(Fitz & The Fool #3)
My Rating: 4.5/5
Plot Tease
Bee has been kidnapped by the Servants, a society whose members dream possible futures to add to their wealth and influence. Bee plays a crucial part in these prophecies—but just what part remains uncertain.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.
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. Their goal is simple: to make sure not a single Servant survives.
Book Review
The end is finally here, whether we were ready for it or not.The Fool and the Assassin barrel headlong toward their certain deaths. There has been no pause in that momentum since Fool's Quest. While this may be a welcome plot dynamic to some readers, the sustained level of tension is at risk of becoming tiring before the mid-point of the book. Despite this consistency, the emotional ride of Assassin's Fate is a classic Hobb rollercoaster. So grab your Feels, and let's jump into it.
The characters. If you've been following Hobb throughout the series, you know them well. Fitz, the Fool, and their fam have been strongly established (if somewhat turned on their heads in this new trilogy). There is still room for character development in Assassin's Fate, but expect it to be jarring.
Robin Hobb's movement within character is always smooth, but there were times in the new book where it began to push at the bounds of reality in a way I don't expect of her. For good or ill, Assassin's Fate really is the sum of all books previous; which if we remember, were founded on the experiment of taking cliche and reviving it to relevance. Our dynamic duo have come a long way from their first pages, but they do still ring true to their classic traits.
What is perhaps most exciting about Assassin's Fate is the depth it adds to the southern lands of the Realm of the Elderlings. As their histories, myths, and society unfold, we are greeted once again with a magical, sinister place that could rival Bingtown with its interesting turns.
Personally, I was overjoyed (and over-angst'd) to learn more of the time between the Fool's years at his school of prophecy and arriving in Buck. One thing that continually brings me back is this inherent mystery of this character - which he manages to retain, despite divulging a few more of his secrets.
At the end, I was left with a feeling so conflicted - both overwhelmed with love for these fools and incredibly frustrated with the nature of their finish. I'm not sure what I wanted, but this ending left me unsettled. For this reason as well as some of the plot arc and characterization quibbles, I will only rate Assassin's Fate a 4.5. However, it's definitely still worth reading.
Prepare yourself. I'm not sure it will be enough. This book might wreck you in all the good ways.
"The Fool. Then Lord Golden. Mage Gray. And now Lady Amber. All different. Yet always my friend." - Fitzchivalry Farseer
Cost: New $20.69 (Also available on Kindle and Nook.)
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