Assassin's Apprentice (1995)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I knew that this was a trilogy and that other series were connected to this one. However, I did not know that the Realm of the Elderlings consisted of 16 books. I'm not even upset about it. I really enjoyed this story and I love Fitz! I also really loved Burrich.

This story starts out as a slow burn, which is expected for world building and such of a high, epic fantasy. I really loved getting to know about Fitz's childhood and his development as a character. Fitz is a fantastic character and I really got attached to him by the end of the book and wanted to know what was next. I also enjoyed the world that Robin Hobb created. I enjoyed Fitz's connection to animals, being an animal lover myself. I enjoyed the political intrigue of the kingdom and the whole assassin aspect. I didn't fly through this book; I wanted to take my time with it and pay attention to as much detail as possible. That could have been because of the writing style; it was a little different than what I was used to but it didn't take long to adapt to it. Once I adjusted to Robin Hobb's writing style I was hooked; I really love her writing, especially for fantasy. This story was definitely more character driven than plot driven, which, ironically, I still enjoyed. I didn't mind the slower pace/plot of the book because I loved the world and the characters. I was very pleased with this story but I can see how it was building up for the rest of the story in the later books.

It was a great fantasy book to read. This was such a great introductory book to this series and this world. I am so glad that I picked this up and I definitely plan on continuing with the rest of Robin Hobb's work. I already bought the Rain Wilds series but I have a little while before I get to those. I will be buying all of her books. She is a new favorite fantasy author of mine, for sure. ( )

I am not sure if I liked this book or not. I am not a great fan of a first person narrative. With this one I liked it at the beginning as it was quite detailed and I liked seeing how Fritz went through his training. However, I did not like the constant introspection on his birth status and after a while there were many confusing scenes especially in the last 100 pages or so when "The Skill" is launched out of the blue. I kept waiting for the stealthy assassination scene but it never really happened. I think the only killing he did was spreading poisoned loaves of bread to kill the the zombie-like "forged" peasants. That was done in one or two sentences. The one real assignment to assassinate someone failed as he was set up as a scapegoat....very unsatisfying.

Issues with the Red-ship raiders are only introduced and then not really pursued. I suppose this is a thread left for succeeding books. There is a bit of a who-dunnit mystery which basically was not hard to figure out and the resolution of it was not very satisfying for the mystery lover that I am.

I suppose being the first of the series the writer is just laying the foundation for the future books. Even knowing this, I am not sure I will continue with this series. ( )

There are a few stumbles - Molly's distinct lack of character being one of them - but this is an excellent novel that isn't afraid to pull some extremely painful punches. ( )

A recommendation from a friend. Like Mortal Suns, this is a memoir in a fantasy land. An old man is telling the sad story of his youth as an orphaned bastard in a royal keep. The unrelenting grimness almost turned me off, but the narrative and story are interesting as the world is built little by little and the adventures begin. It's the first of a trilogy and I've put a hold on its sequel too - must be my month for orphans. (July 14, 2005) ( )

This was a really good introduction to Robin Hobbs and the world she has created. The characters are well-formed and the world is richly detailed. There were moments that took my breath away and others that left me completely gutted. I’m looking forward to continuing the series. Hobbs has a beautiful, descriptive writing style and I look forward to more adventures with Fitz. ( )