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Assassin's Fate

(Fitz and the Fool #3)

Robin Hobb (Goodreads Author)

4.64 · Rating details · 28,570 ratings · 2,620 reviews

The final book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy.

Prince FitzChivalry Farseer’s daughter Bee was violently abducted from Withywoods by Servants of the Four in their search for the Unexpected Son, foretold to wield great power. With Fitz in pursuit, the Servants fled through a Skill-pillar, leaving no trace. It seems certain that they and their young hostage have perished in ...more

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Paperback, 853 pages

Published May 4th 2017 by Harper Voyager

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Apr 15, 2018 Petrik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Character-driven fantasy fans

Shelves: favorites, masterpieces

I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo

Here lies the end of my journey in The Realm of the Elderlings. Robin Hobb, if you’re reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing this series and for saving your best work for the finale.

Assassin’s Fate marks the conclusion of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, and it’s also the final installment within Robin Hobb’s overarching The Realm of the Elderlings series that’s comprised of sixteen books in to ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Mark Lawrence rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The folks at Voyager know I am a fan of Robin Hobb and were kind enough to send me #4 of 50 in this limited edition of Assassin's Fate.

Why the fuss? Well, this book is the conclusion of a twenty-two year journey (over fifty years in book time) through the world Robin Hobb has created. The protagonist who has led us in that journey is Fitz, the assassin mentioned in the title (and the apprentice mentioned in the title of the first book, Assassin's Apprentice, released in 1995).

Officially the jour ...more

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Mar 26, 2016 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-star-reads, fantasy

I always rave about Robin Hobb books. For me, she has the strongest voice in the epic fantasy genre at the moment. Her plots are expertly crafted and well-drawn out, as I’ve said before, except this one has been a very long time in the making. The ending I’ve been waiting many years for has finally arrived. To call it emotional would be to evoke a drastic understatement. Ever since Assassin’s Quest I knew it would end this way eventually.

“This is our last hunt, old wolf. And as we have alwa I always rave about Robin Hobb books. For me, she has the strongest voice in the epic fantasy genre at the moment. Her plots are expertly crafted and well-drawn out, as I’ve said before, except this one has been a very long time in the making. The ending I’ve been waiting many years for has finally arrived. To call it emotional would be to evoke a drastic understatement. Ever since Assassin’s Quest I knew it would end this way eventually.

“This is our last hunt, old wolf. And as we have always done, we go to it together.”

All good things come to an end eventually, and this series has been working towards such an end over the course of sixteen books. Robin Hobb has weaved so many strands of story together here. The set-up is ridiculously immense. She has literally drawn on everything. The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders, The Tawny Man Trilogy and The Rain Wild Chronicles are all brought together into one epic conclusion. Fitz and The Fool seek aid from the dragons of Kelsingra and speed across the sea on the liveship Paragon with the ultimate goal of revenge.

Bee has been taken on the orders of The Four, a group of whites in charge of Clerres. Fitz believes that she is dead. He approaches his destination with nothing but malice in his heart. He wants blood, and he wants lots of it. He doesn’t think he will succeed; he is going into his mission blind and weary, but he intends to kill as many of his enemies as possible before he draws his last breath. The Fool, on the other hand, believes Bee is still alive. He has dreamt of another future, a future he didn’t think was possible. These are uncharted waters for both men.

Why didn’t I give it five stars?

The final few chapters of this book were everything I expected them to be; they were everything they needed to be, but it took a long time to get there. A few chapters were very similar in content. Bee’s journey was repetitive at times, and a good proportion of the text was given over to some of the less interesting characters from The Liveship Traders. They were not given point of views, thankfully, but I don’t think the narrative needed to concern itself too much with their lives. Sure, give them a mention but don’t get bogged down with their stories again.

I don’t wish to give away major spoilers (or any spoilers for that matter) but this is a very strong ending, though the world remains very open for more stories. There are plenty of threads that could be picked up in the future, and I don’t for a moment think that this will be the last time Hobb's readers get to venture into the Six Duchies and the walls of Buckeep castle. This was a strong ending, but I think the book needed to be edited down just a little.

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You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
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May 28, 2015 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-library-catalogue, arcs

What can I say about the conclusion to the series that has dazzled me for years (becoming my all-time favorite) other than: wow.

Assassin’s Fate was beautiful, terrible, and profound. I savored each page, painfully aware it might be the last time I experience this world. I’ve never been as emotionally invested in a story as I was with Hobb’s work, her writing draws you in so completely that you forget yourself for a while, totally at the mercy of her story. Each of her series evoked real emotion ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Muhtasin Oyshik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, audiobook, 5-star, read-in-2020

Assassin's Fate (The Fitz and the Fool, #3 Realm of the Elderlings,#16) by Robin Hobb

Now my journey to the Realm of Elderlings has ended. And this series turned out to be one of my favorite fantasy series. It's a heartwrenching story, and I can't even say how great this series was. After finishing this book, I found myself so depressed and was difficult to concentrate on any other works. I love all sixteen books in the Realm of the Elderlings series. Don't skip over any of the other series befor ...more

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Mar 12, 2017 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review..sooooooo
Wow! Just wow!
Given this is the last book in Fitz and the Fool's story I won't be going into details as it would just end in spoilers for all. But suffice it to say I enjoyed it immensely!
Parts of it were repetitive at times, mainly in regards to Bee's storyline, and I was left with many unanswered questions in the end (who knows maybe the story will continue on! *crosses all fingers*), but overall I thought it was ...more

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May 12, 2017 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, epic-fantasy

‘ Are you ready, my brother?’
Thank you Robin Hobb.
I can't lie. There have been tears. What a wonderful gift this series has been and what a wonderful final episode.

All strands were connected and interwoven in such an amazing way. Did Robin know how she wanted the story to end up all those years ago when she wrote the Assassin's Apprentice? It boggles my mind.
I also found it slightly strange as well as delightful to see the worlds of the Elderlings and Kelsingra combine with Fitz's. Have you eve ...more

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Jan 02, 2019 Em Lost In Books rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, 2010-19, massive-tomes, 4-star

4.5*

I am done, now feeling sad and empty.

I still remember my frustrated self after finishing Assassin’s Quest back in January 2016, and how promised myself not to torture myself and read another book in Realm of the Elderlings. But constant praise on my home feed and friends’ rave of the series were tempting but I was not courageous enough to dive into RotE world again. Then last year I finally gave in and started reading Tawny Man and I was shocked to see how much Fitz has matured or perhaps i 4.5*

I am done, now feeling sad and empty.

I still remember my frustrated self after finishing Assassin’s Quest back in January 2016, and how promised myself not to torture myself and read another book in Realm of the Elderlings. But constant praise on my home feed and friends’ rave of the series were tempting but I was not courageous enough to dive into RotE world again. Then last year I finally gave in and started reading Tawny Man and I was shocked to see how much Fitz has matured or perhaps it was me who became more mature and patient. He was still irritating at times but not like the teenager Fitz where all he did was whine. He was the assassin that King Shrewd wanted him to be and his relationship with Fool developed further making the trilogy "golden".

After that I read one of the best fantasy trilogy, Livship Traders. It was bewitching! The world, the characters and how they grew on me, it was fantastic to experience all those emotional conflicts. But as they say all good things comes to an end, after the high of Tawny Man and Livship Traders came Rain Wild Chronicles and I should have avoided them. Hard to believe that Ms. Hobb wrote those books. Somehow plodded on because at the end final trilogy of RotE was waiting for me. The end was so near, hence I put the disappointment of Rain Wild behind me and kept on reading.

My above rambling about how felt for RotE books was necessary here because it's been over three months when I wrapped up this book and I am still unable to get over how Hobb brought everything to a closure. It was sublime, poignant and heart-breaking. Hope she won’t add more books to this because this was perfect for me. Of course I will read if she decides to continue the story (she could construct a solid story trilogy the way she ended things here) but this is it for me. She gave Fitz’s story a conclusion worthy of all the pain and happiness that I experienced through him.

I have nothing to say about Assassin’s Fate because whatever I write here will be a spoiler. Skill, wit, talking ships, and dragons, all came in this story to make it magical and ending things in a grand way.

I am going to miss this world, perhaps will return to it too at sometime.

Highest possible recommendation. ...more

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Sep 25, 2016 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fave-characters, adult-fiction, 2017-reads, genre-fantasy

Rating and thoughts coming closer to release date (yes, this is me buying time. Truthfully, I have no idea how/if I'll review it. Just know that if I were to review it now, I'd probably write,

... that wouldn't be fair to my dear Fitz who changed (saved?) my life 15 years ago. No, I'm not being dramatic. I mean every word.)

And engraved on my tombstone, you'll read :

I'm glad for the fucking ships.

Now that I've freaked you out, I'll stop here. Sorry about that. ...more

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Feb 28, 2017 Bob/Sally rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-epic, female-author, favorites

Wow. I finished this over the weekend, and I am still struggling to find the right words to convey what a massive emotional impact it had on me. Assassin's Fate is everything I could have asked of Robin Hobb - an entirely satisfying conclusion to not just the story of FitzChivalry Farseer, but that of the entire Realms of the Elderlings and all its interconnected works.

This is a book of Farseers, Fools, White Prophets, Liveships, Dragons, are more. It's as if everything that Hobb has ever teased Wow. I finished this over the weekend, and I am still struggling to find the right words to convey what a massive emotional impact it had on me. Assassin's Fate is everything I could have asked of Robin Hobb - an entirely satisfying conclusion to not just the story of FitzChivalry Farseer, but that of the entire Realms of the Elderlings and all its interconnected works.

This is a book of Farseers, Fools, White Prophets, Liveships, Dragons, are more. It's as if everything that Hobb has ever teased or hinted at before is finally realized here. Not content to merely rip out our hearts, she tears the entire world asunder, ensuring that no corner of the Six Duchies will rise from the ashes of Fitz's final story unchanged. Let there be no mistake, this is a book of endings. Yes, there are new beginnings to be found as well, but Assassin's Fate marks the end of so many characters and storylines that it's easy to miss some of them.

I will be honest, it hurt to see Fitz and the Fool at such odds in this series, and that pain only gets deeper here. The closer they get to realizing their thirst for revenge, the more fractured their relationship becomes. He's always known that the Fool lies, holds back, and plays things close to the chest, but it's only here that Fitz feels the true sting of well-meaning deception. What's more, as much as the loss of Bee has already driven a definite wedge between them, the discovery that she may still be alive only serves to splinter that wedge and drive it in deeper. There is a lot of guilt and sorrow here, on both sides, and the way Hobb finally resolves that conflict . . . well, I refuse to spoil it, but I will say it does a beautiful job of bringing the entire story full circle, with a climax that's quietly significant, rather than explosively tragic.

In reading this final volume, I find myself gaining a new appreciation for its first installment, a book I was rather hard on at the time. While I still feel Fool's Assassin had some pacing issues, I now understand what Hobb was doing with the characters. It was clear from the start that they had aged, changing drastically in the process, but it's taken three books to understand the how, the why, and the how much. The more we learn about Fitz, the Fool, and Bee . . . the more we understand how their fates intersect . . . the more recognize who they really are . . . the bigger their shared story becomes. I still feel as if Chade was set aside a little too easily, but I loved the way Hobb allowed Queen Kettricken and Thick to slip back into the story, all part of bringing so many things full circle. As for Bee, I resented her in the first book and barely tolerated her in the second, but here she becomes a heroine of note, still hard to like, but easy to admire.

Much of this story is a journey, but it's deeper than the waters of the Rain Wilds themselves. There's a dual significance to just about every scene, a story that we read upon the surface, and a story that we feel beneath the waves. I wish I could say more about the Liveships, the Dragons, and their connections to far-off Clerres, but that's something to be discovered in the course of the story. Like I said earlier, hints are exposed and secrets revealed, and done so in such a way that we almost feel as if we should have already guessed at them, yet cannot deny the skill with which Hobb uncovers each one. You don't necessarily need to have read The Liveship Traders Trilogy or The Rain Wilds Chronicles to enjoy this final volume, but you'll certainly miss out on some of the significance.

Robin Hobb books take a lot of patience, focus, and thought to appreciate. Her stories are not easy ones, and the emotions they provoke are not always the ones we'd like to take away from an escapist fantasy. Despite the dragons, the prophecies, and the magic of both Skill and Wit, these are human stories, well-grounded in the human experience. As such, Assassin's Fate is the final chapter in a long life, well-lived, a story that many of us have aged with, and while we never want to let go of friends, sometimes it's clear that it's time.

Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. This does not in any way affect the honesty or sincerity of my review.

...more

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May 14, 2017 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-sff-faves, favourite-book-ever

Okay...I finished it... I REALLY didn't want to finish it, because I just *hope* it's not the end of everything in the Realm of the Elderlings. This has easily surpassed all the other fantasy series I have ever read for my favourite of all time (I'm including all the Realm of the Elderlings books in that) and as such it's so deeply part of my reading that I don't know if I could objectively review just this book. Hobb's world by this point is completely real to me, and every character feels genu Okay...I finished it... I REALLY didn't want to finish it, because I just *hope* it's not the end of everything in the Realm of the Elderlings. This has easily surpassed all the other fantasy series I have ever read for my favourite of all time (I'm including all the Realm of the Elderlings books in that) and as such it's so deeply part of my reading that I don't know if I could objectively review just this book. Hobb's world by this point is completely real to me, and every character feels genuinely like a friend, foe or something in-between...they are REAL to me, and that makes it hard to know what to say about this...possibly the last of the books.

Was this book everything I hoped? Yes and No. There's so many things and threads that do come together in this book and a lot of our immediate questions are resolved. However, so many things are once more opened up in this book that I fully believe this world is not over yet and whether Hobb writes more or not, this world lives on past the ending of this book.

Fitz. Fitz's story has been a story that got to me in a way no other character's story yet has. I think it's partly due to just how RAW Hobb is on the page. She really gives these character to us, the reader, shows us their hearts, loves, passions and fears. We fall for them time and time again, and then she'll do something horrible to them and we are right there suffering with them.
I've never encountered an author who can make me cry in almost every book multiple times, but Hobb can, and does. CONSTANTLY. Even when I felt like I was doing ok and processing things that the characters were going through I would get to the next line and something about the words she had written would just draw out tears and make me pause.

This book took me 10 days to read. It's 860ish pages long, and it's the last one (for now). I didn't want it to end, and so I took this slow. Whilst reading this book I went through all sorts of emotions, happy at the love I finally saw for some of the characters, sad at the danger I knew they headed towards...
Whilst I was reading this book I dreamed of soaring with Dragons and conversing with Bees and Wolves. I became immersed entirely in Fitz, Bee and the Fool, but also the others who surrounded them.
We saw some old favourites return in this book, and so many of the plots we've seen before were rounded off and continued and pushed further than I ever anticipated. SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED.

I always tend to read these books with a few friends of mine at the same time and leave messages for them with my thoughts. This time, I couldn't. This one felt too raw. Too personal. Too much.
I left a message that was me talking for half an hour once I finished this book. That was all I could do becuase I just didn't want to voice that things were coming to their close whilst I was still reading...

The world we saw in book #1 of the Farseer trilogy is SO far from the world we see in book #3 of Fitz and the Fool. We have been through so many wonders and horrors with these characters that they feel like part of our soul by this point of the book, and everything that happens to them we take inside ourselves like the memories of Liveships. This was a journey...

Without spoiling things, I loved and hated this all at once. Again I feel conflicted becuase it felt final, and yet there's so much left that we could go to explore. This world is ALIVE for me and just becuase I can't hop on a boat/plane and visit, doesn't mean it's not out there somewhere. I believe Robin Hobb knows it intimately, and we, the reader, are just scratching the surface...but what a story we've already uncovered...

If you've never read a Hobb book, I'd start at the start. There's a lot of pages ahead, but every one tells you something raw, and by the end it's beyond beautiful. 5*s of course, and I will forever have a special place in my heart for all these books and for Hobb in general. Excellent beyond excellent. ...more

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Mar 07, 2017 Jackie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorite-reads

Having followed the story from the beginning, Assassin's Apprentice, to here I was so nervous, waiting for this to come out. Turning the last page of the previous book my heart hit a wall. How could it end there..... well, it didn't.
I produce the UK cover art for Robin's books, and I knew this would be the third in the trilogy, and the cover art would have to be the best I'd done. Robin fed me a short piece of the book when I asked her about the cover and oh it was worse than reading none, beca ...more

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May 31, 2017 Bradley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2017-shelf, fanboy-goes-squee, worldbuilding-sf

What a fantastically satisfying read. I mean, seriously. It only took three doorstopper Fitz trilogies, the Liveship trilogy, the Rainwilds trilogy to make this book shine... but shine it does. Like silver on the fingertips.

Hobb has Skill! No one can doubt that. I feel like I've invested so many of my memories and hopes and fears and anger into these books... it's almost as if something of a monumental world-building is shaking off its rocks and leaping off into the distance to hunt itself some ...more

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Jun 11, 2017 L. Haven rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one any more

Shelves: high-fantasy

I have been putting this review off for much too long.

I am disappointed. Deeply, achingly disappointed. Robin Hobb spent decades carefully sculpting an utterly perfect, captivating, compelling, breathtaking narrative featuring living, breathing characters with rich, consistent inner lives in a relationship that read as more real and important than any I have previously encountered in fiction.

So why does the ending ring so false?

'Ware spoilers.

Let's just get this out of the way: no, I am not butt ...more

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Aug 27, 2015 Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

Perfect ending! I'm both sad and happy at the same time. This is the best book I've read this year. Hell, it will be hard to read anything after this one. Love it so much, love Fitz and Fool so much! ❤️ ...more

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Nov 01, 2017 Charlotte rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: women-and-nb-of-speculative-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "To Fitz and the Fool, my best friends for 20 years."

Spoilers and overwraught feelings follow.

So What's It About?

Fitz, the Fool and their rag-tag group of companions forge onwards on their desperate quest of vengeance for his daughter's murder, encountering old and new allies and fresh dangers. Unbeknownst to Fitz, Bee still lives and fights against her captors with a fierce determination all her own. They share a terrible destination, and this final quest will demand more from Fitz than any th ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 James Tivendale rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Incredible. Fitz, Fool, Nighteyes... I will love you forever.

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Jun 10, 2017 Mark Medina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The end of the tale

The end of the story of Fitz and the Fool. Five stars all the way. When Hobb is on form, she is peerless.

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May 04, 2017 Claudia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, z-to-a-hobb

“Don’t do what you can’t undo, until you’ve considered what you can’t do once you’ve done it.”

Five sub-series, sixteen main volumes, THE BEST fantasy series ever written and now it’s done.

No story read so far affected me as much as this one did. I loved every word of it. I loved how this last volume connects all the loose ends from all fifteen which precede it. If you only read Fitz' story from Farseer, Tawny Man and The Fitz and the Fool and skipped Liveship Traders and Rain Wild Chronicles ...more

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May 25, 2017 Shelly K rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, epic-fantasy, i-need

In my first year of university a professor told me that fantasy writing is like imaginative masterbation. (What a jackass.) I took that to mean he believed fantasy to lack substance and was therefore unsatisfying.

I get that there is little love for fantasy in literary circles but THIS. This series has been one of the most satisfying reading experiences I have ever had, of anything I've ever read, be it literary or genre fiction.

Five trilogies, sixteen main volumes, and each book was a joy to re ...more

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May 10, 2017 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I'm tempted to give this 5stars because FitzChivalry is my probably my very favorite book character of all time, and the ending did not disappoint (I've spent the last two hours crying my eyes out) - BUT, in true Robin Hobb style the first 60% of the book was a drag. In fact, my sisters are reading this book and warned me not to spoil it, and I told them that up to that point, I couldn't spoil anything even if I tried - NOTHING had happened. It was reminiscent of the last book of the 1st trilogy I'm tempted to give this 5stars because FitzChivalry is my probably my very favorite book character of all time, and the ending did not disappoint (I've spent the last two hours crying my eyes out) - BUT, in true Robin Hobb style the first 60% of the book was a drag. In fact, my sisters are reading this book and warned me not to spoil it, and I told them that up to that point, I couldn't spoil anything even if I tried - NOTHING had happened. It was reminiscent of the last book of the 1st trilogy where it was just tons of travel time and introspection until the last 25% of the book and then BAM, non stop action and emotion.

I will say that Bee really grew on me in this last book. I really disliked her in books one and two, but she was great in this book. And little Perseverance - he was so adorable. One of my new favorites. So many people in this series overall that I just loved and were so memorable - Verity, Kettricken, Nighteyes, Chade, Burrich - even Motley! Oddly there were others that I feel I should have liked, but just never really did. Dutiful's wife, Nettle, Fool as Amber, Bee when she was young. Molly most of all - I never liked her. Am I the only one that never really "felt" the relationship with her and Fitz?

One of the things I didn't like is I felt like the book took too much time with Rainwild and Liveship stuff. I liked those characters, but those sections went on forever and were totally irrelevant to anyone that didn't read the Liveship or Rainwild books. It felt a little indulgent to me that Hobb seemed to want to write a sequel to their story too, but was foisting it on me in a place I didn't want it (in a Fitz book).

If I could rate the last 35% of the book - this would be 5 stars. The ending was everything you would want, everything is wrapped up nicely. You'll probably feel like me, absolutely wrung out emotionally, sad to say goodbye to old friends (and let's be honest - their story is done - time to let them go), but satisfied with how things turn out.

Despite my nitpicks, this series will always be one of my absolute favorites of all time. The characters are fantastic, Hobb can write so beautifully and emotionally. The magic system is great (skilling, wit, dragons, elderlings), the world is so complete and complex. I feel as I do every time I end a beloved series - bittersweet that it ended, and wondering if I'll ever find another series that will ever be so dear to me!

...more

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Aug 25, 2015 Em rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: need-to-get

For info, I'm usually a very mild mannered person who wouldn't dream of writing a negative review but after more than a year since reading the final Fitz and the Fool book I'm still hurt, angry and upset at the harsh and ham fisted way the final book was written. One would almost think Hobb had no love at all for Fitz and the Fool and their ending, it was almost like somebody else had written the final books, someone with little knowledge of the previous books, the characters and their struggles ...more

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Jun 18, 2017 Marielle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-own

I'm heartbroken... Cried through the last 30 pages.

It was the perfect ending to the entire story! I loved it like I love the entire story of Fitz. I think he is my favorite chatacter of all time. It feels like I know him...
If you're about to start this book... be prepared it hurts and will leave you broken.
Go... Read it... You'll love it! ...more

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Aug 26, 2017 Phee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2017, favourite

** Spoiler Free **

I can't even begin to describe what this series means to me.
I started it over two years ago. I DNF'd Assassins Apprentice twice before trying it one last time. Fate decided I needed to find Fitz and the Fool then. I read the Farseer trilogy over several months. Then I fell into a deep depression. I didn't read for almost a year, not one page.
After I healed, this series was waiting for me. I put myself back together, like Fitz had to put himself back together so many times. It ** Spoiler Free **

I can't even begin to describe what this series means to me.
I started it over two years ago. I DNF'd Assassins Apprentice twice before trying it one last time. Fate decided I needed to find Fitz and the Fool then. I read the Farseer trilogy over several months. Then I fell into a deep depression. I didn't read for almost a year, not one page.
After I healed, this series was waiting for me. I put myself back together, like Fitz had to put himself back together so many times. It's taken me 5 months but I have finished this 16 book series in its entirety. I've never been so passionate, nor so emotional about a book or characters in my life.

Fitz and the Fool represent so much more to me than I can put into words. They are two parts of the same being, one isn't complete without the other. The Catalyst and the White Prophet. Their relationship goes beyond explanation. Throughout the books many characters ask them what they mean to each other. They can never seem to explain it well. Boyhood friend, lover, brother. I have used the word soulmate to describe them in the past and I think that is the best word. They love each other deeply, perhaps one of them loves the other in a more romantic sense, but they both love each other. They complete each other and they live for one another. They can't bare to be parted by death, one can't die and let the remain living. It's not right.

The ending. Well I knew it would end this way from Assassins Quest. Fitz's goal had always been the same. His road was never going to be easy. The hints are there throughout the Fitz and the Fool trilogies. There is so much foreshadowing for this story. From earlier books and in this one itself. I think it's fair to say that all of the little pieces of information that are at the beginning of each chapter are terribly important. Sometimes you don't want to read them because you want to get straight back into the action. But these little pieces tell you the fates of our heroes many times. If you know how listen.

I can't write a review for this book. I can't even begin to make sense of what I feel. All I know is this series is a massive part of me. It will stay with me forever. A memory etched into me like carving stone.
This is the first book that made me cry. Normally when I get emotional whilst reading I get tears in my eyes. I have never properly cried.
This book made me sob, full on ugly cry. I have never been so emotional from reading a book.
This last book was a joy to read and it was painful. Bittersweet. But perfect. Things come full circle, and are finished at last. I'm not going to spoil it but that scene where two (or three depending on how you look at it) become one was beautiful. My heart aches every time I read it again. I'm so happy it ended this way, even if it's not necessarily a happy ending.

And for those that are curious. My top three books out of the entire 16 book series are:

1) Fool's Quest
2) Assassin's Fate
3) Assassin's Quest

"Then it was finished. Something finally complete, as it should have been." ...more

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Dec 21, 2015 Laura Navello marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy, short-term-tbr-list, too-long-the-wait, series-to-finish

UPDATE: " Fitz and the Fool will have to make a series of profound and fateful sacrifices."... Really? Even more? I'll better start crying now...

---------
Please Robin Hobb, don't kill neither Fitz nor the Fool, they deserve at least a few years in peace together. I feel tired on their behalf :( ...more

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May 17, 2017 Wol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Ok, so by "in a few days" I apparently meant "in over a week".

So now I'm finally emerging from what is probably the most debilitating book hangover I have ever experienced, I'll write an actual review. I always try to keep my reviews spoiler free, but with so much riding on the events of this entry that's much more difficult than usual. What that means here is that I have to keep it super vague.

Throughout my Hobb reviews, many times I have likened the Realm of the Elderlings to an intricate ta Ok, so by "in a few days" I apparently meant "in over a week".

So now I'm finally emerging from what is probably the most debilitating book hangover I have ever experienced, I'll write an actual review. I always try to keep my reviews spoiler free, but with so much riding on the events of this entry that's much more difficult than usual. What that means here is that I have to keep it super vague.

Throughout my Hobb reviews, many times I have likened the Realm of the Elderlings to an intricate tapestry in which Hobb slowly and methodically weaves together her ideas and events into a larger picture that isn't immediately apparent. Each part of the tapestry is beautiful in its own right, but the larger picture emerges very slowly. Until now. We learn so much about the world in Assassin's Fate that it's dizzying. Seeds she planted 12+ books ago come to fruition.

I feel sorry for anyone who didn't read Liveships or Rain Wilds because they are not the ones who will get the most out of Assassin's Fate. There are new faces and old friends, and things haven't necessarily developed for them in ways you might expect. They will all be hugely impacted by the events of this book. For some, their whole way of life will have to change. Worlds collide for two facets of the Fool with awkward, funny and occasionally terrifying results. It's a masterpiece.

About The Ending (stop here if you consider my emotions a spoiler), AKA:

It was fitting. As soon as I realized how it would end, I knew it had been inevitable from the very beginning. That didn't prevent me from weeping my way through the last 100 pages, mind you. Granted I'm an emotional reader, but Hobb in particular sure knows how to play my heartstrings like a fiddle. Well enough that my husband took one look at me, said, "Oh no! Oh honey!" and immediately brought me both chocolate and a glass of whiskey. He's good like that.

If this is the last in the Elderlings novels (and that's a very big "if"), it was a magnificent end to a magnificent series. If it's not (and I do hope it's not), I very much look forward to seeing the consequences of the changes that were made to the world in this entry.

Either way, this was a hell of a ride. ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Siobhan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-we-own-read, favourites, fbr-challenge-2020

I am ruined for all other books now. Might as well retire from reading! 😭😭

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Mar 26, 2017 Andi rated it liked it · review of another edition

To prepare myself for the end of Assassins Fate, I had someone spoil me on what Fitz’ fate was.

It is perhaps the one time in my life that I regret knowing a spoiler. Looking back, if I didn’t know, I think I would be crying harder and in a funk for weeks. However, because I knew, and because I was prepared, I think I took it better.

Do not misinterpret my words! Of course, it has a happy ending – it has the ending that I wanted it to have… just, perhaps, not exactly the way I planned it. My words To prepare myself for the end of Assassins Fate, I had someone spoil me on what Fitz’ fate was.

It is perhaps the one time in my life that I regret knowing a spoiler. Looking back, if I didn’t know, I think I would be crying harder and in a funk for weeks. However, because I knew, and because I was prepared, I think I took it better.

Do not misinterpret my words! Of course, it has a happy ending – it has the ending that I wanted it to have… just, perhaps, not exactly the way I planned it. My words are vague I know. But I think you need to trust me on this. When you read all the books over, you can easily see this was the path it was going to take and you accept it because it’s the fitting path and the path that needed to happen. But did it need to happen now? Hrm.

It is a depressing book, for sure. The tone and the fact that it’s ‘the end’ is enough to depress someone. Originally in my review I was going to give this a five star read, but I’m settling on a 3.5 (between three and four stars) because this book was a mess.

(view spoiler)[

For the first time, I felt how some readers felt when it came to Fitz. All he did was whine and cry. I mean, sure he lost his daughter and at one point in the book he thinks his daughter is dead, but I couldn’t believe how many times he was telling everyone he wanted to die and or wanted to end it in a blaze of glory. For someone who has friends and a family that still exists, you sure have a funny way of forgetting that they exist.

Bee is an irksome little girl. I know she felt as though she thought her father never loved her and loved The Fool more. That may be true, but I’m sure he most certainly loves her if he’s on his way to Clerres for her. At one point she says something truly hurtful to The Fool … and after all her chapters of accepting her fate as the “Destroyer”, that ruined her character development for me.

I really loved Amber during Liveship, so seeing me take Fitz side regarding her was a bit of a shocker. Then again, The Fool was all over the place like Fitz. He was so dead set on revenge that he just abandoned ship on their way of trying to get into the castle/fortress where the Whites are. What was the point of bringing Fitz with you, Fool? Seems you had everything planned.

There are some unanswered questions. The fact that Pillkrop lives and broke off from the destruction of Clerres with a few whites is a bit of puzzlement for the future. He told Fitz and the Fool that the Whites should continue to exist and return to how things were before the Four fucked it all over. However, with the way the world is now…. should they?

Where does the Skill River come from? Or, where does the silver come from? And to partner even further off that: where on earth does the Wit come from? These all never got answered and all I found out was that Clerres were stealing unhatched serpents and drawing out their ‘venom’ to make their magical drug. At least I found out what the Others beach was. Though that beach is still creepy.

The Fool said that Dwalia was not Bee’s Catalyst. Who is? Can a white be another white’s Catalyst? Has that ever happened before? It was never really answered. So, the question remains: who is Bee’s Catalyst? Obviously her skin was shedding so it was someone in the story … I guess, again, if Robin writes a sequel series we will find out. (Edit: This was addressed in one of the comments - I like the fact that she may be her own Catalyst, did not think of that. But I'm waiting for Robin's official word on it.)

The Skill Stone is still a mystery to me. How is it that if it was a way of travel from one place to another that people still got lost inside it? Why did they continue to use it if it was unsafe? Hopefully that will be something to dwell upon in another series.

When Chade kicked the bucket after diving headfirst into the Skill I said ‘WELL, THAT HAPPENED’ and then ‘THANK GOD’. He was so annoying, but in retrospect, he was a very tragic figure. The private letters that Robin included that were sent to Fitz and or what Fitz wrote about in regards to him were enough to understand that he should be pitied. However, the end product was that he was so fucking annoying and he deserved losing his mind.

So, to the basics: The reason I give the book three stars is that I believe after getting to Clerres, the story got sped up and very mismatched. Things weren’t answered or explained. As I mentioned before: Skill Stone, where the Wit comes from, motivations of some of the characters, the lack of including some of the characters from other books, and the ending that should have happened but seemed to happen too soon…

If there ends up being a sneaky book four out of this, I’ll give it a four-star rating. Again, it was the ending that it was meant to be, but probably not at this moment.

(hide spoiler)] ...more

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Aug 08, 2015 Rob rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: elderlings, sff-audio, own, fantasy, author-female, read-2017, audio-book

Executive Summary: There is not much I can say about this book without getting into spoilers, or making statements that may lead people to guess at their meaning. What I can say is much like Ms. Hobb's previous works, this book made me feel. A lot.

Audiobook: Elliot Hill is a pretty good narrator. He can be a bit soft spoken however. And he's not great at female voices. I rather wish he didn't try. Still it's more good than bad, and I do think he adds something to the narration that makes the au Executive Summary: There is not much I can say about this book without getting into spoilers, or making statements that may lead people to guess at their meaning. What I can say is much like Ms. Hobb's previous works, this book made me feel. A lot.

Audiobook: Elliot Hill is a pretty good narrator. He can be a bit soft spoken however. And he's not great at female voices. I rather wish he didn't try. Still it's more good than bad, and I do think he adds something to the narration that makes the audio worthwhile. If you liked him in the previous books, you should like him here.

Full Review
This book was difficult for me to rate. I don't give out 5 stars easily, and normally when I do it's a no-brainer. This one not so much. The book has some pacing issues, especially early on. I have no idea of the final page count, but in audio it's nearly 40 hours long. Ms. Hobb's books have always been on the slower side, but there were points in this book where it was a bit too much. That's only a minor gripe though.

FitzChivarly Farseer is one of the most real character I ever read. When this series was announced I was both excited and nervous to get to spend more time with him. What terrible things would Ms. Hobb do to him this time? She has really put him through the ringer over the years. However my desire to spend time with him again outweighed my fear.

When the series started, I was not happy about the addition of Bee's chapters. At its conclusion, I'm still a bit torn on them, but I think the story could not have been told otherwise. I think part of me was just irritated to have to spend any time in the book away from Fitz. In addition to Fitz, it was really great to see some old friends again, some of whom I never expected to see.

This book like Fool's Quest before it, rewards those who have read the entire Elderlings series, not just the Fitz books. If you haven't read Liveship Traders and Rainwild Chronicles, I highly recommend you do so first. There is so much that'll you be missing if you don't.

There isn't much else I can say without getting into spoilers beyond this: Ms. Hobb has an incredible ability to make feel strong emotions for fictional characters. Joy, anger, love, hate, cheer, sorrow. I feel so much that I'm drained. Few books do that to me, but hers seem to do it all the time, especially the Fitz books. It is for this reason I decided to give this 5 stars instead of 4.

Prepare yourself for an emotional journey. I hope you'll find it as worth it as I did. ...more

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Apr 29, 2017 Melanie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, arc, fantasy, dragons

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Assassin's Fate [Oct 15, 2020]	51	50	23 hours, 14 min ago
Beyond Reality: Realm of the Elderlings--Assassin's Fate: finished reading (spoilers)	9	30	Mar 06, 2020 01:26PM
Beyond Reality: Realm of the Elderlings--Assassin's Fate: roll call and first impressions (no spoilers)	3	7	Feb 17, 2020 06:32PM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Assassin's Fate [May 24, 2018]	11	37	Jun 03, 2018 07:28PM
The Robin Hobb Co...: BOOK 16- ASSASSINS FATE (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)	110	130	Nov 03, 2017 05:52PM
The Robin Hobb Co...: Book 16 -Assassin's Fate Chp 43-Ending (FULL Spoilers)	40	376	Oct 10, 2017 10:12AM

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About Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb

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** 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 st ...more