Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I put off reading this series for years. A good friend of mine had recommended it to me, but I found the premise unappealing. Even less so after I attempt the first of the Night Angel trilogy. The books I rate 5 stars tend to be in the literary fantasy or dying earth subgenres. This book was nearly a 5 for me despite being neither of those things.

The Assassin's Apprentice is a tale about loyalty and loss. It is a bildungsroman about Fitz the bastard of the king-in-waiting Chivalry. As a member of the royal bloodline he has a gift for Farseer magic, called the Skill in this series, fighting, stealth work, and for the lesser magic known as the Wit.

Robin Hobb weaves a deft first person tale of loss and growth. While Fitz is not the farm boy come hero of the ages, he is nevertheless a down on his luck hero of the land. In true country fashion Fitz loses first his mother, then his dog, then his father, then his mentor and nearly his life. He is forced into courtly life and a world of intrigue that he is ill prepared for.

Had it not been for a number of glaring plot holes, occasional lull in the story, and Fitz's lack of curiosity this would have been a solid 5.


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