Del Rey Royal Assassin (the Illustrated Edition)

The illustrated edition has no illustrations.

immer wieder!

I have read all Robin Hobb's books set in the Elderling realm and strongly recommend them (save for the rain wild Chronicles, more on that later). No other contemporary author has spun so fine and wondrous a tale. Though I finished reading these books more than a year ago, the characters Hobb has created and their adventures retain still a vivid impression on my heart. Those trilogies featuring Fitzchivalry Farseer are her finest works (Farseer, Tawny Man, Fitz and Fool) and are essentially the long telling of Fitz's life, from six year old boy to his death. Liveship I read later, and though I feel not as good as the aforementioned, was still an interesting story that supplies another piece to the larger dragon/Elderling puzzle. Rainwild, sadly, is the one bad apple of the bunch. For some inexplicable reason, Hobb chose to fill what could have been an Indiana Jonesesque tale of rediscovering a lost dragon city with teenage drama. Her usually laudable talent for careful character development goes against her here, for in this case it means hundreds of pages of bickering and angst amongst a mediocre group of outcasts with little of worthwhile interest happening to alleviate it.Rainwild aside, however, the rest of Hobb's books are truly wonderful feats of literary creation. The worlds she conceives are very realistic, complete with their own histories and cultures; the characters are full of personality, depth, and humour; how their stories are interwoven and interlinked within the larger story is a skilfull crafting. Sure, one could complain about plot holes (some massive), inconsistencies (especially as regards the Skill), repetition (Fitz does tend to dwell on his woes and second guess himself overly much), but the sheer storytelling of it all will convince you to overlook these faults. Constructing an engaging tale that spans and interconnects the content of more than twelve volumes is no small task; a few shortcomings here and there in no way detract from Hobb's accomplishment.I would say the most striking element of Robin's writing is her character exposition. She gives special attention to every character, infusing each with their own background, set of motives, interests, desires. The characters truly come alive. You will find yourself laughing with them, weeping for them, wincing in sympathy, feeling heart pangs for their losses. She develops their relationships with graceful care, taking the time to describe the nuance, the shifting dynamic, the expectations and implicit understandings that make up any relationship. In short, she makes it real, so that the reader feels these are real people who act and interact in very real, understandable ways. Her ability to invest emotion in her characters, without it seeming forced or mawkish, and thus evoking empathetic responses from her readers, is what sets Hobb apart from other writers in the fantasy field.All this careful building up of characters, subtle laying down of elements to be used later, means Robin's books start slow. One will either chafe at the glacial pace or savor the surfeit of delicious details. But never fear, such patience pays off at the end, when all the separate plot-threads converge toward a thrilling conclusion. Royal Assassin is no exception to this pattern. The book opens right where the last left off, with Fitz recuperating in the Mountain Kingdom and contemplating whether or not to return to Buckkeep. Of course, he does, and is immediately plunged into the swirling intrigue of a court divided. Prospects are bleak as ruthless Red Ship raiders hammer the coastline, working a terrible magic upon Six Duchies civilians that leaves them soulless and savage. An aging King Shrewd is succumbing to a mysterious ailment. Kettricken is uncertain in a foreign court, finding her footing as the new Queen-in-Waiting. Regal becomes more and more blatant in his besotted quest for power. And wading through it all, acting as the "glue" so to speak for it is through his eyes we see and know, is our assassin prince's bastard Fitzchivalry.Many reviewers complain that Fitzchivalry is a useless hero who does nothing. I am honestly perplexed by this opinion. I think it's made rather clear that he is more than willing to take necessary action, but is held back by promises to not do so exacted from him by both Shrewd and Chade. It's a little bit of a weak point, I concede, from which the whole story depends (there wouldn't be much of a story, I suppose, if Hobb just allowed the protagonist to kill the villain), that one is so blinded by filial affection and the other a misguided sense of loyalty to the Farseer throne, that they allow the snake in their midst to live and scheme their destruction. But point being, the accusation of inaction should fall on their heads, not Fitz's. Herein lies a common theme which Hobb highlights throughout the book: Fitz's sworn obligation to obey the king, even when it contradicts his own will.All the happenings within Buckkeep and the Six Duchies at large are a fascinating backdrop to what is, at heart, a classic coming of age tale. The little boy whose birth branded him an embarrassment at court is now a young man, fully come unto his faculties as king's assassin. How and when he employs said faculties within the eddying intrigues of court are what make his story interesting. As noted above, Fitz's hands are tied somewhat by Shrewd's and Chade's orders, but Hobb gives him plenty of opportunity to "cut his teeth", if you will. He gets to encounter and engage in battle Red Ship Raiders, Forged Ones, diffuse Regal's little plots and come face to face with traitors in the castle. Indeed, one gets the sense that poor Fitzchivalry alone is trying to hold together a falling kingdom. This is not to imply, however, he is a boring "white hat" good guy--no, Hobb does a wonderful job of portraying Fitzchivalry as a human being--one with the ability to use two magics, yes, but these do not solve all his problems nor make him invincible. He has insecurities, weaknesses, moments of indecision, moments of rash action. As the narration is in the first person, we are privy to Fitz's thoughts and feelings and so are aware of his self-doubts or bouts of moroseness. Hence the-- unfair, I think-- criticism of some reviewers that Fitz is whiny and self-pitying. What with ruthless marauders outside the castle walls, a senile king and his conniving son within, and the general air of looming destruction, I think Fitz's "doom and gloom" thoughts to be quite natural. And I think his lapses into self pity excusable as well, given how trapped he is in his role as tool for the king. The author is trying to portray Fitzchivalry's emotions to make him a relatable character and obviously, given his situation, they are mostly going to be compounded of fear, anger, anxiety--all those "negative" emotions because, in case you failed to notice, this is not exactly a happy tale. Yes, Hobb can get overly repetitive at times in describing Fitz's internal pain, but really--the impression I received is that of an intelligent, courageous, and sensitive man, still young enough to be led more by his heart than his head (which does get him into quite a bit of trouble), trying his best to aid a kingdom rapidly crumbling--not that of a useless moaner like other reviewers have said.There is a fair amount of exciting action placed at regular intervals throughout the book, but I will say the majority of it is taken up with Fitz's day to day life in Buckkeep. Not that that's a detriment--here is where we get to read about his interactions with those around him and the influences that most strongly shape him. Here Fitz comes under Verity's sporadic tutelage in the Skill, and comes to love him as both uncle and liege lord; here he discovers his Wit companion, and all the special joys and difficulties that brings; it is here that the role of the enigmatic Fool in Fitz's life is elucidated. Burrich is a constant as well, more in the role of adviser and friend as he cedes to his erstwhile charge the respect of an equal, even if he strongly disapproves of some of Fitz's choices. In the heavily "male" flavored setting of Buckkeep castle, I especially appreciated the scenes of Fitz with the few women of the story. Patience and Kettricken both are wonderful characters who add humor and humanity to the narrative. Kettricken's story arc was beautifully done; her transformation from lonely, foreign wife to confident queen winning the hearts of her new subjects was a pleasure to read, and never once felt cliche or contrived, as it could so easily have done.I suppose any coming of age tale must include some mention of romance, but, personally, I could have used far less of it. This for me is the one fault of Royal Assassin. I realize this is entirely subjective, but I just plain dislike the character Hobb wrote as Fitz's love interest. Their secret liaisons rapidly devolve into an irate Molly berating Fitz for not spending more time with her. Fitz torments himself for keeping secrets from her, for having to place her second in his life, after his loyalty to king and Kingdom. I know the author is trying to again convey here that favorite theme of hers, how service to the Farseer throne suffocates his own desires or wishes, but come on--Fitz is helping try to save all the people of the Six Duchies-- even though she is not aware of the particulars, Molly should understand and accept that that is more important than herself. The fact that she does not, and instead continues to heap guilt and misery on Fitz, made it difficult to enjoy reading the scenes with her in it. And her reaction when Fitz finally does reveal the truth about himself made me lose any sympathy I might have had for her. Sorry, Ms. Hobb, but your usually excellent instinct for characterization didn't work here--I cannot believe that the deep love and attachment Fitzchivalry is seeking would have been found in such a one as Molly.I would be remiss in my review of Royal Assassin if I did not make special mention of the ending. As noted before, Hobb's books start slow because she takes the proper time to craft a rich, multilayered story. So the beginning and substantial middle of Royal Assassin are not exactly "exciting" (except for a few battle scenes) if by such you mean the "swords and sorcery" type of fantasy. It is suspenseful and interesting, yes, but more from the interplay of characters and the sense of simmering discord within Buckkeep castle. Personally, I found Fitz's world and the unique perspective he offers on it so intriguing that I happily read through pages of him simply running about Buckkeep, doing his normal routine--his contacts with the characters around him (especially Nighteyes) supply what might have been a boring narrative with vibrant life. But--the really outstanding portion of this book is the ending. The last handful of chapters in Royal Assassin is easily the most riveting piece of literature I have ever had the privilege to read. Here all the slow suspense and buildup of previous chapters bursts into swift action: there is a surprising plot twist, a mad dash for vengeance, and then a sudden plunge into utter darkness. What follows is so gripping, and runs so far counter to what you would expect, both from the book thus far and from the fantasy genre in general, that after the final word is read, you will have to just sit back in awe in order to fully absorb the impact of it all.Royal Assassin, and indeed, the entire Farseer trilogy, is without a doubt one of the best offerings of contemporary fantasy; I might even venture to say that no other series penned by a current author is as worthwhile to read. I often hear Hobb compared to the other generally acknowledged greats in the field, Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin, and Patrick Rothfuss. It's all a matter of taste, of course, but none of their characters and settings resonated with me with quite the same force as Fitz's world. There is a strong moral heart in the Farseer series that I find somewhat lacking in the Song of Ice and Fire books, whose long litanies of violence and other obscenities begin to feel depressingly pointless. Though perhaps not as important as the story itself, I will also make mention of their actual writing....Hobb's prose is more descriptive and lyrical without being excessively so, a style I personally prefer over the sparse wording of Sanderson. And Hobb has the distinct advantage of having completed her trilogy (as well as three more!) whereas we are still (!) awaiting the next installment in the Song of Ice and Fire series as well as Kingkiller Chronicles.Any lover of fantasy or well crafted stories in general must do themselves the favor of picking up the Farseer books (and while they're at it, the Tawny Man and Fitz and the Fool trilogies as well). Many a happy hour will be spent immersed within those pages. These are not tomes you will partake of lightly; the literary feast contained therein is one to be savored, the characters and their story worthy of being revisited time and again across many years. It is a rare book(s) indeed (especially from the fantasy genre) that remains with you, lingering in your heart and mind long after the final page is turned.

Hermosa edición.Llegó en perfectas condiciones, tanto en empaquetado como el libro en sí mismo con las ilustraciones y el encuadernado.Imprescindible para la colección.

Envoi rapide et soigné, très belle édition (la couverture est solide et ne se raye pas)C'est un plaisir de redécouvrir ma saga préférée avec les beaux dessins de Magalie Villeneuve 😍 dans un livre "à l'ancienne". Si ils pouvaient tous être comme ça !

Consiglio vivamente l'edizione americana rispetto a quella inglese (nonostante la qualità della carta dove sono stampate le illustrazioni sia meglio in quella inglese), dal momento che nell'edizione US le immagini sono posizionate al momento della narrazione corretto. In quella inglese sono raggruppate quasi tutte insieme a metà libro.A parte questo, queste edizioni sono una chicca per i fan della saga dell'assassino, i disegni sono meravigliosi e trasmettono tutte le emozioni dei protagonisti, e Royal Assassin è il mio libro preferito tra tutti i 16 della hobb.Non vedo l'ora esca Assassin's Quest e spero che facciano queste edizioni per tutti i libri!