The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1999 Robin Hobb (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

“Intriguing, controlled, and remarkably assured...at once satisfyingly self-contained yet leaving plenty of scope for future extensions and embellishments.” ( Kirkus)

I am hooked.

reminds me of the books I read when growing up and visiting another world dimension.

An old style coming of age world building fantasy

I realized as I started a second time to listen, why I struggled with this book, it's the pacing. It's very... Tad Williams Dragonbone Chair slow.

There is some fantastic prose. The characters well fleshed out, and I'm almost intrigued enough by the "Forging" to get book 2. But it's not my style. Also... as a first-person POV, there is not much suspense. Even as I listened to the drowning scene... It's Fitz telling the story, so... I already know that he lives, you know?

I think I'm guilty, in this Nethlux Era, of wanting the pacing, plot, and action to develop much faster. So that's on me.

The narrator was average. His pacing was good, but the range of characters/ voices is subpar by today's professionals.

If you don't mind a slow world building story with little action, told in first person (which removes any doubt that Fitz survives any danger) this will be a good credit. But it's not for me.

An absolute must in fantasy!

Realm of the Elderlings is an amazing story! Deep and richly detailed with impactful storytelling, characters that you will fall in love with.

Wonderful

Great story love the plot line look forward to more stories by this author and reading them too. By far my most favorite

Interesting Start

Written as a first person perspective tale of a boy's life. The story tends to drag a bit and long stretches of nothing happening. Eventually it picks up towards the mid to late chapters and things get really interesting. A bit strange of an ending but we'll see where the next book takes us.

Good opening volume

This book is more the opening proglue than an all enclusive one. It follows Fritz from a really small boy into his first major involvement in political intrigue.


I think about a third of this book could have easily been trimmed out and it would have been better for it aa Robin Hobbs tends to drag out the scenes with a lot of extraneous detail. This made some chapters, especially at the beginning to feel poorly paced and drag along. The last third of the book contains the pivotal events of the book and sets up the next volume in the series. This part was my favorite section as I liked home much action and political intrigue it had.

As this had a first person view point the narration Paul Bohemer it is pretty even. It is clearly read and as far as I can tell all the words were pronuced correctly.

Strangely mesmerizing, but so depressing

A lot of the criticisms are valid- it’s slow in many ways. But it’s still strangely mesmerizing. I couldn’t stop listening. But it’s so so depressing. One tragic thing after another. And other than the constant “woe is me” feeling sorry for himself, he’s likeable. I kept crying, and each time “what now?! Again?!”
So I can’t say it was enjoyable. But imo it was good

Fitz!

The Bastard! If it wasn't for him... that's all you need to know. He's "The Bastard".

Origin Story great start

A lot of details and world building in this book and I expect a lot more from this series.

Fitz Grows Up

This was an intricate coming of age story with amazing character building. I ended the book loving many characters and despising one or two, which I am sure was the intention. Thank you for the story!