Assassin's Quest discussion

I just finished up The Farseer Trilogy. The first two books were absolutely phenomenal! The last book was good, too, but it left me like..whaaa? Literally, dazed and confused. Can you guys help explain it to me? Give me your thoughts? Here are my most confused areas:

1) Why did Verity skill imprint the demand for Fitz to "Come to me" for him to only refuse him when he got there? I know Verity was near mad and his skill gone, but why was it so important for Fitz to be there?

2) What did Fitz and Verity do with their bodies? They swopped by skilling, if I'm guessing right, but why? So Verity could get Kettricken pregnant?

3) Isn't Prince Dutiful Fitz's child and not Verity's?

The round up at the end of the red ships was so very rushed, for me.

4) What happened to all the souls in the rocks? Furthermore, how'd they get the souls into them in the first place?

5) What exactly were the white ships?

To be honest, I could go on and on, beginning nearer the start of the book, but the ending has just threw me for a loop. It's almost like Robin Hobb got bored and finished the book in a hurry. I don't know. Still, its in my top 5 favorite series.

I have just started on The Tawny Man Trilogy and maybe some of these things will be fleshed out the further I get. If so, DONT SPOIL IT!!!

Anyway, I'm hoping my not understanding the ending is why it fizzled out for me. So, please, give me your thoughts :)

A lot will be explained in the Tawny Man trilogy! Especially the origin of the white ships.

To answer your second and third question: Verity and Fitz swapped bodies, so it was Verity in Fitz' body who made Kettricken pregnant. I would call prince Dutiful Verity's child of Fitz' body ;)
Also, the only people who know of the body swap are Kettricken and Fitz. I think some others suspect it, but of course, they wouldn't tell, because that would cause trouble with succession ;)

I think Verity's call to Fitz is a desperate cry for help. I'm not sure if Verity is even aware of sending this message to Fitz at the end of the third book.

About the souls in the rocks: see the rocks as some sort of sponge that adsorbs souls. Also: a lot will be clear once you've finished the Tawny Man books!

But..but..Fitz's body and Fitz's, well, you know...

Lol maybe im thinking way too much about it. But thank God a bit will be unclouded as I continue in the new series:) Thank you!

Felicia wrote: "I just finished up The Farseer Trilogy. The first two books were absolutely phenomenal! The last book was good, too, but it left me like..whaaa? Literally, dazed and confused. Can you guys help exp..."

1. It was kind of like fate. Fitz needed to be there to help Verity whether he would accept it or not. It's sort of like it was Verity's subconscous or maybe not Verity at all but some greater force intervening to make this event come about. Fitz needed to be there because he had to be the catalyst to the Fool's prophet and to help set girl on a dragon free.

2. Yes they swapped so that kettricken could bear a child. Verity was infertile and Kettricken needed an heir for the kingdom.

3. It depends on who you ask. This is probably one of the most highly debated questions out there because it is pretty confusing. It really depends on whether you think physical body or mental being is more important. Obviously in our world this is an impossibility, the only option is a physical body. But in this world magic has laws of its own and this can make this an interesting question. In many ways Dutiful is both Verity and Fitz's child at once. Hopefully that makes sense.
4. The souls in the stones I understood to be the elderlings.

5. The white ships are further explained later, (in tawny man I think), and even more in her liveship trader series and also perhaps the rainwild chronicles.

Hope that helped!

To answer the first question, at the time Fitz was captured by Will in his failed assassination of Regal. Fitz was willing to kill himself, but Verity stopped him and helped him escape by imprinting the skill command for Fitz to come to him. I think he did it on accident and it happened in the heat of the moment.

1. To save Fitz from getting himself killed by trying to kill Regal; and because subconsciously Verity knew he needed help. I don't think it was really deliberate.

2. Yes they swapped to get an heir to the throne. Verity had become infertile due to his body being wasted by the Skill.

3. Physically, Dutiful is Fitz' son but spiritually he is Verity's son.

4. The stone is memory stone, a magical kind of stone wherein memories can be captured and imprinted using the Skill. The souls in the rocks and the stone dragons were mostly Elderlings, but some of the later ones were Skill coteries.

5. You will learn a lot more about the white ships, the Outislanders, Skilling and the Wit in the Tawny Man trilogy.

I would also recommend that you read The Liveship Traders, which is IMO the best trilogy of the Realm of the Elderlings world and it interconnects with the Six Duchies story.

Just finished the book. Great read, although it makes me wonder where the original Elderlings came from...

Also, I'd like to add my own thoughts here. 2) was also so that Verity had enough passion inside of him to properly fill his dragon, and the souls in the stone at the end (i.e. the ones in the white ships) were the souls of the forged inhabitants of the Duchies.

As to how they got them in there, I can only assume that the Outislanders have Skilled ones of their own. I haven't read any further than the Assassin Trilogy (yet) so plz no spoilers.

Keelan wrote: "Just finished the book. Great read, although it makes me wonder where the original Elderlings came from..."

A lot of especially the Outislanders will be explained in the next trilogy, The Tawny Man.

But of the Elderlings, their origin etc. you will have to read The Rainwild Chronicles, but read that only after you've read Tawny Man.

Thanks mate. I'm very impressed with the series so far. Liveship traders is next though, right? Then Tawny Man, then Rainwild.

Unlike some, I didn't feel that the ending was rushed, but it was *very* fast-paced, and the Elderlings and the Skill-race (you know, the ones who built the road, city, etc.) are such a massive tease.

Regal ended perfectly though, and I had quite forgotten about Little Ferret up until that point!

Yes, it would be best to read it in sequence, i.e. Liveships, Tawny Man, Rainwild and only then The Fitz & The Fool (3rd book still to be published).

These stories all inter-connect and have relevance to each other.

Happy reading! Wish I was reading it for the first time... ;P

Jingizu wrote: "1. To save Fitz from getting himself killed by trying to kill Regal; and because subconsciously Verity knew he needed help. I don't think it was really deliberate.

2. Yes they swapped to get an he..."

i dont agree about the liveship traders being the best!
they need to be read to gain info for following series but far from the best

i dont agree about the liveship traders being the best!
they need to be read to gain info for following series but far from the best

Well, to everyone their own ;P

For me it was the best, but only IMO. The character development was great and progressive, the nautical setting was a refreshing change, and the conclusion was a very good tie-in with the Fitz trilogies. We also see a different part of the Realm of the Elderlings world, and ultimately I prefer 3rd person to 1st person.

And dear, darling Fitz, although I love his story, is just the most whining lead character ever, lol.

i think thats the difference, i like 1st person! and i just missed fitz in the story.
what did you think of the soldier son series?

Peter wrote: "i think thats the difference, i like 1st person! and i just missed fitz in the story.
what did you think of the soldier son series?"

Its not that I dislike 1st person, just that I prefer 3rd person as you see the story from more than one POV. I loved the Fitz trilogies, but found Liveships to be a more rounded story.

As to Soldier Son, I did not enjoy it much and have never even reread it (whereas the Realm of the Elderlings books I have reread several times). The main character irritated me, the ending was trite, and the rest of the characters were very difficult to like with all their prejudices and close-minded attitudes.

Did you enjoy Soldier Son?

i agree the soldier son story left me cold!
and like you i have reread realm of the elderlings several times.
i also have the 3 trilogies as audio books which gives a new dimension to the stories, it was like a totally new story.

Peter wrote: "i agree the soldier son story left me cold!
and like you i have reread realm of the elderlings several times.
i also have the 3 trilogies as audio books which gives a new dimension to the stories, ..."

I've actually never tried an audio book. Always thought the voices of the readers would interfere with my own imagination of the characters' voices.

But perhaps I should give it a try.