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Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change. Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal household by his father's gruff stableman. An outcast whose existence has forced his father to abdicate his claim on the throne, Fitz is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in the young man's blood is a heritage of magic, the talent called the Skill, as well as another, even more mysterious ability. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts and leave behind the zombie-like husks of the townspeople to prowl the countryside, Fitz is growing toward manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission, a mission that poses as much a threat to himself as it does for his target-for Fitz is a threat to the throne...but he may also be the key to the survival of the kingdom.… (more)
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Fitz is an unusual choice of hero, demonstrating Hobb's dual techniques of creating
Fitz is all too human, almost uncomfortably so. His losses are staggering, and his successes too few. When he suffers, one can only stand back, helpless as a reader, and watch his pitiful efforts to cope, shrouded in a grey haze that is only amplified by the bleak landscape of the Six Duchies. There are moments within the book, such as when Fitz states 'for a very brief period, I was happy, and an even rarer gift, I knew I was happy,’ when there is an overwhelming desire to comfort Fitz, and introduce him to a world of sunlight and hope. The fact that Hobb's writing can inspire such notions demonstrates her ability to construct characters so real, it is almost possible to anticipate their wavering images in the mirror.
Once the pages of Assassin's Apprentice are opened, it's hard to close them; collectively, the hero, the world, and its events have the effect of a silent, dark dream, one that it is not easy to wake from. The other two novels in the Trilogy have the same effect - and the feeling of emptiness once the novels are finished, remains for days.
There are a few other less common twists but the plot is basically the same as many many other trilogies out there. Young boy enters castle, gets trained, suffers during training makes and loses friends, gets sent out on major test, which inexplicably will be pivital to the fate of the kingdom. There can't even be any great claims for originallity in the well descrived world in which he lives. 'Standard' prosperous human farming and costal communities, and then he meets tall willowy gardeners who are good with the bow, They are cast as human, but could equally be elves. A bit of the old concentrate properly mental magic, - in which are young hero is hardly surprisngly naturally able even if untrained- and off we go.
All that carping aside it is well writen and a very enjoyable read, the characters interact well and retain individual personalites, and although we have the Wise Old Mentor we are at least spared the dry and sarcastically amusing sidekick. I like the convention for naming which is slightly different than the Norm, although it is oidd that are Hero doesn't get a proper name anywhere in the book - I had to consult a dictionary for the definition of Fitz which I'd not come across before. The retrospective chapter headings - the tale is told from an old Fitz recounting his life to apprentices, followed by first person chapters, is sometimes annoying as it removes any suspense there may have been in the plot. Perhaps the greatest failing is that there is ittle emotion displayed by anyone and certainly not experienced by the reader. Even when Fitz is in the deepest depths of misery and loneliness there is little empathy, and I couldn't say I really cared whether he perked up or not.
Well written and enjoyable fantasy fluff along the same lines as many others, better than average, and worth reading the rest of the trilogy without being exceptional.
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When I first purchased this book several months back, I wasn't sure what to the think or to expect. For one, it was written in first person, which seemed a bit odd to me for a fantasy piece. Secondly, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the story -- I wasn't completely sold by the description on the back of the book. Fortunately, all of those uncertainties were soon put to rest just after the first few chapters. For this read, to me, was truly engaging, straight away, and with each page the story continued to grow and prosper, until I was completely engulfed in the lives of the characters and the development of the story. This was a real page turner for many reasons..and stands right up there with the works of George R.R. Martin. Great, gripping, emotionally captivating -- unique.
And while the story itself was a great and unique aspect of this novel, the characters were what truly shined for me -- all of whom' were original, complex, deep..different. Some I liked, some I was unsure..and some I simply hated. I also found that the first person perspective really added to the story -- making it a bit more easier to connect with the main character Fitz. For Robin Hobb truly did a great job portraying his inner struggle and turmoil. There were so many times I felt for him, or related to him. I wished I could reach out to him, talk to him, befriend him. I also must add, I quite enjoyed the connection he had with animals -- the unique bond he shared with the dogs and horses of the stables -- the way he felt their emotion and thought -- the way he could communicate with them as others could not. Several related scenes were both stunning and touching, and I can't help but have the feeling that Hobb must have a unique connection with animals herself -- for she wrote these scenes so wisely.
So in concluding this review, I'll say this -- "The Assassin's Apprentice" is a captivating novel following the life of a young bastard who is to be trained as an assassin. It's a unique, refreshing read..with brilliantly introduced and developed characters, a rich story, and a very intense climatic ending. After finishing the last page of this book, I immediately jumped into the next. Robin Hobb is a one of a kind writer with a special ability -- one that I don't see all too often. While she offers a lot in this great piece -- drama, emotion, unique characters, and even a bit of humor, she also offers something completely different -- something her own. Something that grabs the reader and doesn't let go -- something that makes the reader feel the writing, rather than simply read it. When writing this review, I tried to think of some sort of critique -- some sort of negative, but I simply couldn't. The closest thing I have is that some of it was a bit depressing -- but that's it. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a more realistic fantasy -- a great fantasy that relies heavily on the lives of its characters.
In many ways, this book reminded me of Patrick Rothfuss' [The Name of the Wind], which I loved, though I suppose it should be the other way around since Hobb's book came first. Still, I really enjoy fantasy books where the magic system is subtle and controlled, rather than over the top and somewhat inexplicable.
I've purchased the next two books in the series and am looking forward to continuing the journey with these characters... especially since this book doesn't exactly end on a high note for our hero!
As I said, Assassin’s Apprentice was written in first person, so the author felt she had to include a short passage at the beginning of each chapter (ranging from a few lines to one and a half pages), which explained the history and other characters. These were things that the main character didn’t know and was mostly “telling”. This is the main thing that I disliked about the book. I found it distracting and…well, boring. After reading the first few, I stopped reading them and I feel I didn’t miss anything. The story was just as rich without these “info dumps”.
There were places where the author also described too much. For example, it took something like five pages to describe a city. By the time I’d read 3 pages, I was well and truly over it and just wanted the story to continue – so skipped the rest of the description. Other sections were over described too, but not as bad as the section I just mentioned. These long descriptions were also distracting and managed to pull me out of the story I was thoroughly enjoying.
Taking these things away, this book is excellent. The story and characters are so real that the reader has no choice but to “get over” the bad things and move on. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The book is the first book in a trilogy, but it is also a stand alone novel. I don’t have to read the next book, but I will because I want to see where the story will go (and how the author improves because, I believe, this was her first published novel).
Highly recommended; and, I think it will gain a place in my top ten books.
Second Review in October 2009:
This is the second time I have read this book, the first being in early 2006. On that occasion I had intended to read the trilogy but something happened in my life which stopped me – the loss of my son. Unable to concentrate for long periods of time and unable to handle complex plots, I turned to stand alone, much thinner books written for young children. The three books which make up The Farseer Trilogy have been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.
Now, three and a half years later, I find myself wanting to complete the trilogy. However, I realised the grief had completely wiped the first book from my memory. Apart from the main character's name, I could remember next to nothing of the story. I didn't want to pick up book two and start reading, hoping the first book would come back to me, as that would be distracting, so I read the first book again.
I had expected a flood of memory to occur at some stage during the reading – especially when I approached the climax – but that didn't happen. I did, however, remember small sections that obviously made an impression on me in 2006, but not enough to spoil any of the surprises. This morning, after finishing Assassin's Apprentice for the second time, I set about finding the review I wrote back then. It seems I enjoyed it then, with some reservations about the detailed descriptions. Today, I think I have a better appreciation for the book as I had more time in which to sit and become absorbed by it – I even read the “telling” sections at the beginning of each chapter, that I didn't have much time for previously.
Maybe it's a case of “older and wiser”, but I think it's more likely to do with the time restraint issues I had back in 2006, but whatever it was I really enjoyed this second reading. I became totally absorbed and found myself wanting to return to the story, even when it wasn't possible. Eventually, I left all other distractions at home (for the train trip to and from work) and concentrated solely on the book, which meant I was dedicating four hours a day to reading. I was captivated!
The author shows in this one book how a complex plot can be written in a smooth, believable manner. She also proves that whilst action is important, it doesn't have to dominate every paragraph of every page. She shows that a character driven book can pull a reader in and hold them through thick and thin, through the laughs and pain, through love and death. This is a brilliant example of a well written story.
This morning I finished Assassin's Apprentice and in the next minute I was already absorbed by Royal Assassin, book 2 of the trilogy. It's looking as if this trilogy is going to take a place on my “favourites” list.
There are no wizards or monsters to be found here, and although there are sword fighters, the protagonist is not one of them. His battles are rather more human and psychological in nature. As a result, the plot is more slowly and carefully layered and the character development is rich; I found it very hard ever to put the book down. The free sample quickly turned into the book fully paid for, and I am now very grateful to Kellie for introducing me to a new author. The funny thing is, she has only just read the book herself, and she isn't that keen!
Shanra and WillSteed have both told me how good this book was and I finally got a copy at the bookstore. I read half of it last night and finished the rest today, after I reluctantly decided that I couldn't pull an all-nighter and finish it in one go. I am absolutely converted - I loved this book. Fitz is such a great character. And there were plenty of good characters in here, both ones to love and ones to hate. I can hardly wait to find the next book in this series. 5 stars
I haven't read an epic fantasy that has sucked me in since I read The Name of the Wind earlier this year, and I'm only wishing I had picked this one up sooner. There are similar characteristics to be found: a main character who is ... now seasoned and telling his story, the owner of a few special abilities, an outcast with limited family, and (usually) soft-hearted and fairly clever ... all surrounded by a unique world with its own problems that, in many ways, mirror our own.
As a mood reader, it was everything I was in the mood for. I wanted a book that took me to a different world (but not for just a moment—for books and books! You bet I’ll be snagging the second one to continue on with the journey!), that had medieval and renaissance-esque feelings about it (kings, queens, poisoners and assassins, a strange fool ... the list goes on), that had characters with special abilities (magic, the Skill, the Wit, whatever you want to call it all), and that felt like the perfect epic to crack open on a chilly winter night. Atmospheric and seasonal? Check that off the list as well.
It was so good. I’m excited to dive into Hobb’s world and am maybe even just as excited that the entire sweeping series has come to an end. No waiting for next books.
Although ... the illustrated edition of book 2 comes out in June 2020! Excuse me while I pre-order ...
I guess I got too excited by the word "Assassin" in the title, I thought it would be some cool dark fantasy novel about an adult assassin, but even as far as I got, the hero was still only about 15 and still blushing around girls.
I am very, very glad I did. This is a solid, well put together fantasy without getting so dense I get overwhelmed by it all (one of the reasons I haven't yet tried George R. R. Martin's books which I also understand are excellent). Fitz is an engaging character, which is a triumph considering he starts as a lost six year-old and passes through phases of whiny childhood and adolescence. At one point he calls himself a catalyst for the Six Duchies, and I certainly think that is true. There is a feeling of fate tossing him into his life and situations more than he ever chooses them for himself. Still, despite everything he turns out pretty well.
By the end of the book, as everything and everyone seemed to be conspiring against him, I was very worried about him despite knowing he's got two more books in this trilogy to go and possibly several more futher along in Hobb's booklist. I was muttering, "Boy Fitz, you've really been set up" as things seemed to go from bad to worse. Fortunately, he's still around at the end of the book and I hope he gets a bit of rest before the start of the second in the trilogy, as I get the impression the bad stuff is far from over yet.
I liked the concepts of both the Wit and the Skill, although I really don't see that the ultimate danger of the Wit is any worse than that of Skill, so why one should be abhorred and the other praised continues to puzzle me. After reading the page of blurb for Royal Assassin at the back of this book, I do get the impression that may be further developed as the trilogy progresses.
I find Hobb's villain of the piece to be particularly disturbing, not because he's all out evil and crazy with it, but because he's petulant, vain, selfish and ruthless with all of it. He's going to cause a lot of grief simply because he can't see beyond his own wants, hates and self-importance and for me, that's often the scariest kind of evil of all.
I'm taking a break to read a different book next because I hate it when I know bad stuff is going to happen and I'm pretty sure it is here, but I'll be back to read the next in the series after that because I really need to know what happens next to Fitz, Verity, Chade and all the others.
Those who prefer flashy plots may find this book a little disappointing. Hobb employs a slow and careful build up, spending the time to thoroughly introduce her characters and develop them in such a way that their actions seem logical. There are intense moments, but the driving force lies in the reader’s empathy for Fitz rather than in a concern for the threat facing the Six Duchies. This is definitely a character-driven fantasy, and an excellent example of one at that.
Nothing here is overdrawn; the Six Duchies and Buckkeep feel real because they're carefully and realistically portrayed, without the usual flashy details that make a fantasy setting stand out and defy the reader's suspension of disbelief. I'm normally not a fan of settings that stay in the background, but here it really works.
The characters are much the same. Each of them has great depth; the reader really gets the sense that these people have lives off screen, so to speak. Fitz is a great narrator. Even though the first few pages of the novel discount the possibility of a happy ending, I found it impossible not to root for him. I read portions of the novel at lightning speed, so desperate was I to make sure everything would come out all right.
I highly recommend this book. It was a great introduction to Robin Hobb’s writing, and has left me eager to read more of her work.
I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this book. It has been on the shelf for going on three years now. It was quite an enjoyable read and I like Hobb's writing style. It flowed better for me than the Liveship Trader novels (also excellent, just different). Now I need to figure out where I put the other two books!
Hobb does not allow the reader to feel the weight of the politics, though. She very much focuses on Fitz's character as he learns his place in this world. Fitz trains as an assassin for the king and is later picked to learn a form of magic that only exists in those of the king's bloodline. He also has a rare ability to communicate with animals that becomes important in later books.
What Hobb brings to the fantasy genre is patience and a keen sense for details and smooth phrasing. She builds characters and the plot slowly so that after a couple hundred pages, the reader feels intimately tied to both the created world and the people inside it. As the end approaches, the danger that Hobb has woven throughout the pages suddenly emerges, and what was not a page-turner book becomes surprisingly exciting. A worthwhile read for sure, and wonderful addition to the fantasy genre. The main reason I didn't give this first book a higher rating is because the first 100-ish pages really are quite slow, but, keep reading.
Hobb does a good job, even with some of the trappings which at first seem tired: the protagonist being the eternal outsider, and condemned to loneliness, et cetera. The book succeeds in engaging and surprising even the jaded reader.
Probably my biggest complaint about your typical fantasy novel is the lack of development of the 'bad guy' characters. They are often simple caricatures of bad people with a distinct lack of grey areas. To an extent, this holds true for this novel as well. However, the group of characters that are more central to the story, (Fitz, Chade, Burrich, etc), do exhibit actual human traits and inner conflicts and that saved the book and will get me to pick up the next volume soon.
Assassin's
I'm sure the whole thing is some epic prequel to Fitz's story of some sort, but I want to hear *that* story, not the backlog. It's not unpleasant but after the fifth exposition dialogue of political machinations in which I was given no stake, I didn't really see a reason to continue reading. The main character simply meandered around in a seemingly unending training montage with nary a purpose in sight. I don't mind a slow buildup, but the ideas here, while artfully portrayed, were still very much in a generic-court-fantasy mold... giving me no incentive to stick around (no payoff to collect).
With that in mind, I picked up Assassin's Apprentice. Like her Dragon novels, I was hesitant to set my hopes too high. I could envision her attempts at this genre descending into cliches that would both insult my intelligence, and waste my time.
Oh, how wrong I was. To my great pleasure, I loved this novel! It follows the coming-of-age story of a young lad, the bastard son of the king-in-waiting, who is raised in the court of intrigue. To keep him from becoming a tool "wielded in the hands of our enemies", the king sees to his training the secret lessons of becoming an assassin.
Rather than write a stock character from a roleplay game, FitzChivalry Farseer is an engaging character from the beginning. Early in life, he perceives his threat to the throne, just by the mere act of being alive. This, more than anything, shapes his personality. He must be silent and unseen, in order to survive. His guardian, Burrich, is the King's stablemaster, and teaches him what it means to dedicate oneself to a task. Young Fitz becomes the King's Man,which, he soon realizes, requires all his life, up to, and beyond his, death. It is a question we must all struggle with: fidelity and loyalty come with a cost, and a burden of time, resources, and giving of oneself. He constantly bemoans the fact that his life isn't his, but the king's. Would you kill your best friend, at the command of your king?
Just an aside--when I was young, I remember asking a friend how he could spend ten hours a day, six days a week, at a local hated plywood mill. His answer stays with me to this day: "I do it because I love my family, and want them to be happy." That statement stunned me into thirty years of thoughts, where I still ponder how much I'd give to make my family a happy one, even at the cost of my own unhappiness. OK - that was a bit off the beaten path. Back to Assassin's Apprentice.
Hobb's characters are nice and tight, fantastically well-formed and believable, despite the fantastic, slightly-magical setting. She doesn't overextend herself by creating a complex and arcane magic to tinker incessantly with (Brandon Sanderson comes to mind), but talks about two kinds of magic: The Wit--also known as Beast Magic--and The Skill, a mental magic that allows its users to suggest and send thoughts to others. Moreover, the magic is culturally bound. The Wit is abhorred by most of the population, considered an evil and dangerous magic. The skill is primarily the domain of nobility.
Fitz's land, The Six Duchies, is steeped in the politics and machinations of its uncles, and court nobles. The trees and plants, and even the food are much like our world's, and lend a realism and credibility to Hobb's created world.
Her work is very satisfying, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is bored with the pedestrian high fantasy that usually checker bookstore and library shelves.
5 of 5 Stars.
I'm glad I didn't read a lot of the reader reviews of Assassin's Apprentice until after I read it, because they might have scared me away. After reading, I don't get the complaints. It's not a standard fantasy novel (no dwarves, fairies or goblins, and magic is rare), it
FitzChivalry Farseer starts as a six year old, with a six year old's view of the world, and stumbles his way toward puberty, through court intrigues, until he eventually gets a clue. The author has what I would describe as a light, sensitive touch, clearly illustrating the world without weighing things down with too much detail. Story, characters and settings are deftly balanced as the plot twists its way through the characters' lives, drawing them together, pushing them apart, lifting them up or more often dashing them to the ground or burying them.
I devoured this first novel; it was delicious, and I am looking forward to devouring the trilogy of trilogies that follow it.
I am so happy that I have found another fantasy book which I like. I always feel so wary when I examine the fantasy shelves in a book store, they all look so much
There were a few things which bothered me a bit, the end, for example, felt very... Unsatisfying. The rest of the book was more or less whole, but the end seemed a little illogical, too nonsensical. I think it shoul have been worked on a bit more. But apart from that, I read the book with zeal.
I especially loved the special power he has, the Wit, which allows him to bond with animals, and especially with dogs, I wish I had that with cats.
A few things in the book reminded me of Harry Potter, ludicrously enough, and it highly amused me. The thing which did so the most was Gallen, who was supposed to train Fitz in the Skill. The way in which he hated him, and the way in which he hated his father, the way he abused him, and the special lessons he gave him which had to do with a certain magicskill which allows you to enter others minds and thoughts, and if I must continue - the fact that while that certain teacher tries to enter Fitz's head - he doesn't let him do so, because he must protect all sorts of secrets which the teacher mustn't know about, and if I must comtinue further - in the end, Fitz enters the teacher's brain and finds out things about him!
But of course, this series was written long before Harry Potter, so that there's no way in which the author borrowed this, as for the other way around - I sincerely doubt it.
12.3.07
As the characters go, some of them are decently well made but are rather distant, and don't really gather my sympathy or interest. Some of them were a bit more flat and made me roll my eyes a little more than others, like Chade the wise, kind teacher, and all the older noble-ish types. But all around better than most fantasy books. I feel a little silly criticizing characters for being distant at a book which obviously intended isolation and loneliness to be a major theme, but I just don't think it was handled well. ...I did like the Fool, though. Also a very lonely character, I think, but he did it with minimum moping. But he was barely in it. I was rather charmed by Lady Patience at first, but she ended up being flattened out like the rest. Also, the 'good' and the 'evil' characters are painfully black and white.
As far as the plot goes, there's a war going on and stuff. This affects the main character as he works for the king, but mostly we have him doing his chores for this and his training for that and the sort of thing that would be a lot more interesting if, as previously mentioned, the characters were more engaging, or if they, say, developed in some way through all this. The war stuff often comes in big chunks of Fitz narrating to us one or two times a chapter, reporting to us everything that's gone on since, like we've been asleep this whole time (whether it be because a good chunk of time has passed between chapters and we really have been essentially 'asleep,' or because we've been around but just hearing about stuff that actually directly affects Fitz's life, since obviously this information isn't getting to us through dialogue or things that actually come in to play in Fitz's daily life *rolls eyes*). When this stuff actually does affect him, it's usually in to form of, 'I need you to go to poison this person or go here or help there, it would be an awful lot of help, make me more powerful or something. Gets you out of the castle, anyway.' And Fitz does his job with varying degrees of complication that makes it less straightforward but only slightly more interesting, and comes back home. The political plots were mostly very simplistic and just fell flat.
In the very end though, just for the final stretch, it made that extra jump with the plot and, though still predictable, it was actually fun and a little more intriguing to watch how it played out. On another good note, the writing in general was pretty good. As detached with the characters as I felt, it wasn't a terrible effort to keep reading, though through many bits in the middle I sometimes wondered what was the point. For all the disappointment, in general I'd still call it better than a lot of other fantasy books I read. I'm keeping it on my shelf as a reminder that I might want to consider reading the second book. ...The main drive in that would be wanting to know more about the Fool ^_^ But that in no was would get me through a whole other book of the same stuff (unless it had quite a bit more of him). Truth is, it feels like with just a little tweak to make it a little more personal, or a tweak to make the plot a little more interesting, and it'd have been just fine. Part of me wants to adjust annoying traits in the main character (If you're so damn lonely, Fitz, go be friendly and talk to people!! Make friends! ...With the Fool!! ^__^ ...Hey, that's two birds with one stone ^^), but I can buy most of that stuff as 'character flaws' that he will be working through. But if this story wants to be as psychological as I think it might, in my opinion it needs to be a little closer to it's characters.