"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."--George R. R. Martin    Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.   As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.   Praise for Robin Hobb and Assassin's Apprentice   "A gleaming debut in the crowded field of epic fantasies . . . a delightful take on the powers and politics behind the throne."--Publishers Weekly   "This is the kind of book you fall into, and start reading slower as you get to the end, because you don't want it to be over."--Steven Brust

"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."--George R. R. Martin Fitz has barely survived his first hazardous mission as king's assassin. 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. Praise for Robin Hobb and Royal Assassin    "[Robin] Hobb continues to revitalize a genre that often seems all too generic, making it new in ways that range from the subtle to the shocking."--Locus   "[Royal Assassin] reaches astonishing new heights. . . . The Farseer saga is destined for greatness--a must-read for every devotee of epic fantasy."--Sense of Wonder

Product Description A stunningly illustrated anniversary edition of the final chapter of the beloved Farseer Trilogy, hailed by George R. R. Martin as “fantasy as it ought to be written,” and Lin-Manuel Miranda as “an incredible series.” FitzChivalry Farseer and the Fool return in this final volume of the Farseer Trilogy, crowning the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Robin Hobb’s legendary series. The matched trilogy is now complete, rounded out by Assassin’s Quest, which contains ten full-color illustrations by Magali Villeneuve. Step into the spellbinding finale of this modern classic of epic fantasy, replete with adventure, magic, treachery, and sacrifice. King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz—or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest—perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return—or the heir his princess carries—can save the Six Duchies.But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him—currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was. About the Author Robin Hobb is the author of the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, the Soldier Son Trilogy, and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. She has also written as Megan Lindholm. She is a native of Washington State.Magali Villeneuve has been an illustrator for well over a decade, and started by painting book covers in France, her home country. She now works for many different companies and publishing houses around the world, including Wizards of the Coast, Titan Publishing, Dynamite Comics, Valve Corporation, and Fantasy Flight Games. Her work has been featured in role-playing games, video games, collectible cards games, magazines, and book covers. She has done work in the universes of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and more. She is also the author of the dark fantasy book series La Dernière Terre in France. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1GravebirthIn the Chalced States, slaves are kept. They supply the drudge labor. They are the miners, the bellows workers, the galley rowers, the crews for the offal wagons, the field-­workers, and the whores. Oddly, slaves are also the nursemaids and children’s tutors and cooks and scribers and skilled craftsfolk. All of Chalced’s gleaming civilization, from the great libraries of Jep to the fabled fountains and baths at Sinjon’s, is founded on the existence of a slave class.The Bingtown Traders are the major source of the slave supply. At one time, most slaves were captives taken in war, and Chalced still officially claims this is true. In more recent years there have not been sufficient wars to keep up with the demand for educated slaves. The Bingtown Traders are very resourceful in finding other sources, and the rampant piracy in the Trade Islands is often mentioned in association with this. Those who are slave owners in Chalced show little curiosity about where the slaves come from, so long as they are healthy.Slavery is a custom that has never taken root in the Six Duchies. A man convicted of a crime may be required to serve the one he has injured, but a limit of time is always placed, and he is never seen as less than a man making atonement. If a crime is too heinous to be redeemed by labor, then the criminal pays with his death. No one ever becomes a slave in the Six Duchies, nor do our laws support the idea that a household may bring slaves into the kingdom and have them remain so. For this reason, many Chalced slaves

'Fantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. Martin\nThe thrilling conclusion to Robin Hobb’s Tawny Man trilogy.\nKingdoms will stand or fall on the beat of a dragon’s wings, or a Fool’s heart.\nPrince Dutiful has been charged with a quest to the Outisland to take the head of the black dragon Icefyre. Only then will his betrothed marry him and cement the alliance between their warring kingdoms.\nBut is Icefyre just a legend? Or does he truly slumber beneath the glaciers? Fitz has prevented his friend the Fool from accompanying them the Fool has foreseen his own death if he ever sets foot on the isle of the black dragon. But as their ship draws in towards Aslevjal a lone figure awaits them…

'Fantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. Martin\nThe second book in Robin Hobb s thrilling fantasy series returns readers to the Six Duchies and the magical world of the Fitz and the Fool.\nFitz has been persuaded back to court, posing as a servant to the decadent Lord Golden (who is the Fool in disguise). In secret, he will train Prince Dutiful in the magic known as the Skill.\nThe peace remains fragile, so the diplomatic wedding between Dutiful and the Outislander princess is a crucial alliance. But when Elliania arrives she challenges the prince to undertake an impossible quest before she will accept him.\nHe must kill Icefyre, one of the last true dragons. And Fitz and the Fool must go with him

The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.” Now in a glorious new edition!Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea’s young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will.Don’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy:SHIP OF MAGIC • MAD SHIP • SHIP OF DESTINY

The second book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.” Now in a glorious new edition!\\nAs the ancient tradition of Bingtown’s Old Traders slowly erodes under the cold new order of a corrupt ruler, the Vestrits anxiously await the return of their liveship—a rare magic ship carved from sentient wizardwood, which bonds the ships mystically with those who sail them. And Althea Vestrit waits even more avidly, living only to reclaim the ship as her lost inheritance and captain her on the high seas.\\nBut the Vivacia has been seized by the ruthless pirate captain Kennit, who holds Althea’s nephew and his father hostage. Althea and her onetime sea mate Brashen resolve to liberate the liveship—but their plan may prove more dangerous than leaving the Vivacia in Kennit’s ambitious grasp.\\nDon’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy:\nSHIP OF MAGIC • MAD SHIP • SHIP OF DESTINY