#117 in Fantasy
Royal Assassin
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Our view
The second Farseer book deepens everything the first set up: Fitz grows more convincing, largely through his shifting relationships, and the stakes at court climb steadily. Hobb’s prose reads with ease, though some readers find the pace slower than before and others feel the ending does not quite match the long build-up. It is a dark, often sad instalment, best for readers who value character over speed and have read the first volume.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Royal Assassin is a fantasy novel by American writer Robin Hobb, the second book in The Farseer Trilogy. It was published in 1996.
Reading order · The Farseer Trilogy
Full order & progress →- Assassin's ApprenticeStart here
8.38.3 / 10 - Royal AssassinThis book
8.58.5 / 10 - Assassin's Quest
8.38.3 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.5 across 1,315 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 90% of the weight and the score stays at 8.5 — the Fantasy average of 8.0 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.5 | 1.3K | 100% |
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
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