NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The stunning conclusion to Robin Hobb’s Fitz and the Fool trilogy, which began with Fool’s Assassin and Fool’s Quest“Every new Robin Hobb novel is a cause for celebration. Along with millions of her other fans, I delight in every visit to the Six Duchies, the Rain Wilds, and the Out Islands, and can’t wait to see where she’ll take me next.”—George R. R. Martin More … take me next.”—George R. R. Martin
More than twenty years ago, the first epic fantasy novel featuring FitzChivalry Farseer and his mysterious, often maddening friend the Fool struck like a bolt of brilliant lightning. Now New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb brings to a momentous close the third trilogy featuring these beloved characters in a novel of unsurpassed artistry that is sure to endure as one of the great masterworks of the genre.
Fitz’s young daughter, Bee, has been kidnapped by the Servants, a secret society whose members not only dream of possible futures but use their prophecies to add to their wealth and influence. Bee plays a crucial part in these dreams—but just what part remains uncertain.
As Bee is dragged by her sadistic captors across half the world, Fitz and the Fool, believing her dead, embark on a mission of revenge that will take them to the distant island where the Servants reside—a place the Fool once called home and later called prison. It was a hell the Fool escaped, maimed and blinded, swearing never to return.
For all his injuries, however, the Fool is not as helpless as he seems. He is a dreamer too, able to shape the future. And though Fitz is no longer the peerless assassin of his youth, he remains a man to be reckoned with—deadly with blades and poison, and adept in Farseer magic. And their goal is simple: to make sure not a single Servant survives their scourge.
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What a journey it has been with this series and these characters. It’s an incredible feat to tie off a story that has been going on for nine books in a satisfying way, but in Assassin’s Fate, Robin Hobb pulls it off. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, and even after 1,300 pages, I didn’t want it to end. For anyone looking for deeply emotional character-driven fantasy in an expertly-wrought world, start from the beginning and pick up Assassin’s Apprentice. I can’t recommend these books highly enough!
This is the finale. There are 4 series that lead into this 5th, and final *gulp*, series. All stand along, but if you fall in love with Fitz and his Fool as I did from the first series, then you will devour each new story with the rich, varied, and compellingly interesting characters and ethical dilemmas within each series arc. Thankfully Hobb returned to Fitz to provide closure, and an opportunity to mourn our loss of these beloved characters as she ties the story threads into a satisfying bow.
I absolutely loved this series! I almost never rate a book/series 5 stars, this one easily passed the test.
She did it. Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Fate might have started slowly—as did the prior books in her Fitz and the Fool trilogy—but the middle was worth the wait. And the ending was sublime.
The beginning drags for a few reasons: Fitz doesn’t know his daughter Bee is alive, but we do, a dynamic that saps tension. (In this trilogy, Hobb frequently withholds knowledge from her characters but not the reader. One or two instances is fine, but it started to feel like a crutch to me.) The lore about Clerres, the home of the false prophets who kidnapped Bee, is repeated a bit too often. And on the way there to take revenge, Fitz and his companions encounter a host of characters from The Liveship Traders trilogy and The Rain Wild Chronicles, related series set in the same world.
I probably would have enjoyed the interludes more if I’d read those books. But they slowed the story for me, mostly because Fitz is a bystander as protagonists from other tales take their turn on what should be his stage. The Fool knows them—he appears in their books—but I would have preferred it if Fitz had a more active role during the long journey to Clerres. He does little planning for his assault on the false prophets’ stronghold, and the few things of import that happen before then aren’t his doing. Yes, he’s emotionally battered, but he’s still remarkably passive for a character Hobb fashioned as a Catalyst, a disrupter of the timestream. At one point, he even admits this. “Since we had come aboard Paragon,” he says, referring to one of the Liveships that sails him to Clerres, “I had felt control of my plans slipping ever farther from my grip. Not for the first time, I wished I’d come alone and unhampered.” I felt that way too.
But when we finally get to Clerres, the story’s long fuse burns down to its core, and the plot explodes. The attack-turned-rescue-mission begins. Fire and fighting break out. Fitz’s companions prove themselves. Bee becomes even more compelling. And dragons add to the chaos. This section of the novel was exhilarating, and it sets up the beautiful ending, which I won’t spoil aside from saying it’s still with me. Fitz’s fate is fitting.
One other thing I liked: throughout the series, the Fool’s gender has been an open question. He takes on several personalities, some female. No one is quite sure of his true nature, and at one point, the mystery bothers Fitz a great deal. But by Assassin’s Fate, he’s in his sixties and more relaxed about issues of identity. “I’ve known him for many years,” he explains to another of their cohort, “in many guises. He was King Shrewd’s jester when I was a boy. The Fool. Then Lord Golden. Mage Gray. And now Lady Amber. All different. Yet always my friend.” There’s no resolution here, but it struck me as a good place to leave it—by acknowledging that the relationship mattered more than its exact definition.
So: my favorite fantasy saga not named Lord of the Rings is over. I might check out The Liveship Traders and The Rain Wild Chronicles eventually. But for now, I’m going to let Fitz’s tale linger in my memory. What a great ride.
(For more reviews like this one, see http://www.nickwisseman.com)
So glad, Nighteyes & Fitz are reunited. So sad, they are gone.
I loved this series, but, without venturing into spoiler territory, I felt like the ending could have used at least one more scene from a different POV. Aside from the pure body-horror, I was low-key angry and saddened for days by the sheer pointlessness of it, along with the (debatable) plot-hole that made it happen. YMMV, but in my opinion it was almost as disappointing as the ME3 ending or the last season of GOT.
No regrets, but you may want to brace yourself.
The FItz & the Fool trilogy comes to its thrilling conclusion in “Assassin’s Fate.” What can I say about this series that I haven’t already said? I guess I’ll start by saying that you really should start at the beginning. But if you’ve read along this far, you really, really owe it to yourself to read this book. The events of the previous two books in the trilogy-within-a-trilogy are wrapped up after much, MUCH excitement and action. Long-time fans beware: Fitz’s fate may bring a tear or two to your eyes. I’ll leave it to you to find out whether it’s tears of joy or sorrow. In either case, a stunning conclusion to a brilliant series.
I love this book. I love Hobb because she loves her characters.
Love this series
I love all Robin Hobb’s books. So well written, the characters come to life. Like all the Assassin books, it’s funny, sad, and compelling. It’s a series that I’ll re-read over and over again.
Hobb’s writing is a pleasure in itself., which makes up for some flat places that could have been edited down. The book’s place in a long-form trilogy – itself the final trilogy in the protagonist’s long story – gives emotional weight to the end of his life. Read the earlier volumes before starting this one.
There is just so much in this book… Start with Assassin’s Apprentice, and you will not be disappointed. To say any more would include spoilers. Let’s just say, I LOVED this book, and would highly recommend EVERYTHING Robin Hobb has written. The characters are complex and real, the magic is sophisticated and takes it’s price. The adventures are heart-pounding. The love is integral and so understood that you feel it even when nothing is written on the page. The world is full, vibrant and compelling. Read this book (AFTER the other 15 in the series), you will not be disappointed.
Roin Hobb has to be the best fantasy writer in decades.
Read everything she writes. One of my favorite authors. Can’t put her books down until last page then want more.
Absolutely amazing ending to a wonderful series. Just when you think that Robin Hobb cannot get any better – she does!
Every Hobb story is fantastic. Wonderful well crafted worlds and characters and plots that draw you in. I eagerly await each new book.
Without a doubt Robin Hobb is one of the best fantasy authors out there. This book is the last book in her long series about Fitz and The Fool. Robin Hobb did not disappoint me with this final book which had a perfect ending. I will miss the Fitz and The Fool!
All readers in my house – young and old, male and female – enjoued this adventure series!
loved it,
Robin Hobb is an innovative writer with endless creativity and magic