Have you ever felt as if everything was just going from bad to worse? That was essentially what was happening for Fitzchivalry Farseer in Royal Assassin, book two of the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. It opens with Fitzchivalry still recuperating from his near death in the mountain kingdom during Verity and Kettricken’s wedding. As he deals with returning to court he also deals with the growing threat from Prince Regal who does a mediocre job of hiding his attempts on the throne. Fitz is continually faced with the possibility of his own death but is also faced with other, rather alarming, possibilities as well. Kettricken repeatedly faces somewhat mortal peril, only some of which could be traced back to Regal. King Shrewd seems to be rapidly declining in health every time Fitz visits which only worsens the situation as well. Verity remains obsessed with finding a way to end the constant raiding from the red ships of the outislands, so much so that he frequently neglects his relationship with Kettricken. Through all of this, Fitz has to work out what to do and how to do it, sometimes with little to no help from his friends and mentors, Chade and Burrich. On top of that, he also has to deal the increasingly cryptic words and advice from the fool.
This book was a good addition to the Farseer Trilogy and the continuing adventures of Fitzchivalry Farseer. It adds more depth to the character and the world being portrayed. More specifically, we get to see how Fitz works on growing up and maturing as he deals with increasingly complicated and perilous situations. Living a life in court, any court, is not exactly an easy thing to do. Even more so when you are openly acknowledged as a royal bastard such as Fitz is. However, Fitz seems to be handling that idea and role with more and more maturity over the course of the book. Especially in comparison to the first book in the series. I think part of that is just the fact that he is growing up but I also think that part of it is due to his experiences in the first book. Fitz came really close to dying and he has realized what it is that he wants from life. However, he is also still the typical young man who is reluctant to admit that just because he wants something will mean that he gets it. This last part is especially applicable to his relationship with Molly. Both Fitz and Molly admit that they are in love with each other and if they were able to they would marry in a heartbeat. However, Molly handles the topic more maturely as she willingly admits that this may not be possible due to Fitz’s role in court and his duties to King Shrewd and King-In-Waiting Verity. Fitz on the other hand manages to convince himself that it will be possible and that Shrewd will allow the marriage, even though everyone tells him otherwise. It creates this odd dichotomy within the character as he is showing continuing maturity but also still showing the reckless impetuosity associated with being a young man. Fitzchivalry functions incredibly well as the main protagonist of this growing complexity that is the Buckkeep court. Overall, a book that well deserves its four out of five stars.
This book is obviously fantasy as it deals with magic and other similar odd occurrences in a semi-medieval world. As such it would probably appeal to anybody who is a fan of that genre. I know it appealed to me because of that. However, it also deals a lot with court intrigue and spies and assassins so it may also appeal to anybody who enjoys that kind of literature as well. It is an interesting blend of topics and themes. In terms of potential age ranges of readers, the book is primarily aimed at an adult audience so it would probably hold the most appeal to them. It does contain some violence and several fighting scenes, along with hinting at other mature content. This means it may not be overly suitable for younger readers. It should probably only be read by older teens and not anybody younger than that. In my opinion, it is a great book and one that I definitely enjoyed. As always feel free to share your thoughts about this book or about similar books in the comments.