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)

Must Read!

Robin Hobb creates a world and characters that draw you in. This book is one of my all time favorites, and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good fantasy.

Really enjoyed

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I am now on my third one in the series.

Coming of Age

This is my second time around with this Robin Hobb book. Mostly third person. Good world building and development of the protagonist. Even with willing suspension of disbelief, some of what Fitz survives pushes the envelope. Not a spoiler; the vast majority of fantasy protagonists survive.
Fitz barely has any romantic interest beyond ... well that would be a spoiler.
If you don't already know the ancient definition of "fitz" that is an added fillip.

A good start but...

I like the authors writing style and description. The world and story has so many possibilities. However Fitz just makes bad choices all the time and / or the villains are poorly written into the story. Regal causes me to lose my "suspension of disbelief". He is a spoiled, petty, brat but somehow every plan he has works flawlessly. Throughout the series he never runs out of resources or suffers betrayals from the underlings he treats horribly. This is compounded by the protagonists never calling him out and making him accountable. I thought the first book had less of this but it got worse in later books.

great book

loved it!
wonderful writing.
great performance!
recommend highly.
looking forward to book 2 with excitement

Fantasy not high not low just Fantasy

A glorious beginning to a story that can only get better. Splendid writing with turns of phrase I will be taking into my own speech.

It is a “slow” paced book but everything is deliberate. This is an introduction. The reader learns with the main character. And I wish to learn more.

Do note, this is not high fantasy. It is not even low fantasy. What shall we call it? One step above historical fantasy. Great characters with systems I want to know more about.

The voice chosen to read the book I do feel was poor. It comes of as an uninterested old man telling grandchildren about their past. The book would have been better suited with a more youthful sounding reader.

Favorite Fantasy Series

A captivating story, especially for the animal lover who feels a deeper connection than the typical “pet” dynamic. These books helped me process and cope with the loss of my beloved cat friend. I love the characters and the slower plot development. I thoroughly enjoyed soaking in the details. This Fitz/Fool series also has the BEST narrator of the three, in my opinion. (I was able to adapt to the 2nd narrator, but the 3rd was just intolerable & I had to order the books)! Thank you Robin Hobb and Paul Boehmer for this magical gift to my imagination!

Best book ever!

This is my 10th relisten to this book series. I love it so much. Fitz Fixes Fyces Fits Fat Suffices

Good story

Good story, but not good enough to make me want to hear more in this series.

The best book I’ve read in a while

Very good! I’m a fan of Brandon Sanderson to refer any to my taste and this book was very enjoyable!