Rating: 
Summary: Completely absorbing
Review: I brought this series to the hospital with me when I gave birth, and I actually tried to read between contractions. That's how good it is. The characters are interesting, and the plots and writing are first-rate.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Read
Review: I started reading Hobb based on a recommendation from George R Martin (my new favorite author). The Assassin's Books are pretty basic fantasy fare, except that Robin Hobb pulls it off in her own original way. Every time I thought I had figured out where the plot was going, Robin threw me a twist. The book has great character development and a good storyline. Poor poor Fitz, will he ever be happy?
Rating:
Summary: Great Fantasy
Review: This is one of the most amazing fantasy books I have read, short of the second and especially the third installment of the Farseer trilogy. The characters are multi-faceted, the story unique and the dilemma of the main character Fitz is one that I can completely identify with. Great job.
Rating:
Summary: Rather good
Review: I picked up this book by recommendation in my wait for the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire, and it turned out to be pretty good. The main character Fitz is akin to to wronged protagonist of many fantasy novels, yet the books avoids cliches common to the fantasy genre. A must read for science fiction and fantasy fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Poor Fantasy
Review: After reading 147 pages I am bored out of my mind. Nothing happens. NOTHING!!! The dialogue is almost non-existant and when it comes it is weak at best. In addition the names of the royalty want to make me gag: Verity, Regal, Patience, Chivalry... I mean come on already! I thought fantasy writers were supposed to be creative... If you can't come up with decent names for your main characters ask a friend! Also, how did this get into the fantasy genre? There is nothing fantastical about it (yet). Oh- there is a boy with what I presume is telekinetic ability and the ability to mind meld - but hasn;t that been done a million times?? Other than that it is a story of a rather uninteresting [man] being trained as an assassin in a grimy medieval sea town who is never allowed to use his supernatural abilities... Boring. Anyway, maybe I'm judging too early - I'll finish the book and revise my review at that time, but for now I consider this money and time wasted.... What is it with people and trilogies?- maybe if Hobb put the entire thing into one book it would actually feel like something is happening....
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Like every other fantasy fan, I've been hearing friends and critics sing the praises of the Farseer trilogy for years, and like most others, I always wondered whether it could truly live up to the reputation that it's gotten. When I finally managed to get a copy of "Assassin's Apprentice", I thought that it started off pretty slowly, but by the time that I reached the ending, I had been completely pulled in. This really is one of the greatest achievements in the fantasy genre from the last twenty years, and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you try it.The plot centers around the narrator, FitzChivalry Farseer, a bastard of the royal family in the Six Duchies who is brought to live in his family's castle at age six. At first, he works as a stable-boy, but later his grandfather, King Shrewd, explains that a king can never waste an opportunity, so he has Fitz trained in fighting, academics, and the art of the assassin. From that point on, he gets caught up in royal intrigues, as his two uncles both attempt to guarantee that they will succeed Shrewd to the throne, while mysterious 'Outislanders' are attacking the coastline. Fitz gains even more enemies once he starts to train in 'the Skill', a type of magic that allows mind control and communication over large distances. The climactic showdown of this volume is truly wonderful to read, full of surprises, narrow escapes, and double-crosses. I've thought a great deal about what makes this book, and this series, so special, and why intelligent fans flock to Hobb's work rather than the tons of low-rent fantasy that's been churned out lately. One thing that must surely strike all readers is Hobb's attention to character development. Everybody in the book thinks, talks, and acts like a real human being, rather than like the typical automatons that we find in countless other books. While we don't see as many complete characters as we do in Hobb's other big series, The Liveship Traders, we do at least come to care about what happens to Fitz and his friends. Another, and perhaps a more important strong point, is that Hobb actually understands what life was like in Medieval societies, and incorporates this understanding into her story. For instance, we learn that there is a type of magic that allows some people to form mental links with certain animals, and also that the law in the Six Duchies requires that anyone who gets caught practicing it will be put to death. Of course, people in Medieval times actually were very superstitious and paranoid, and that's probably how they would have reacted to such a form of magic.
Rating:
Summary: Grabs your throat and doesn't go away
Review: I bought this book on the recommendation of my fiancee, and I haven't once regretted it. It's a book that just [draws] you in. On the surface, it is a story about a royal bastard and his life as a pawn, but I feel there's more to it than that. The emotions are beautifully described, feeling truly real. FitzChivalry Farseer is a person, a real person, with flaws and strengths. And the tribulations of his life makes my heart ache for the poor boy. A definite read if you like complex books. Not for the ones wanting something fluffy and light.
Rating:
Summary: Truly an epic...
Review: Ms. Hobb's works are truly remarkable. Her entire Farseer trilogy is as I will quote Mr. Martin 'Diamonds in a sea of of Zircons.' Even though the whole trilogy is in First person view it only adds the richness to the tale for we feel Fitz's accomplishments and we suffer with him through his trials and mistakes. The first 100 pages or so in Assassin's Apprentice are indeed slow but Ms. Hobb is just building up what will be a remarkable tale that will have you thinking about it still 20 years to come. Yes I said that. It's been quite some time since I read it and I still look back and I say damn how could that happen? The book is tragic and happy. Your emotions will run from the time you pick it up til the time you are finsihed and when it's done you will want to pull your hair out because theres no more. I stayed up way past my bedtime many a night reading The Farseer. A definate must read. High Fantasy at its best, Diamonds in a Sea of Zircons.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Song of Ice and Fire, Dark Company, Lord of the Rings, rank among the best of all the fantasy trilogies I have read in the past 20 of my 29 years. Robin Hobb's Assassin Trilogy tops them - but this is not the best thing. Vibrant, subtle, illuminating, fascinating stories are woven throughout these books. Eventually, I came to see Buckeep through Fitz's eyes - first time for me. Just amazing. Amazing. The descriptions on the cover and here on Amazon.com fail to express the experience of reading these books. The essentials are in the descriptions, but not the experience...which in this case...is everything. Of them all, this is the one to read...and read..Simply excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Reality or fantasy, but an initiatic path
Review: Well, I've read a lot of fantasy series but this trilogy is special! Althought the author is a very good writer and the story is very interesting, what amazed me in this trilogy, is the fact that it describes an initiatic path. It is not just few esoteric connotations as it can happen in fantasy books all the times. The fact is that almost every aspect of an initiatic path is described or is hidden one way or another in the story. Maybe Robin's intuition has been connected to something higher when she has written this tale or maybe it was her intention to do so, anyway this story is more than fantasy! Well, if it is only for the magic of the tale, it is worth reading!
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