Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb

RATING: FIVE STARS

The Six Duchies are crumbling beneath Regal as he seeks to ascertain more and more power. He has plundered Buck Keep, opting to move all of its resources and wealth to the Inland Duchies which he naively believes to be safe from the Raiders, far beyond their reach. Yet not all are as lucky and, as the Coastal Duchies begin to fall, one by one, all of the death and Forging begins to take its toll. The Coastal Duchies become ruled by fear in the absence of their so-called 'King' and there are those that begin to resist. None are more fervent in their efforts than Chade Farstrider, the aged assassin who has finally flung away the garb of secrecy to openly defy Regal with the help of the Mountain Kingdom.

Anarchy rules and it is in this chaos that FitzChivalry finds himself, finally a free man who is able to control his own destiny. There is nothing but vengeance in his heart after the torture he endured to entertain Regal, nothing but anger and fear. For Regal broke Fitz, and he is not the proud warrior he once was. Fitz is alone, accompanied only his Nighteyes his faithful wolf, set on the path to kill Regal and bring him into account for what he has done. Yet Fitz soon finds himself conflicted, if he decides to pursue Regal now, now, when the true king Verity is in such grave need, who will aid him? Who will ensure that the Elderlings do indeed return to save the Coastal Duchies as they long ago promised to do?

The Good
Once again, Robin Hobb is superb and demonstrates her mastery of the fantasy genre. She has created interesting and relatable characters to populate her story and, just as no two people are exactly the same in real life, each person is unique, with their own personality, issues, drives and fears. This adds a real sense of depth to the book that many others lack and the story becomes stronger because of it.

The story itself is also fantastic and Hobb rounds the trilogy off nicely, following a plot that is as exciting, unpredictable and full of intrigue as ever! Assassin's Quest is the perfect ending to the series and all of its threads are woven off nicely, being fully explained and leaving nothing hanging.

The Bad
Once again, there is nothing that I didn't like about Hobb's work and Assassin's Quest is as flawless as its predecessors.

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Assassin's Quest is an exciting and dramatic end to the Farseer Trilogy, being a shining example of what fantasy can be at its best. It entertains, tugs at your emotions, has your heart in your mouth when the characters' are in danger and, best of all, is addictive in the wonderful vibrant way Hobb formulates her prose. This is a must read book for any epic fantasy fan and I thoroughly recommend the series to anyone who hasn't yet read it - each book in the series are among the best I've read in a long time!

Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb

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!

Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

RATING: FIVE STARS

Fitz is a bastard and had no great plans for adventure and service for his life. Yet he is no mere boy born outside of wedlock and is the son of Chivalry Farseer, the King-In-Waiting and heir to the throne of the Six Duchies. He has royal blood in his veins and it shouldn't have come as much as a surprise when he was taken to Buckkeep Castle and left there, for his rich family to raise him. Yet none could have expected the scandal that his existence caused. Chivalry abdicated his claim to the throne, the honour of which went to Prince Verity, his younger brother. None wanted anything to do with Fitz save a cantankerous old man, Burrich, the castle's Master of Stables.

It was Burrich that raised Fitz, teaching him the care of animals and how to remedy them, all the while aware that the boy possessed the Wit - a forbidden magic that allows Fitz to know the minds of animals, to commune with them and live a life outside of the rules of man. Burrich did his best to quash the Wit in Fitz, to keep him busy and his mind occupied. The weapons training from Hod, scribing tuition from Fedwren, chores and duties around the castle . . . All helped Burrich's goals. But Fitz is a King's Man, sworn to Shrewd who seeks to use him for his own ends and it is in secret when Fitz meets Chade. It is out of mind and knowledge of the court that he trains to be an assassin, learns to use poisons and powders to kill a man innocuously. He learns the Skill, a magic highly coveted by the Farseer dynasty, and not a life for himself. He exists only to serve, and he is needed now more than ever for the Red Ships have come. They raid the Duchies coastlines with impunity at will, killing that they want and Forging the rest, which the people quickly learn is a fate worse than death itself . . . And in the shadows behind it all, plots are formed and a game is played. There are those that are not happy with Shrewd's rule and Verity's succession . . .

The Good
I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much when I started reading Assassin's Apprentice. I'd heard it was good, but had read The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb and, while I enjoyed it, I wasn't overly impressed by it. I expected more of the same from this book, but I was wrong. The quality of Assassin's Apprentice was evident, right from page one and I had become addicted to Hobb's story, her characters and world within just a few chapters.

I hadn't even finished the novel before I knew it was becoming one of my favourites and it truly is "a diamond in a sea of zircons' as the quote from GRRM on its back cover suggests. I think there are many reasons for this, the first of which is due to the story itself. It's exciting, being full of action and political intrigue which I greatly enjoyed. What's nice and different about this story though, is due to Fitz and his position in the royal court. Obviously, as a bastard, he has no power and although he is aware of the political schemes, manoeuvrings and conspiracies, he has no way of preventing or directly combating them. He merely tries to survive them, all the while doing what's best for King Shrewd, even when he knows he's being used as an expendable piece on the game board. This adds a real sense of helplessness and tension to the book, which is very different to the intrigue of one powerful lord fighting another.

I also really liked Hobb's concept of magic in the book and she has managed to write in a form that's unarguably terrifying in its power and has great potential to be abused. Yet she has kept the abilities and uses it provides subtle and the book isn't filled with people flinging fireballs from their hands or calling lightning down from the sky. It's simply a tool that can only be used in certain circumstances and I thought this added an immersing and captivating layer to the story, especially when I stopped to consider its implications.

Hobb's characterisation is also fantastic and I quickly fell in love with them all, where each character is like a real person who is struggling with their own issues in life: love, loneliness, ambition, anger . . . Her characters run on emotions that we all have and drive everything we do. I also loved her portrayal of animals and how dearly Fitz holds them as friends. They add another layer to a story that is as captivating and exciting as it is heartbreaking at times.

The Bad
The bad . . . The bad . . . I have to say that this is another of those books that I cannot fault and Hobb has done a superb job in writing it. I was quickly addicted to her work and there was nothing about the novel that I did not enjoy.

Final Thoughts
Assassin's Apprentice truly is a masterpiece of the fantasy genre and I can see just why it's so renown and acclaimed. I couldn't put the book down once I began it and I not ashamed to say that the novel brought a few tears to my eyes at times, clear evidence of the power of Hobb's writing. No author aside for Alice Sebold in The Lovely Bones has managed this feat and I strongly urge you to give this masterpiece a go if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed if you do.

Series Review: The Rain Wild Chronicles - Robin Hobb

RATING: THREE STARS

Once, dragons ruled the world. Their majesty was everywhere and humans lived in awe. Many chose to serve the dragons and were rewarded for their loyalty with long life and good health. Elderlings, as they were called, enjoyed the changes dragons wrought upon them and became more like lizards then men. They were powerful in magic and used their gifts to create Kelsingra - a city that was wondrous to behold and existed only to serve dragons and tend for their health.

But those days past. Dragons died away and the grand cities Elderlings built passed in legend, crumbling into ruin and disrepair. It is in the Rain Wilds - dangerous swamps that once boasted forests and vast swathes of fertile land - that these cities were found. The Traders that lived there excavated the ruined cities and, there, found a single dragon that still contained life: Tingalia, a dragon queen. When Tingalia hatched as a serpent, she swam to the ocean where she dwelt for many years until it was time to change into her adult, dragon form. It was then she found others of her race - eggs that she nurtured until they hatched and made their own journey to the ocean.

But the dragons that returned were not what she hoped when they emerged from their cocoons. They were weak, stunted and deformed. Such dragons were not meant to survive, but they were all that was left of the once noble race. Tingalia brokered a deal with the Traders of Trehaug and those who lived there agreed to care for the dragons so Tingalia could leave and seek others of her kind. The arrangement worked at first, but feeding growing dragons is expensive and the creatures are dangerous in the best of moods.

It was decided that the dragons had to leave and the Trader's Council assigned keepers to each one, sending them on a quest upriver to find Kelsingra so all could live in peace. The expedition would be far from easy and the Rain Wilds are an unforgiving place. Its very waters are acidic. Food and supplies are scare. Storms frequently barrage the swamp and the dragon's keepers are little more than children - those unlucky enough to be born so mutated that they are shunned by the Traders and condemned to a life of derogatory exile. Few think the expedition could be successful, but the riches it could bring to Trehaug merited the risk. The expedition set forth and, soon, the keepers and Captain Leftrin (who is employed as a guide and logistics) realise just what dire straights they are in . . . 

Book 1: The Dragon Keeper

Book 2: Dragon Haven

Book 3: City of Dragons

Book 4: Blood of Dragons

The Good

The Rain Wild Chronicles is well written and exciting. Robin Hobb does a superb job of bringing her characters to life and many of them feel like real people, having developed lives, emotions and motivations behind their actions as we do. She has managed to create a rich world for the series that is full of problems and it's extremely interesting to read about.

Robb also tweaked dragon lore slightly and the dragons in the book are slightly unconventional. They have very complex life cycles and actually begin their existence as aquatic serpents that live in the oceans. It's only when they reach adulthood that they spin cocoons from mud and their saliva and become fully-fledged dragons that spit acid and are able to influence humans through their 'glamour'. These changes do make her dragons less formidable than those of other authors, but they are enjoyable to read about and Hobb really links their life-cycle to the story, which is largely responsible for many of the problems the dragons have in the book.

The Bad

Although developed characters are a good thing in any book, Hobb did overdo it a bit and The Rain Wild Chronicles is essentially four books of one of the keepers - Thymara - whining about relationships and losing her virginity. This added a realism to her character at first, since these are issues we all worry about, but became extremely annoying by the end and ruined the book a bit, making it hard for me to like Thymara (who is actually one of the main PoV characters)!

My Thoughts

Overall though, The Rain Wild Chronicles is a pretty decent series and should make your 'to read' list. It's imaginative, well written and full of characters that can really touch your heart. It's a superb example of fantasy at its best and shows that the genre is far from stale!

Blood of Dragons - Robin Hobb

RATING: THREE STARS

The Kelsingra expedition has found the ancient, lost city they seek but the river is as high as it was when they first found it and is as inaccessible as ever. The warm waters the dragons seek are tauntingly close - water that will heal their deformities and strengthen their bodies if they could only reach them! The keepers to are desperate to reach the city, seeking the secrets it holds about their past and the fabled Silver wells which are the source of the magic they they need for their future.

The dragons are determined to learn how to fly and reach the city, but their need is more urgent then they know. The Duke of Chalced is growing more fervent for his desire for the medicines that can only be made from dragon parts and using Sedric, his captive Elderling, is no longer enough! Tingalia has been attacked and is dying, flying back to Kelsingra so she can heal and wreak her vengeance on the city that has dared to harm her . . .

The Good

Blood of Dragons provides a satisfying conclusion to Robin Hobb's Rain Wilds Chronicles and she ties up the various story arcs and loose ends nicely. Her characterisation is as good as ever and she has managed to create a convincing ensemble of people that seem real. Their hopes, ambitions and motivations are explored and not all of these are for an honest purpose!

The Bad

I’ll admit that I was slightly disappointed with Blood of Dragons and it did have a few problems that detracted from my enjoyment of it. The main issue I had with is was Thymara's continuous whining! Thankfully, she has moved on about whinging about losing her virginity, but Hobb has simply replaced this with which man Thymera wants to go out with! The whining went on and on throughout the entire book and got extremely irritating by the end!

Another problem with the book is Hobb didn't focus on the battles and main events of the book, describing them only briefly and explaining what happened at the end ad hock! This was a shame because the story could have been very exciting, but the way it was told diminished the action and the scenes didn't really stand out from the rest of the book.

My Thoughts

Blood of Dragons was pretty good overall and the series is certainly very imaginative and provides a novel view of the abilities of dragons. That being said, it's not a must-read and isn't a series you will lose sleep over if you skip it.

City of Dragons - Robin Hobb

RATING: THREE STARS

After a long, arduous journey that was wrought with disaster, the Kelsingra expedition has finally reached its end. The dragon keepers are wearing little more than rags, with barely enough equipment for a few people between them all; the crew of the Tarman is starved and exhausted; and the dragons continuing to grow, now requiring an unsustainable quantity of food as winter draws in.

In an effort to save the expedition, Captain Leftin races back to Cassarick to collect the money the Trader’s Council owes them to purchase some much needed supplies. Even as he traverses the Rain Wilds, Leftrin knows that he’s going to need all of his wits to keep from the jaws of the Council. They are determined to find out and lay claim to what the expedition found upriver; coveting any profit that could be made.

Worse still, other traders—the business elite of Rain Wild culture—descend on Casserick like vultures the moment the Tarman is spotted. The most affluent of their number have used their wealth and influence to hire vessels to chase the liveship upstream, including strange foreign longboats that can sail at great speed and are impervious to the river’s acidic water. Leftrin knows he must flee them, but heading upstream with a barge laden with supplies will be slow going. If he fails, he risks more than the decadent greed of the traders. He could return to find the whole expedition has perished . . .

The Good

City of Dragons is the best instalment of the Rain Wild Chronicles yet! Although it’s not quite as exciting as The Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven overall, it really begins to delve into the mythology surrounding dragons and, in particular, elderlings. This makes for fascinating reading as Robin Hobb as created a rich and well-established symbiotic culture where each party worked to better the lives of the other. Hobb spends a great deal of time developing these ideas and has really set the groundwork for a very exciting finale of the series in Blood of Dragons.

Once again, Hobb’s prose flows well and is very easy to follow. In fact, her writing makes reading the book almost effortless and she has a knack of really immersing my in her world; dropping me straight in the environment of her characters. As well as making the book very enjoyable, it shows me that Hobb is a very talented writer and is certainly worthy of her reputation as a master of fantasy!

Hobb’s chacterisation continues to be first rate in City of Dragons and the people in the story seem almost real, with the same faults and failings that mar us in real life. Mistakes are made as frequently as the correct decisions and, with motivations of blackmail and greed driving many of the characters, it’s extremely difficult to predict  what will happen next!

The Bad

The biggest problem I had with the book was with Thymara and her continual whingeing about whether or not she should lose her virginity. While this is obviously a big deal for people—particularly for women—it actually has nothing to do with the storyline and Hobb has kept it up for three books now. Thymara’s whining did begin to get on my nerves a bit and I found many parts in the book slightly grating.

My Thoughts

City of Dragons is a detailed, well-thought out book that is exciting and interesting to read. While giving details of the elderlings, Hobb has already begun to tie up many strands of the story and has laid the groundwork for Blood of Dragons to be a fantastic finale to the series! If you haven’t already, I would recommend giving the series a go (although Hobb’s unconventional view of dragons takes some accepting and might not be to everyone’s taste).

Dragon Haven - Robin Hobb

RATING: FOUR STARS

Kelsingra, the lost city of the Elderlings, seems as distant as ever for Captain Leftrin, his crew and the ragged band of dragon keepers as they break new ground through the Rain Wilds. There is no indication that they are even heading in the right direction as they search for the city; the weather is worsening inclemently; and, worse still, tensions are beginning to mount as their supplies diminish and tools are lost. But hope remains and the keepers’ determination to find the ancient city and a safe haven for their dragons is as strong as ever. 

But even as the Rain Wilds are bringing the humans to the knees, the dragons are becoming stronger. They are being hardened by the adverse conditions, growing more competent and deadly with each passing day. Their deformities are vanishing as they eat more and more, and they are beginning to fill out with muscle. Soon, the dragons know, they won’t need keepers. Soon, they know, they will be able to take what they need as they did in the days of yore . . . 

The Good

Robin Hobb has outdone herself in Dragon Haven, both in imagination and storytelling. The book is even better than its predecessor and really develops the ideas of the series. Despite being set around a small river barge that journeys through inhospitable wilderness, the plot is exciting and the story does not become stale. This is mainly due to Hobb’s skill at balancing the social dynamics of her story with surprise and shocking events that come out of nowhere. In fact, Dragon Haven is a real page turner that is very difficult to put down!

As I have briefly mentioned above, Hobb’s characterisation is particularly good. She has really managed to create a diverse cast that are relatable and really seem like living people. This adds a refreshing sense of realism to the story (that fantasy often lacks), which Hobb uses well for dramatic effect in the calamities that befall them. 

What is particularly impressive is Hobb’s creation of characters from completely different classes and walks of life. Aboard the Tarman, she has characters ranging from rich and spoilt merchant traders that have never done a day’s hard work in their lives, to those that are so low born that they have been ostracised from society due to their genetic deformities. Hobb develops these characters well and is convincing in their thought process, beliefs and motivations while using their ‘point of view’, which has allowed her to tell the same story from multiple angles!

The Bad

As in Dragon Keeper, Hobb writes in very long chapters that have seldom few brakes in them. While this doesn't really diminish the story itself, it does make the novel a bit of a chore to read (which is why I have raised the issue here). It takes a real time commitment to read a chapter (unless you are happy to break yourself in an unnatural part of a story) and means that the book isn't really suitable for 'light' reading. It was a particular problem for me as I mainly read books on the bus to work, which meant that I frequently had to stop reading in random parts that disjointed the story somewhat.

Secondly, these very long chapters do make the story and its chronology slightly hard to follow in places. It’s not actually their length per se, but due to Hobb’s use of multiple points of view in one chapter. I've never really been a fan of this (and think that’s it’s clearer if writers stick to one character’s viewpoint per chapter, such as George R. R. Martin does in A Song of Ice and Fire), which makes the story easier to follow.

My Thoughts

Overall, though, Hobb has excelled and Dragon Haven is a fun, exciting book. She has put her own unique spin on dragonlore that I really liked and has penned quite a unique novel. I definitely recommend reading it (or beginning the Rain Wilds series) to any fan of fantasy, as Hobb is certainly worthy of her reputation as a master.

The Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobb

RATING: FOUR STARS 

The dragons of old have all but disappeared, and only the mighty Tintaglia remains to save her race. As the last queen, it is her duty to ensure that dragons survive in the world and she knows that she must help the diminishing handful of serpents to reach their cocooning grounds before the last of them perishes into memory. But even with the help of the rain wilders—mutated humans that live in acidic swamplands—she knows that the serpents have little change of emerging as dragons. They are too old, having spent far too long in the oceans where their bodies have grown weak and their minds have become warped. 

And so, when the young dragons emerge from their cocoons with monstrous deformities, they are abandoned by Tintaglia and the rainwilders must devise their own plan to deal with them. They know that they cannot hunt to sate the appetites of a pack of hungry dragons for long, and soon reach the decision to chaperone them to their fabled city of Kelsingra. It is hoped that here, the dragons will be safe and more of the lost secrets of the fabled Elderlings will be found. 

The Good 

One of the main things that impressed me about The Dragon Keeper was how realistic its characters were. And, after reading the book, I would say that Robin Hobb has a remarkable talent for developing characters in a very short space of time. This meant that before long, the people I was reading about began to feel like old friends in my imagination and I was really able to identify with them. Obviously, this greatly added to my enjoyment of the book and Hobb has certainly avoided the trap that many authors fall into where they mar a perfectly good story by creating a cast of bland characters. 

Another thing that I thought was great about the book was Hobb’s novel take on dragons. Rather than conforming to the standardised mythology of fire-breathing lizards, Hobb has altered her dragons to effectively create a new animal. Hobb’s dragons actually spit acid instead of fire, and have a complex life-cycle that involves them being born in the ocean as serpents and then metamorphosing into dragons like caterpillars do into butterflies. In addition to this, Hobb has also given her dragons a complex culture and bold personalities that really helps to bring their species/characters to life. 

The Bad 

Although The Dragon Keeper is light-hearted and very well written, I was surprised by how little actually happened in it in terms of events. At 553 pages, the book is not unusually long for fantasy, but much of the prose is just scene-setting and discussions that develop Trader culture. Don’t get me wrong, this is interesting to a degree and Hobb does an excellent job of using it to create a diverse world, but it slows the pace of the book down and much of the first half of the novel is actually pretty unnecessary. In my opinion, The Dragon Keeper could have lived up to its potential in terms of excitement much more if Hobb had condensed the waffle—leaving a book that is still culturally rich, but is much more exciting too. 

Another problem with The Dragon Keeper, which I guess is linked to its rather unnecessary length, is that it does not make for light reading. In fact, I frequently had to make sure that I had plenty of free time ahead of me before I even dared to open its pages! This is largely due to how Hobb writes—using very long chapters with few line breaks. In fact, the 553 pages of the book are split into just 17 chapters! Though I understand that, in all fairness, this criticism might just be me being overly fussy, I like to stop reading a book in natural breaks rather than putting it down midway through a passage like I often had to do! 

My Thoughts 

Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Dragon Keeper and will certainly be continuing to read The Rain Wild Chronicles with Dragon Haven (its next instalment). The book is unarguably very imaginative and has a ‘fresh’ air about it that many works of fantasty lack. Due to this, I would certainly recommend it to any fan of the genre. (Although to be frank, I can see some ‘die hard’ dragon fans having an issue with Hobb’s interpretation of the animals that might put you off the book).