RATING: FIVE STARS
The treachery of Prince Regal in the Mountain Kingdom nearly cost FitzChivalry Farseer his life. Still weak and terrorised by the savage seizures that grip his body, the royal bastard and assassin struggles with the poison that has crippled him. For it is not just his body that his broken, but his mind and Fitz must learn to live with the poor health he is left with if he is ever to return to Buckkeep Castle. That is where his king dwells, it is where the Fool and his old mentor, Chade, await him. He must return, despite his misgivings. He must return and face Regal. He must return and aid his strength to Verity's war against the Red Ships because Outislander raids are now more frequent that ever before. They attack the coasts of the Six Duchies with impunity, pillaging and burning as they go. The lucky ones are killed outright in the raids and the unlucky . . . well, those hapless souls are Forged to become a ruined and terrible form of life, something lower than an animal that is stripped of all morality, emotion and thought.
Terror is rife in the Duchies and the people are quickly losing patience in a crown that seems to be doing little to help them. So Verity finally orders the construction of his warships. He draws Galen's coterie to him, using their Skill to aid his own. But the last thing Regal desires is for the Prince-In-Waiting to attain more power than he already has. Regal is insidious and far from as beaten as he leads his family to believe. It is only Fitz who fears him, only Fitz who suspects and knows that all must be given to stop Regal from tearing the Farseer's domain apart.
The Good
Royal Assassin is another masterpiece of the fantasy genre and Robin Hobb has outdone herself once again. If anything, the novel is even better than Assassin's Apprentice, it's predecessor, and continues the Farseer Trilogy in epic fashion. There is the peril and danger of the Raiders, the intrigue of forces that move unseen in the shadows . . . It truly is a time of war in the Six Duchies and that fact has not been lost in Hobb's writing. She has built and maintained tension well throughout the whole book and all of her characters are are on the verge of breaking. This adds a great sense of credibility to the story since the tension doesn't just appear for an attack and then dissipate like in some books, which I found very immersing.
Hobb's characterisation is as superb as ever and she doesn't hesitate in creating complex characters that are all very different to each other, with their own thoughts, ambitions and beliefs. This is as true to real life as is possible and the fact that her characters react realistically to the fights and challenges they face only makes the book better!
I also particularly enjoyed Fitz's views on the different magics he practices and the sinking realisation that he must finally learn to master the Skill if he is to help King-In-Waiting Verity. As you may remember from Assassin's Apprentice, Fitz has a number of issues regarding his Skill after the tortuous ordeal of Galen's training. I really 'enjoyed' (for lack of a better word) Fitz's frustration and efforts to master his Skill, which added a nice sub-layer to the story.
The Bad
Once again, I find myself having no fault with Hobb's writing and Royal Assassin sits proudly among the best novels of the fantasy genre!
Final Thoughts
Royal Assassin is even better than its predecessor and continues the Farseer Trilogy forward with the same immersive, emotional fashion that I have come to expect from Robin Hobb. It's a gripping, action-packed and sensitive book, which really stirred me as a reader and continues the stories of the Red Ships and Regal's treachery well, while rotating around the complex relationship between Fitz and Molly. In the end, the book is basically a love story and that's part of what makes it so special within the fantasy genre. Hobb has bared men's honour to the barest bones in a way no other author could and there is something deeply profound about how she describes the love and unwavering loyalty in Fitz's Wit bound with hounds. The book is definitely one for your reading list and deserves the highest praise!
