Royal Assassin

The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 29 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Young Fitz, the illegitimate son of the noble Prince Chivalry, is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has had him tutored him in the dark arts of the assassin. He has barely survived his first, soul-shattering mission, and when he returns to the court, he is thrown headfirst into the tumult of royal life.

With the king near death, and Fitz's only ally off on a seemingly hopeless quest, the throne itself is threatened.

Meanwhile, the treacherous Red Ship Raiders have renewed their attacks on the Six Duchies, slaughtering the inhabitants of entire seaside towns. In this time of great peril, it soon becomes clear that the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz's hands - and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.

©1999 Robin Hobb (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“Hobb manages to create a kingdom that looks like a fairy tale but feels like the real world---which makes it almost impossible not to become immersed in Hobb's fantasy epic.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Masterful 5/5!

A masterful continuation of the Farseer Trilogy, plunging readers deeper into the intricate web of courtly politics, treachery, and magic. Fitz, our resilient protagonist, has survived his first perilous mission as the king’s assassin, but at a great cost. Battered and embittered, he grapples with physical and emotional wounds, vowing to forsake his oath to King Shrewd. However, love and urgent events draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, where he becomes entangled in the deadly intrigues of the royal family.
Hobb’s storytelling prowess shines through in her character-driven approach. The novel unfolds at a deliberate pace, allowing readers to savor the nuances between characters and immerse themselves in the richly detailed world. Political machinations, hidden agendas, and personal sacrifices weave together seamlessly, culminating in an unforgettable climax. If you relish fantasy novels that prioritize character development and intricate plots, “Royal Assassin” is an absolute gem that will leave you eagerly reaching for the next installment

Fantastic story, fantastic narration

Simply Fantastic. I have read all the books, but am really enjoying the books on tape. The actor who does all the voices is fantastic, He is able to bring these rich characters to life with his voice.

Thrillingd

I love this book, I couldn't stop listing to it.
one of the things I love is how in-depth the the the hunting dreams are and how it could feel to be an actual wolf.

I am in awe.

This book takes you on such an incredible journey I am utterly thrilled by this book. Other reviews made me hesitant but please disregard them and dive in to this rich world written by a one of the best.

Robin Hobb is always worth a listen!

Any additional comments?

I first stumbled upon Robin Hobb thanks to the Liveship Traders books and fell in love with the writing style. The only reason I gave them a shot was because my favorite author, George R R Martin, said anything written by Hobb was gold (or something similiar).

Slowly over the years I have read more of Hobb's books and the Farseer Trilogy is becoming a favorite. Fitz is just a great character and the narrator does a great job. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to the third book in the series.

Do I think the trilogy worth a listener's hard earned credits? Yes I do! Think medieval fantasy with a hint of magic, not high fantasy, which I have found I like best.

For background, my other favorite authors are Jacqueline Carey, Ken Follett, Bernard Cornwell, Kevin Hearne, Jim Butcher and Margaret George.

excellent

if this is optional why cant i nit do it but still give my 5vstar review?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It's official.....I like Robin Hobb's style of writing! I do a lot of driving and I love listening to a good long book that will take days or even weeks to listen to. "The Way Of Kings" is still my favorite audiobook, but this series has some real potential to change that.

I enjoyed

I have read some negative reviews but yet I enjoyed the second book. The negatives are mostly about book 3. We shall see

Long setup of book 1 pays off here

(No Spoilers) It seems to me now that the whole first book was set up for book 2, where the story really gets rolling.

THE GOOD

Nighteyes: I'd often seen mention that this series gets "good" once Nighteyes shows up. I have to agree that the relationship with his wolf is interesting and entertaining. It's kind of like Perrin from Wheel of Time, but if Perrin didn't run away from his ability to speak with wolves and just accepted it.

The Fool: I am now legitimately in love with the character of The Fool. Every time he is onscreen the story pops. He's interesting, mysterious, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. And he hints at a larger world than Fitz and his problems in the royal court.

The Characters: I now fully recognize and appreciate all the effluent praise that has been heaped on Robin Hobb and her ability to write characters. These books are really a masterclass is characterization. Every character in these books are vividly fleshed out. Even the mustache twirling villain's have at least some depth to them and understandable motivations. I feel like Fitz, much as I'd like to strangle him sometimes, is as vivid in my mind as a real person.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

Teenagers are dumb: Seriously, Fitz is supposed to be trained to recall details and analyze them, then act in the best strategic manner to accomplish his tasks. Yeah... none of that happens. Granted, he's a teenager, but damn I want to strangle him for not seeing what's obviously right in front of him. As a reader we can see what's happening, but Fitz himself should be able to figure it out as well if he just spent two seconds to use his brain. It seems he's using his "little brain" to do all the thinking in this book. Very frustrating.

Fitz isn't the only one making stupid decisions though. Verity makes a decision that is incredibly dumb, and predictably everyone suffers because of it.

Hey guys, how about we two assassins... I don't know... KILL THE BAD GUY?? The first half is great but the second half has you screaming in frustration. There is a obvious villain within the royal household who is clearly trying to seize power by nefarious means, while also clearly trying to destroy the kingdom. It’s been clear from the beginning of the first book that this would happen yet no one does anything about it. There are TWO assassins in the kingdom, sworn to protect the king, yet the author comes up with frustratingly flimsy reasons for why they don’t act directly to assassinate the traitor and protect the kingdom. It’s strains the believability of the story, and is incredibly frustrating for the reader.

Shrewd ain't shrewd: The fact that the very savvy and shrewd king (literally named Shrewd) is oblivious to the mustache twirling bad guy in his family strains believability too.

Women, amiright? Fitz's girl trouble aka Molly is a major focus of this book, and frankly found her to be an annoyingly emotional and irrational character. The type of female character that if it was written by a man I’d say he needs to learn how to write women who aren’t walking stereotypes. But since the writer is a woman, there is no good excuse.

Admittedly, part of the reason that Molly is so irrational is because Fitz is so dumb, so I guess we are supposed to chock it up to two dumb teenagers?

THE VERDICT

Once again, despite the long list of irritants these books supply, I'm still reading, and dammit, I kind of love them. I think perhaps I will enjoy these books even more on rereads, as I find myself constantly tense. The author has shown that she's not afraid to kill characters, or do lasting harm to them, so once the suspense is over I can see reading these books again with less "stress".

The fact that I'm already assuming I'll reread them is probably pretty telling too, LOL.

Tom Brady

This book is like Tom Brady’s 3rd super bowl win. It’s a fantastic achievement, but you get the feeling that there is an even greater greatness left to be earned. The author throws touchdown after touchdown, and the main character’s decisions are as sure to be entertaining as it sure that a wild Gronkowski will be found wide open down the middle. Amen.