline is outstanding. The plotting - amazing. Characters - so, very magnificent and within all of this: brilliant and deep World-building, with such highly well conceived philosophy & spatial supremacy.
I don’t quite think I understand how I only came to the author this year. I’ve been reading Fantasy for many years and simply had no idea what I was missing out on. I bought her complete collection to binge!
June 4, 2022
This trilogy was very engaging. I read through al three without stopping. Emotionally it was a bit of a grand at times but that is the nature of Robin Hobb books. She has a good understanding of how the world can appear to young growing characters.
Many unexpected things happen, some rather brutal. The relationship between Fitz and his wolf companion is part of what kept me hooked.
I highly recommend this trilogy.
Many unexpected things happen, some rather brutal. The relationship between Fitz and his wolf companion is part of what kept me hooked.
I highly recommend this trilogy.
August 13, 2020
Not my favourite fantasy series. I always read to the end, regardless my thoughts on how bad or good a book is and wish this wasn't the case with this series. Don't want to give it too much of my time on here.
November 8, 2019
Classic fantasy
Kings, asassins, rebels and dragons join the oldest dance - the pursuit of power and revenge in a fabulous classic story
Kings, asassins, rebels and dragons join the oldest dance - the pursuit of power and revenge in a fabulous classic story
August 19, 2022
Heartwarming heartbreaker, what a trip
April 23, 2025
This trilogy would have made a great duology.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book. I wondered why Amazon insisted on selling me books two and three together. Having read the second I realise why. I suspect many people would have given up the series after book two. The final book is better. In part because it had the luxury of tying up loose ends and capitalising on the groundwork of the first two books. But it suffers from some long quite repetitive and slightly dull chapters, as did two. At least it takes place in more than one place. Book two for me was a chore and this also had some interminable scenes Eg traveling the mountains on the skill road that need a firmer hand from the editor. But, there is enough to keep you going and when it is good it is very enjoyable.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book. I wondered why Amazon insisted on selling me books two and three together. Having read the second I realise why. I suspect many people would have given up the series after book two. The final book is better. In part because it had the luxury of tying up loose ends and capitalising on the groundwork of the first two books. But it suffers from some long quite repetitive and slightly dull chapters, as did two. At least it takes place in more than one place. Book two for me was a chore and this also had some interminable scenes Eg traveling the mountains on the skill road that need a firmer hand from the editor. But, there is enough to keep you going and when it is good it is very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews