Read Assassin Apprentice The Illustrated Edition The Farseer Trilogy Book 1 Robin Hobb 9781984817853 Books

Product details Series Farseer Trilogy (Book 1) Hardcover 464 pages Publisher Del Rey; Anniversary edition (October 1, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 198481785X

Assassin Apprentice The Illustrated Edition The Farseer Trilogy Book 1 Robin Hobb 9781984817853 Books Reviews

• I read on the average of about 125-150 books a year. Most of them in the fantasy genre. I'm a 48 - year-old woman, so I've put away tons of books in my time. This fantasy series is in my top 3 most enjoyable and engaging epic fantasy reads of all time. The characters of Fitzchivalry and The Fool are easily some of the most memorable characters of the fantasy genre, ever. As a woman, you may find yourself in love with both - maybe not romantically - but they get in your head and won't leave. Extremely well-written, well-plotted, suspenseful-yet-pleasant, not all doom-and-gloom but plenty of crises that get resolved in satisfying, creatively written fashion. You'll find yourself wanting to be a part of this unique, and masterfully developed world. Robin Hobb is a wordsmith extraordinaire, in my humble opinion. Prepare yourself, because once you've dug into this first book, you will read the rest voraciously and find yourself feeling bereft when you've run out of books to read that are set in this particular fantasy world. They're all FANTASTIC.
• Boy, if I had known that I would lose sleep, call in sick from work, cancel plans with friends and family, and miss appointments all from this book being so good, I think I wouldn't have bought it.
  
  Who am I kidding, of course I would have.
  
  An exemplary book, filled with memorable, three dimensional characters with an incredible story set in a well imagined world, similar to our own in many ways and yet so different. The main character is very much stuck in his own head, but that's not a bad thing for the reader. It's a pleasure reading his thoughts and feelings about being trapped in a place he'll never truly belong, wielding two powers he doesn't understand. One power others understand and refuse to teach to the public, one power no one understands and people are burned to death for using it.
  
  Really, really incredible book and not at all what you might expect from the title or the cover. You owe it to yourself to read this book.
• This book started a mild obsession for me. Since reading it, I have devoured the remainder of the series, plus three other series by Ms. Hobb. I am an avid reader of many types of novel, but these have quickly risen to some of my favorites. The character development is not incredibly speedy, but has massive depth. It is not often that a book brings me to genuine tears, or makes me laugh out loud - but these novels do. Some reviewers have said they found the stories slow or tedious - I disagree. The character development is so masterfully done, and the world so vividly brought to life that it sometimes takes my breath away.
• There are a number of things about Robin Hobbs writing style that usually drive me away from an author but after giving this book a chance I found myself mesmerized. At first I found her to be verbose, there's not a lot of action, there were characters that did things that seemed to defy logic and a story line that was almost cryptic. But where I would usually just put a book that contained those traits down and move on to something else I found myself being drawn in and hooked by the beauty and poise she filled the pages with. Others have described the story and main characters better than I could so I'll just say give Farseer Trilogy a chance and approach it with a little more patience than you might normally assign a doorstop Fantasy story. I felt enormously rewarded and just ordered the second Fitz & the Fool series, The Tawny Man trilogy.
• The Assassin's Apprentice... a more accurate title would have been "The Bastard Steward" or maybe "The Boy that No Job Fitz".
  
  The root of the problem is that the title gives the impression the story is about a world of murder and a hero (or anti-hero) that must navigate its perils. The thing is Fitz is not really an assassin and may never be one. As many duties and opportunities pull him in, he barely has any time to train for his apprenticeship. Seriously, Fitz spends more time learning about the care of horses than murdering or fighting. More telling is the fact that his temperament is a terrible choice for a job (when it actually starts) that requires cold blooded killing without justification or remorse. Fitz, on the other hand, is an empathic, introspective, and wounded soul that desperately seeks both emotional connection and a higher purpose. It's an interesting dilemma for sure, but I'm not sure it's intentional.
  
  Aside from the issue of poor job placement for the protagonist, there is very little action. To be blunt, the book is slow. When there is a bit of violence, it is glossed over quickly and in little detail. For example, Fitz's first (human) murder is recalled by him passively and with absolutely no tension or drama. In regards to mortal combat, he has exactly one stand up fight I can remember. All he has to wield at the time is a stick, as if the author wanted to avoid any bloodshed. I suppose it's just not the author's strength or intent to explore violence, but it takes the edge from what could have been high adrenaline events. As readers, we already know these are past experiences recalled by an aged Fitz. Spice things up, don't water down the action even further!
  
  The final straw for me that makes further reading of this series unlikely is the awfully written antagonist. Without giving away any real spoilers, this person is just so one-dimensional and obviously a problem. And yet, no one does anything about it. I mean, the main character is supposed to be an idealistic assassin dealing out death to those who pose a threat to king and kingdom. In many areas, Fitz shows good initiative and intuition in defiance of others. Not here, and we as readers are forced to endure this cartoon villain for... three books?!
  
  I will say that I really enjoyed the author's main character development and ability to communicate the turmoil of emotions and moral dilemmas Fitz faced. And she really heaped it on the poor boy - he endures heartbreak after heartbreak in a “safe space” free world. It definitely allowed the author to show off her writing strengths. Fitz's inner journey through his trials and his emotionally charged interactions with others are truly well written. Also, as main characters go he is neither mediocre (he's naturally intelligent, emotionally resilient, strong willed, and gifted with certain... powers) nor overpowered (that would have been his near perfect father or the precog albino called Fool). It's a great balance, and avoids the story pitfalls of either extreme.
  
  Fitz really is the best thing about the book with great growth potential - a gem in the rough. If what I said about him resonates with you then this book is definitely worth the price. If not, then it’s sure to be a tough but worthy read.