Age of Assassins: Book Review

Image: Amazon.com

I’m going to be in England for the next nine months, so I decided to do some shopping at Barnes and Noble and pick up some reading for the journey. One of the books I picked out was Age of Assassins, by R.J. Barker, the first book in his trilogy, and the subject of this review.

If you ask ten different people why they like reading fantasy, you’ll probably get ten different answers. Some will say that they love the magic and wizards, others love the dragons and knights and shining armor. And while I do love all of those things, there is one aspect of fantasy literature — and by this I mean epic Tolkien-style fantasy — that I absolutely adore. And that is: COURT POLITICS!

I freely admit that I’m probably alone in liking this specific part of the fantasy genre, but I can’t help it! I love reading about backstabbing lords and cunning ladies! I love hearing about how noble families will plot to win the crown, and how the Royals endeavor to thwart their every attempt. It’s the reason I fell in love with Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, and it’s the reason I decided to give Age of Assassins a go.

At first glance, Age of Assassins does appear to have quite a bit in common with the Farseer trilogy, but I wouldn’t call it a knockoff in the slightest. Our story revolves around the young apprenticed assassin Girton. Girton has been contracted, alongside his master Merela Karn, to help prevent the assassination of Prince Aydor, son of the conniving Queen Adran. Girton has a club-foot, but he doesn’t let this slow him down in any way. As he goes about his task, he discovers that all is not as it seems in the palace, and is forced to contemplate whether or not the brattish prince is really worth saving.

There’s a constant theme of Classism throughout the book, and it’s accentuated by the way Queen Aydor and her spoiled son treat the soldiers and servants around them. The commoners in their court are executed for the smallest offenses, and sometimes they’re executed simply because a noble needed a dead body. Throughout the book the ruthless prevail while the good die at their hands. This probably sounds depressing, and quite frankly, it is. In fact, there’s very little comic relief in the novel at all. However, it helps to build up the image of a mighty society in decay, and the excellent narrative makes it so the book isn’t just one series of depressing and unfortunate events.

The world-building here really is spectacular; the Tired Lands in which the book is set have been plagued by “Sourings,” massive patches of land made barren by sorcerers. The only way such land can be reclaimed is by killing people, primarily those who have the ability to use magic, and spilling their blood on the lifeless plains. This, along with the political dysfunction in the castle, helps to create the image of a mighty society in decay. The roles of the various houses and social castes are very well thought out as well. Barker clearly put a lot of work into building this world.

As for the characters, well, they’re not quite as good. Barker’s characters are pretty well written, but for most of the novel, it just felt like something was missing. Girton, for example, can be a pretty dour narrator, and there’s not all that much comic relief in the novel. It also took a while before I genuinely started caring about the characters. But by the end, I was genuinely attached to them, and I was at the edge of my seat as the novel moved to its conclusion. One other thing I should mention is that the novel has an almost conversational tone. The best way to describe it is that Girton is talking to us, the readers.

Now, I do want to talk about the ending really quickly, but I’m not going to reveal any real spoilers. The ending of the novel is honestly more reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes novel than a work of fantasy, complete with a cunning investigator laying out their version of events before pointing into the group of listeners and saying, “It was you! You stole the jewels/killed the victim!” And while this doesn’t really hurt the novel too much, it does feel very stereotypical and out of place. But again, this is only one very small part of the book, so I can’t judge it too harshly.

In conclusion, Age of Assassins is a great read, though it’s a bit of a slow burn. I think it will have a lot of appeal for anyone who loves the Farseer Trilogy, as well as anyone who somehow managed to enjoy the Ranger’s Apprentice series. The book does suffer from a lack of character development in the first half, but it more than makes up for that with stellar world building and an original, well thought out plot. At $16, it does feel a little overpriced, but I still very much recommend it. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

4/5 stars.