Assassin's Apprentice (1995)

by Robin Hobb

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations / Mentions
10,982	256	514	(4.1)	1 / 403
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 secretly 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.… (more)

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	Group › Topic	Messages	Last Message
	Name that Book: Kid grows up in stables and has magic ability to bond with an animal	4 unread / 4	danielloehr, August 2020

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▾Member reviews

English (243) Dutch (5) French (4) Italian (2) Finnish (1) German (1) All languages (256)

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Showing 1-5 of 243 (next | show all)

The first time I've read this book I enjoyed it a lot, but the only character I felt attached to was Fitz. The others didn't make much of an impact on me and didn't seem as complex even though I liked them. I also though the pacing was too slow sometimes. I still think a first reader can have this impression, but the book is also moving and Robin Hobb's writing is superb. Fitz is also such a good complex character from the start. It's incredible!
It is true that the first book in every trilogy in this series is the slowest. The author likes to take time presenting you the characters and their surroundings. This is not a bad thing, but it can bore people that like plot more than characters. This is a story more foccused on the characters and even though the plot is also amazing it is not fast paced and it takes time to develop.

On the reread I felt more deeply about the characters because I got to know them and I got attached to them. I was also able to notice some details more and the foreshadowing of important events in other books.
As soon as I started reading this book I was instantly dragged into this world again and forgot my surroundings. I realized no other books make me feel like the ones in this series do. It's like coming home and meeting your friends again. That is why it deserves 5 stars from me. (

)

elderlingfae | Aug 11, 2022 |

4.5 Stars out of 5!

A promising start to a trilogy and series. Robin Hobb wrote an amazing beginning to Fitz's journey with memorable scenes, feelings, and supporting characters. Her prose was a joy to read while experiencing the plot unfold. The illustrations were breathtaking on my little kindle to a point where I ordered physical copies of Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin and preordered Assassin's Quest before finishing this book. I look forward to continuing Fitz's story. (

)

JumpyDr4gon | Aug 10, 2022 |

After years and years of being told to read Hobb, I finally jumped in. I really enjoyed this one. Though nothing much seemed to happen in this novel, I kept reading. Hobb's ability to write engaging prose is something that went above the lack of much of a plot. It really was just about watching the characters grow and building the world. Just reading this on it's own, it is just an average book, however get in for the long haul and I feel this is going to be worth it. (

)

harpua | Jul 23, 2022 |

AMAZING. Such an amazing book. The world is incredible, the story is familiar and yet so unique and unexpected. So much happens in this book, and yet I could not put it down. Written so so well, with incredibly loveable characters that I feel like I've never met in another fantasy book. This is the fantasy book that others in the genre try to be. Robin Hobb is a genius. (

)

grandma.meg | Jul 23, 2022 |

A fun read that kept me engaged and ended with me wanting to read the sequel. (

)

eri_kars | Jul 10, 2022 |

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▾Other authors

» Add other authors (11 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Hobb, Robin	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Boehmer, Paul	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Howe, John	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Santikko, Sauli	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Spångberg, Ylva	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Whelan, Michael	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

The Farseer Trilogy (1)

Realm of the Elderlings (1)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Varraku F-sari (27)

Is contained in

Assassin's Apprentice [and] Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice / Royal Assassin / Assassin's Quest) by Robin Hobb

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Assassin's Apprentice

Original title

Assassin's Apprentice

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1995

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Awards and honors

British Fantasy Award Nominee (1997.1 | August Derleth Fantasy Award, 1997)

Compton Crook Award Nominee (1996)

World Book Night selection (2015)

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

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

File:Robin Hobb - Assassin's Apprentice Cover.jpg

▾Book descriptions

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 secretly 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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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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