Fool's Assassin

Book One of the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Elliot Hill

Length: 27 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Nearly 20 years ago, Robin Hobb burst upon the fantasy scene with the first of her acclaimed Farseer novels, Assassin’s Apprentice, which introduced the characters of FitzChivalry Farseer and his uncanny friend the Fool. A watershed moment in modern fantasy, this novel - and those that followed - broke exciting new ground in a beloved genre. Together with George R. R. Martin, Robin Hobb helped pave the way for such talented new voices as Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson, and Naomi Novik.

Over the years, Hobb’s imagination has soared throughout the mythic lands of the Six Duchies in such best-selling series as the Liveship Traders Trilogy and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. But no matter how far she roamed, her heart always remained with Fitz. And now, at last, she has come home, with an astonishing new novel that opens a dark and gripping chapter in the Farseer saga.

FitzChivalry - royal bastard and former king’s assassin - has left his life of intrigue behind. As far as the rest of the world knows, FitzChivalry Farseer is dead and buried. Masquerading as Tom Badgerlock, Fitz is now married to his childhood sweetheart, Molly, and leading the quiet life of a country squire.

Though Fitz is haunted by the disappearance of the Fool, who did so much to shape Fitz into the man he has become, such private hurts are put aside in the business of daily life, at least until the appearance of menacing, pale-skinned strangers casts a sinister shadow over Fitz’s past...and his future.

Now, to protect his new life, the former assassin must once again take up his old one....

©2014 Robin Hobb (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Fantasy as it ought to be written... Robin Hobb’s books are diamonds in a sea of zircons." (George R. R. Martin)

"A gleaming debut in the crowded field of epic fantasies...a delightful take on the powers and politics behind the throne." ( Publishers Weekly) on Assassin’s Apprentice)

Best book in series thus far

AmaZing - really enjoyed this book! My favorite so far in her world. Highly recommend this!

Bring back old narrator

New narrator changes vibe of the books, patience is not well portrayed, fool has a weird tonation now too

Another amazing trilogy from Robin Hobb!

The beginning of the end of Fitz and the Fool’s story. Don’t hesitate to get to! Great narrator! My only complaint is the accent they give the Fool. He never had one in any of the previous series so it kind of throws you off. But still 5 stars

Robin Hobb astounds again! But...

I love Robin Hobbs books. Her details and the tidbits of writing just before a chapter begins amazes me, in that, the ability to create so many other characters that share their insights and wisdom is flat out marvelous! I cherish all her books regarding Fitz and the Fool.

But, the performance of the reader is highly disappointing. I found myself having to read the book itself rather than listen to his telling. I'm not really sure why they felt to use this gentleman's reading at this time in Fitzs story. To me, he would have been better at the earlier books, when Fitz was young. The only thing I can think of is his voice for Bee. I don't judge his voice as bad, not at all, it's pleasant and comforting, but it lacks the maturity of our Fitz. It causes me to think of Fitz as very young and not one in his 50s or even at 35 which his body looks to be. His voice for the children and some of the women are believable but not Fitz. I wish they had kept the previous readers.

Takes a while but that's ok...

It gets better as it goes in this book, as does the rest of the series. It's worth getting into! The characters are always in tough spots and there's not a lot of "happiness" going around, but this is one of the classic series you can't afford not to listen to.

Pacing of the plot is really strong, helps you stay interested.

Favorite series from Hobb

I love everything Hobb writes, but this is my favorite series of hers. #characterdevelopment #enthralling #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Listen at 1.5 speed

The performance staggers along but if you listen to it at a faster speed, 1.5 works for me, it isn’t to distracting.

Narrator is fine

The narrator of the book is just fine. I have no idea why there are so many complaints. He differentiates voices enough to easily tell the difference between characters.

Narrator was the best!

Wish he had done the next trilogy, keep it so alive with emotion.
Thank you was a great listen......

All hail the return of Fitz and the Fool!

What did you love best about Fool's Assassin?

There is a lot to love about this book, but one thing I particularly admire is the way Hobb tackles themes not often explored—at least, not so sensitively—in genre fiction: aging, grief and loss, single parenthood, recovery from physical abuse, child psychology, relationships that defy categorization.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fool's Assassin?

The moment when Fitz first encounters the Fool again after all those years.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

This is the first Robin Hobb audiobook I have listened to; I read the earlier trilogies in hard copy. Personally, I thought Elliot Hill did an excellent job with the narration—at least until the Fool came on the scene. Why oh why did Hill decide to give the Fool a German accent?! It makes no sense from a narrative standpoint, since the Fool grew up and lived most of his adult life in the Six Duchies, and I found it distracting. It was also disappointing, because the Fool is one of of my favorite fictional characters and, as I said, Hill did such a terrific job with the other characters (especially Fitz, Chade, Bee, and Revel).