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Assassin's Apprentice (1995)

by Robin Hobb

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: The Farseer Trilogy (1), Realm of the Elderlings (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
12,094276496 (4.1)1 / 414
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change. Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal household by his father's gruff stableman. An outcast whose existence has forced his father to abdicate his claim on the throne, Fitz is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in the young man's blood is a heritage of magic, the talent called the Skill, as well as another, even more mysterious ability. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts and leave behind the zombie-like husks of the townspeople to prowl the countryside, Fitz is growing toward manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission, a mission that poses as much a threat to himself as it does for his target-for Fitz is a threat to the throne...but he may also be the key to the survival of the kingdom.… (more)
  1. 124
    A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (Tjarda, Patangel)
  2. 70
    The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (LiddyGally)
    LiddyGally: Both "autobiograhical" accounts of the life of a man with powers of a magical kind, told from boyhood to manhood. Compelling writing makes for a great read and memorable story!
  3. 60
    Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn (Kassilem)
  4. 50
    Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman (Kaelkivial)
    Kaelkivial: If you enjoy the Master/apprentice relationship and the coming of age, rags to relative riches story lines. Both involve young boys who are capable of things that they do not yet understand and must harness their powers towards a greater end.
  5. 40
    Transformation by Carol Berg (sandstone78)
    sandstone78: For epic fantasy that is rarely makes things easy for its protagonists
  6. 30
    A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette (Kassilem)
  7. 30
    Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn (soffitta1)
    soffitta1: A coming of age story, a noble boy with an uncertain future.
  8. 20
    Le Vaisseau magique, tome 1 : Les aventuriers de la mer by Robin Hobb (Patangel)
  9. 20
    Devices and Desires by Tom Holt (NovaStalker)
    NovaStalker: Both books that have no feel good quality about them at all. If you finish them and their respective series and don't hate life, love, everyone and want to kill yourself you're either incredibly well adjusted or a sociopath. That's a recommendation.
  10. 20
    Imager by L. E. Modesitt (Dragget)
    Dragget: Similar coming-of-age themes where the plot follows the main character as he discovers and develops his skills against a background of political intrigue.
  11. 20
    Inda by Sherwood Smith (humouress)
    humouress: Both series share the similarity of a country defending itself from invaders from the sea with whom they in fact share their ancestry.
  12. 21
    Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (joyfulgirl)
  13. 10
    The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark (mene)
    mene: Both books have a similar setting: Told by a narrator when he is already old and has lived his life, he talks about his childhood. Both main characters lived in the "important building" of the city (though in Assassin's Apprentice it's a fantasy world and in The Book of Unholy Mischief it's Venice in Italy), both boys go to town every now and then to meet his friends (and a girl), and both are apprentices of someone/something they cannot tell anyone else (except for a few people). Both books contain a bit of magic, though of a different kind.… (more)
  14. 00
    L'Assassin royal, tome 07 : Le prophète blanc by Robin Hobb (Patangel)
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» See also 414 mentions

English (261)  Dutch (5)  French (4)  Italian (3)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  German (1)  Finnish (1)  All languages (276)
Showing 1-5 of 261 (next | show all)
(can't remember)
  Renegadefx | Sep 18, 2023 |
Wow. 4 stars.
A fantastic fantasy. So completely it’s own world.
The descriptions, in particular of the Mountain Kingdom, are breathtaking.
The characters are so real, and I can’t think of a main character in recent years that I’ve been so attached to as with Fitz.
The magic and political structures are both so complex and explained, but there’s clearly more to be explored.
I’m just going to thank Lexapro for seeing me through the ending because I’m sure I would be a blubbering mess otherwise.
My only complaint is that the pacing was a little slow, but I think that is explained mostly because the world, politics, and magic system needed to be fully introduced, and we’re watching young Fitz grow from a 6 year old boy to a 14 year old … boy? Man?
It’s stellar. I don’t think I can add anything to this discussion as the book has been out since the 90’s. So I’ll just say I loved it and look forward to reading Royal Assassin next. ( )
  acligon | Aug 27, 2023 |
2.75

Decent, if a bit slow. Given the page count, the characters should have been much better developed; the last quarter or so is also sloppy and rushed.
Overall enjoyable, but not good enough for me to pick up the next book in the series. ( )
  TheScribblingMan | Jul 29, 2023 |
Era veramente tanto tempo che non mi capitava un fantasy così: assolutamente perfetto. Dall'ambientazione allo stile della scrittrice, dai personaggi agli intrecci narrativi: non ha un solo difetto.

L'ambientazione è realistica fin nei minimi particolari: non solo l'autrice ci fa vedere con gli occhi della mente dove ci troviamo, ma ce ne fa percepire gli odori e i sapori. Robin Hobb ha quel vecchio gusto per le belle descrizioni: quelle delle quali non ti annoi mai, ma anzi ti fanno entrare nella narrazione e camminare al fianco dei personaggi.

Tuttavia, lo stile della Hobb è superbo nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Con poche pennellate riesce a comunicare al suo lettore tutto ciò che deve sapere su quel personaggio. Il protagonista, Fitz-Chevalier, figlio illegittimo dell'erede al trono dei Lungavista, è tratteggiato con una poliedricità tale da far sembrare quasi impossibile che sia solo un personaggio letterario. Il suo bisogno di essere amato e apprezzato crea alcune delle pagine più strazianti che abbia mai letto.

Inoltre, siamo immersi nell'ambiente cortigiano, pieno di intrighi, segrete alleanze e sotterfugi spesso di dubbia moralità. È in quest'ambiente che Fitz deve imparare presto a muoversi, prima che il suo status di bastardo reale induca qualcuno a ucciderlo. Anche in questo caso, Robin Hobb dimostra tutta la sua maestria, riuscendo a tessere una trama di intrighi difficile da sbrogliare e che tiene il lettore con il fiato sospeso fino alla fine.

L'ultima cosa che mi sento di menzionare è l'Arte, cioè la parte propriamente fantasy del romanzo. L'Arte è la magia, intesa come telepatia e capacità di influenzare gli altri. Niente bidibi-bodibi-bu con la Hobb: l'Arte è sì magia, ma è un potere pericoloso e tentatore, un potere che esige un prezzo molto alto per il suo utilizzo.

In definitiva, se amate il fantasy, non potete farvi scappare questo romanzo, soprattutto se la vostra idea di fantasy è quella si rifà a quel capolavoro che è Il Signore degli Anelli. ( )
  kristi_test_02 | Jul 28, 2023 |
so really I give it a 3.5 I really wish we could give half stars...

This book was a great start to an epic story. ( )
  StarKnits | Jul 24, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 261 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (11 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hobb, Robinprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Boehmer, PaulNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howe, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Santikko, SauliTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Spångberg, YlvaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Whelan, MichaelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
For Giles
And for Raphael and Freddy,
the Princes of Assassins.
Bantam 1996 edition:
To Giles
and
to the memories of
Ralph the Orange
and
Freddie Cougar
Princes among Assassins
and
Felines above Reproach
First words
A history of the Six Duchies is of necessity a history of its ruling family, the Farseers.
Quotations
[The Fool] was proffering a leather drawstring bag. "What is it?" I asked, and tried not to let him hear either the flowers or the doll in my voice.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Despite some titles similar to those of the original 6, the French version of the Farseer books splits the 2 trilogies into 13 books. This is 1 of 13 and it is the only book that is exactly the same as the original one. Make sure you combine only with identically split parts of the series.
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change. Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal household by his father's gruff stableman. An outcast whose existence has forced his father to abdicate his claim on the throne, Fitz is ignored by all royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in the young man's blood is a heritage of magic, the talent called the Skill, as well as another, even more mysterious ability. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts and leave behind the zombie-like husks of the townspeople to prowl the countryside, Fitz is growing toward manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission, a mission that poses as much a threat to himself as it does for his target-for Fitz is a threat to the throne...but he may also be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

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Book description
Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him sectetly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.
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