Young Fitz, the illegitimate son of the noble Prince Chivalry, is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has had him tutored him in the dark arts of the assassin. He has barely survived his first, soul-shattering mission, and when he returns to the court, he is thrown headfirst into the tumult of royal life.
With the king near death, and Fitz's only ally off on a seemingly hopeless quest, the throne itself is threatened. Meanwhile, the treacherous Red Ship Raiders have renewed their attacks on the Six Duchies, slaughtering the inhabitants of entire seaside towns. In this time of great peril, it soon becomes clear that the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz's hands—and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice.
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"What a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down. The character development is wonderful. The plotting is unique and exciting. And you are kept guessing as to how everything is going to come out until the very end. Can't wait to read the third and final book of this trilogy."
— Diane (5 out of 5 stars)
Another spellbinding installment, built of patient detail, believable characters, and mature plotting.
— Kirkus" This is the second book of the three, I only purchased this book because I could not get it for free but it has been one of the best if not the best audio books I have ever listened to. Great story and great narration. "
— Conrad , 8/17/2017" I enjoyed this book following Fitz threw his life and it's a very intestine life. "
— Jacob, 2/20/2017" I agree with many of the above reviews, both positive and negative. On the positive side, the characters are very well written. Robin Hobb's writing is vivid and engaging. But the story is, as others have said here, depressing, emotionally draining and 90% of it consists of a great and extremely slow and relentless building up of angst. I'm currently on the third-last chapter (Ch 31) and it is a real slog to get through. I'm going to need to see a shrink after this one - it is that depressing. There are very few triumphs in the story so far, and each one comes at a greater price. There is always some disaster following a victory that sinks the reader into a deeper state of despair. Every time I feel like this is it - this is as low and depressing as it can get - something worse happens. I think it will be a VERY long time before I try to take up the third book to complete the story. And then, only because I'm a bit obsessive about finishing what I've started. To be honest, the reason I came searching for reviews was to see if there were others that shared my opinion. I can't understand why so many of the reviews are positive. "
— PK, 7/20/2016" A must-read, and back in print!! "
— Mary, 2/17/2014Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska, where 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 the Rain Wilds Chronicles, the Farseer trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy, and the Tawny Man trilogy. Her books under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm include Wizard of the Pigeons, The Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. She is also the author of The Inheritance, a collection of stories written under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov’s Readers’ Award and been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.