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    The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
    The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
    The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
    Audiobook17 hours

    The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice

    Written by Robin Hobb

    Narrated by Paul Boehmer

    4.5/5

    ()

    • Betrayal

    • Coming of Age

    • Loyalty

    • Survival

    • Power & Politics

    • Mentor Figure

    • Training Montage

    • Mentor

    • Hero's Journey

    • Secret Identity

    • Chosen One

    • Quest

    • Fish Out of Water

    • Power of Friendship

    • Prophecy

    • Revenge

    • Social Hierarchy

    • Identity

    • Assassination

    • Royalty & Nobility

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 3, 2010
    ISBN9781400184347
    The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
    Author

    Robin Hobb

    Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska. It was there that she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of five critically acclaimed fantasy series: The Rain Wilds Chronicles (Dragon Keeper, Dragon Haven, City of Dragons, Blood of Dragons), The Soldier Son Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy, and The Farseer Trilogy. Under the name Megan Lindholm she is the author of The Wizard of the Pigeons, Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. The Inheritance, a collection of stories, was published under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov's Readers' Award and she has been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.

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    Reviews for The Farseer

    4.5/5

    604 ratings143 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a great opening to one of the best fantasy sagas. The character development is second-to-none and the narrative style is highly praised. While some reviewers mention the lack of understanding of teenage boys' psyche and the book being childish and conceited, overall, readers find it to be a fantastic and enjoyable read. The magic structure is interesting, although not fully developed, and the character relationships are well-done. The book is described as a beautiful experience and a wonderful surprise for those new to the author. It is highly recommended for fantasy lovers.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This is the only traditional fantasy I've enjoyed recently that has not had the words 'Steven Brust' on the cover. It is well-written, believable fantasy in a world that makes sense; its history and politics, vaguely akin to some situations in our own world's history, seem organic rather than designed, and even its geography seems real -- shocking! Hobb does a good job, even with some of the trappings which at first seem tired: the protagonist being the eternal outsider, and condemned to loneliness, et cetera. The book succeeds in engaging and surprising even the jaded reader.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I swear, I have had this book in my room for about five years now and I only just got around to reading it. I've heard a lot of good things about Robin Hobb's books, and I've started this book at least seven times, each time stopping before the second chapter. Let's be honest, it starts out rather dry. Actually, it's incredibly dry at the beginning. So, it is a little difficult to get into, especially when she decides to spend entire chapters on the day-to-day schedule of a six year old bastard's life. I was not a huge fan of how the book started out, as it was confusing and hard to follow because it was a bit too descriptive, it went a bit too far.
      However, after the first few chapters, the story begins to pick up and got a whole lot better.
      The story in a whole was really quite good. The story of a prince's bastard who is handed about as a child and finally comes under the care of his father's stablemaster. The boy, called nothing more than boy, or Fitz which literally means bastard to them - has talent with dogs and horses and stays with the stablemaster, Burrich, for quite some time. Until he is taken up to the Keep to live with the rest of nobility. There he is trained by Chade, an enigmatic assassin who works for the King. Ensuring that the king will have a tool in Fitz, and not something that could interfere with the line of the throne. When the kingdom is attacked by raiders with eery powers, Fitz is sent off to his gruesome work. Earning himself enemies in high places along the way.
      The story was excellent, at times though, it was hard to become attached to the characters. I loved Fitz and his character, but because he was so detached from everyone else, it was hard to like many of the other characters. The characters in this story are not very dynamic. They all fit their preconceived places and never venture out any farther. I was never surprised by the characters. I was surprised by the plot twists, but not the characters that caused them. Though, the Fool is the one character that doesn't seem to fit his mold. All the others work the way their characters are supposed too, however the Fool is one that is confusing and surprising. I did like him a lot.
      However, I was told by a friend that this was the driest of the three books in the trilogy. And it was not bad, by far, it just was not particularly outstanding. However, i was informed that the second two are fairly outstanding, so of course i am going to read them. I doubt that it will take me four years either as i understand and love the characters now.
      I really enjoyed it in the end. The story became very fast paced and i found myself unable to put the book down. However, it does have it's notable flaws that are difficult to ignore, such as the fact that the beginning is hard to get through.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I got turned on to these books by a friend of mine, and I am so glad he loaned them to me to read! From the start I fell in love with Fitz, and from the time The Fool was introduced, he became my favorite character. I loved everything about him!
      I think the story line is very well written, and done in a way that you actually care about the characters in the story. I found myself going through emotions along with the characters (including all 3 books in this). Very easy to envision each of them as you continue to read.
      I would recommend these books to everyone to read, and have read them over and over myself. Absolutely love the character development and the story(ies)!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      this was such an emotional roller coaster but in the best way

      also it was full of so many good dogs !!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is the first for Robin Hobb in her critically aclaimed farseer trilogy. The book introduces us to Fitz, the bastard son of a prince who nobody really wants;until the king gives Fitz a rare job, the royal assasin. This is one of the best fantasy books i have read in a while and the constant politial tension and fight for power in the Six Duchies draws you in until its time for beakfast. A must read for any Robin Hobb fan or a fan of fantasy itself.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a fantastic book. Of all the fantasy series I have read, I like this one second only to George R.R. Martin's series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The first book in the Farseer trilogy is my favorite of any book Hobb wrote that was in the Six Duchies. The story is told in first person, and it describes the childhood and training of a royal bastard who finds a place in the household as an assassin-in-training. There are many endearing aspects to the world Hobb creates. First, the ethos of the times held that names determined a person's behavior. So a lady named Patience was meant to have that special virtue, while the boy named Fitz would have his whole life characterized by the fact that he is a bastard. Secondly, there are two competing magic systems -- the skill, which is more like a magic of the mind, including telepathy -- and the wit, which allowed the bearer to understand animals. The character Fitz has both skills, which is unusual, but finds that his Wit skill is considered evil witchcraft, while he is prohibited from learning the Skill. Another interesting character is the Fool, who is a pale, intelligent boy who befriends Fitz and attempts to guide him. The Fool is my favorite character, partly because he doesn't whine nearly as much as Fitz. Lastly, the main villains of the story are the people's own countrymen and women, who through unusual circumstances, become like zombies and terrorize the countryside. In all, a masterful work, and a joy to read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      As silly and cliche as it is, I definitely judge books by their cover and the new cover of this novel is not great! My sister and I are both avid fantasy readers and she highly suggested this series to me. Although I tried to say no, due to the cover,I tried it out, and am very grateful I did! What a great start to a fantasy series. It has all the right ingredients: magic, action, a great landscape, and above all else great characterization.I want to care for the characters I read about whether that be to love or hate them! This book allowed me to understand and dive into the characters and their actions.I will definitely be reading this series to the end! Robin Hobb is a great fantasy writer and I am excited to have found (technically my sister found) another great fantasy series to put under my belt!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I loved the characters and the plot. Both were deeply woven together. There were a number of surprises, some of them tear jerkers. It is written in first person, but Robin Hobb did a beautiful job with this. She allowed the reader to get right inside the main characters head, and this paid off, because I really felt connected with him – I felt his pain and loneliness. It was enough to shatter the heart.As I said, Assassin’s Apprentice was written in first person, so the author felt she had to include a short passage at the beginning of each chapter (ranging from a few lines to one and a half pages), which explained the history and other characters. These were things that the main character didn’t know and was mostly “telling”. This is the main thing that I disliked about the book. I found it distracting and…well, boring. After reading the first few, I stopped reading them and I feel I didn’t miss anything. The story was just as rich without these “info dumps”.There were places where the author also described too much. For example, it took something like five pages to describe a city. By the time I’d read 3 pages, I was well and truly over it and just wanted the story to continue – so skipped the rest of the description. Other sections were over described too, but not as bad as the section I just mentioned. These long descriptions were also distracting and managed to pull me out of the story I was thoroughly enjoying.Taking these things away, this book is excellent. The story and characters are so real that the reader has no choice but to “get over” the bad things and move on. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed.The book is the first book in a trilogy, but it is also a stand alone novel. I don’t have to read the next book, but I will because I want to see where the story will go (and how the author improves because, I believe, this was her first published novel).Highly recommended; and, I think it will gain a place in my top ten books.Second Review in October 2009:This is the second time I have read this book, the first being in early 2006. On that occasion I had intended to read the trilogy but something happened in my life which stopped me – the loss of my son. Unable to concentrate for long periods of time and unable to handle complex plots, I turned to stand alone, much thinner books written for young children. The three books which make up The Farseer Trilogy have been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.Now, three and a half years later, I find myself wanting to complete the trilogy. However, I realised the grief had completely wiped the first book from my memory. Apart from the main character's name, I could remember next to nothing of the story. I didn't want to pick up book two and start reading, hoping the first book would come back to me, as that would be distracting, so I read the first book again.I had expected a flood of memory to occur at some stage during the reading – especially when I approached the climax – but that didn't happen. I did, however, remember small sections that obviously made an impression on me in 2006, but not enough to spoil any of the surprises. This morning, after finishing Assassin's Apprentice for the second time, I set about finding the review I wrote back then. It seems I enjoyed it then, with some reservations about the detailed descriptions. Today, I think I have a better appreciation for the book as I had more time in which to sit and become absorbed by it – I even read the “telling” sections at the beginning of each chapter, that I didn't have much time for previously.Maybe it's a case of “older and wiser”, but I think it's more likely to do with the time restraint issues I had back in 2006, but whatever it was I really enjoyed this second reading. I became totally absorbed and found myself wanting to return to the story, even when it wasn't possible. Eventually, I left all other distractions at home (for the train trip to and from work) and concentrated solely on the book, which meant I was dedicating four hours a day to reading. I was captivated!The author shows in this one book how a complex plot can be written in a smooth, believable manner. She also proves that whilst action is important, it doesn't have to dominate every paragraph of every page. She shows that a character driven book can pull a reader in and hold them through thick and thin, through the laughs and pain, through love and death. This is a brilliant example of a well written story.This morning I finished Assassin's Apprentice and in the next minute I was already absorbed by Royal Assassin, book 2 of the trilogy. It's looking as if this trilogy is going to take a place on my “favourites” list.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Excellent writing, equally excellent reader.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Read the full review here.As usual with Robin Hobb, this story is rich in detail and has empathetic, believable characters. The politics of the world were clear and the sense of place was strong. Reading about Fitz as he grew up and slowly found acceptance within the royal household was fascinating for me since life in the keep is described in great depth during this time.Fitz is a great character - he is sharp, witty and stubborn, and has a knack for getting himself into trouble. It was very nice to read an intelligent character, who worked things out before I did. Fitz recognised that he had a better chance of survival as the royal assassin than if he had refused to be part of the royal household. I found his initial distrust of King Shrewd and crown-prince Verity and the slow growth of trust between them to be realistic and well executed.Robin Hobb’s books are some of the best fantasy novels I have ever read, and I enjoyed Assassin’s Apprentice immensely. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy and finding out how Fitz copes as the royal assassin.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      In a word: Intriguelicious!I'm glad I didn't read a lot of the reader reviews of Assassin's Apprentice until after I read it, because they might have scared me away. After reading, I don't get the complaints. It's not a standard fantasy novel (no dwarves, fairies or goblins, and magic is rare), it does have an intricate plot (but lacks both visceral combat and heaving bosoms), and the main character is interesting and nuanced (some readers inexplicably describe him as boring or whiny). I suppose if you hate dogs you might find the story offensive.FitzChivalry Farseer starts as a six year old, with a six year old's view of the world, and stumbles his way toward puberty, through court intrigues, until he eventually gets a clue. The author has what I would describe as a light, sensitive touch, clearly illustrating the world without weighing things down with too much detail. Story, characters and settings are deftly balanced as the plot twists its way through the characters' lives, drawing them together, pushing them apart, lifting them up or more often dashing them to the ground or burying them.I devoured this first novel; it was delicious, and I am looking forward to devouring the trilogy of trilogies that follow it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I kept putting off reading this series. Now that I gave it a chance I am hooked . Great story, awesome characters and I’m Excited of what’s to come.
    • 4/5
      What an amazing tale. ? I am so glad I made this world a priority. I will continue the books by Hobb. I want to read them all.
    • 5/5
      This was a very good book, great character depth. It makes me want to read the rest.
    • 4/5
      I loved this author's dragon books and this the first one I read that is a bit different. It certainly had me intrigued and I love the character, Fitz. Not so sure about some of the others around him, however. Really looking forward to getting on with the story in Book 2

    • 5/5
      Stellar story set in such a well built world. The author also built a magic system with rules, which I appreciate immensely.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book almost from page one. It had me hooked from start to finish.

      I love Fitz and the way he grows up. I love the secrecy, his training, his mentor and the entire concept and execution of this story. One of my new favourites.
    • 5/5
      Well, this is one fantasy that is now a personal yardstick for measuring others! Describing the plot/characters/world doesn't convey what a good read this really was -- definitely a combination of excellent writing and characters that stay with you hauntingly while waiting next books in series.
    • 4/5
      A young orphan is trained to be an assassin. Someone reading this book might think that every horrible thing that could happen to Fitz has happened, but no! There are so many more books in which to torment the main character (and thus, the reader). Almost unrelentingly grim.
    • 4/5
      Fitz is the illegitimate son of the late Prince Chivalry, raised on the fringes of the court, and apprentice to the royal assassin by the secret arrangement of King Shrewd. Royal bastards are always in a difficult position, and Fitz has a dangerous secret: in addition to the royal magic of the mind-bending Skill, he also possesses another magic, the despised and banned Wit, which honestly appears to be the same as the Skill, except it works on animals rather than people. Growing to manhood around the Court, he has to find for himself a safe path through the conflicts between the royal heir Prince Verity, his unSkilled younger half-brother Regal, and the Skill Master Galen, not to mention the attacks of the Red Ship barbarians and the dangers of the Forged ones, robbed of their human qualities by the barbarians and turned loose again to prey on their own countrymen.

      And of course, as a royal bastard, Fitz can't altogether escape suspicion that he might himself be a threat to the throne.

      Sent on his first major mission, as part of the expedition to bring back the mountain princess whom Prince Regal has negotiated for to be his brother Prince Verity's bride, Fitz is riding into a trap intended to bring down him, his friends, and one of the royal brothers.

      Despite occasionally tripping over the names, a mix of virtues and traits never used as names in English, mixed with utterly mundane, ordinary names like Mary and Tom, this has the feel of a lived-in culture, and the characters, especially Fitz but not only him, have real problems to struggle with. It's an extra bonus that the dogs, most notably Smithy and Nosy, also feel real, and their personalities and loyalty add an extra dimension to the book. This is a very nicely done fantasy, with a suspenseful plot that draws you in.

      Note to Becki: If you decide to read a fantasy novel--not this one. It breaks your rule.

      Recommended, for everyone except Becki, who knows who she is.

      I borrowed this book from a friend.
    • 5/5
      Don't judge a book by its cover (in this case, literally). This book is a great example of why Robin Hobb is known as "The First Lady of Fantasy." I am a huge fan of her narrative style, and the character development is second-to-none. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would. It is a great opening to what I consider one of the best fantasy sagas. Not only this trilogy, but all of the books that tell the story of the Farseer royal family.
    • 5/5
      I first read this series many years ago in high school. It has stayed with me since. I even lent a copy of this book to a friend for her to read, and bought me another when it wasn't returned! The character development shines in this novel, and the plot is well developed as well. I recommend it to those who like assassin's, fantasy, and/or character-driven stories.
    • 5/5
      very interesting style for a fantasy book - written in the first person. You feel all of main character's doubts and hopes, but also feel his pain much stronger. This trilogy was recommended to me while I was waiting for the next installments of Wheel of Time and Song of Fire and Ice. I will definitely be checking out other Robin Hobb series.
    • 4/5
      I've had Robin Hobb on my list of "to read" authors for a while and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to one of her books. Her prose is wonderful and though she writes pretty standard fantasy her character's, world and magic are intriguing. The magic of this world is, at this point, minimal, but magic seems to be a dying art in the Duchies and there are hints that this is about to change. I can't wait to see where Fitz's story takes him as he evolves from apprentice to full fledged assassin.
    • 4/5
      Hobb's stories remind me quite a lot of Melanie Rawn and Janny Wurts - long, dramatic fantasy with a strong focus on characterization and interpersonal relationships. These books don't aim to be Great Literature - they aim to be immersive, enjoyable adventures, where you leave feeling that you really know the people you've been spending time with...

      This book tells of the coming of age of FitzChivalry - dropped off at the castle as a nameless bastard, the royal family quickly believes the tale that he is the son of Prince Chivalry due to the family resemblance. But it is left for the stablemaster, Burrich, to raise the boy. What place does an unacknowledged bastard have? Part of the royal family, yet not... Secretly, he is apprenticed to the king's poisoner, and learns the ways to kill for his king...
      It's difficult to summarize the plot of a story that depends mostly on the growth of relationships over years... but there's magic, plots, treachery... and, of course, assassinations...
      Hobb also does an excellent job of ending this book on a satisfyingly conclusive note while simultaneously leaving enough unfinished threads to make a reader eager for the next book...
    • 4/5
      The first half was petty boring: most of the apprenticing is told, not shown. Our little hero tells us about learning things while sitting in a room. I might have given up if the book hadn't been so highly reviewed. The second half really started growing on me though, when Fitz gets to start using his skills, not in outright assassinations, but in bits and pieces here or there, then build toward his first actual assignment to kill a prince. So the first half is a two or a three, and the second is a solid five.
    • 5/5
      Lucky me to have downloaded Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb on my Kindle for free. Yes, I'm addicted to the free books offered on the Kindle, but the 'lucky' part is that this book is actually good and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it; in fact I plan to read the whole series and possibly everything Robin Hobb ever wrote. (This, I am sure, was the diabolical reasoning behind the free offering, like giving a person one M&M knowing that they will certainly eat more...tricksy, tricksy.)

      The story begins with a grandfather dumping his six year old grandson at the king's castle because he can no longer afford to feed and clothe the child, who is apparently the bastard son of the prince first in line to the throne. The book is the story of the boy, who they call Fitz (which means illegitimate son) and how he grows up in the castle keep, not quite royalty but not quite commoner. He is taught many skills by many experts, one of which (you guessed it) is how to be a subtle assassin. The assassin's trade deals with poison's and herbology as opposed to the skills he learns with weapons.

      But Fitz has a two unique abilities of his own that set him apart from everybody else. First, he is very powerful but very unstable with the 'Skill,' a form of telepathy that runs in the genes of some royalty. Once honed, the Skill can be used to influence what people think (for example, I could touch your mind without you even knowing it and have you bring me a bag of M&Ms). Fitz's other ability is the 'Wit' which is extremely shunned so he has to keep it a secret from everyone. Wit is not only the ability to connect minds with animals, but to possibly bond with one of them, thus eventually turning your mind into something much more savage and animalistic.

      The story unfolds as Fits learns all these things while he grows up in the midst of royal intrigue and scheming. He learns what it truly means to be a 'king's man' and all the sacrifices that entails. One of my favorite characters in the book is the Fool, who is the least foolish person in the book. I will leave it up to you to discover the meaning behind "Fitz fixes feists fits. Fat suffices." I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
    • 5/5
      In this first installment of The Farseer Trilogy, a coming of age fantasy tale, about the bastard son of a prince. FitzChivalry Farseer, known just a Fitz, is raised by his father's man. He is in a dangerous position and there are people who want him dead. In an effort to protect himself he swears allegiance to grandfather the king and apprentices himself to the current royal assassin. Great in depth story with lost of twists and intrigue. The world building was really good. The character development was also fantastic. Totally looking forward to reading book 2.
    • 5/5
      The voice for the fool is awful and it feels like the author wants you to actively hate living but god if this wasn't a beautiful experience.