Rating: 
Summary: Gripping
Review: Robin Hobb drags you through an emotionally wrenching tale of politics, duty and family in this first book of the Farseer Trilogy. The title character is caught between opportunists seeking to use him and obligations that he does not fully understand. Isolated, he forms intense loyalties that may or may not be deserved.The characters and their reactions are real. The back-stabbing politics also ring painfully true. The approach to magic is novel, but does not dominate the story. This is a book about people first. This is fantasy writing at its best.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: This book is awesome, would recommend it hands down any second!
Rating:
Summary: Keeps you thinking
Review: The Farseer trilogy is a group of books that keeps you thinking throughout each page. Whereas it my not have as much action in it as for example, Terry Brook's or Robert Jordan's series, but it opens up an entirely different type of magic. Not a type of fire and force and destruction, but one of the mind, and controlling others. And of course, the Wit, which allows a person to share minds with the animal he/she bonds with. These books are a great read. I highly suggest them to anyone who would like to read a book of a young man doing his best to live a good life as a bastard of a future king, a young man who does all he can to remain loyal to the king, and has to sacrifice everything. These books are absolutely full of intriguing politics, unique situations and dilemmas, and suspenceful scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterfully-executed fantasy
Review: I'm a latecomer to the Church of Hobb, but having devoured this novel in a matter of days I can firmly say that I see the appeal. This is a highly readable and at times very gripping tale, with well-rounded if slightly unremarkable characters. The early stages perhaps linger a little too long on scene-setting - things only become truly interesting once narrator Fitz is into his teens - but this is excusable when the scene being set is as engaging and well-drawn as this. Hobb's early-medieval-esque world is packed with believable detail rather than cliche, and the Chyurda people of the mountains are a genuinely original and intriguing society, adding much interest to the story. The narrative device of telling the story through an older Fitz's reflections upon his life works well, enabling the author to overlay a child's actions with an adult's understanding and insight. Fitz is simultaneously both an insider and an outsider, a royal bastard taken in at an early age but never accepted by all. He has access to the powerful but is not truly one of them, and his learning process allows for a (mostly) smooth transmission of background information to the reader. There are one or two bumps, however: a few times, Fitz reaches conclusions which are subverted by later events - but since he is supposedly telling the story with hindsight this comes across only as a slightly forced attempt at creating suspense and surprise. The story is largely self-contained (though it has strands that later books in the trilogy will presumably pick up), and is thankfully free of a generic 'quest' structure, instead centring mainly upon political currents within the kingdom and Fitz's early life. My only real qualm about the whole thing partly stems from this self-containment: the climax, in pulling virtually all the people who have at some times undermined/attacked Fitz into one great conspiracy, seems to impose an unnatural singularity of motive and purpose upon the book's villains. It's certainly clever, but the pattern that is revealed is just a touch too elaborate, too neat, drawing together too many elements of what has gone before; it lacks a feeling of contingency and circumstance. Nevertheless, it's wonderful writing and compelling reading, and a cut above the average.
Rating:
Summary: ALL HAIL ROBIN HOBB!!!!
Review: What an absolutely wonderful read. As far as first person books go, this is now the one that all others will be judged against. And I suspect that ultimately, most will fall short of the mark.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Start to a Disappointing Trilogy
Review: This book draws you in from the beginning seeing life through the eyes of the main character, Fitz. Being the bastard of a prince, Fitz is caught between being liked by some members of the royal family and looked down upon by others. He has a loyalty to his noble family, yet he cannot be recognized as such. Thus the king sees Fitz as the ideal candidate to become an apprentice to the royal assassin. All of the characters are well developed and the scenery is well described leaving a person with a scense of being part of the story. I would recommend this book on it's own. Were it not part of a trilogy I would have given it five stars. The second book of the trilogy starts the decline and is not as enthralling as the first. As for the third book of the trilogy, the first half was slow and the last half was awful. I almost stopped reading during the last fifty pages, but I trudged on. I have Never read an ending as truly gut wrenching as the end of this trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional - no other word for it!
Review: Robin Hobb is one of that rare kind of authors that does not just show you a pretty story, but gives you a second life (melodramatic, i know, but it's the truth). All the characters are so vivid and you understand and know them on such a fundamental level, that it's difficult to admit that it is, after all, just a made-up story, just a book. The Fareer Trilogy is a coming-of-age story, a growing story. Assassin's Apprentice starts out with Fitz, the main character, being 6 years old. But AT NOT POINT does any of what he does or think seem trivial or light - far from it. Fitz's life isn't easy, but the book flows beautifully. It's not a difficult read, only very very emotional. As one of the other reviewers said, it does "grab your guts" and "ring you out". But what I think is the best thing about Hobb's writing is that you get completely immersed in each page. The writing is beautiful and you would no more rush it than you would rush your own life (unlike Jordanesque books that are page-turners because there's little content on any given page and you want to get to the point of it all already). Besides, this book has everything - great, rare loves; great, rare friendships; questions of loyalty, right and wrong, and the pervasive question of whether someone has a right to ask another to sacrifice their life's happiness to a worthy cause or is that too high price to pay. Read it. You won't be sorry and you'll never forget it. It's a journey. And the Tawny Man trilogy (continuation of the same story) is wonderful, as well (as is Liveship Traders, though that has a different feel to it).
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre
Review: I read about 1000 pages of fantasy/sci fi a week, and am always looking for a good author. I didn't find one here. I finished the book, but have no interest in getting the next one in the series, and that is unusual for me. Skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: I was totally amazed!
Review: I bought this book totally on the basis that it was on my list of "Books Recommended" by Amazon.Com and i must say i am glad that i did. I was totally blown away by how engrossing this tale was. Robin Hobb drew me into the story of Fitz from when he is a young boy taken by his mother's father to where his father hold was and informed them that he was now their responsibility. The story follows him through his childhood and discoveries about himself and his family. I was not prepared for the depth of feeling that this character would provoke in me throughout the novel. It is just the tip of the iceberg and the first book sweeps you away into a world of mind magic and leaves you scrambling for the next in the Farseer Trilogy. I recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy and is ready to settle in as you can't put this book down.
Rating:
Summary: ponderous, should be a childern book.
Review: not many people use the first person narrative well (such as ursular le guine) and unfortunately robin hobb is not one of them. it is hard to find good fantasy to read. yep this book is alright and no doubt will be popular but it lack finess!
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