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)

Loved it

Fascinating and captivating. as always, Hobbies me clamouring for more. I can't wait to start the next book.

detractors

anunciation of names and limited "vocal character-creation"..
The story is wonderful.. those loving fitz-chivalry and these anthologies will gain much. and want for more <3

Amazing story, weird narration

Reader diverts from the entire previous books with pronunciation and accents. It's very jarring and I cannot stand the random stereotypical Russian accent of the Fool. Seems like a very shallow decision, obviously not quality controlled.

Narrator…but then the story & Bee…

I see that it is not only I who have this opinion. I’m not sure if he is a friend or family member that is being given a shot but it is very difficult to listen to. I need to keep taking breaks. Shade and his skilling voices seem more like loud whispering. The women voices are difficult to listen too. I guess the only one I can bear is Fitz or the narration parts. Very difficult it is ruining the story for me. I will probably read the last 2 books.
Ok, I left this before Bee….now I care nothing about the narrator. I just love Bee so much that the rest is bearable!!

Best book ever I am downloading pt 2 as I do this review

First off I was skeptical to purchase this book after reading some of the reviews but this is my favorite author ever. Boy, am I glad I did. I won't give any of the storyline away but soo many unexpected surprises await you. It was a thrilling ride through Fritz's life as a married man. Lots of new characters and a big surprise. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book and the 2nd one is currently being downloaded as I write this. If you are a Robin Hobb fan ,get this book you won't be disappointed.
The narrator took a little getting used to especially his pronoun action lol, but he was okay. Ms Hobb has a great imagination and thanks to her for sharing.

The Fool is back!

Didn't like the German accent for the Fool. The story was good and kept my interest. I will get the next book when it comes out!

slow start but by the end I was really into it

by the end I was really into the characters. the story almost didn't feel like a fantasy at all

The narrator didn't listen to previous books

I've loved the entire Realm of the Elderlings series so far, which is what makes this trilogies' failures all the more painful.

The narrator is the biggest problem. If this was a stand-alone book, he would be good enough. But even then, he can't keep his voices, accents, and pronunciations consistent within one book, much less between the previous 14. He even sometimes mixes up voices within a single sentence.

I can listen to, understand, and enjoy it well enough, but it's grating to hear the voices, viz., the expression of personality of characters you come to know well and love, being continually butchered.

And I'm talking about central characters. For instance, the Fool now inscrutably speaks with an implaceable European accent that drifts from German to French and back. Kettricken and Dutiful sound abhorrently pompous now, which is the diametric opposite of their characters and voices in previous books. He actually makes a lot of characters sound pretentious now, and has some other very odd choices. The main character always sounds like his dog just died.

Unfortunately, the story has its failings too. Mainly, it relies too heavily on idiotic choices the main characters make, many absurd instances of failure to communicate, and other such devices that will leave any intelligent reader tense with outrage the characters are being so dumb or blind.

That said, if you've read the series up till now, it's definitely worth finishing this trilogy and closing the book on this epic story. If you haven't read the liveship traders or rainwild chronicles trilogies since they are a bit ancillary to the fitz and the fool story, I would make sure to read those great books.

Story Great! Narrator Horrible!

Why?!? Why?!? All these books with one narrator and they are obviously successful, would you change to a different person and to one who could put a crack addict to sleep!

Fantastic! love this book.

What made the experience of listening to Fool's Assassin the most enjoyable?

The story slowly builds to the climactic end.

What other book might you compare Fool's Assassin to and why?

Theft of swords because of the genre.

Which scene was your favorite?

The final chapter when the servants arrive.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The assassin's guide to love and family.

Any additional comments?

A little slow in the middle but the development of the characters is superb and I can't wait for the next in the series.