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Searching... Amity Public Library | SCI FIC HOBB FARSEER #3 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
With her awe-inspiring "Farseer" trilogy, Robin Hobb has established herself as a writer who "continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the shocking" ("Locus"). Now she presents a masterful finale that sends FitzChivalry--assassin, royal bastard, and king's pawn--on the ultimate quest: to eliminate the man who has stolen the throne and corrupted all he once held dear.
Author Notes
Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska. It was there that she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of five critically acclaimed fantasy series: The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons, Blood of Dragons), The Soldier Son Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Farseer Trilogy. Under the name Megan Lindholm she is the author of The Wizard of the Pigeons, Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. The Inheritance, a collection of stories, was published under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov's Readers' Award and she has been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.
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Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
With shimmering language and the alluring garb of Faerie, Hobb concludes his Farseer trilogy with this immense coming-of-age novel. Assassin and Royal Bastard FitzChivalry-having in Royal Assassin taken poison to escape torture at the hands of the usurper Regal, the brother of FitzChivalry's lost King Verity-is now reborn through his telepathic bond to Nighteyes, the wolf. Together, man and wolf set out to find Verity, who has vanished into the wilds in search of the legendary Elderlings to save his land from the barbaric Red Ship raiders. Fitz and Nighteyes battle fearsome enemies as they travel the old magical Skill Road toward the quarry where Verity desperately struggles to carve a massive dragon out of living rock. Gradually, Fitz's trials strip him of everything and everyone he loves and shatter every illusion he cherishes about himself. Hobb's grandest creation, Nighteyes, leads a splendidly realized supporting cast that plays out its roles against ever-changing, never-cloying landscapes of genuine wonder. But all the wonder in this make-believe world can't cloak the bittersweet lesson at the story's heart: that the pursuit of truth demands a price in loneliness only a few can or will pay. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Final installment--each entry independently intelligible--of Hobb's stunning fantasy trilogy (Royal Assassin, 1996; Assassin's Apprentice, 1995) about the beleaguered Six Duchies and their Farseer kings. Months ago, King Verity vanished into the far mountains in search of the semi-mythical Elderlings, whose help he must have in order to defeat the rampaging Red Ship Raiders, leaving his murderous, venal, and insanely ambitious brother, Prince Regal, to dispose of Verity's last few loyalists at his leisure--including narrator, spy, and assassin FitzChivalry. Poor Fitz, unable to contact his beloved Molly (she thinks he's dead) and daughter (by Molly) for fear of exposing them to Regal's attentions, uses his magic Skill to locate Verity and receives an imperious summons: ``COME TO ME!'' So, abandoning his plan to assassinate Regal, Fitz enters the mountains with a small band of helpers. Eventually, having evaded Regal's minions, Fitz comes upon Verity Skill-carving a huge dragon out of black rock; nearby stand other lifelike dragon-sculptures that, to Fitz's animal-magic Wit, seem somehow alive. Are these eerie sculptures what remain of the Elderlings? Yet, for all his Skill, Verity cannot bring the dragons to life; and soon Regal will arrive with his armies and his Skilled coterie. An enthralling conclusion to this superb trilogy, displaying an exceptional combination of originality, magic, adventure, character, and drama.
Booklist Review
In this conclusion to the Farseer saga, FitzChivalry's quest for revenge on the usurping Regal requires him to journey to the Elderlings (wise old mages in the classic mold) and afterwards to realize the emergence of his own magical gifts, at which point the quest comes to an end after a mere 688 pages. Like much high fantasy these days, the book could have been pruned more than a trifle; on the other hand, along with the extra wordage come extra measures of characterization, world building, and emotionally compelling scenes of both magic and battle. And this is definitely the end of one story, although the world Hobb has created is now sufficiently developed (even why the characters have such archetypical names is explained) to be the scene of future books. In all, this is an improvement over its predecessors that will please their readers and probably whet their appetites for more from Hobb. --Roland Green