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Summary: A great adventure!
Review: I was a beginner to the Fantasy world of books and this was the first book that I picked up. I just finished it about a week ago and it was amazing. Fitz, had some amazing adventures and I would recommend Robin Hobb to any of my friends. I am looking forward to jumping into Assassin's Quest as soon as I can. An amazing adventure
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Summary: Bonding the Fantasy Reader
Review: 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.
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Summary: this books make me want to be an assassin too!
Review: Generally speaking I do not like reading books because I myself have certain disabilities I often find myself lost and confused when I read a book. But "assassins apprentice" wasn't really a book, it was more of a door through the eyes of Flitz. I found the language that she used very easy to follow and because of that I was so drawn into the book that I lost complete lack of time (and didn't finish any of my assignments and almost failed a couple of classes, but it was worth it)! I still haven't been able to get my hands on the last book but I will and I am looking forward to reading it and then continuing on to the next series! Thank you Robin Hobb for creating such wonderful stories.
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Summary: Fantasy at its best!
Review: For a first book of a series, I found Assassin's Apprentice to have concluding plot lines, intriguing characters, and an unpredictability rare amoung popular fantasy books. This first book left me excited for more to come, yet satisfied enough to consider it a stand-alone book, rather than a cookie-cutter plot. Hobb excels with her character's speech, making it a delight to read aloud. Highly recommended.
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Summary: A refreshingly well-written fantasy . . .
Review: I tend to avoid hack-and-slash paperback candies, as well as the ridiculously endless doorstops (Has the Wheel turned yet? What a pity . . .). This book is neither. Ms. Hobb (a pen name, and that was one mildly irritating thing, as she published other works in the '80's and so is not a new author as the book jacket suggests) is a wonderful word-smith and storyteller. Her first-person narrative is effective and engaging, although the introductory set-up of the events as a flashback/memoir somewhat undercuts the later dramatic tension. I.e., the teller obviously lived through all the related events. This is a coming-of-age novel about a castle bastard's growth into a young assassin. Beyond that, though, there are wonderful details of medieval life, of a medieval town, and of more intimate things--of dogs and the maturing of boys and girls. The build-up to the climax was a little prolonged and at times confusing, and the climax itself was somewhat predictable; nevertheless, one of the last paragraphs is nothing less than sublime. (Of course, it involves a dog.) Questions do linger, e.g. what is the process of Forging exactly? Thus, the stage is set for the next book. Will I rush out and read it? I don't know, but if I don't, I can still count this as one of the better--and more different--fantasy novels I've encountered. Well done.
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Summary: Epic Beginnings
Review: It took me three times to start this book over the course of a year. The first two times, I managed to pay attention for the first thirty pages before trailing off to something else. It was only when I was stuck on a plane with no place else to go that I got past that stumbling block, and suddenly I was reading a novel that gripped me tightly to its characters and story and was every bit the novel I was expecting from the author of the Liveship Traders series. What sets this novel apart from all the other fantasy books filling the shelves is Hobb's insight into her characters, her unshakeable originality, and her literary style, which makes this so much more than typecast genre fiction. She writes with a realism that astounds, following young Fitz as he first encounters the hardships and intrigues of a vividly conceptualised world. Indeed, there are no stereotypes in this book; even the Princes, christened with names like Chivalry and Verity, far exceed the narrow limitations those names impose. The presence of the Red Ship Raiders lurking off the coasts are an almost palpably felt tension, and Chade's midnight sessions soon become to the reader a gripping distraction. It is an apt and intriguing start to the series, my only criticism being that the climax is a little anticlimactic, but it feeds perfectly into the second novel in the trilogy, so there is relatively little harm done by it. This novel is very different from her later series due to its first-person perspective and introspective focus, but it is in this writing style that lies the beauty of the sensitivity of this novel. We are drawn in to the feelings of the main character, and feel what he feels. I met a man once, a seven-foot tattooist, who unashamedly admitted to me that this book had made him cry. Hobb is doing things with this genre that no other author seems to be attempting; we look at the world she has created with the same childish curiosity as her character. With Fitz she has created a figure that should go down in history as one of the defining literary creations of our times, though based on the level of contempt aimed at fantasy as a whole, Hobb will probably never attain the status she so rightly deserves. 'Assassin's Apprentice' is everything that both literature and fantasy should be: gripping, groundbreaking, moving, perceptive and realistic. I recommend this book to anyone into fantasy, anyone into literature, and anyone into a good read, for I defy anyone to read this book and not get drawn in to its sympathetically created binds. Read it
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Summary: Read it! Would i tell you to if it wasn't awesome!?
Review: This book is magnificent. If you like book with intrigue, guile, adventure, deciet, and climatic endings, this is a book for you. Do not read this book alone however. I have not yet read the whole series, but i feel this book is the introduction to a greater scheme. This seems impossible though, as well as this book was written. The detail! The heroes! The excitement! I will read and re-read this one and the others to come! Please, if you've ever read a book because of a review, read this one!
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Summary: Awesome author and spellbinding series
Review: Fantasy fans must check out this author. Her plotting and characterization are superb and I tore through all three books in this trilogy in a weekend.
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Summary: Read this book! Read this series!
Review: I have no idea why Robin Hobb (Megan Lindholm) isn't ranked alongside Jordan, Martin, Goodkind, Modesitt, Brooks, etc. She is an exceptional writer and the Farseer series is truly remarkable. Hobb takes classic elements of fantasy and weaves a tale rich with unprecedented creativity and originality. It goes without saying that these books were impossible to put down. Even more so, I am still floundering for something to read, in the wake of these books, that will satiate as well these (I've only just ordered The Liveship Traders . . .). Do yourself a favor and order all three at the same time--it's not particularly pleasant to have to wait until the next day to see what next befalls young Fitz. "A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." --Milton
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Summary: Recollection
Review: I've been reading books ever since I was six. At a certain point in my life I've noticed that I don't "enjoy" it the same way I enjoy, say, Computer games and TV. I started suspecting I don't actually enjoy books at all, that I do it out of a habit. This feeling lasted for a few years, then came this book. For the first time in years I actually gave up watching TV and playing the computer just to read. I went to sleep very late each night only to read. Not only this one, the entire trilogy, but this one was the best. This book reminded me what it ment to enjoy a book, I recommend it to everyone.
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