The Not-So Austen Bookclub discussion

Discuss the book here!

The question to think about is:

Is an assassin different from a murderer? And if so, in what way/s?

Explain with reference to the book.

Feel free to extend the discussion beyond the questions and simply talk about the book as well :D

Yes. There is a difference between being a Murderer and someone who is an Assassin, {as the two roles are very similar} it can seem the same…although it is not.
A murderer commits an unlawful crime (killing) that’s deliberate or intentional, which goes against the laws of the country/ realm/ kingdom concerned. Such an act is punishable by law and considered to be wrong {usually morally, legally and in the eyes of God}. A murderer’s objective is to end the life of someone (or something) with their full knowledge and awareness of this fact.
An Assassin {Like for instance Fitz Chivalry in Robin Hobb’s Farseer trilogy (or) Severus Sape in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter & the half-blood prince} is someone who kills under the restrictions of a signed contract. They could be fulfilling a deed as requested by someone else and working in secret for someone else/ or as part of a group.

The Assassins in “Death Sworn” hide many secrets; deadly and sinister. Knowing them is dangerous and yet that magnetic danger draws you in… The deaths of the two Tutor’s is the first warning you get about how risky it is for Ileni to get involved with the Assassins, and even more so when something even greater that’s profoundly consequential is uncovered. Murder, magic and mayhem collide in a darkly delicious tale wrought with intensity and suspense.

@Lucinda: I agree with your definitions. Which one do you think is worse though - murderer or assassin?

Booknut wrote: "@Lucinda: I agree with your definitions. Which one do you think is worse though - murderer or assassin?"

That is hard actually! Out of instinct you would perhaps naturally say murderer, however i feel that it is possibly worse to knowingly kill someone on behalf of someone else (or) for a certain cause. One could state that the actual murderer {or person responsible for the bringing about/ ordering of the indavidual's death} is shirking their action by passing it onto another to carry out - and in doing so it weighs heavily on the Assassin. The assassin's concience and personal self is compramised due to undertaking a deed that is not just their own. Like when Snape kills Dumbledore for Voldemort {& you could state that he also did it for Draco, due to being bound by the spell he was under). Any assassin is deadly as there are other alterior motives and underlying factors that result in the killing; more than a murderer acting for his or her own personal gain.

...this is very deep stuff!

@Lucinda: I think it would definitely be harder (conscience-wise, mentally, etc.) for a person to be an assassin.

Mainly because killing someone becomes a part of a rational thought process. It becomes a choice that has been consciously weighed. A murderer often is not making a rational choice to kill (either due to psychological reasons, or other).

Great job in answering such a deep, and difficult, question! :)

Yes, i completely agree. A murderer can kill 'on the spur of the moment' {without thinking or pondering for too long on the deed}. For a hired Assassin, killing others as part of a 'job' is rather a burden weighing down upon them and something that many would not deem positive...perhaps more of a punishment. It does make you wonder what is going on inside the Assassins mind to make them carry out such a dark task.

...(feels a bit like an English essay Question! :)