Assassin’s Quest – Book Review

Spoilers for the Farseer Trilogy throughout the review.

I loved Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin, but did Assassin’s Quest stick the landing? I’m used to fantasy trilogies scuffing up the ending, but Assassin’s Quest successfully guided my desires towards a very satisfying finale.

Thoughts on the Skill and Writing/Reading

In this final book, I’ve come to see the Skill as similar to how I feel about reading fantasy. There’s a great joy, perhaps even an addiction, that I associate with plunging myself into such a full narrative. It frees my soul to be borne away by the lives within these paper prisons, and, for a time, I am not myself. Sometimes, that is a relief.

The same as many who read, I have dreamt of creating my own dragon/book. I do have a couple of novel drafts under my belt, but carving them is one trial, and getting them to take flight/ published is another challenge entirely. I’m not the first to fall at that hurdle.

Anyway, away from lyrical connections and back to the events of the book.

Fitz & Molly in Assassin’s Quest

The Skill is a beautiful device for storytelling. Hobb’s use of the magic to meaningfully transport Fitz and the reader to valuable scenes occurring in distant places, such as those belonging to Molly.

In any other fantasy book, Molly’s story would have been lost, or awkwardly dragged into the fold via a new narrator or perspective. With the Skill, Molly’s life unfolds in front of Fitz, who mourns the loss of their relationship from a distance.

There’s a voyeuristic element to the scenes, but Fitz is so empathetic and heartful that it rarely feels perverse—though perhaps Molly would feel differently about that.

On that note, Molly and Burrich’s relationship felt destined since book two. Burrich’s connection to Nettle is heartwarming, but I feel nervous for Nettle’s childhood. Fitz states his belief that Burrich will serve as a good father to Nettle, but I’m not so sure. So many of Fitz’ hang-ups were a direct continuation of Burrich’s treatment of the Wit. I certainly hope that Burrich grew enough to know he shouldn’t repeat this mistake with Nettle.

With the emphasis given to Nettle in Assassin’s Quest, I don’t doubt that Nettle will hold an important position in one of the trilogies in the Realm of the Elderlings world.

Completely Fooled

Assassin’s Quest was exciting. I was everything I wanted and more. My expectations weren’t always met, but they were more often replaced by a narrative that was better than what I had wanted. In that sense, I have a lot to learn from Hobb’s art.

Some places where I was completely fooled by Assassin’s Quest include my firm belief that Fitz would eventually kill Regal (he never does), that Fitz would take Verity’s place as Kettricken’s lover and king (wild, I know), and that perhaps Chade had intentionally sought to kill Fitz’ and Verity’s Skill with elfbark (as suggested by a well-placed pre-text about the catalyst’s betrayer).

Now that I know the end of the book, and principally that I know Fitz survives, I do wonder if anything will come of the chemistry Kettricken and Fitz have shared since their first meeting. Perhaps in a later trilogy… not to mention the fun confusion over whether Kettricken’s second child is really Fitz’ or Verity’s…

End of the Coterie & Regal

The slow dissolution of Galen’s coterie across books 2-3 was masterful. Will was an insidious rival for Fitz to face, and his eventual slow death was as sad and ugly as it was gratifying. Fitz’ decision to twist Regal’s mind, as Chivalry once did to Galen, was curiously both cyclic and freeing. He frees himself from the title of murderer when he chooses not to kill Regal, but he repeats the actions of his ancestral line… even to the point of ending the book, dreaming of creating his own dragon.

Assassin’s Quest is Long

There’s no denying that this is a long book. Anyone can tell that just by looking at it. At 800+ pages, even Stormlight is challenged (but not defeated) by the length of Assassin’s Quest. Overall, its length is worthwhile… except for Fitz’ transportation into the Skill city, I would argue.

When Fitz first encounters a Skill pillar, he is transported to a shadowy city filled with ghosts and dodgy furniture. He is unsure how he got there, or why, and confused about where Kettricken and the team have disappeared to.

I can’t lie, I found it really hard to concentrate during that segment. I repeatedly flicked back through the pages to see if I had missed an important segue (I hadn’t), and found the descriptions of the city to be unsteady and vague. I suspect that was intentional, but it threw me more than a little, and is the only section that I started to skim read. I was greatly pleased when Fitz returned to the group and the novel continued on a more familiar path.

Final Thoughts

Nighteyes’ is the heart of the book. I long to know more about what went with wrong with Nighteyes attempt to live with a pack, though his love of Kettricken and the Fool is replacement enough.

Regularly, Fitz hides away from the brutal truths of the female experience. He’s blind to both Molly’s pregnancy and the raping of Starling until he has no option but to confront them. It’s not that he lacks empathy, but his ignorance is a little devastating.

The question of the Fool’s gender continues, though he asserts his manliness to Fitz in this book, so I am inclined to believe the Fool is AMAB.

I missed Patience. but her brief flashes through Fitz’ inept Skilling showed that she retained her brilliance from Assassin’s Apprentice and Royal Assassin.

Lastly, I believe that the best part of this trilogy is the depiction of Fitz progression from childhood through his teen years and into manhood. The development of his character retained the essence of whatever makes Fitz Fitz, throughout the innocence, ignorance, pride, and finally worldliness.

The finale of Robin Hobb‘s first trilogy in the Realm of the Elderlings world is completed by this hefty tome, but continued by the Liveship Traders trilogy… which I shall certainly be reading in 2026.

Interested in more wolfish tales? Check out my reading list for the best dogs in fiction, or subscribe to the blog… there will surely be more reviews dedicated to books with heavily featured canines in the future.