Arrrrrrgh. How do you rate a book that made your heart ache?

Robin Hobb, it is clear, sees her characters as living breathing creatures. They are not paper creations serving as plot points, or throwaway side characters, or ones who only step in to save the day. In Assassin's Apprentice, we meet Fitz. Scruffy, illegitimate, sent to live away from his mother. Taken in by Chade, made an assassin - a profession he never wanted. He was to serve the king, which kept him from following his heart. Yet Fitz found ways, eh? He found Nighteyes, and they were pack. He found Molly. Burrich took him in. Later, Patience, and Verity, and all those who loved him well. Of course, we can't forget the Fool. What a complicated, frustrating love he had for Fitz.

It's not just Fitz, either - the Liveship Traders series - Althea, fiery and proud. Malta, who started out annoying and deceptive but grew into wisdom and strength with the aid of dragons. Kennit and his perverse and abused back story. His small redemption with Etta. The liveships themselves - Vivacia, and poor twisted Paragon, who gains a redemption of his own.

The dragons! Tintaglia, Heeby, Icefyre (his head on the hearth! Oh, how that made me cheer). The silver, the elderlings, the complex magic in Hobb's world, the details, the way she made you hate Kennit while you pitied him, or loathed Regal, but understood why he did what he did. Fear Paragon, and yet understand how Althea could love him.

In this, Assassin's Fate, you see it all. Robin Hobb (or Megan) brings all the loose ends in and weaves such a backstory, such connections, that I marveled at how seamlessly it was done, at her skill. Then I thought how satisfying, to finally GET things, that "Ahhhh, now I see," feeling. But that was immediately followed by sadness, because oh, no. If she lays bare the mysteries of the past, what more will there be to tell? But she kept on, and next thing I knew, they had all come together. The dragons, the liveships, Fitz and the Fool, Bee all mixed up in the Fool's past. Icefyre! Even the ghost of Nighteyes, speaking in Fitz's mind, sounding as he always did. I was simultaneously overwhelmed with joy and sadness. That was this book for me.

How does Robin Hobb complete a book like this? With a great respect for all those she's loved, all the characters she's made me love. In just the right way. So that you put it down when done, and cry, and smile, and think, "I wouldn't want these characters in anyone else's hands, ever." Nighteyes lives on. Every time our dog huddles up to my husband, and my husband says, "Yes. We're pack." Every time I wonder why I am not using my claws, why I am close to giving up, I think, "Heh, that's something the wolf would say."

If you have not touched these books, if you keep meaning to and put it off, if you think, "Eh, I don't like dragons," well, stop it. Get the Farseer series. Read it. Then decide.

Oh. The usual - received as a galley in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book that keeps you reading late at night. It took me a little while to read this book but I am a slow reader. Very well written.

I enjoyed the story very much and I know what will be reading anything else that Robin Hobb writes because the books are always so good.

4 stars!
I'm tempted to give this 5stars because FitzChivalry is my probably my very favorite book character of all time, and the ending did not disappoint (I've spent the last two hours crying my eyes out) - BUT, in true Robin Hobb style the first 60% of the book was a drag. In fact, my sisters are reading this book and warned me not to spoil it, and I told them that up to that point, I couldn't spoil anything even if I tried - NOTHING had happened. It was reminiscent of the last book of the 1st trilogy where it was just tons of travel time and introspection until the last 25% of the book and then BAM, non stop action and emotion.

I will say that Bee really grew on me in this last book. I really disliked her in books one and two, but she was great in this book. And little Perseverance - he was so adorable. One of my new favorites. So many people in this series overall that I just loved and were so memorable - Verity, Kettricken, Nighteyes, Chade, Burrich - even Motley! Oddly there were others that I feel I should have liked, but just never really did. Dutiful's wife, Nettle, Fool as Amber, Bee when she was young. Molly most of all - I never liked her. Am I the only one that never really "felt" the relationship with her and Fitz?

One of the things I didn't like is I felt like the book took too much time with Rainwild and Liveship stuff. I liked those characters, but those sections went on forever and were totally irrelevant to anyone that didn't read the Liveship or Rainwild books. It felt a little indulgent to me that Hobb seemed to want to write a sequel to their story too, but was foisting it on me in a place I didn't want it (in a Fitz book).

If I could rate the last 35% of the book - this would be 5 stars. The ending was everything you would want, everything is wrapped up nicely. You'll probably feel like me, absolutely wrung out emotionally, sad to say goodbye to old friends (and let's be honest - their story is done - time to let them go), but satisfied with how things turn out.

Despite my nitpicks, this series will always be one of my absolute favorites of all time. The characters are fantastic, Hobb can write so beautifully and emotionally. The magic system is great (skilling, wit, dragons, elderlings), the world is so complete and complex. I feel as I do every time I end a beloved series - bittersweet that it ended, and wondering if I'll ever find another series that will ever be so dear to me!

I received a free ARC through Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Wow. Doesn't seem like twenty years ago when I first came across Robin Hobb's first book, Assassin's Apprentice, and I haven't missed any books over the handful of trilogies based in this world. So, one more time I have fallen back into Fitz's story....

Possible spoilers ahead - 'Ware!

As the third book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, the story continues with Fitz and the Fool and a few companions are in the belief his daughter Bee is dead. That being the case, they plan on assassinating the Servants, all of them, in vengeance. At the same time, Bee who is alive is trying to escape her kidnappers. In the long-short of it, both parties are headed to island of the Servants.

Without too many spoilers, Fitz finds Bee, and in the escape Fitz is left behind and the whole party of companions leave. Having left Fitz to die (he was pinned under debris and told them to go) the group travels back home, not knowing Fitz has actually survived (details you will have to read).

Ok ... enough of the story as I don't want to share how it ended....

Wow. I truly did tear up a bit towards the end of the story. Probably about where Fitz is trapped and left behind ... and then later when what happens, happens. I don't think a story has moved me as much as this one has, with me feeling so much for a character. Robin Hobb has done an immaculate job in creating this world and her characters! I hope to see more stories in this world-setting, and am hoping Hobb will continue the story of Bee, Nettle, and other characters.

I am very wary of spoilers so I will just say that this book is everything you have been waiting for if you are a long time follower of the world of Fitz, The fool, Bee and Buck. I can hardly believe that the concluding book of a trilogy of trilogys has kept me so interested, excited and sleepless. Don't start this if you have a lot on, need a good weeks sleep etc as you won't want to stop until it's finished

I was over the moon to receive an arc copy of this book from net galley and Robin Hobb

Assassin's Fate was a fantastic conclusion to an amazing series, but what else could be expected by Robin Hobb. The fact that the author could make me care so much about these characters that I was almost afraid to read it, because I knew the author was so capable of putting me through an emotional roller coaster, shows the authors strength. My fears were well founded, but it was worth the ride to find the end of the story for two of my favorite characters off all time, Fitz and the Fool.

If you are the kind of person who tears up easily when you read, better have a box of Kleenex ready.

In this final volume of the series, Fitz, the Fool, and their companions continue on their travels to rescue Fitz’s daughter Bee from her abduction by the Servants from the far-off island of Clerres, home of the Fool’s prophetic people. Narration is shared between Fitz and Bee, who fights hard to survive her harsh captivity and becomes ever stronger under the wolf Nighteye’s mental companionship. The resolution won for them is hard fought, and as always, Fitz suffers much before he is allowed to rest.

The entire Fitz and the Fool series has read to me as if Hobb is saying farewell to the world she has created through all the books she has written over the years. In the previous novel, Fitz and the others met the characters of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, and in this one, they join forces with people from the Liveship Traders books. Brashen, Althea, Paragon the liveship and more join Fitz on his quest to avenge Bee. This volume presents some exciting developments in regard to the nature of the liveships and their relationship to dragons, too.

This is a long book. At times it’s gripping, but anyone who craves constant action might find some parts of it a bit of a struggle. Travel isn’t always very exciting, and much of the book is spent simply getting to Clerres. (There’s plenty of action once they get there, though.) Fitz also maintains his habit of introspection and worry over his role and how he might fail the Fool and all the others he cares for, something that doesn’t really lend itself to rapid pacing.

The end of the novel is both right and emotionally wrenching. The resolution of the partnership of Fitz, the Fool, and Nighteyes is perfect both in regard to the special bond shared by the three of them and in how it connects back to their early adventures. At the same time, the way Hobb gets them to that point was hard for me to read because I’ve come to love these characters so much. She gives us George R. R. Martin levels of physical suffering toward the end of the book, and I wanted better for Fitz. Yet that ending also allows Hobb to show the profound impact Fitz's life has had in a way that's very moving. It really is all very masterfully written and shows Hobb at her very best as an author.

If you have eagerly followed Fitz’s story over the years, this book is a necessary read and very highly recommended. Just keep those tissues handy.

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And then I bought it, because I had to have it.

Such a conclusion to the tale a generation of readers have loved and followed. Robin Hobb has such a way of taking your emotions through peaks and valleys in the span of but a few pages. I've shed more tears while reading this finale than through any other story, in any medium, I've ever experienced. Lifts of joy and moments of sorrow and a fitting conclusion.

Robin Hobb seemed to never hit the slump that so many authors slog through in a trilogy, let alone a trilogy of trilogies with other stories in this fantastic world tying in. Following Fitz through his adventures, feeling as if I've lived them has been an experience I'll never forget.

In this, the finale book of FitzChivalry's story, we come to the conclusion of the search for vengeance against those who stole away Bee Farseer. Bee has been a wonderful surprise and her story here with all its twists and turns is fantastic. Each of the new characters introduced and the old friends we see are memorable, are special in their own ways and Robin Hobb has done an incredible job of bringing new faces to this world and having them fit so seemlessly into this story. Lant and Per, Spark and Amber who is the Fool who is Beloved join Fitz as he travels through the regions we have visited in Robin Hobbs other series as well as new lands in hunting vengeance, or perhaps seeking to save little Bee.

I don't know that I've ever read a series that ended on such a high note. Sweet or bitter sweet, painful or tragic the end is never certain as we read but it is as well written and paced as any masterpiece you will ever come across. Readers prepare to be torn from your normal lives for the duration of this novel as every page shall capture you and draw you in. It is a shame we can offer only 5 stars.

If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll be well aware I am a huge Robin Hobb fan (see here, here, and here!), so it’s probably no surprise to you that Assassin’s Fate was without a doubt my most anticipated read of 2017. Knowing that this was the finale not only to the Fitz and the Fool trilogy, but to The Realm of the Elderlings as a whole, I went in with both huge anticipation and nerves. I didn’t feel I had time to re-read the whole Realm of the Elderlings series, but the long wait between Assassin’s Quest and Assassin’s Fate gave me plenty of time to re-read the first two books in this trilogy before Assassin’s Fate so that I’d be fully refreshed on the details before Assassin’s Fate. I finished Assassin’s Quest on holiday and immediately picked up Assassin’s Fate. Over the ten days it took me to read it, I wanted to fly through because it was so addictive and because I so desperately wanted to know what happened, and yet I also never wanted it to end. Reading on holiday worked out as a reasonable compromise, because we were so busy I didn’t actually have that much time to read, so I got to savour a little longer!

Don’t do what you can’t undo, until you’ve considered well what you can’t do once you’ve done it.

In this final volume, Fitz, Lant, Perseverance, Spark and the Fool are heading to Clerres to seek revenge on the Four and the Servants, while Bee is unwillingly being taken to Clerres by Dwalia. Those two plot-lines are addictive in different ways. Bee goes through even more character growth than she did in Assassin’s Quest, and she’s come a long way from the little girl we first met in Fool’s Assassin. She has to explore how ruthless she’s willing to be as she and Dwalia try to survive their trip to Clerres, often having to choose between the enemy you know versus the one you don’t. Hers is a fairly isolated journey, and although there is plenty of danger on the route, there’s also a lot of internal conflict but it’s no less intriguing for that – the snippets of Bee’s dream journal in particular make for interesting mysterious reading.

Fitz’s journey in comparison, is full of people and the complex relationships between them that Hobb is so good at writing and which I have such a weakness for. The relationships between Lant, Perseverence and Spark, as well as their interactions with both Fitz and the Fool are interesting enough on their own, but of course it’s Fitz and the Fool’s relationship which remains, as it always has from my perspective, the most mysterious, the most intriguing, the most intricate. In this book, as they read Bee’s journals, the two also form a bond with Bee, and the way those bonds differ, as well as the way they impact the Fitz and Fool’s relationship adds another layer of complexity to their relationship.

She could be prickly and exacting, critical and demanding. But she was like that in the confidence that they shared a love that could withstand such things.

As well as all of that, the journey takes them through many lands familiar to us from previous books, and Hobb ties up the whole Realm of the Elderlings series, showing us glimpses – and sometimes more involved appearances – from characters we’ve loved in other trilogies. Hobb’s characters feel like old friends – in some cases, very old friends – and even as you’re addicted to the storyline in Fool’s Assassin, the nostalgia may well have you adding a re-read of the other books into your reading plans too. My boyfriend said to me at one point that Assassin’s Fate was like my Avengers movie, and I agreed that it was – but better. The liveships, the dragons, the white prophets, the Bingtown traders, the Pirate Isles – it’s all here, and it was everything I could have hoped for and more.

Hobb’s writing is, as usual, one of my favourite things about the books. I re-read favourite sentences, I copied down quotes, I just-barely restrained myself from reading bits aloud to my other half (who has only read the original trilogy so far). The way Hobb ties up the series as a whole, bringing in previously loved characters never felt awkward or contrived. Despite the fact we haven’t seen some of these characters in years, there’s no info-dumps; the characters are there, as interesting and three-dimensional as they’ve always been, and so, particularly for more minor appearances, when Hobb assumes you’ll know who they are, you just do.

So much of his life was mine and so much of mine was his.

I’ve followed Fitz from the very beginning, and here, at the end of the series, I wasn’t sure what to expect, or what to hope for. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll say only that it was perfect. We got answers to questions we’ve had for a long time, we got the fantastic worlds and characters Hobb always delivers and we got a plot I didn’t want to put down. When this ended, I genuinely found myself hugging the book and smiling. Fool’s Assassin made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me ramble incoherently with excitement, and it only solidified my love for the series. I’m not sure what else you could possibly want from a series finale really!

All I can say is, thank you Robin Hobb. And whether she returns to the Realm of the Elderlings or writes something totally different, I’ll be happy to follow, because she’s never once let me down.

I'm torn on how to go about this--as an advance review, I feel some additional responsibility to say more than, "It was AWESOME!!" But it's impossible to tell you why it's awesome without spoilers. So, since we all know perfectly well that if you're this far into the series you're going to be reading this book regardless of what I write, I'm just going to tell you now why you're going to love this book:
1) It is the perfect conjunction of all the pieces Robin's created for her Realm of the Elderlings. FINALLY, our favorite people (and ships!) from the Six Duchies, Bingtown, and the Rain Wilds come together the way we've been longing for them to for quite some time. There are surprises in what happens when she does it, but they all make sense within the history that she's built.
2) It's the ending I didn't know I wanted until she gave it to me. Maybe many others of you saw it coming years ago, but I honestly didn't. At the risk of drifting into spoiler territory (like the way you start looking for the twist as soon as someone tells you there's a twist, even if they don't tell you what the twist is, thereby ruining the effect of said twist), all I can say is that few (no?) characters have ever made hurt for them and rejoice for them the way Fitz always has, and this volume of his life is no exception. It was beautiful, painful (because what in Fitz's life isn't?), and perfect.

5 stars!

*

Assassin’s Fate is a heartbreaking and worthy conclusion to one of the best Fantasy series out there. It is an emotional and complex tale of friendship, love, and betrayal, bringing back all of our favorite characters and delivering a story that is both powerful and absolutely captivating.

Robin Hobb has been dazzling readers for over twenty years now with her writing. She has a gift when it comes to creating layered characters and making them suffer, as well as developing intricate plots that grasp your imagination. This novel has all of that and more. It is profound, touching, and painful in the best of ways.

I’ll try my best to string sentences together, but I am having a hard time gathering my thoughts. I found out about the Reamls rather late — September 2015, according to Goodreads. I fell deeply in love with Fitz, Fool, and the other characters, going through all 14 books in a little over two weeks. So while I haven’t been waiting as long for the end as some readers, I was both excited about Assassin’s Fate, and dreading having it in my hands. I actually cried a bit when I got accepted for the ARC. :P

There are really no words to describe how incredible this book is. It brings back so many characters we’ve gotten to know and love throughout the series, all fitting and fighting together. The book is told mostly from the POVs of Fitz and Bee, as each of them continue on from the previous installment. Even in this conclusion, there is a lot of character development, as our favorites face their final obstacles and struggle to protect what they hold dear.

The rich world-building is also another highlight. Hobb has created an unique universe that is fascinating, and in this novel we get even more of it. There are more details, secrets are revealed, questions answered. It is so satisfying to learn about things we’ve long wanted answered, especially with the way they fit together with and impact the rest of the plot.

I am so so so sad to see this series come to an end, but everything is so well-written and well-executed that I can’t even be mad, haha. All the pieces fall to form a perfect, if bittersweet, ending. The story ends as I expected it to end, and it brought tears to my eyes. Fitz and the Fool broke my heart, but they got the beautiful conclusion they deserved.

Assassin’s Fate is everything I hoped for this series. Hobb delivers a story rich in characters and world-building, with a well-developed plot, lots of twists and turns, and action. It has its heartbreaking moments, but it also has its sweet ones. I loved every single moment of it, and I will always hold this series close to my heart.

“How often had the Fool told me that life was an immense wheel, turning in a set track, and that his task was to bump the wheel out of that track and set it on a better one?”

The third and final novel in “The Fitz and The Fool” trilogy picks up immediately after the cliffhanger conclusion of book two. I won’t provide a plot summary for two primary reasons: a) it is sufficiently complex that I wouldn’t do it justice, and b) it would be near impossible without major spoilage. In essence, FitzChivalry Farseer (Fitz), once more chases after those who have harmed his family, believing that his gifted daughter, Bee, after being kidnapped by the Servants of the Four, has been lost forever in a Skill-pillar. This novel brings in many many characters from previous books, almost like a final farewell tour, including major characters from the Liveship Traders such as Althea Vestrit and the Liveships themselves, the Rain Wild Chronicles, and the earlier Farseer books. Much like book two of this trilogy (Fool’s Quest), the story is told through alternating chapter viewpoints from both Fitz and Bee, with snippets at the beginning of each chapter (such as from Bee Farseer’s Dream Journal) that are remarkable clues to the bigger picture.

I always know what to expect when I start reading a Robin Hobb novel: fully realized characters in a well-developed setting with an engaging plot and a surprise or three along the way. And that’s exactly what I got…for the first 60-65% of the novel. Everything was perking along just fine; I was fully absorbed in the events surrounding my beloved characters, I was appropriately on the edge of my seat hoping against hope for an outcome I could live with, and all the while wallowing in the wondrously lush and complex world that I have inhabited through previous books for some 20 years. But then…

Robin Hobb dialed it up to 11.

I cannot adequately express the emotional roller-coaster that is the final third of this novel. It is truly wondrous prose mixed with a nail-biting, how-dare-you, reaction to the rapidly evolving plot. Make no mistake: this is a book about endings. But just how that plays out is among the most rewarding experiences of my reading life. I will admit to being worried when I started at the beginning of this book. After all, how can any author ever satisfy the cravings of rabid fans, pleasing all and pissing off none? They can’t of course. But for those seeking answers to “Who is the Unexpected Son?”, or “Who is the Twice-Lived Prophet?” or “Who is The Destroyer?” can rest assured that answers to those questions and more that have developed over 15+ books can be found in this final volume.

The novel can be read simply as the third book of a trilogy but I highly recommend pursuing not only the previous direct Fitz novels (The Farseer trilogy, The Tawny Man trilogy, as well as The Fitz and The Fool trilogy) but also The Liveship Traders trilogy and the 4-set Rain Wild Chronicles in order to get the complete experience and appreciate the nuances contributed by the “lesser” characters here.

This novel is a long one but Robin Hobb fans will understand when I say, it doesn’t seem like a long book at all. I enjoy spending time with these characters and in this world so if anything, I wish it were longer. The end of the book works extremely well as the capstone of the entire series but I, for one, wouldn’t mind reading more within this world.

“We follow you, Fitz, to the end, no matter how bitter.”

And yes, it was bitter. And also sweet. As is always the case when one says farewell to an old friend. And by now, that’s just what these characters feel like, old friends. How could it be different; I’ve been following some of them for twenty-plus year. The last book had me tearing up in shared joy with one of these characters; this one had me tearing up in shared sorrow. Honestly, I put off reading this book as long as I did because I was pretty sure I knew where it was going and, like the characters themselves, I just didn’t want to face it.

And yes, it hurt. I didn’t want to read on; I didn’t want to stop reading. And when I finally came to that end, that gloriously sad/joyful/depressing/inspiring perfectly inevitable and inevitably perfect ending, it was exactly as it should be. And more.

How more? Because Assassin’s Fate isn’t just the perfect wrap to the FITZ AND FOOL trilogy, it is a masterful culmination of multiple series set in this universe: all the ones associated with Fitz and the Fool of course (the FARSEER and TAWNY MAN trilogies), but also the RAIN WILD CHRONICLES and the LIVESHIP TRADERS trilogy. Hobb didn’t just stick the landing here, she stuck five landings. One after the other. Bam. Bam. Bam. Perfect tens all around.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more deft handling of prior material by an author. Assassin’s Fate is the Bayeux Tapestry of fantasy fiction. Usually when this sort of thing is done, it feels like old characters/plot strands are shoehorned in as opposed to feeling part of the organic structure and narrative. Characters come and go like so many Stan Lee cameos in Marvel films, plots lines whiz by and are resolved like those European trips advertised on college classroom walls: 30 countries in 6 Days! (Snapchat caption: Church in Spain. Maybe Portugal. Possibly Lithuania. Never mind—it’s Cleveland). None of that is true here. Old characters like Althea, Malten, Paragon, Etta, Brashen, Thick, Thymara, Chade, Nighteyes, Kettricken, and others (including Liveships and dragons) steps smoothly and confidently onto the stage, each at their appointed time and place just as it should be. All are given due respect as characters rather than being displayed as props or offered up as cheap sentimentality. Their decisions and actions are important, no matter how many or how few pages they’re around for.

But none of this comes as any surprise, because Hobb has always been I’d argue the best writer when it comes to creating not just characters (lots of authors do that well), but in creating and conveying the intricate tracery that bind those characters one to the other in a beautifully filigreed network of human connection. And in Assassin’s Fate all her consummate skills are on full-out display.

Now granted, one of the reasons we feel each one of these characters import is because Hobb is willing to spend time with them, is able to give them some space to work with so that we see not just the big shared events but the tiny domestic, more intimate moments that tie them all together. With so many characters, that means Assassin’s Fate is a pretty sizeable book, nearly 900 pages. And while yes, it does have the trademark “slow” pace of a Hobb novel, I read it in a single day in a few sittings quite happily and when I checked its length (the Kindle gives no sense of weight obviously and I never look at the page numbers), I was shocked at how long it was. I would have guessed more like 600 or so pages. And let’s face it, if a slow pace were an obstacle, you probably wouldn’t have made it this far in Hobb’s work.

One last point on this aspect of reintroducing old characters from prior series. I don’t think it is at all necessary to have read the RAIN WILD CHRONICLES and the LIVESHIP TRADERS, but there’s no doubt not having done so will mean you’ll miss out on a good amount of the narrative and emotional richness in this book, so I’d strongly, strongly advise it.

Back to the characters and their relationships. One of my favorites themes in Hobbs’ work is the idea that nobody ever is or ever stays simply one thing. A theme driven home by all the multiple identities, all the gender-title switching, all the evolving we get. Sure it can, I guess, get frustrating for some readers (wait, who is the “she” now?), Heck, it even frustrates some of the characters, as when Fitz realizes he just doesn’t like Amber (one of the Fool’s many facets). But the truth is we don’t get to just pick out the parts of the people we love; we have to take them as their entirety, and I think that’s a beautiful theme throughout this book/series. One made explicit in an early conversation between Fitz and Perseverance:
“So that’s who she really is? A girl named Spark?”
“Spark is whoever she is. Sometimes that’s Ash. It’s like being a father and a son and perhaps a husband. All different facets of the same person.”

The expectations we put on people to be the people we want them to be, to play the roles we want them to play in the manner in which we want them played, is another running theme, and while we see that in traditional, realistic ways — disputes between parents and children for instance — the way Bee has to learn to fend for herself —, as can often be the case in fantasy, we also see how a metaphor can become literal in a subplot involving the Liveships and their own personal evolution.

This is all presented in wholly mature fashion, in all its attendant complexity. People struggle to understand one another and themselves. Relationships are not static, they bend and stretch and flex. The one at the core of this universe — that between Fitz and the Fool — is shown during moments of almost uncomfortable intimacy (uncomfortable in the sense that the reader feels he/she shouldn’t be there at all, that these two characters should be alone with their private moments of grief or happiness) and during moments where they appear farther apart than they’ve ever been from one another.

And it all feels so human. So real. You feel the weight of experience behind all this expression and confusion of love (whether it be the love of one friend for another, one lover for another, a parent for a child, a mentor for a student). You feel the heft of lives already lived, the onus of consequences from acts already taken (as opposed to the clean slate of history we see way too often, where things are simply forgotten a few pages/scenes down the road). That last idea comes up repeatedly in a tag-line mentioned several times, either verbatim or in various formulations of the same thing: “Never do that which you can’t undo, until you’ve perceived what you can’t do once you’ve done it.” What a different world it would be were this our guiding light.

And while we get sword fights and dragon fights and fire and water, daring rescues that succeed and daring rescues that do not, chase scenes and explosions, it all comes back to relationships at the core of it all, and at the end of it all.

Which is why that ending is so damn perfect, so damned inevitable and horrible and inspiring and cruel and warm and perfect (yes, I know I already said that). Why it left me buoyed and depressed, hollowed out and filled with joy. Hobbs stuck the landing, dropped the mic, freed the wolf, Fitzed the Fool. You want those pages at the end to both be done and to just keep going.

Assassin’s Fate is a true gift to Robin Hobb’s fans, and sometimes a review can be summed up in two heartfelt words: Thank you.

I couldn't even sort out the genders of the characters. Very confusing overall. Very disappointing. Did not finish..

Assassin’s Fate is an emotional roller-coaster of a book that is heartbreaking, bittersweet and absolutely perfect. This book is not just a perfect ending to The Fitz and Fool trilogy, but also to The Realm of the Elderlings series so far. So much so, that my only negative reaction is fear that there may not be another series in this world that Hobb has made me love so much. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely huge potential for more stories to be told there, but for this conclusion, Hobb expertly weaves together threads from all the prior series in to one epic conclusion.

For any readers that have previously wondered how disconnected the non-Fitz series are from the Fitz ones, I can say they do all come together in this final book. If you have not read Liveship Traders or Rain Wild Chronicles, I strongly advise you to go read those first as there are characters and references from every series that really just add an extra layer of enjoyment. All of The Realm of the Elderling books are worth reading and I believe you will get more out of this conclusion if you have experienced all of the prior stories first.

As in true Hobb form, this book is emotional. We have seen Fitz grow from the lost and lonely orphan into the man with more life experiences and heartbreak than any one human should have. He does at least have those moments of joy and fulfillment in between that makes it all so worth while.

His relationship with the Fool has been a constant for him, and while we have seen multiple faces of the Fool, seeing how Fitz reacts to his friends mysterious ways is interesting. Fitz has to deal with realizing that as close as the connection is between the two of them, there is still a tremendous amount of the Fool that is a mystery to him.

This book is split into two interwoven stories and perspectivbes. First there is Bee. Poor Bee, Fitz’s young kidnapped daughter, is at the center of everything. Her kidnappers do not treat her well at all, we know how the Servants treated the Fool, and she has to struggle just to survive at times, much less escape. But she is her father’s daughter, so you know she has a tremendous amount of fight in her despite her young age and small size. Her story is one of perseverance and survival, using any and all resources she can.

Then on the other side of things is Fitz. Fitz’s main goal is vengeance and retribution. He wants to destroy the Servants for stealing Bee and what he knows of them from the Fool only serves to feed that desire. They came and destroyed his home at Withywoods, where he and his family were supposed to be safe. They also tortured and crippled his dearest friend. Now they have his daughter. Yeah, you can be sure Fitz will want use all the training he had under Chade, training on all the different ways to kill, for revenge. Fitz has had a habit of blaming himself for all the problems of his world, particularly when bad things happen to those he loved. Even as he has matured, this trait still haunts his life. He blames himself for Bee’s capture and will not rest until he finds a way to pretty much annihilate the Servants.

The stories are exciting and addictive and this book ends the series with a fantastically epic conclusion. It really is perfect. I once again loved every page, and my hope after reading this is that Hobb will give us a new series centered on Bee. She is an amazing and fascinating character that would work extremely well as the center of a new series. Not that anyone asked me, but I can hope, right?

Believing her to be The Unexpected Son, Bee has been kidnapped by the Servants. They hope to use her for their own personal gain and wealth. Knowing firsthand the torture the Servants are capable of, The Fool sets out with Fitz and Co. to get her back. When I started this book, I was thinking wow, that's a long book. A few pages in, and I was already wishing it was at least a thousand pages longer. I feel that way every time I read a book by Robin Hobb. She is brilliant!

I adored this. It brought together the author's Six Duchies, Liveship and Rainwilds series in a beautiful, seamless way. I hope for many more stories in this world.

Robin Hobb is a master of the well written, caring fantasy. This book along with the other two in the trilogy, Fool's Assassin and Fool's Quest are not just well told tales. They have the heft and tone of history. You care about these characters, they are real, there are times that you just have to put the book down in order to prepare yourself for what is to follow. It takes a special breed of writer to accomplish this.
Assassin's Fate is more of the same. a book to be savored and read well and slowly.

Robin Hobb continues to blow me away. Although the book like many epic fantasies can get kinda slow and dragging at times it left me crying and wanting more at the end. An emotional ending to one of the best fantasy series of the last 20 years. I will continue to recommend her titles to my fantasy loving customers.

This, is the final book in the third trilogy, and it is an absolute monster, coming in it at over 900 pages, but oh, how I warred with myself. I didn't want it to end, and I was equally desperate to get to the end; to know what finally happened to Fitz. I tried to stop myself at 45% of the way through but found I was unable to, oh, and you're kept guessing until the very, very end - so don't be thinking that anything is going to be resolved any sooner than that.

These stories can be laboriously slow - taken up with one of the things I most hate about epic fantasy - the constant travelling and journeying to new countries - but somehow Robin Hobb gets away with it in ways I will not allow another author to do. Each detail is beautifully drawn out, and you're left wondering how she has the patience to craft her stories so precisely and so well. There is no hint of a headlong rush to the end, and none of the characters are skimmed over - each is allowed to fully evolve and have their due time on the page and in the reader's mind before the inevitable conclusion.

I can't gush enough about how wonderful this final book was - it didn't feel final for the vast majority of it - it's not the work of an author giving a few more pages for a host of adoring fans - but rather a fully rounded and complex story. This third book still has much to offer readers, and I'm left wondering where Robin Hobb will venture next - will the story of the Farseers continue? (as really it must) or is this a fond farewell to the whole world of dragons and Skill users she's evolved over the differing trilogies?

What I know is that I cried when I should have done, and left the trilogy feeling as though a job had been exceptionally well done and my own half-formed hopes and dreams for the characters had been both wholly-wrong and yet also rightly achieved.

I can't recommend this book enough and for all those who've not yet read any of the three trilogies, I can feel only envy that you still have it all to come.

I will add to Goodreads, Amazon and Wordpress when the novel is released.