Rating: 
Summary: EXQUISITE, MENACING, HEARTBREAKING SUSPENSE
Review: The Farseer Trilogy is Robin Hobb's compelling tale of the land of the Six Duchies, as told in the First Person by Fitz Chivalry, the Bastard get of one of the royals in the story ("Apprentice" is BOOK 1). Farseer is more accurately a Psycho-SciFi-Horror piece - less SciFi; more Psychological Suspense/Horror. The artful construction of each chapter in the 3-novel Trilogy appoints Hobb's exquisite writing voice to produce a story so menacing, so compelling, it is almost impossible to put it down once you are drawn in. You'll have to like this style of "slow boil" storytelling - you don't have pages of action in Farseer so much as character development heavily freighted with psychological suspense. A great deal of that which is expository in Farseer happens within the minds of Man (and Beast) and in no small measure compensates for the limitations of the First Person narrative: The "Skill" and the "Wit" are the clever devices by which Hobb casts the lens of Fitz Chivalry far and wide - to see and hear events distant from him; to communicate intimately with animals; to duel with his enemies. The setup is complete, and much of the suspense in Farseer is the direct consequence of Hobb's withholding action - and then releasing it with a vengeance when you were deep in the mind of one of the characters and least prepared for serious action. Others have mentioned that they found themselves holding their breath while reading these books; my favorite word to describe the suspense in Farseer is "menacing;" but oh! break my heart Fitz Chivalry . . .Our narrator's absence of Self becomes apparent within the first few pages: Regularly Fitz is reminded of his bastard status (his exclusion from any class, low or high) and subjected to physical and psychological abuse as a result. From childhood on his sense of personal value is informed almost exclusively by the ability of others to claim some piece of Fitz as useful to their needs. Even death cheats Fitz, and you will grow to love him so fiercely that each injustice becomes a personal affront to you, as the reader. This could easily become maudlin, but there is a good deal of humor (there would have to be, or we couldn't bear the dark nature of the story). Hobb's unsentimental treatment of Fitz remains true in the best tradition of Romantic Tragedy, right through BOOK 2 ("Royal Assassin," 4 stars and if anything better than BOOK 1) and the last page of her controversial BOOK 3 ("Assassin's Quest," see my review). This is _wonderful_ writing because of its staying power long after the Trilogy has been read, and a brilliant examination of the humanity common to villains and heroes, alike. You will bond with Fitz so completely in these three books that weeks, months, years after reading Farseer you will see his battered body; recall the too-brief episodes of his life in which he knows love; and yearn for his soul to be at peace with a kind of desperate urgency. It has been months since I finished reading Farseer and still I see Fitz, as I do each of the characters in Farseer, every one of whom is complex. A deft skill is required to evoke "shades" of evil and personalities that authentically evolve in time, often becoming something other than what they at first appeared. This would be itself unsettling; seen through the uncertain First-Person Bastard identity of Fitz's eyes, it portends his own shifting destiny. Stay with the first book, even as it doesn't appear at first to move, and be prepared for the story to haunt you for a very long time. Skye
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Read
Review: Wow, the book caught me from the first few pages. I was a little worried as a story about the bastard son of a noble is such an obvious fantasy premise. The story is original, no sword quests, no 'you must gather a band of adventurers and get the toenail of bighorn' blah blah. The characters are very well drawn yet the detail of the world never overwealms what is a fast moving plot. It's the kind of book that ensures you continue on the 'one last page' mantra till the early hours. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ordinary fantasy
Review: Assassin's apprentice is a quite enjoyable reading. It is an ordinary fantasy book and it gives you ordinary emotions. Fitz is the bastard son of the king-in-waiting, who decides to abdicate when he discovers Fitz's existence. He is raised at court as the king's assassin, but he has to face some dangers and mistreatments because of court political intrigues and jealousies.
He has got hidden powers (the Wit and the Skill) that give him some advantage in his training and in the performing of his duties as an assassin. In truth, there is nothing more than this. [....] You can read and enjoy this book, but be aware it is not another WheelOfTime or SongOfIceAndFire!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: I couldn't quite give this series 5 stars because the pace is a bit off (even tho nothing in it is surplus, it just "feels" long) and the villian too transparent (I've been spoiled by George R.R. Martin), but the characters overall are wonderful and the world is thoroughly done without being onerously descriptive. Others have captured my imagination more vividly, but I don't regret the read and it's a world I enjoyed returning to in each book, like revisiting friends.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This series is one of the best ever written (though it'll always be second to anything written by Terry Pratchett! ^_^). The story is about a young boy called Fitz (which is old English meaning 'son'), who is the illegitimate son of a crownprince. He comes to court after his grandfather (on the mother's side) disposes of him. At court he quickly gains a dangerous enemy, his father (Prince Chivalry)'s younger half brother, Prince Regal, but he also becomes close friends with his last uncle, Prince Verity. Later he becomes Chade's apprentice, and Chade just happens to be an assassin, which is an A+ in my book. When I started on the first book I was too busy to really pay much attention unless it was a really good book. I only read the first chapter and then put it away for a while because school was so hectic at the time and at the first glance the book didn't seem like something I'd regret to miss. But then, when I finally ended up reading beyond the first chapter, I got hooked! It's such a wonderful series, I can definitely recommend it. It isn't the best - there are things in it that I could have lived without - but I think Robin Hobb is a very talented author and I don't think you'll regret reading these books, even though the ending is sort of unfulfilling. -.- But it does open up for sequels, which is a good thing. =)
Rating:
Summary: A Surprisingly Good read
Review: When I picked this book up it was simply because I felt a need to read as much fantasy as I could and I often saw this in bookshops and libraries. I even believed Robin Hobb was a man! The book took some getting into, whether that was because I hadn't had much experience with first-person, or the pages were so large, I don't know, but by the middle at least I was really enjoying it.
We first meet Fritz, the protagonist, when he seems to be attempting to remember his life. The story then shifts back to when Fritz was six years old as he recounts his earliest memory of being a bastard child, brought back to the care of his father's house, the royal house known as the Farseers. He is entrusted into the care of Burrich, the royal stableman and meets Nosey, a dog with whom he establishes an unusual and dangerous bond. We see court life through Fritz's eyes as he grows up as a 'King's Man' and is apprenticed to the mysterious Chade.
This is a conventional fantasy, but still manages originality, with Robin Hobb's intriguing characters and world building bringing plenty of new life. The plot moves along briskly, particularly once Fritz is permitted to be taught 'the Skill' and is later given an assignment of his own. This book is rounded off nicely and could stand alone, however, events in the Epilogue hint at more things to be told. I will definitely be reading the next instalment of the Farseer Trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worse Ending is not Possible
Review: I read this series about six months ago. The plot, to begin with, was great. I got all the way through two books before I began to doubt the series. By the time I got to the end of the series, I had stopped caring what happened to Fitz. The way she treated Fitz throughout the book made me sick. I couldn't believe the ending. Now, I dont believe in "Happily Ever After", but I don't think that this ending qualifies as just unhappy. It was a living hell for Fitz, and I hated this book. Unless you like books about pathetic humans who can't make their own decisions, don't read this.
Rating:
Summary: a lovable assassin
Review: I really loved this novel and was impressed by the author's idea of choosing a narrator and main character (Fitz) whose life and actions are not in his own hands, but in the hands of others who use him as just another pawn. We see the whole story through the eyes of this sensitive, compassionate (and he is an assassin! that must be quite difficult to accomplish!) and very "special" orphan boy.Everything you can ask of a good story is there:love, loneliness, politics, intrigue, ambition, mistery and death, and , especially, the feeling that this land really exists and these events really happened. The local atmosphere and descriptions are so well-crafted that you are able to feel the warmth and fluffiness of the puppies that have such a special connection with Fitz. I have just bought the rest of the novels in the trilogy and can't wait to read them! I also hope to establish a long-lasting writer/reader relationship with Robin Hobb.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely harrowing orphan hero plot!
Review: The is the first book in the Farseer trilogy (followed by Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest). Fitz is the hidden bastard son of Prince Chivalry, the king's heir. As his mother's family can no longer feed him, at the age of six he's taken in by Burrich, the king's stablemaster, with whom he'll learn to tend to the royal horses and hounds. In his free time, Fitz likes to go to the docks of Buckkeep with his pup, Nosy, to play with the harbour children or to listen to sailormen's stories. What he doesn't realise yet though, is that unlike the others, he has a strange ability to link mentally with animals called the Wit. But as soon as Burrich, who fears this ancient magic, discovers Fitz's bond with Nosy, he'll arrange to take the dog forever out of Fitz's life. Due to Fitz's striking resemblence to his father, soon the rumours spread out too, and Chivalry has to abdicate and leave the keep in order to protect his barren wife's sanity. Later, Fitz meets King Shrewd, his grandfather, who'll ask him to come and live in the castle. This is going to be the beginning of a new life for Fitz, as not only is he going to be trained in weapon tactics and scribing techniques, but he will also secretly become the king's assassin. Set in a land devastated by the tyrannical Red Ship Raiders, the story goes on to describe Fitz's growing up to manhood at the keep, attending to his chores during the day, and learning how to dispose descretely of a man at nights, until he has to face his first mission. Written from the hero's point of view, Assassin's Apprentice is a very complex and elaborate novel, with a harrowing plot and most interesting characters, which got me hooked right from the start. Furthermore, unlike most books in a series, it has a real ending and could even be read as a single novel... but I can tell you I won't!
Rating:
Summary: Robin Hobb is a woman
Review: This is a fantastic book. read it.
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