Assassin's Quest
The final book in Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy was probably about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. I enjoyed these books, largely due to the incredible world-building and wonderful cast of characters. But man did this book drag on, especially towards the end. The cover promises dragons. The plot talks about dragons. There are definitely going to be dragons in this book. But not until the last 20 pages or so, when Hobb has done everything she can to make you think that maybe there won't be dragons after all. (There are dragons.)
Ultimately I didn't like this book as much as the first two. It starts off better. But most of the political intrigue is traded in for a long and seemingly fruitless trek through the mountains in the winter. The ending is ultimately satisfying, but it takes so damn long to get there. I came close to giving up or just skipping ahead to the last few chapters.
Which is a hefty complaint, but there was still a lot to like about this book. There are a couple of new characters who are absolutely delightful. Fitz finally grows up and stops sulking quite so much. He still sulks. Frankly, his life sucks and he has reason to be upset and mope around. But he's at least able to acknowledge how he messed up and be more or less happy for the people who decide to move on from him.
Like I said, the ending is ultimately good, and I mostly enjoyed these books. But I'm going to need a break before diving into any more of Hobb's books. Especially if they're all as utterly bleak as this one. I mean, the world doesn't end, but that's about as close as it gets to a happy ending.
Ultimately I didn't like this book as much as the first two. It starts off better. But most of the political intrigue is traded in for a long and seemingly fruitless trek through the mountains in the winter. The ending is ultimately satisfying, but it takes so damn long to get there. I came close to giving up or just skipping ahead to the last few chapters.
Which is a hefty complaint, but there was still a lot to like about this book. There are a couple of new characters who are absolutely delightful. Fitz finally grows up and stops sulking quite so much. He still sulks. Frankly, his life sucks and he has reason to be upset and mope around. But he's at least able to acknowledge how he messed up and be more or less happy for the people who decide to move on from him.
Like I said, the ending is ultimately good, and I mostly enjoyed these books. But I'm going to need a break before diving into any more of Hobb's books. Especially if they're all as utterly bleak as this one. I mean, the world doesn't end, but that's about as close as it gets to a happy ending.
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