Robin Hobb's 'The Realm of the Elderlings' Series: Epic Saga Ends After 20 Years
More than 20 years ago, FitzChivalry Farseer's adventure began. This year, his story has finally come to a close, or has it?
Robin Hobb's epic fantasy saga, "The Realm of the Elderlings," began in 1995 with the first book in "The Farseer Trilogy," which is titled "Assassin's Apprentice." This was where the protagonist, Fitz, was introduced. He was the illegitimate son of Prince Chivalry Farseer and an unnamed woman from the Mountain Kingdom.
It was when his maternal grandfather took him to the Six Duchies fort of Moonseye to meet his father that his life truly began. And although he was never officially acknowledged by Chivalry, King Shrewd took him out of the stables to properly train in both letters and swordplay. Later, he became an apprentice assassin under the guidance of the reclusive Chade Fallstar.
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In all the years since it was first published, "The Realm of the Elderlings" has expanded into a 16-book series featuring a continuous chronological story. The series is further sub-divided into four trilogies and one quartet, with each sub-division featuring a different style of writing, tone, and setting.
A book series of such length may seem intimidating to anyone who is coming into it with the latest installment, "Assassin's Fate." But interested readers do not necessarily need to read the entire series in order to catch up. Juliette Harrisson of Den of Geek has provided some sound advice on which books to read and which ones to skip.
It is a given that the first three books are must reads in order to have a good understanding of Fitz and the kind of world he lives in. The second trilogy, known as "Liveship," is also closely related to the first set, although the connection only becomes apparent in the final book. Reading these books is up to the reader's discretion.
On the other hand, the "Rain Wilds" quartet can safely be skipped as its impact and consequences can also be understood from the final trilogy, "Fitz and the Fool."
And although Hobb has not directly said that "Assassin's Fate" is the final book in the entire series, fans have come to regard it as the last chapter of Fitz's saga.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, Hobb expressed her mixed feelings about the possibility of having a movie or television adaptation of her works. But between leaving it all to the production team and being hands on to the very end, Hobb said, "It's really hard to imagine being in the middle position. I think I would probably end up being hands off and walking away."
