Royal Assassin – Book Review

Spoilers throughout the review.

Bringing Royal Assassin on holiday was both a brilliant and a terrible idea. Brilliant because it was a fabulous read and the perfect follow-up to Assassin’s Apprentice which I reviewed last month.

But it was a terrible idea because I barely wanted to enjoy my expensive island holiday with this fantasy’s ink and paper seducing me every minute of every day.

Needless to say, I finished the book and got on with my holiday, and now I get to share my review!

Summary of Royal Assassin

Following his success and survival from the trials of book one, Fitz (understandably) needs a kick up the arse to return to the politics of the six duchies. This quickly comes in the shape of a Skill surge vision, which shows him his love interest at the edge of death.

Following a difficult return to the capital, Fitz slowly learns to return to his old positions while stumbling across Molly between the castle walls. Torn between Verity, Shrewd, Chade, Molly, Ketterin, Patience, and his own desires, Fitz barely gets a wink of sleep in Royal Assassin.

Fitz is now a full teenager and hormones fuel this novel as much as court intrigue. Dragged from pillar to post, he finds solace in the purity of Wolf, a much needed animal companion who tests Fitz’ learned hatred of the Wit.

Overall, the book is a slow but enjoyable journey through Buckkeep as King Shrewd loses the last of his senses and prince Regal mercilessly vies for the throne, willing to trample fair folk and family under his ambitions.

The ending should be expected, but surprises nonetheless, and offers a clean slate for the third and final boon in this trilogy.

Best Moments of Royal Assassin

The highlight of book 2 of the Farseer Trilogy has to be Fitz relationship with Wolf. Following the preceding books, I was almost surprised when both Fitz and Wolf made it to the end of the novel alive.

Part of my love for the Wolf scenes is wrapped up in how it affects Fitz’ relationship with Burrich, and how they learn to forgive one another for their differences with the wit.

On that note, Fitz’ smoke-induced drunkenness’ was a heart-aching moment. He freely calls Patience his mother, which perhaps she should have been. With Burrich as his pseudo-father, the whole book stings of broken romances and could-have-beens.

It’s no surprise at all when Fitz’ relationship with Molly fails, but it is very frustrating as a reader to see him miss the subtext of Molly’s pregnancy.

Women running away with their unborn children is almost a theme in book two, as Ketterin chases an escape of her own after finally charming prince Verity. Amongst all the heart break and longing, theirs is a love I would have liked to spend longer in. Book three, Assassin’s Quest, is clearly even longer than book two, and I’m hopeful that I’ll get a scene or two with Verity and Ketterin if I’m lucky.

Of course, I would be remiss to forget the Fool in a section titled ‘best moments’. The slow development of the depth of his character is a joy to read, and I was so happy to see that the fool escapes a miserable fate at the end of this book.

Lastly, I love to hate Regal. He continued to be a threatening, despicable existence throughout the novel, and I look forward to his downfall in book three—because surely, after all the evil he’s done, we’re going to get to see his death on screen.

Criticisms of Royal Assassin

My first criticism is that this book is rather long. There’s no getting around it, but again, I still enjoyed it. There’s no particular section which I’d easily say could have been cut, and I certainly regret no part of it. At the same time, I know it’s too long.

Unlike book one, there was a clearer direction of plot in Royal Assassin compared to its predecessor, Assassin’s Apprentice. Fitz’ aim is to keep out of Regal’s line of sight while getting in his way and protecting the ones he loves (Molly, Patience, Ketterin, Burrich, Verity, Wolf).

And yet, there’s plenty of enjoyable ambling around that enables Hobb to paint a full picture of Buckkeep.

My biggest criticism is a carry over from book one, which is that the enemies from the red ships continue to be rather faceless and horde-like. I don’t particular care because I’m more concerned with Fitz’ character arcs and relationships than I am with the enemies that threaten them, but I do wonder if the red ships will be expanded on in the other series, or if we’ll see this manifest in Assassin’s Quest. Perhaps Fitz’ morality will finally be challenged by his enemies in book three?

Is There a Royal Assassin Comic?

Various news outlets have reported that Dark Horse comics are adapting the Farseer Trilogy, which suggests that Royal Assassin and Assassin’s Quest will also be adapted. However, there is currently no news of when a Royal Assassin comic will be published.

The Assassin’s Apprentice comic was completed this year, in 2025.

Final Thoughts

I’m taking a small break from the series to read Murakami’s Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World before returning to the Realm of the Elderlings. You can subscribe to the blog for notifications about our upcoming fantasy reviews.