Shadowdance

A fantasy assassin list would not be complete without a mention of David Dalglish's Shadowdance series. Through the course of the novels, we get the viewpoint of not one, but two trained killers. Aaron Felhom (a.k.a Haern) is the son of renowned assassin Thren Felhom, head of Spider guild and general badass. He's been trained since birth to kill, but that doesn't mean he's happy with his father's ambitions. Throughout the course of several books, Dalglish drags you through a story of growth, political intrigue, and action. It's fast, deadly, and home to interesting and developed characters. Some of these make an appearance in the Half-Orc series, and those tie-ins give the reader a more detailed impression of the author's dark and brilliant world. Of course, the series also features magic, and this is another place the books shine. Haern doesn't have any powers of his own, giving a refreshing viewpoint and opening the plot up to some more great characters. Unlike some fantasy, magic isn't used to get the hero out of any sticky situation. Instead, the protagonist has to rely on wits, skill, and brutality. As you can imagine, it doesn't always play out well, and Dalglish creates a GRRM-like world where characters can die at any moment. Read if you like: Game of Thrones, Brent Weeks, Grimdark fantasy