Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)

Ever since I read George Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series (at least, what was available at the time), I was looking for some kind of "middle ground" between fun and enjoyable, light fantasy the likes of Salvatore or early Goodkind and the heavy, ambitious, but nevertheless sometimes overwhelming saga created by Martin. In Hobb's literature, I believe I've found that middle ground. First of all, a warning. This isn't a book that starts very fast-paced. At the start, it looks like it will develop along the ever-popular "young hero grows up, received training, becomes the most powerful wizard/fighter/whatever in the world", but this is certainly not it. Hobb does break a lot of genre cliches in her writing - this is one of the things that really makes her works valuable. What Hobb has, which is also the domain of Martin's writing and is missing from a majority of fantasy books, is an uncanny ability to create characters with a convincing psychological profile. Her characters actually feel real and unique at the same time, the title character is not the "typical fantasy assassin", but that doesn't make him less "flesh and blood". On the contrary - I'd say that out of all fantasy novels I've read, Hoob's characters are the most "flesh and blood" to me, surpassing even Martin. Then again, I promised middle ground. Hobb excels where Martin stays a bit behind - at constructing action and propelling the events ahead. Reading the book, I actually felt that there was something happening all the time, that all the events were somehow linked and actually had importance. If you manage to engage yourself in the novels, I guarantee you that you will spend many long evenings following the adventures of Fitz and company. There is one category of readers that won't enjoy this book, however. Remember, this is a female writer's work and this does show. Like in the case of Patricia McKillip's books, you won't get non-stop hack'n'slash here, nor tons of fireball-throwing wizard battles. If you want that kind of fantasy, switch over to Forgotten Realms, you'll find plenty of that there (just stay clear of Baldur's Gate!). If, however, you want a complex, action-filled, true fantasy story with convincing characters, this is a must-read.

This review refers to the whole series: Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy is very different from any other fantasy book you've ever read. The main difference is that it's not action-packed or even action-based. Oh, there's a lot of royal-court plotting and murder, there are battles and journies to distant lands, there is magic and magical creatures and all the other stuff you've learned to expect in a fantasy work - but somehow it's not the main thing, as is evident from the relatively slow-pacing of the plot. So if you're looking for a Robert Jordan kind of action-thriller - you better move on. But if you're an adult (emotionally, that is) and looking for something more substantial and profound - you've found the right book. The Farseer trilogy, as I have already said, is not action-based. Instead, it is charcter-based and relationship-based. it is concerned with the process of a young boy's maturing and becoming a man and an adult (in an environment which is mostly hostile) more than it is concerned with the machinations of a royal court, or the hero's training as a royal assasin. It depicts in great accuracy and detail the relationships between the hero and those around him - various father-figures, the women in his life, his enemies, and the animals he becomes magically attached to. In a sense, it is the most "realistic" fantasy novel i've ever read - not because the world described in the books is realistic, but because the relationships described seem "real": Hobb employs real feelings and gives them psychological depth, her heroes experience real love and real hate, which are often hard' complicated, ambiguous, and have moral aspects that make them even harder. Not the adolescent clear-cut love/hate we've learned to expect from fantasy heroes. Hobbs heroes experience a wide range of emotions, complete with disappointment, disillusionment and acceptance - a vital part of growing up. In that sense, Hobb's books belong to the literary tradition and genre of the Bildungsroman (a novel of formation, initiation, self-development, of training and education), of which Dickens' "Great Expectations" is a prominent example (and indeed, while reading the farseer trilogy, you can sense the influence of Dickens on Hobb's themes, mood, and character development - the disillusionment and acceptance element in particular).This genre is described in some cases as "an apprenticeship to life" (Assasin's Apprentice...) and "a search for meaningful existence within society". Hobb's hero, Fitz, finally finds his "meaningful existence" within his society and social order by making a great sacrifice (for his loved-ones and for his king), at a great cost to himself - thats what we all do when we grow up, don't we? that's another aspect of Hobb's realism - despite the final victory of the "good" in the novel, it is a bitter victory, not the superficial happy-end we know from other books. the fact that the novel is relationship-based is also reflected in the original magi

I am writing only one review article for the each of Robin Hobb's two trilogies since I am convinced that hardly anyone would begin to read the first book and then decide not to continue on. Why do I make this claim about the Farseer trilogy? The reader's commitment is not conventional suspense, as it is in most fantasy and adventure fiction. We know from the beginning that the man who writes his story, Fitzchivalry, will survive. He is, after all, the one who writes. (The whole trilogy is told from his point of view, but he is gifted with magical powers, the Wit and the Skill which sometimes make him privy to the doings and thoughts of others.) We also know from the first few paragraphs of Assassin's Apprentice that he will not survive unscathed. He tells us plainly as he begins his history that each letter he writes "scabs over some ancient scarlet wound." The fact that we know about how the story is going to "come out" does not relax the hold this writing has on us in the least - Fitz has us rooting for him all the way. We are in his corner and feel his sorrow when his mother is forced to leave him at the doorstep of his paternal grandfather, the king. We know this pain is still there, even though, through nearly the whole of all three books, Fitz never can never speak about it directly, and refuses to remember it. We are with him when he seeks out (or is seduced and used by?) other parental substitutes, when he reaches out to animals and peers for friendship, and when he experiences his first romance. The central theme of the trilogy, is, in fact, emotional bonding - bonds of love that are formed, tested, sometimes betrayed, sometimes sacrificed, transformed or sublimated for a cause. I will not say "higher" or "greater" cause because we must make up our own minds whether the sacrifices are futile or worthwhile. Robin Hobb steadfastly refuses to preach to us or give us easy answers. Most of us have not been used as a child soldier or "special operations" agent as Fitz was. But for most of us there will be something about Fitz - some emotion that he describes tersely and vividly - that will ring very true. For some it may be loneliness, others regret at taking a wrong turn somewhere and not being able to get back. For some it will be guilt for pain inflicted upon others. The ultimate reason most readers will keep reading all three books, then, is emotional bonding. They will feel that they have adopted Fitz, and have accepted him as their brother - Brother Human. For most readers, this will be a most worthwhile and memorable experience.

I picked this book on a lark -- I just wanted to try a new writer. What a reward from Robin Hobb! This medieval fantasy has a real dark gothic element to it -- a bastard child is trained to be an assassin. He senses dark magical powers within himself yet cannot master the skills to use them. In a twisted way, he is loyal, and even to love (perhaps), the people who use him in the worst way. I think the characters are well-filled and realistic; characters have varying shades of evil and good, sometimes all at once. The author really captures the quirks of human nature -- and the coincidence of one action having far-reaching effects. And the Fool adds an element that someone or something is controlling events beyond everyone's perception. Governments are portrayed in a cynical light -- heroes presented to the masses are actually traitors in secret. Rulers turn blind eyes to treachery -- out of true political blindness or simply waiting to fight some battle on another day.Very interesting. I am definitely going to read the next book in the series.

Having read all three books in this series, I can honestly say that this is the best new fantasy series I've read since Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince series. Robin Hobb (pseudonym?) has created a truely unique set of characters that have very rich qualities. Her unlikely hero is utterly fascinating and her use of magic (the wit) is a great new spin for this genre. I would heartily recommend this book for the following reasons:1. Its stunning descriptions. 2. New & interesting magic. 3. Very vivid characters that act in very human (i.e. non-steriotypical) ways. 4. The whole spin on assasination being a profession is totally cool. 5. This is the first magic based book that I've read in some time that does not use the same old magic and monsters.In summary, if you liked "The Hobbit", "The Dragon Prince", "Wizard's First Rule", L. E. Modesitt's "Recluse" series, etc., you will probably love Robin Hobb's "Assasins" book. I know I did!