The continuation of the trilogy that marked the emergence of one of the most exciting voices in fantasy literature... Fitz barely survived his first mission as an assassin. Broken, he decides to break his oath to the king and settle in the inhospitable Mountains. But both love and unexpected events lead him back to the court of the Tower of the Deer and into the deadly intrigues of the royal family of the Six Duchies.

Meanwhile, the Red Ships resume their savage attacks on the kingdom's coasts, leaving behind burned villages and Forged ones—violent, dehumanized beings who plunder and kill. The kingdom is attacked from within as well, as the throne of the ailing king is threatened by betrayal. In this time of greatest danger, the fate of the Six Duchies rests in Fitz's hands—and saving them may require the ultimate sacrifice...

"The weaknesses and desires [of the characters] are our own, and our view of the world is completely transformed through their experiences." — The Telegraph

"The world Robin Hobb has crafted in this trilogy overflows with character and vitality. It is a story of loneliness, friendship, unbearable pain, youthful romance, destruction, imagination, magic, and primal fear. It is deeply captivating." — The Warbler

"Robin Hobb set the standard for the modern, serious fantasy novel." — Orson Scott Card