James’s review of Assassin's Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy, #1) > Likes and Comments
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I had trouble with this one too.
This is one of my favorite series ever - it's worth it. Try again when you have the chance :)
Katy wrote: "This is one of my favorite series ever - it's worth it. Try again when you have the chance :)"
I will try and come back to it. Just leaving it at the 2-star, "it was okay" for the moment. :)
I forced myself through the first trilogy (2,5- 2,5 - 2), but I don't know, I just could not care less about sad sad Fitz.
It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie and now Hobb.
I remember struggling too. finished it eventually and gave it three stars but so far I have failed to return and continue the series.
C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie a..."
I wouldn't want to do a full review to a book I haven't finished. I got to 30% twice and it was just so slow and dull. Tried it again and stuttered at 15%. Tried it as a book and an audiobook. It is something I want to try again later because there must be something great here but with the amount of books I have to review I left it at 2* DNF "it was okay" for the time being.
James wrote: "C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like ..."
Eh, you probably do have better books to read. :)
God, this book. I got it recommended to me about a million times. Everyone raves about it. I couldn't stand any of it, the dull, melancholic story of everything going wrong for Fitz, the characters who are all either uninteresting or unpleasant, the whole world of it being boring.
It genuinely gave me a reading block.
James, what didn't you like about this book?
Some parts lagged I agree, would just be interesting to read what you didn't like.
Emelia wrote: "James, what didn't you like about this book?
Some parts lagged I agree, would just be interesting to read what you didn't like."
It just didn't have enough going on to keep my interested. Too slow, didn't really go anywhere, didn't care about the characters. I haven't given it a 1* because I can tell it isn't bad and hopefully, when I do come back to it I will enjoy it more. It just isn't for me at the moment. :)
Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D
You know, if I had started this without any prior knowledge of the events later on, AND it didn't have all the dog parts (which I love to death), I really think I would've struggled, too. I speed-read parts of this--there's a lot of very slow parts. It improves a bit later on, though.
I started with Fool's Errand and didn't realize there was an existing trilogy before, so I went back. And my interest in what later happens to the characters and the interesting twists and turns of their lives and relationships is what kept me going. (Also, the dog parts. :D).
Orient wrote: "Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D"
I would give it a go. Loads of people love it x
James wrote: "Orient wrote: "Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D"
I would give it a go. Loads of people love it x"
Sure, I will :) Too many people drooling for it :)
Slow burning books ain't for you, bub. Move on. Robin Hobb is the greatest fantasy voice of this generation though so it's a shame.
Mark wrote: "Slow burning books ain't for you, bub. Move on. Robin Hobb is the greatest fantasy voice of this generation though so it's a shame."
I will hopefully get back to it when I am in a different state of mind and that is the sort of reading I need. :)
Orient wrote: "Sure, I will :) Too many people drooling for it :)
"
Yeah, give it a try; for what it's worth, it's something that grows on you long-term and isn't a one book kind of thing. I keep coming back to the series because of the surprising amount of depth I can glean from the supporting cast (maybe not so much Fitz in the beginning, he was just a whiner at first...and then some...).
I was about to start this one...will wait a bit more I guess. I had a similar experience with "Fool's Assassin". Had to struggle through 70% of the book before it got better.
K.S. wrote: "Yeah, give it a try; for what it's worth, it's something that grows on you long-term and isn't a one book kind of thing. I keep coming back to the series because of the surprising amount of depth I can glean from the supporting cast (maybe not so much Fitz in the beginning, he was just a whiner at first...and then some...)"
That sounds quite good, I survived and liked Malice and Hobb seems even better :) One thing that makes me uncertain is that The tittle of the first book is a pun, not much assassinations in the book :D
If you want assassinations a plenty, I recommend the Vlad Taltos novels. These are more "a bastard's diaries" :D
Robin Hobb books are slow burners for sure but the pay off is SO worth it..
C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie a..."
I think Abercrombie is a little more sub-par than many other fantasy authors. Definitely not terrible, not even bad, just not great or amazing.
Craig wrote: "James i appreciate your opinion and you know my reading tastes by now haha but i cannot explain how these slow moving non blood letting (to a degree) books mesmerized me :)"
I'm sure as a whole trilogy of trilogies - they are probably magical. I just don't have the time to traipse through something I am not enjoying in the hope it gets better, at the moment. When my schedule is less intense I will come back. x
I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?
Michael wrote: "I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?"
I haven't. I thought they were a trilogy of trilogies in order... someone in my comments said to try one of the other series and come back to this and I might prefer it. I might give that a go.
James wrote: "Michael wrote: "I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?"
I haven't. I thought t..."
If you pick one, let me know - might join you in a maiden voyage read.
I've just finished the last 16th book in the Elderling books and highly recommend them all. If I were to pick and choose I'd say that Farseer parts are written better than the Traders parts, but I'm very glad I didn't skip anything because some deeper themes are interwoven through all of the books and the last Farseer trilogy makes little sense without 7 Traders books.
K.S. wrote: "If you want assassinations a plenty, I recommend the Vlad Taltos novels. These are more "a bastard's diaries" :D"
Thanks, K.S :D I'll keep that in mind ;)
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Emily
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May 19, 2017 02:23PM
I had trouble with this one too.
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This is one of my favorite series ever - it's worth it. Try again when you have the chance :)
Katy wrote: "This is one of my favorite series ever - it's worth it. Try again when you have the chance :)"I will try and come back to it. Just leaving it at the 2-star, "it was okay" for the moment. :)
I forced myself through the first trilogy (2,5- 2,5 - 2), but I don't know, I just could not care less about sad sad Fitz.
It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie and now Hobb.
I remember struggling too. finished it eventually and gave it three stars but so far I have failed to return and continue the series.
C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie a..."I wouldn't want to do a full review to a book I haven't finished. I got to 30% twice and it was just so slow and dull. Tried it again and stuttered at 15%. Tried it as a book and an audiobook. It is something I want to try again later because there must be something great here but with the amount of books I have to review I left it at 2* DNF "it was okay" for the time being.
James wrote: "C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like ..."Eh, you probably do have better books to read. :)
God, this book. I got it recommended to me about a million times. Everyone raves about it. I couldn't stand any of it, the dull, melancholic story of everything going wrong for Fitz, the characters who are all either uninteresting or unpleasant, the whole world of it being boring. It genuinely gave me a reading block.
James, what didn't you like about this book?Some parts lagged I agree, would just be interesting to read what you didn't like.
Emelia wrote: "James, what didn't you like about this book?Some parts lagged I agree, would just be interesting to read what you didn't like."
It just didn't have enough going on to keep my interested. Too slow, didn't really go anywhere, didn't care about the characters. I haven't given it a 1* because I can tell it isn't bad and hopefully, when I do come back to it I will enjoy it more. It just isn't for me at the moment. :)
Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D
You know, if I had started this without any prior knowledge of the events later on, AND it didn't have all the dog parts (which I love to death), I really think I would've struggled, too. I speed-read parts of this--there's a lot of very slow parts. It improves a bit later on, though. I started with Fool's Errand and didn't realize there was an existing trilogy before, so I went back. And my interest in what later happens to the characters and the interesting twists and turns of their lives and relationships is what kept me going. (Also, the dog parts. :D).
Orient wrote: "Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D"I would give it a go. Loads of people love it x
James wrote: "Orient wrote: "Wow, at least you tried :) I plan to read it in June :) Lol, not sure if I want to, now :D"I would give it a go. Loads of people love it x"
Sure, I will :) Too many people drooling for it :)
Slow burning books ain't for you, bub. Move on. Robin Hobb is the greatest fantasy voice of this generation though so it's a shame.
Mark wrote: "Slow burning books ain't for you, bub. Move on. Robin Hobb is the greatest fantasy voice of this generation though so it's a shame."I will hopefully get back to it when I am in a different state of mind and that is the sort of reading I need. :)
Orient wrote: "Sure, I will :) Too many people drooling for it :) "
Yeah, give it a try; for what it's worth, it's something that grows on you long-term and isn't a one book kind of thing. I keep coming back to the series because of the surprising amount of depth I can glean from the supporting cast (maybe not so much Fitz in the beginning, he was just a whiner at first...and then some...).
I was about to start this one...will wait a bit more I guess. I had a similar experience with "Fool's Assassin". Had to struggle through 70% of the book before it got better.
K.S. wrote: "Yeah, give it a try; for what it's worth, it's something that grows on you long-term and isn't a one book kind of thing. I keep coming back to the series because of the surprising amount of depth I can glean from the supporting cast (maybe not so much Fitz in the beginning, he was just a whiner at first...and then some...)"That sounds quite good, I survived and liked Malice and Hobb seems even better :) One thing that makes me uncertain is that The tittle of the first book is a pun, not much assassinations in the book :D
If you want assassinations a plenty, I recommend the Vlad Taltos novels. These are more "a bastard's diaries" :D
Robin Hobb books are slow burners for sure but the pay off is SO worth it..
C.T. wrote: "It'd be interesting if you could do a full review on why you hate it because it's not a series which gets called out much. I like your calling out the sacred cows in many fiction like Abercrombie a..."I think Abercrombie is a little more sub-par than many other fantasy authors. Definitely not terrible, not even bad, just not great or amazing.
Craig wrote: "James i appreciate your opinion and you know my reading tastes by now haha but i cannot explain how these slow moving non blood letting (to a degree) books mesmerized me :)"I'm sure as a whole trilogy of trilogies - they are probably magical. I just don't have the time to traipse through something I am not enjoying in the hope it gets better, at the moment. When my schedule is less intense I will come back. x
I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?
Michael wrote: "I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?"I haven't. I thought they were a trilogy of trilogies in order... someone in my comments said to try one of the other series and come back to this and I might prefer it. I might give that a go.
James wrote: "Michael wrote: "I have yet to read any of Hobb's work (I know, I know, shoot me). Have you read anything else in this particular set of works (the Fitz/Farseer/Fool books)?"I haven't. I thought t..."
If you pick one, let me know - might join you in a maiden voyage read.
I've just finished the last 16th book in the Elderling books and highly recommend them all. If I were to pick and choose I'd say that Farseer parts are written better than the Traders parts, but I'm very glad I didn't skip anything because some deeper themes are interwoven through all of the books and the last Farseer trilogy makes little sense without 7 Traders books.
K.S. wrote: "If you want assassinations a plenty, I recommend the Vlad Taltos novels. These are more "a bastard's diaries" :D"Thanks, K.S :D I'll keep that in mind ;)
