Home :: Books :: Science Fiction & Fantasy  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy

Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)

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

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 .. 22 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Satisfying Series for Fantasy Lovers
Review: The Farseer Trilogy is a satisfying series for those of us waiting around for Robert Jordan's next book. While beginning rather slowly, this first volume has enough "familiar" fantasy elements -- the vaguely Medieval feel, hints of magic and menace, conflicted characters -- to satisfy my yen and just enough new elements to send me into the trilogy. Now is the time to read this first volume, so that you can go straight into the second one; the book is unsatisfying if you stop here. I read all three rapidly and in succession, which was delightful. Well-written but more conventional than Hobb's LIVESHIP series (which I recommend -- very quirky). By the way, if you haven't read Michael Scott Rohan's WINTER OF THE WORLD trilogy or Tad Williams' MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN series, then I recommend BOTH of those over this one (more complex, more engrossing). However, this is a faster, lighter read and thoroughly enjoyable for fantasy addicts like myself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very good
Review: I really like this book. There's a great deal of work put down in the world described, and many things seem so real you almost want to put up your hand and touch it.... Very good book indeed! *S* I'd recomend this book to all fantasy readers, those who've just begun to read fantaasy as well as those who have read the most and are looking for something new.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not what I had hoped for; writing style jarred me
Review: OVERALL FEELING: Too slow; I read the first 40 pages and then skimmed ahead to be sure I wasn't missing something . . . it was in first person but not enough interesting things happened . . . sometimes the narrator glossed over things that could have been interesting. Too detached; too vicarious; not enough conflict; not enough surprises or interest.

If you think I'm being too unfair and have some good reasons for giving her another chance, email me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So real you can smell it.
Review: Robin Hobbs (as she wants to be known) writing is superb; second to none. When I first began reading this, I thought, Oh no! not a first person narrative. But the writing is so excellent that I immediately forgot I didn't like first person and before I knew it, I'd reached the end of the trilogy and a week had vanished. The story is completely original as far as I can tell and the characters are so well portrayed they seem to jump off of the page. IT'S JUST SO DAMN REAL! I can't see the strings at all. This is going to be a classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lose Yourself and Be Happy That You Did...
Review: After being away from Fantasy for some years now, I have had the most wonderful reading experiences of late. Due, in large part, by picking up those imaginary fantastic reigns and reading in the genre that was my first love. I was introduced to the works of Guy Gavriel Kay and found myself wanting... no, thirsting for more. Robin Hobb's name and series came up through searches on Amazon and I have to say it was the best surprise of 2000 for me. Robin Hobb's Assassin series is an extremely well written story with characters that touch you and always find a place in your heart. I can't say more about this book, other than, READ IT. If you like adventure, if you like fantasy, if you like honor, if you like nobility, if you just want to have a great time, pick up this book/series. You won't be dissappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great start to a Great series!
Review: This was my first book by Robin Hobb but it will definitely not be my last! I admit to be intigued by the cover art but I decided to give the book a try based on lots of favorable comments from a fantasy book discussion group I belong to. I'm glad I did! I found the plot to be well layed out and not at all predictable. The words that Ms. Hobb uses to tell the story are a cut above many typical fantasy novels so it reads wonderfully. I found the characters, as well, to be multi-dimensional. All have strengths and weaknesses and respond to circumstances in their own way. While the novel will stand on its own, it really is only part 1 of the Farseer trilogy. Rumor has it that there will be a 4th book coming, due to popular demand. Take it from a guy who read over 100 books last year, don't pass on this one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wonderful Trilogy
Review: I loved this trilogy - wise, rich, great characters, and the kind of plotting that drew me in as the Oz books did when I was a kid, or as the Eddings trilogies did later. This is the first book I've given five stars. Warning - some of the other reviews here give away too much of the plot. Just take my word that you'll love these books, and discover the magic for yourself. Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Only Gripe is The Next Two in the Series Aren't as Good...
Review: This book is one of the best I have ever read. The fantasy/medieval setting is a creation only the author's imagination could have create from the deepest part of her mind. The descriptions of the setting, the people and even down to details like that food are magnificent. The best books are those in which you feel that you are a part of, that you are right there with the character. This book is one of those, and it helps a lot being a first person view. Even if you do not normally read fantasy still pick this book up, you won't be disapointed at all. And if you like fantasy, like i always have, you'll enjoy it immensly. Great work Robin Hobb.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's worth it. Definitely worth it.
Review: 4.5 Stars in reality.

A unique novel, written as a history/biography in first person narrative, Hobb has created a vivid and compelling world of magic and madness. She does not bow to most of the conventional cliches in the genre, yet tells a flawless tale that moves the reader.

One quickly relates to Fitz - the main character, then experiences heart-wrenching trials and overwhelming joys with him. Secondary characters are well-rounded and well developed. I'd recommend this book/series to any serious Fantasy fan who wishes to take a holiday from mundane Swords and Sorcery.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: finally, a fantasy novel for adults.
Review: 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 magic-systems brilliantly devised by Hobbs for the Farseer world. It's not the kind of magic that gives you the ability to bring down lightning or throw a fire ball. it is a communication-based magic system, based on feeling, empathy and a mutual bond (or hate and emotional abuse, when the bad guys use it), between humans, or between a human and an animal. It gives Hobbs an opportunity to use the magic as an amplifier of feelings - brilliant. I've read a few of the reviews by other readers and I agree that the trilogy's end is a bit disappointing - elements of the plot are wrapped up hastily and without a satisfactory explanation. A lot of story elements are left in the dark. but the weak points of the ending concern the fantasy and plot elements of the story - which, as i already said, are not the main thing in this novel.from the emotional aspect, i think the ending is still very powerful and moving. In short, the farseer trilogy is a fantasy novel for adults. If you're ready to commit, to experience real emotions (good and bad), you're in for a treat. Robin Hobb's books stand out among modern fantasy works - they are among the few which can be considered real literary efforts, not just adventure books for kids.


<< 1 .. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 .. 22 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates