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Book Review: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Jan. 11th, 2015 01:18 amTitle: Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy Book 2)
Author: Robin Hobb
Published: New York: Random House, 2002 (1996)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 752
Total Page Count: 151,186
Text Number: 441
Read Because: interest in the companion animal trope/continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Recovering from the events that end the first book, Fitz returns to a country caught in the grip of raider attacks and budding civil unrest. The first book in this series surprised me for its eminent readability and leisurely, immersive pacing. This sequel felt like more of the same—still good, but unoriginal. But as it comes into itself, it shines. Royal Assassin is about relationships—weird, psychic, overly intimate relationships that make Fitz feel crowded and lonely at the same time; the effort of maintaining relationships; imperfect messy intimacies like fighting with your teeth while bonded to a wolf or lusting after a woman while bonded to her husband. It's at the level of Bradley's The Forbidden Circle, engaging intimacy and taboo with little grace but great effect; not subtle, not even skillful, but compelling.
The intrigues of the plot which surrounds these relationships aren't particularly robust, but they're sufficent; the characterization is rocky, and Fitz's adolescence feels, frankly, shallow. The series is by no means great: it's frequently predictable, trope-reliant, and indulgent. But it's good, consistently engaging, and the id-level upon which this book lingers is a personal delight.
Author: Robin Hobb
Published: New York: Random House, 2002 (1996)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 752
Total Page Count: 151,186
Text Number: 441
Read Because: interest in the companion animal trope/continuing the series, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Recovering from the events that end the first book, Fitz returns to a country caught in the grip of raider attacks and budding civil unrest. The first book in this series surprised me for its eminent readability and leisurely, immersive pacing. This sequel felt like more of the same—still good, but unoriginal. But as it comes into itself, it shines. Royal Assassin is about relationships—weird, psychic, overly intimate relationships that make Fitz feel crowded and lonely at the same time; the effort of maintaining relationships; imperfect messy intimacies like fighting with your teeth while bonded to a wolf or lusting after a woman while bonded to her husband. It's at the level of Bradley's The Forbidden Circle, engaging intimacy and taboo with little grace but great effect; not subtle, not even skillful, but compelling.
The intrigues of the plot which surrounds these relationships aren't particularly robust, but they're sufficent; the characterization is rocky, and Fitz's adolescence feels, frankly, shallow. The series is by no means great: it's frequently predictable, trope-reliant, and indulgent. But it's good, consistently engaging, and the id-level upon which this book lingers is a personal delight.
