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Submitted by "Zhahira"
(Apr 06, 2001)

Robin Hobb has woven a dramatic and intriguing tale of the illegitimate son of the Prince-in-Waiting Chivalry, named Fitz. Nothing is known of Fitz's mother, for he is thrust upon the workers and soldiers of the Farseer Royal family at a very early age. Soon, he is secretly apprenticed to become an assassin, carrying out the King's Justice while keeping his deadly secret of The Wit hidden from all. Throughout his life he makes great enemies within the court, and is even murdered by them... but miraculously, his Wit-magic raises him from the dead. This trilogy is an astounding feat of political intrigue, magic, love, and betrayal. Any reader will find themselves desperate to find out if this "Catalyst" will fulfill his prophecy and change the future forever...or if he will give into temptation and be swept into ever-omniscent death.

As a relatively new reader of the fantasy genre, I don't really know "who's who" in this area, and thus have been stumbling through various series and authors in a fairly haphazard manner. In the main, although I have frequently had my imagination fired and have been drawn into the plots I have read, I have also often been left with a slight sense of disappointment in the standard of writing, and a sneaking suspicion that while the authors have plenty of ideas and concepts of the worlds and magic they invent, these are often strung together without a great deal of true writing talent.NOT SO WITH ROBIN HOBB!! Rarely have I been so moved by a book or a character (and I am a voracious reader!); her writing is of a standard and class that would stand up in any genre. I loved FitzChivalry, I loved the intensity of the tale told from the first person's viewpoint and I loved the originality of the story, and the suspense:- the way that you didn't actually go through the book knowing that "everything will be all right in the end". When I finished the trilogy (having practically put my life on hold to get through it!!), I felt genuinely sad. I kept finding myself imagining possible happy endings for Fitz and having to remind myself that it was only a story.... sad, I know, but that is how much it touched me.Read this trilogy, it is wonderful.N.

Whoa... I'm still a bit stunned, and I don't really know how to fight this deep feeling of hollowness that's been surrounding me for the last couple of hours. To write in plain english: I've just finished "the Assassin's Quest, and it moved me more than anything I've ever felt. The characters were all so unique and alive, and the twists in the storyline were often so touching that I found myself crying... Feels like when I finished the Mallorean by Eddings, and realized that the story had come to an end, only many times stronger this time. I hate spoilers myself so I won't even begin to describe the story, I believe that there is enough of that info all around the web anyway. All I really feel like doing right now is express my gratitude to the author for giving me many interesting hours( and a big slap in the face once every hundred pages =) ) Oh, yes... To all who haven't read her books yet: Do it. You'll be surprised. Over and over again.

ok, keep it simple...
LOVED it!
LOVED every part of it.(p.s. wasn't whathisname... er.. Verity cute?)
The plot was well developed... a bit disappointed about the ending... BUT its still great!
Nearly as good as Discworld (only cause I've loved Discworld since I was nine) and could complete with LOTR (lord of the rings)
Finally... one of the best series/trilogies I've eva read and if you haven't yet...
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!

This is a fantastic triology, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hate the author with a firey passion. Robin Hobb likes to inflict a great deal of pain on her main character, permananet damage if possible, and as it's wriiten in first person narrative, it cuts you deep. It is a bitter-sweet sries, very much so, but if you're anything like me you'll still find it fantastic.