Bantam Spectra, Copyright 1996, 675 pages.
ISBN: 978-0553573411
Read: August 2010 (at age 32)
Re-read. Originally read at about age 19.
If you haven’t read it:
This is the second book of the Farseer trilogy, following Assassin's Apprentice. It is essential to read these books in order, as there is a lot of ongoing character development.
From the back cover:
Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant mountains. But love and events of terrible urgency draw him back to the court at Buckkeep, and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family.
Renewing their vicious attacks on the coast, the Red-ship Raiders leave burned-out villages and demented victims in their wake. The kingdom is also under assault from within, as treachery threatens the throne of the ailing king. In this time of great danger, the fate of the kingdom may rest in Fitz’s hands – and his role in its salvation may require the ultimate sacrifice…
This cover description actually follows pretty close to the book.
If you’ve read it (spoilers!)
Character:
Excellent. The character cast remains about the same as in Assassin’sApprentice, but many of the characters develop much further. Descriptions are still good, and the people still felt like people, even if I didn’t like what some of the people were becoming.
Premise:
Excellent. Our hero gets into all kinds of trouble dealing with the fallout from events in Assassin’s Apprentice, and makes an attempt at dealing directly with the results.
Setting:
Fair. The world still seemed small. Well-described, but still very… parochial? Maybe that’s the word. Insular, anyway. There was brief mention of populations outside the borders of the Six Duchies, but not enough to feel like the Six Duchies are located in a functioning world.
Plot:
Good. I didn’t like this book as much as the first, and a big part of it was that it was darker, and even the successes of the main character, Fitz, weren’t really successes – they were either futile, or else tainted by some other problem raised in the attempt to succeed. The book was very reactive, as well, as Fitz was blown here and there by forces stronger than himself. Toward the end of the book, he starts to try to direct things himself, which bodes well for the next book. I think it was well done, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the first part. It’s a common thing in the second book of a trilogy, or in the second act of a single novel. Things need to get worse for the main character before he succeeds in order to make the success that much sweeter.
Readability:
Good. The book dragged a bit, and the darkness and futility of the plot translated into the voice of the main character. It was well done, but a little less so than the first book.
Overall:
Good. It’ll probably seem better after reading the last book, as we wrap this one up as things are pretty much at the bottom for our dear Fitz. I missed the small triumphs that punctuated Assassin’s Apprentice and the optimism of the younger Fitz. I suspect that book three, Assassin’s Quest, will have a few more triumphs to celebrate with our hero.
Rating: 4
Other Opinions:
Outpost 10f Library 
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