Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb : Review

More than twenty years ago, the first epic fantasy novel featuring FitzChivalry Farseer and his mysterious, often maddening friend the Fool struck like a bolt of brilliant lightning. Now New York Times bestselling author Robin Hobb brings to a momentous close the third trilogy featuring these beloved characters in a novel of unsurpassed artistry that is sure to endure as one of the great masterworks of the genre.

Fitz’s young daughter, Bee, has been kidnapped by the Servants, a secret society whose members not only dream of possible futures but use their prophecies to add to their wealth and influence. Bee plays a crucial part in these dreams—but just what part remains uncertain.

As Bee is dragged by her sadistic captors across half the world, Fitz and the Fool, believing her dead, embark on a mission of revenge that will take them to the distant island where the Servants reside—a place the Fool once called home and later called prison. It was a hell the Fool escaped, maimed and blinded, swearing never to return.

For all his injuries, however, the Fool is not as helpless as he seems. He is a dreamer too, able to shape the future. And though Fitz is no longer the peerless assassin of his youth, he remains a man to be reckoned with—deadly with blades and poison, and adept in Farseer magic. And their goal is simple: to make sure not a single Servant survives their scourge

It’s been a few weeks since I finished Assassin’s Fate and I’m still struggling to put how I felt about it into works. I’ve been a huge fan of Robin Hobbs ever since I first picked up a copy of Assassin’s Apprentice nearly 20 years ago when I stumbled across it at the library. In all that time I don’t think there has been another author who has so consistently made me fall in love with her characters and the world that they live in. I’ve sat up the entire night at least 3 nights now, reading this book 3 separate times.

I don’t want to chance spoiling anything for the people who haven’t read the book or are just getting started on the series so I’m not going to go into much detail. I will say that I think this is by far the best book Robin Hobb has written so far. I’ve never had a book make me feel so many different emotions at one time. I laughed, I cried, I cheered, and I got angry over and over again as I read this book. I don’t really know how she managed to pack so many different emotions into a single book.

Since I’ve been reading this series for almost 20 years now I probably had my expectations set way too high for this book, but Robin Hobb somehow managed to exceed my expectations in just about every way. I’ve always said if there is one thing that I think this author does better than anyone else it’s write the ending to a trilogy or series. I can still remember finishing Assassin’s Quest years ago and just being awed by the ending — Assassin’s Fate surpassed that ending in every way possible. Robin Hobb has a lot of work ahead of her if she eve wants to top this book at some point in the future.

There probably isn’t a single person that I wouldn’t recommend this book to over and over again, though I would highly recommend that everyone who hasn’t read the rest of the series do so first. Anyone who tries to start here will be completely and utterly lost.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.