Assassin's Quest

The Farseer Trilogy, Book 3

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 37 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From an extraordinary voice in fantasy comes the stunning conclusion to the Farseer Trilogy, as FitzChivalry confronts his destiny as the catalyst who holds the fate of the kingdom of the Six Duchies...and the world itself.

King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz - or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest - perhaps to death. Only Verity's return - or the heir his princess carries - can save the Six Duchies. But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him - currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.

Catch up with the rest of the Farseer trilogy.

©1999 Robin Hobb (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An enthralling conclusion to this superb trilogy, displaying an exceptional combination of originality, magic, adventure, character, and drama." ( Kirkus)

just incredible!

This series is so well written, it's one of my favorites of all time. right up there with Anne McCaffrey, Jennifer Roberson, even George R.R. Martin, though so much less bloody. I can't wait to continue reading her series. I am as in love with her characters as she when she created them, and she had fun creating them. sometimes an author writes what's unfolding in their head as they write, and those are the stories that are so sublime... this trilogy seems one of those.

Long but good

The narrator does a great job with this and the other two books in this trilogy. I found this book as with the others to be a pleasure to listen to.

A book with faults, but a great series.

I loved the Farseer trilogy. That being said there was a lot of unnecessary parts to this book that made it feel excessively long. I only wish that more time was spent on the scouring of the red ships and the white ships, and a little less on the main character getting broken down over and over again. Still I must say i love this series as a whole and will go on to read the other related series as well.

quest is really Fitz being useless tell last hour

their has been very little assassination done throughout the story, and though the story was told well the actual story leaves much to be desired.

Fitz and the Fool

loved this story and was excited to find out that they will be doing a comic of the farseer series

Loved this trilogy!

I often found that my commute had ended too soon while listening to these stories. Going on to The Tawny Man series!

Wonderful Epic!

I enjoyed this story.. it was sweeping, exciting. I heard all 3 books and got carried along on an amazing journey for hours.

Absolutely great. But...

Well delivered. Great performance. I suspect it might have even inspired George R R Martin's stories.
BUT, I'm just so weary of English authors' muted, grey endings. That's what this is.
Hobb does a great job throughout the books of exploring the various values of being both a raw animal and a socialized human. I think few writers have done that so well. I say that as a professional behavioral trainer (just in case you're reading this Robin). As much as I might deny it, it most likely has to do with my American socialization.
I absolutely appreciate that the story exemplifies the nature of sacrifice. We need more of that in both our stories as well as our political discord. What rubs me the wrong way however, is that for all of Hobb's observations about individuation and tapping the core self, it still ends with a note of dutiful English class acceptance. I think it justifies the ideals that make servants feel righteous in subjugating themselves to those with a bloodline.
As a side note (also classically English) Hobb spends a painstaking amount of time building up the pain, suffering, and failure of Fitz Chivalry, but she affords precious little time to sum up the rewards of his efforts. All three books are concluded in 1.5 short chapters that don't really fully address the raiders, the forged, or the lingering social ramifications that she spends so much time developing.
Again, while I congratulate Hobb for her detail and appreciate the piece as a whole, I feel like the reader is abandoned at the end.

Awesome trilogy, starting Liveship Traders now!

Nothing better than finding out the amazing trilogy you're *reading* is the first in a trilogy of trilogies!

great fantasy

the perfect narrator I was unsure of at first. the preview doesn't do him justice at all, the voice is absolutely that of Fitz shivalry. I only wish that I could hear Paul read me the trawney man series as well, as I can't imagine any voice doing it the justice his would have. I am torn now between continuing the great fantasy series with the wrong narrator or finding a new series with the perfect voice.