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Assassin's Apprentice

(The Farseer Trilogy #1)

Robin Hobb (Goodreads Author)

4.16 · Rating details · 218,370 ratings · 9,008 reviews

Fitz is a royal bastard, cast out into the world with only his magical link with animals for solace and companionship.
But when Fitz is adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and learn a new life: weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly. Meanwhile, raiders ravage the coasts, leaving the people Forged and soulless. As Fitz ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 460 pages

Published March 1996 by Voyager (first published May 1995)

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Nov 07, 2010 Mark Lawrence rated it it was amazing

I haven't read a lot of fantasy in the last decade, so the fact I've read 12 of Robin Hobb's books in the last 5 years says a lot about how much I enjoy reading her work. The adventures of Fitz through three trilogies account for a big chunk of that reading.

Robin Hobb can write a first person story with rare skill. She shows you a world though Fitz's eyes and makes it matter, makes it vital. Some elements of Hobb's fantasy are fairly old school, but written with a modern style and a literary ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

(3.5) I finally got around to reading this popular Fantasy series that has been on my TBR for literally forever... and I'm pretty underwhelmed.

I liked Hobb's writing, I enjoyed the world and magic system but this has to be the most chill, less action-driven book about an assassin's education ever.

Things did end up picking up a bit in the last 100 pages and I am planning on reading the whole trilogy to give it a proper shot. It was... kinda relaxing I guess? lol

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Jul 29, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy-all

Reread this AGAIN because I am going to read all of the books up to date that are out!!! Hmmm.. guess I should show y'all my cool bookshelf of the books and some of my dragon figurines. Ah, maybe later 😘 Okay, well here it is...

These were the lessons in my assassin's primer. And more. Sleight of hand and the art of moving stealthily. Where to strike a man to render him unconscious. Where to strike a man so that he dies without crying out. Where to stab a man so that he dies without too much
...more

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Jan 17, 2018 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical-books

My journey into The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb has finally begun and its off to a great start.

You can skip the next paragraph if you want to go straight to the review, this is just a long introduction that I need to make before writing my review.

Its not an overstatement to say that The Realm of the Elderlings is hands down my biggest gamble of all time in the history of book buying; I bought it without using my brain, after all. You may call me shallow, my interest in this series ...more

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May 04, 2018 Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-series

Most prisons are of our own making. A man makes his own freedom, too.

So this was my first Robin Hobb and Im positively surprised! =) I mean after reading all those raving reviews I already expected that Assassins Apprentice would be a good book, I definitely wasnt prepared for the train of feels that occasionally hit me though. Well, truth be told, thats actually a bold understatement.

For a book that started out so slowly there certainly were a lot of intense and awesome scenes that had me ...more

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Jan 21, 2009 Felicia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: epic-fantasy

One of my all-time favorite series. I love it so much I have first edition hardbacks. Lovely, touching, dramatic. It has everything.

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Dec 22, 2008 A. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: nerdy badasses

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 08, 2014 Sean Barrs The Ultra Vegan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I feel so sorry for Fitzchivalry because he had such a rough start to life. The boy is despised for the simple fact that he exists. He is a royal bastard, and his dishonourable conception means that his fathers name is forever sullied; that much so that he was forced to abdicate the throne; thus, half the royal Farseer court already hates Fitz because he is, supposedly, the reason why the popular Prince had to retire from court life. Poor, poor, Fitz, he was hated from the very beginning.

He ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

first and foremost, i need to praise robin hobb. with the literary world constantly fawning over the likes of george r.r. martin, brandon sanderson, patrick rothfuss, etc., it is so refreshing to read an epic/high fantasy written by a woman. you go, girl!

there is so much to love about this book. i will admit, this is a very foundational book. its quite slow, as there is a lot of page time dedicated to the development of characters and the building of the world in which they live. but this is ...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Kaion rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, unfinished

I find a lot of fantasy authors are in love with the internalized conceptions of their worlds. This can lead to great nuanced detail supporting imaginative storytelling... but the flipside can be a creation that fails to translate that vision to the actual page, to the audience.

Assassin's Apprentice illustrates this point fairly well. Robin Hobb has clearly lovingly created the world of the Six Duchies, and this love is echoed through the tale's device: born a bastard son to the king's heir, ...more

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May 19, 2017 James Lafayette Tivendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This will just be a casual review as I know that the majority of fantasy fans on my friends list will have read/ at least know of this book.

This was an interesting reading experience for me. It only took me about 5 years to finish! I tried it 3 times and couldnt get further than the 30% point. I attempted it in its paperback and audiobook form but to no avail. That being stated, I still knew it wasnt a bad tale, so I put it back on the shelf for another time in 1, 5, 10, or 20 years when I would This will just be a casual review as I know that the majority of fantasy fans on my friends list will have read/ at least know of this book.

This was an interesting reading experience for me. It only took me about 5 years to finish! I tried it 3 times and couldn’t get further than the 30% point. I attempted it in it’s paperback and audiobook form but to no avail. That being stated, I still knew it wasn’t a bad tale, so I put it back on the shelf for another time in 1, 5, 10, or 20 years when I would give it another go.

I always found the start a bit dull and it couldn’t keep my interest. Apart from Fitz and his pup Nosey, nothing about the characters or the world really enticed me to continue. Recently, I’ve been suffering from insomnia and if I’m being truthful I started listening to the Audiobook of this again hoping it would put me to sleep. It didn’t. I’d listened to half the whole narrative in one night and it was like I was reading a different book. It was a blessing come from hardship as I was really enjoying it. At that point, it was a win-win. Either I could sleep, or I could carry on listening to this great story.

A young boy is left at the gates of a castle and a soldier is told that he is the King-in-Waiting Prince Chivalry’s bastard child. This happens when he is 5 years old and we spend Assassin’s Apprentice following in Fitz’s first-person footsteps for approximately 10 years. After the first 30%, names such as Shrewd, Regal, Verity, Chivalry, Patience and such stop being confusing and I could truly distinguish who was who, their differences, allegiances, motives and it was an awesome feeling. Chances are, most of the ensemble have a problem with this Royal Bastard turning up and Fitz doesn’t have many allies. My favourite characters were father-figure Burrich, honourable Prince Verity, the Fool, and the assassin master Chade. The best parts, however, are probably Fitz’s use of the Wit. This is a very rare skill which allows wielders of such talents to communicate with animals. The second highlight for me was Fitz lessons and training exercises/ tasks assigned to him by Chade. We don’t see too much magic in Assassin’s Apprentice but in addition to ‘the Wit’ there is also the mysterious ‘the Skill,’ which we find out more about as the tale goes on. Some of ‘the Skill’ lessons in the second half of the narrative were pretty harrowing to read.

Although it has it’s slower, more thought-provoking sections, and occasionally Fitz has a ‘woe-is-me-the-world-hates-me-moments (which of course they do) some of the action segments, dramatic confrontations, and political what-the-hell-is-going-on?-intrigue are top-notch.

I won’t say much more apart from that I finished reading this in 2 days and will 100% be carrying on with this series as soon as I can. Once again, this is a classic example of that if you don’t enjoy a book, put it back on the shelf because an older/uglier/wiser/cleverer you in the future might find it exceptional. ...more

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May 29, 2017 Samantha rated it liked it · review of another edition

Bullet points for this review because although Robin Hobb likes to ramble on.. I do not.

A Summary of this book:
-- Fitz's life sucks
-- lots of winding and turning and taking an especially long time to get to the point
-- lots of predictable plots but not knowing exactly how we'd get there

While the writing is good, the story in this one is just ok. Nevertheless, I'm going to read on as planned because I'm reading this trilogy simply to get to her other trilogies. I do feel I'll get more and ...more

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Jul 17, 2015 Sean Gibson rated it really liked it

It hasnt been that long since I cracked the virtual spine on a new fantasy series, but it has been a while since I began one that felt like this.

(Um, Sean? Can you maybe, I dont know, define what this is, on account of the fact that empathetic internet is, as of yet, at least still a few years away?)

This is fully realized, well written and conceived, and faithful to some of the most tried and true fantasy tropes while simultaneously standing one very big one on its heads (namely, and I dont It hasn’t been that long since I cracked the virtual spine on a new fantasy series, but it has been a while since I began one that felt like this.

(Um, Sean? Can you maybe, I don’t know, define what “this” is, on account of the fact that empathetic internet is, as of yet, at least still a few years away?)

“This” is fully realized, well written and conceived, and faithful to some of the most tried and true fantasy tropes while simultaneously standing one very big one on its heads (namely, and I don’t think I’m spoiling anything that’s not in the title of the book here, that our main character, Fitz, is being trained to be an assassin, a line of work that is not generally considered sympatico vis-à-vis being a heroic paragon of virtue).

As much as anything, this is a coming of age story, and it’s paced accordingly. You know how, growing up, your life is marked by milestones (first sleepover, staying home alone the first time, first kiss, driver’s license, first time you manage to kill a dracolich in a game of 2nd edition AD&D (an event that likely transpired long, long before your first kiss)) that break up an otherwise monotonous cycle of school, chores, hanging out with friends, exploring the wondrous things that can happen when you spend time alone with a bottle of Jurgens contemplating the shower scene in National Lampoon’s Vacation, etc.? That’s basically what reading The Assassin’s Apprentice is like, but that’s neither a critique nor an indicator that it’s in any way boring. Monotony generally implies boringness, but I would argue that all of those repetitive activities you undertook growing up incrementally formed your character (or, at least, chafed your most sensitive parts, depending on how frequently you indulged in thoughts of an in-her-prime Beverly D’Angelo). So it is for Fitz, and watching him undergo his journey—slow and painful though it can occasionally be—is a delight.

Hobb builds her world methodically, brick by brick; she manages to deftly balance driving the story forward while highlighting the unique features of the world, and never once do you feel as though you’re on world-building data dump overload. Her writing is a delight, and she conjures a feel reminiscent of some of the fantasy luminaries I enjoyed working my way through when I really started to get into reading fantasy late in high school (the two who come foremost to mind, in terms of making a tonal comparison, are David Eddings and Raymond Feist).

Would I have liked a little bit more action here and there, a little more with the swords and the heroics and magic fireballs? Sure. But, that’s true in real life as well. Who doesn’t love fireballs? Nonetheless, I’m more than sufficiently hooked to continue on, to see if Fitz can remain a sympathetic character as he moves from apprentice assassin to the master assassin, to explore more of this intriguing world, and to go dig out my old VHS copy of Vacation.

(And, hey—how can you not love a book that starts off with a man sleeping with animals in the first 10 pages? Just sleeping, people—no funny business. Get your minds out of the gutter, you filthy perverts.) ...more

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Apr 26, 2014 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorite-books

Even better the second time around!

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Jan 19, 2017 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, magic, fantasy, audible, read-in-2017

What unexpected, and much needed, joy this book brought me! I know this is a fantasy favorite among so many people I trust, but I never expected it to be as perfect as it was! Fitz and his journey was an absolute joy to read about, and I cannot wait to continue on with this world. Like, I need the next book now.

This story is a slow burn, that's for sure, but learning about the main protagonist, Fitz, and his back story made the slow pace still really enjoyable. Fitz is a bastard of the king in ...more

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Sep 23, 2014 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fave-ya-and-fantasy, fave-characters, likeable-mc, knots-in-my-stomach, fantasy, reread, dark, all-time-favorites

07/19 : 1.99$ today on kindle! ← I never do that, but that's FITZ. Be serious.

Funny that I thought I would be able to objectively review this favorite of mine. SERIOUSLY? I was way too conceited. Because the truth is...

Why?

◘ Because I'm (way) too much involved in Fitz's story to analyze it. I mean, I could pretend, of course, but really? I found myself crying or being out of breath in anticipation so many times that I'm pretty sure my opinion is grandly biased.

Take this, for example : "And ...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Evgeny rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Probably the most depressing fantasy trilogy I read (and this includes Thomas Covenant). Recommended for when you are too cheerful and want to lower your mood in the hurry. The bad guys are bad with no redeeming qualities (and doing bad things just because they are bad). The good guys have all the bad luck imaginable - and then some; they also love acting out of character.

This is still entertaining read which kept me until the end.

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Dec 18, 2018 Dana Ilie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Dana by: Simona Vlad

Shelves: fantasy

Why has it taken me this long to read Robin Hobb? Truthfully, I am not quite sure. Fears aside, I took the plunge, and can assuredly say it was well worth the wait!
For the sake of clarity, I started with the first of the various series which make up the books set within the Realm of the Elderlings. This meant starting with Assassins Apprentice, the first installment in the Farseer Trilogy.
I have really fallen in love with Robin Hobbs style of writing. It has so much substance and sophistication Why has it taken me this long to read Robin Hobb? Truthfully, I am not quite sure. Fears aside, I took the plunge, and can assuredly say it was well worth the wait!
For the sake of clarity, I started with the first of the various series which make up the books set within the Realm of the Elderlings. This meant starting with Assassins Apprentice, the first installment in the Farseer Trilogy.
I have really fallen in love with Robin Hobb’s style of writing. It has so much substance and sophistication which I think high fantasies can sometimes miss. Having said that, she does not over complicate her writing, leaving more room for the plot to mature. I think she really excels in both her descriptions and her speech. When she describes the town, the court, even the hustle and bustle of where the trading ships dock, it is with such vibrancy and color that it carries through and inspires my own imagination. Likewise, Hobb has a very tight grip on the speech used within her works. Not once did I feel that there was a conversation which was stilted or unrealistic. I think this is also a tribute to her brilliant characterization, with the cast of characters all fully fledged beings in their own right.
One of the advantages of this novel was that whilst things were suggested, or links made, it was not necessarily obvious which thread was going to be fully followed. Even halfway through, I was still unsure which direction the novel could be heading. What also surprised me about this novel was that it was very self contained. There are definitely areas from which sequels and parallel series can spring, yet the book can also be read completely by itself. Most firsts in a series are quite slow, with the initial book used to set up and establish the rest in the series, but I did not find that here.

One can expect so much from an author’s first novel, especially one titled after the two words that have become the salt and pepper of fantasy fiction through the decades. And yet, somehow, Robin Hobb takes these tropes that used to make fantasy great, and, with much confidence and palpable pleasure, creates such a captivating story that, when it is over, can result in a serious case of “book hangover”. This is what happens when characters in the hands of a talented author come to life and form a relationship with the reader. It is difficult to move forward to other stories and other worlds, much like saying goodbye to old friends. Thankfully, this is only the beginning of a long series that has set the bar high from the first book. This is the definition of great fantasy, a debut novel called Assassin’s Apprentice.

My first foray into Robin Hobb’s world was a roaring success. It is so refreshing to find more women who are challenging the stereotypes of a genre which is so often favored by males. Assassin’s Apprentice was way better than anything I had expected. I wasn’t bored a second of it, even the courtly intrigues where interesting enough to keep my attention. Hobb writes with such naturalness that I could not help but be pulled in by the narrative she employs, and I cannot wait to delve further into the series. ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Helen 2.0 rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-epic, brs-done, royalty, rogues-thieves-assassins

Men cannot grieve as dogs do. But we grieve for many years.

Wow. This book really got under my skin.

At its core, Assassin's Apprentice is a story about loneliness - about a lonely boy, the bastard son of the former crown prince, growing up in a kingdom that does not want him. Fitz grows up among servants and soldiers in the king's palace, working in the shadow of his grandfather and uncles as a stableboy. Working with dogs, he discovers a talent for the Wit, a mental ability that allows him to sense beings around him and forge emotional bonds with them. Eventually Fitz is recruited to train as a royal assassin for King Shrewd.

The plot progression is slow, and certainly doesn't follow common plot structure guidelines. Robin Hobb takes her time describing the settings of each scene, as well as the nuances of each character and their standing to others in the book. As a result, her fantasy world comes to life in gorgeous detail across the pages. Descriptions of the kingdom and culture were vivid and will stay with me even if I do not continue this series.

The author's writing also shines in the dialogue she creates; although Fitz is a quiet, reserved boy, he is often wrapped up in conversation by the servants and nobles of the castle. Every character's inner personality and motivations are subtly revealed in their speech, and each line of dialogue is packed with meaning beyond the spoken words. One of my favorite lines came from Fitz's mentor, Chade, speaking of becoming the king's man:

"It doesn't have to be that bad," Chade said quietly. "Most prisons are of our own making. A man makes his own freedom, too."

Wise and moving dialogue like this was a dime a dozen in this book.

So while the book was a slow read with little danger or excitement, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much had Hobb cut some of the imagery and dialogue.

I do have one complaint, which took one star off my rating. Fitz, as a protagonist, is very passive. Although he is often described by other characters, as well as the narrator, as a catalyst, Fitz generally does not drive the plot. Rather, the plot drives him. Much of the book features him reluctantly reacting to a problem at hand or observing the actions of others. That lack of initiative made it difficult to see how Fitz would become a legendary hero in later books. ...more

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Jan 27, 2011 Kat rated it really liked it

Shelves: sweet-nostalgia, terrific-covers, pampers-the-emo-within, high-fantasy, sweet-anticipation, blazing-intensity, war-and-military, political-intrigues, robin-hobb, bouts-of-fangirl-craziness

With the exciting news of a brand new series about Fitz & the Fool, The Fool's Assassin, in mind, we are buddy reading this series in December and continue with the Tawny Man trilogy.

Yup, I'm all set! (for some funky reason, I'd feel weird about reading Robin Hobb on my Kindle, so I got the entire series in English paperbacks too.:p

Buddy read with:
*Kat (joins for book 2)
*Damian
*Joshua
*Em
*Lee(first timer, wooot!)
*Erika, and I'm confident we'll catch up with...
*DayDreamer ;)

...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Samir rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Robin Hobb is an author which was on my radar for a long time and I was planning to read her books earlier but reading is a fickle and seductive mistress often taking us on an unplanned journeys and sometimes during those journeys we cross paths with people who manage to persuade us to follow their direction and just like that, I ended up in the Realms of the Elderlings, on a new adventure starting with the Assassins Apprentice.

This tale starts with our main character, Fitz (age 6), being Robin Hobb is an author which was on my radar for a long time and I was planning to read her books earlier but reading is a fickle and seductive mistress often taking us on an unplanned journeys and sometimes during those journeys we cross paths with people who manage to persuade us to follow their direction and just like that, I ended up in the Realms of the Elderlings, on a new adventure starting with the Assassin’s Apprentice.

This tale starts with our main character, Fitz (age 6), being brought to the Farseer’s army outpost by his maternal grandfather and given to a soldier, who is told that he is King-in-Waiting Chivalry's bastard son. The soldier brings him to the commander of the outpost, Prince Verity, who orders that he be given into the care of Burrich, Chivalry's stablemaster and right-hand man. Before Burrich takes him to Buckkeep, the capital of the Six Duchies, his father abdicates from his position and retires to the Withywoods with his wife Patience so he never got the chance to meet him.

Burrich is left with the task of raising him and being a stablemaster he teaches him how to take care of animals. During his time with animals he discovers he can bond telepathically with them and that is the form of magic called the Wit, an ancient magic which Burrich forbids him to practice. The Wit is very much similar to the Skill, a magic system practiced by the royal family, which gives them ability to share thoughts and strength.

We follow the rest of story through a first person POV, so we pretty much see and feel the world and characters through the eyes and mind of our main protagonist thus creating a strong bond with him and that is something really important to me when reading; I need a character I can root for and Fitz is just that kind of character, not only did I root for him, he also managed to evoke a strong emotional empathy in me and that shows a great skill Hobb has in characterization.

This is a slow paced book and I know that can be off putting for some readers who demand explosive action on every page because “nothing is happening” otherwise but in this case the pacing is suitable for the story because this is a character driven story with very strong emphasis on character development which was superbly done.

The prose feels simple yet beautiful and often reminded me of Rothfuss’s writing and if I had to guess I would say that Hobb influenced him very much.

I was completely mesmerized with the magic of this book. It is a beautiful coming-of-age tale which captivated my mind and made me realize why is it deemed a true classic and a pure fantasy gem.

With the first quest completed, I’m ready for the next one and eager to find out what fate lies ahead for Fitz in the Royal Assassin.
...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Warda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Be your blood, boy, and ignore what anyone else thinks of you.

I'm officially part of the Hobb fandom, hallelujah! This book was one of the most joyful slow-burners that I've read. Think 'The Name of the Wind.' It's about our precious Fitz, a bastard, who has been brought up by someone who used to work closely with his father. It is narrated by Fitz himself and we follow his life closely from childhood till his young teenage years.

The writing is quite simply, stunning. From page one I was hooked ...more

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May 26, 2018 Manisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-adult, genre-fantasy, pages-101-500, series-dectet-and-more, 4-star-reads, type-rtc

Actual review: 4.5

Men cannot grieve as dogs do. But we grieve for many years. 😢

A prologue of sorts of an adventure that is yet to come. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Full review to come. ...more

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Jan 15, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, year-2017, 3-star

Assassin's Apprentice is the story of Fitz, who arrives at Buckkeep barely more than a child. He is branded early on as the bastard of Prince Chivalry Farseer, eldest & deceased son of King Shrewd Farseer. And so begins the slow & steady descent of our main character into a life fraught with hardship after hardship.

Which brings us around to one of my main struggles with this story. The first 80-85% of this book is a slow trudge through Fitz's childhood, exploring the many brutal ways in ...more

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May 26, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, coming-of-age

After reading maybe a few too many YA fantasies, it was a breath of fresh air to delve into the world of Fitz, the assassin's apprentice. It was complex and layered, the way I like my fantasies and, I suppose, my reading generally (other than the brain-candy romance cravings, which tend to attack me randomly and without prior warning).

Fitz, the bastard son of the crown prince with a peasant woman, is taken from his mother as a six year old boy and dropped into the royal household. This novel ...more

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May 17, 2018 Caz (littlebookowl) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, book-club

Rating: 3.5 stars

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Apr 04, 2014 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2014

Buddy read with Alexa August 19th!

Wearily I regard the faltering trail of ink it has tracked down my page. I have seen that shape before, I think, but it was not ink then. A trickle of drying blood on the deck of a Red-Ship, and mine the hand that spilled it? Or was it a tendril of smoke rising black against a blue sky as I rode too late to warn a village of a Red-Ship raid? Or poison swirling and unfurling yellowly in a simple glass of water, poison I had handed someone, smiling all the while? Buddy read with Alexa August 19th!

Wearily I regard the faltering trail of ink it has tracked down my page. I have seen that shape before, I think, but it was not ink then. A trickle of drying blood on the deck of a Red-Ship, and mine the hand that spilled it? Or was it a tendril of smoke rising black against a blue sky as I rode too late to warn a village of a Red-Ship raid? Or poison swirling and unfurling yellowly in a simple glass of water, poison I had handed someone, smiling all the while? The artless curl of a strand of woman's hair left upon my pillow? Or the trail a man's heels left in the sand as we dragged the bodies from the smoldering tower at Sealbay? The track of a tear down a mother's cheek as she clutched her Forged infant to her despite his angry cries? Like Red-Ships, the memories come without warning, without mercy.

An angry old man arrives at the gates of Buckkeep, capital of the Kingdom of the Six Duchies, dragging his six-year old grandson along. Determined not to listen to his daughter’s desperate cries from behind them, the old man delivers the child to a guardsman, and demands that his father take care of him from now on. And the child’s father, he says to the perplexed guardsman, is Prince Chivalry Farseer, king-in-waiting and heir to the throne.

The boy who comes to be known as Fitz becomes something of a liability for the Farseer royal family upon his untimely arrival at Buckkeep. Chivalry, a man whose honour is everything to him, abdicates his position in the line of succession and thus causes an uproar in the Six Duchies. And Fitz himself, doomed to the life of a bastard, must put his life in the hands of King Shrewd. And he must decide between being put to death for no other reason than being who he is, and being turned into a lethal weapon for the king to use. An assassin…

Robin Hobb’s writing is one of the strengths of this novel. It is extraordinarily simple, and yet greatly satisfying. I also really enjoyed the book’s narrative, written from the point of view of Fitz as an old man describing the events of his youth. That kind of retrospective, nostalgic writing style is deeply reminiscent of one of my all-time favourite authors, Bernard Cornwell. And even though Cornwell in my opinion does it a lot better, Robin Hobb is also quite certainly a master of this art.

The setting is not particularly complex or innovative, but one could say that it, like so many other aspects of this novel, grows more and more interesting for each single chapter. The Kingdom of the Six Duchies is, like most other medieval fantasy settings, a feudal monarchy built by farmers and soldiers. Most of the story takes place in the capital city of Buckkeep, but some of the most interesting events occur in outlying villages or even in the bordering Mountain Kingdoms. The fact that Hobb reveals remarkably little of the other locations, cultures and nations of this world, also helps to make it seem more mysterious and fascinating.

The characters are a bit more difficult to talk about. Aside from Fitz himself, almost every single character is completely generic and more or less one-dimensional. In Chivalry, Verity and Regal we have three different versions of royal princes all so often found in medieval fantasy, and their father King Shrewd is most definitely a rather typical monarch. Most of Fitz’ teachers also fit the various stereotypes of fantasy. Despite all that, I should say that I really enjoyed reading about them. Within the confines of their roles, these characters were very well developed. Robin Hobb seems to have a way to make her readers care about what happens even to minor characters, not to mention the protagonist himself. And there are obviously also a few more interesting characters, like the Fool and the Lady Patience, who were the two characters of this book whom I enjoyed the most.

Speaking of patience, that is absolutely something one needs to read this book. When it comes to the composition and the progression of the story, Robin Hobb so far reminds me a lot of Robert Jordan, in the way that both authors apparently write books where nothing at all seems to be happening, and then they bombard the reader with tons of excitement and drama in the last five to ten chapters. One needs to get almost halfway through this book before the plot finally starts moving forward. But when it finally does that, it’s hardly even possible to put it down.

In the end, Assassin’s Apprentice was an enjoyable book to read. It is not among the best fantasy books I’ve ever read, but it was great fun reading, and it piqued my curiosity enough that I certainly want to read the rest of the books set in the Realms of the Elderlings, and get to explore this wonderful world further.
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Jul 15, 2017 Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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I've had Robin Hobb on my list of authors I simply must read for a few years now, but haven't had the opportunity to get my hands on one of her books until this month. I'm actually kind of glad that I waited as long as I did, if I'm honest, because in a way I think finishing this book required a patience and maturity on my part that I probably would have lacked had I tried to accomplish reading it years ago when it first started ...more

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Sep 08, 2018 Will.J.R. Gwynne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, reviewed, fantasy, favourite-series

My review of this AMAZING book is now on BookNest.

Assassin's Apprentice BookNest

Very little worth knowing is taught by fear.

I read Assassin's Apprentice late last year, and how amazing it is that I did. This is the book that introduced me to my now second favourite author of all time. I blitzed through three trilogies in this world in less than a month! That is testament to how obsessed I became.

Hobb's characters are just a pure masterclass. Each has such a rare depth, and every action reveals ...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I read THE FARSEER SAGA years ago and have since considered it one of my favorite fantasy epics. Its one (along with THE LORD OF THE RINGS and MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN) that I often suggest to new fantasy readers. But after more than a decade of reading deeper and further into fantasy literature, Ive often wondered how well this saga would now appeal to my more mature (I hope) palate. When Tantor Audio recently released THE FARSEER SAGA on audio, I was overjoyed and considered this to be my sign I read THE FARSEER SAGA years ago and have since considered it one of my favorite fantasy epics. It’s one (along with THE LORD OF THE RINGS and MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN) that I often suggest to new fantasy readers. But after more than a decade of reading deeper and further into fantasy literature, I’ve often wondered how well this saga would now appeal to my more mature (I hope) palate. When Tantor Audio recently released THE FARSEER SAGA on audio, I was overjoyed and considered this to be my sign that it’s time to re-visit the six duchies.

When Assassin’s Apprentice arrived in the mail, I yanked out the CD that was currently in my computer, tossed it aside (sorry, Ray Bradbury) and stuck in the first Assassin’s Apprentice disc. My lips trembled as I mouthed the name of the narrator: Paul Boehmer… Never heard of him. Is he good enough to portray Fitz, one of my all-time favorite fantasy characters? And… my stomach twisted… will Fitz be the same boy I came to care so much for so many years ago?

Within minutes I was reabsorbed into the world of FitzChivalry Farseer, that insecure, lonely boy who has so much potential but, due to his illegitimate birth and his peculiar abilities with animals, never gets what he deserves. Fitz was just as I remembered and Paul Boehmer portrayed him (and all the other characters) beautifully. (Except that at one point he incorrectly used the word “prisoner” instead of “poisoner.”)

Robin Hobb’s prose was as nice as I remembered, too — straightforward and simple. It never calls attention to itself (and therefore away from the story). Her characters are engaging and nicely portrayed, though a couple of her villains are overdone. Her animal characters are especially notable and, though I’m not a dog lover, I can’t help but be emotionally connected to Fitz’s canine companions. My second read also gave me a greater appreciation for Hobb’s world-building as I encountered tidbits of information that are relevant to her later works (TAWNY MAN, LIVESHIP TRADERS, RAIN WILDS).
My only disappointment is that I don’t have the next book, Royal Assassin, in my hands yet. I’m not sure why I’m so eager to torture myself again with this story because I know what’s going to happen. Things don’t always go well for Fitz. His story is heart-wrenching, and I know I’ll be emotionally drained after I finish it. But I’m going to love every minute of it.

Read more Robin Hobb book reviews at Fantasy literature. ...more

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About Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb

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** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 ...more