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Tarfumes.com - Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)
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List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $7.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Spectra
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780553573398
ISBN: 055357339X
Label: Spectra
Manufacturer: Spectra
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 464
Publication Date: 1996-03-01
Publisher: Spectra
Release Date: 1996-03-01
Studio: Spectra
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Editorial Reviews:
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Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him sectetly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Start of a FANTASTIC SERIES!!!
Comment: Well, this was the first Robin Hobb book i ever read, and i have to say it got me completely hooked! It's been a while since i've read the books but i own all three of Robin Hobb's trilogies (The Farseers, The Liveship Traders and Tawny Man) and absolutely love them! i would give all nine books ten stars if i could... but i thought i would start at the beginning of the saga!
Assassin's Apprentice is so incredibly well written and so much more than a cliched, shallow, totally unoriginal fantasy (there are lots out there!) i have always been a bit of fantasy buff, but recently have branched out to different genres. However, i have to say, these books rate as ALL TIME FAVOURITES, among my fantasy list and, in fact, ANY book list i have (yes i rank books, sad i know!)
I just thought the whole concept of this book was brilliant! i love the way Fitz is trained as an assassin (which is a less than heroic occupation for the main character of the book) but somehow Hobb justifies the 'jobs' Fitz has to do, and i just think he, and all characters, was so well developed and complex!
i will say that Assassin's Quest (The 3rd book; i just knew i would start talking about the whole trilogy and not JUST Assassin's Apprentice!) was my least favourite out of the three Farseer novels, but i won't spoil the end for any readers. My advice (if you like a happy ending) is to read the Tawny Man trilogy as well before making final judgement on the Farseer Trilogy! I am a stickler for happy endings, but even though i found Assassin's Quest a bit sad at the end, i would still give it ten stars (thats how good these books are!)
All in all, for anyone who love fantasy, or anyone who likes a really when written, brilliant novel this is a MUST READ. I guarantee it will have you hooked on fantasy novels and Robin Hobb!!! Just Awesome!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Tragic, and Epic
Comment: Ms. Hobb, how can it be that I, a self-proclaimed fantasy nut, have only recently discovered your talent? To answer my own question, I have to retrace some recent exploits of mine in terms of research and curiosity and thus provide this warning to readers of the review simply wondering whether or not they should purchase this book (or series as the case may be). To you I say, feel free to skip ahead. No offense will be taken if you do not wish to waste time with my rhetoric. To everyone else, here goes:
Robin Hobb's name appears on the tongue of lowly bookstore staff and fantasy "must read" lists nearly as often as such genre staples as Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, and, in some circles, Tolkien himself. I was aware of this fact for some time and came close to verifying such praise on many occasions but the glaring fact that this trilogy (and the subsequent Tawny Man trilogy) are told in the nearly unheard of (in fantasy anyway) first person perspective always seemed to sway my curiosity in favor of more "traditional" offerings that share shelf space (both physical and virtual) with Hobb's works.
Recently however, I finally decided to quit putting off venturing into another well-respected series (George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga) and noticed that Robin's praise littered the work (and vise versa when Martin spoke of authors he enjoyed). Dismissing it as the politics of sharing a publisher (Bantam Spectra), I once again drifted away from the allure of The Farseer trilogy (although I did enjoy Martin's saga quite a bit).
The final straw came when in a fit of obsessive research here on Amazon for new paperbacks to fill my shelves, I was continually recommended Robin Hobb's latest trilogy: The Soldier's Son. I began digging around to read the general consensus and discovered rather quickly that the opinion of this, her latest series, was pretty well split down the middle. Nothing new there, but what was interesting was that I noticed a trend in the negative reviews- Even those who gave the new books one or two star ratings followed with quotes to the effect of: "I still love Rob Hobb even if this series isn't my cup of tea" or "I'll continue to read all of Robin Hobb's books even though I didn't like this" or even "I couldn't get through this series but I will be ordering her entire backlist." This stopped me in my tracks because if, for nothing else, the internet is a fickle lot of faceless smack-talkers. Such author devotion and loyalty is beyond rare here in cyber space (I mean even the revered Robert Jordan took quite a textual lashing from his fans when the tenth book of Wheel of Time came out) and yet here were reviewers greatly pained to say something negative about Hobb.
Long story short, I had to find out for myself and purchased the three Farseer entries (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest) and the Tawny Man trilogy as well (Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool's Fate). Since this space is reserved for the first book of the first trilogy, I will focus on that alone. Having just finished Assassin's Apprentice moments ago, I'm left awed and regretful for taking so long to give Robin Hobb a chance.
The narrative is, as stated above, told entirely in first person through the lead character, FitzChivalry Farseer (or Fitz for short) and quite frankly, works so much better than I ever would have guessed. Especially cool is that the story is told in a continual recollection from a character who is in the process of recording a history of his land with ink on parchment. This results in a dual story of sorts where the land's histories, cultures, and ideals are suffused with Fitz's direct interaction with it all. "Well done" barely scratches the surface of Hobb's ability to weave her prose through this perspective. So smooth is her pacing and fluid her dialog that suddenly third-person books that I've reserved with the utmost regard up until now feel cobby and wordy.
Those looking for the epic scale of Lord of the Rings may be a bit disappointed in the simple fact that Hobb doesn't bring a whole lot of races or exotic locales into the plot. Rather, we learn of the world through the trials and tribulations of the characters themselves. This is a story of the human condition and of emotion first and foremost (with magic, mythical creatures, and sword play as the backdrop). The beauty of such writing is that it is, in essence timeless, and could work if told from just about any period in history (perhaps even in the future as well). The fact that Hobb decided to paint her art around a fantastical setting is merely a bonus for those of us who enjoy the genre.
Now for the bad news, and yes there is a bit to report: Those who read fantasy literature to escape the oft depressing and overwhelmingly unfairness of the world in which we live should probably avoid this series in favor of something more upbeat, fantastical, or unrealistic. I say this because Hobb writes with the same sort of tragedy that makes books like A Separate Peace, Of Mice and Men, and The Great Gastby timeless literary classics. She isn't afraid to have characters die, some of whom even the most callused reader will find themselves growing subconsciously attached to, and like Martin's works, death is a finality. There's no spell to bring someone back to life nor are there reappearances later on in which we learn we were mistaken about a death. There are moments along the way when hopelessness reigns supreme and (this is coming from a reader who boasts a strong ability to keep stories separate from the real world) the burden of the tasks and the emotional pain at hand drags the reader down right along with Fitz. However, keep in mind that to many, the problem I'm describing is simply referred to as good writing. A funny side note in keeping with this theme is the most common complaint from critics is that Hobb is too good!
In conclusion, I must confess that my stubbornness to accept something different (first person fantasy) has made me arrive twelve years late to something truly marvelous and classical in every sense of the word. Robin Hobb earns every bit of the praise that has been heaped upon her throughout the years and perhaps a little bit from those naysayers who accuse her of being "too good" as well.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Every Once Upon A Time, A Great...
Comment: Every once upon a time, a great storyteller emerges. Robin Hobbs is one of them, and this series is amazingly well written. It's not often that a writer pulls all the pieces together into a book that you HAVE to read in its entirety. While it's rich and pleasant to read, no words are wasted, no storyline that goes nowhere. Everything ties in later, no matter how obscure or irrelevant the reference might seem at the time. You may or may not smell the stables -- that's up to your own experiences and imagination, but Hobbs will have provided you with everything you need to experience the tale firsthand. You owe it to yourself to partake of this greatness.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not quite there....
Comment: Although I somewhat enjoyed this book, it was really too slow of a pace for me. I'm almost done with the second installment, and it's actually better than the first one, IMO. I agree with a lot of the reviews where they gave 3 stars. There are lots of character development (75%) and not enough action (25%). I can see where a lot of people compare this to GRR Martin's Song of Fire & Ice, but it really doesnt even come close. This book has like the child's version for Song Fire&Ice series. I'd recommend it if you have no other options and want to be occupied with yet another fantasy series. I would definitely suggest Brian Sanderson's Mistborn series over this one (since I've just finished both serie's 2nd book).
Since these were some of her earlier books, I'm going to try to go through each of the series until her latest works, which received great reviews.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Innovative page turner
Comment: I've just finished the Farseer trilogy and decided to weigh in on the first book so everyone knows what they're getting into. This book was pure genius. The author goes through great pains to describe all of her characters, and does it by never shifting viewpoints from the main character! That means that you get first person perspective from the most important character in the series for all 3 books. There were some times when the character development dragged and seemed a bit excessive but in the end the vivid pictures she painted for them was well worth it. I found myself growing very attached to FitzChivalry and hoping he would eventually succeed. I've never seen such a "normal" hero in all of my time reading fantasy. Fitz isn't a large or strong man. He doesn't have the ability to shoot fireballs from his hands or light from his eyes. He cannot foretell the future. His unique ability is the special relationship with his wolf (known as the Wit) and his ability with the Skill. The full potential and capability of what one can do with the Skill is still a mystery to me. It was seldom used by Fitz in direct defense of his life and never fully mastered throughout the series. FitzChivalry was definetly the most unique protagonist I've ever read and this epic trilogy ranks in my top 3 favorite of all time.
Hobb's strengths lie in her ability to make you empathize with her characters. I grew so deeply attached to them all and felt a strong longing for more after I sat the last book down. Fortunately the Tawney Man series is filling that void for me (the next trilogy involving the same characters - at least the ones that make it out alive). I warn you, this series will consume you once you pick it up. It will leave you yearning for even more information but it will not disappoint. It smacks of early George Martin (without the senseless destruction of all the characters you love) and makes Robert Jordan's work seem almost tepid. The only problem I had with this series is the actual binding of the book. I'd recommend finding a hard cover set, or even a kindle version of the trilogy because the cheap paperback reprints are bound so poorly that you nearly have to bend half the book all the way back to read some of the words in the fold (the words are not properly centered on the page and are so left justified that you have to put a lot of pressure on the spine to read first or last word of every sentence).
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