Monday, December 14, 2015

REVIEW: ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE (BOOK 1 IN THE FARSEER TRILOGY) BY ROBIN HOBB

Published by Del Rey Mass Market, 2014. Mass Market Paperback, 435 pages.
   
    Robin Hobb has been all the rage this year among my friends on YouTube. I now completely understand the hullabaloo! I'm going to keep this review fairly short, since so many things have already been said about this novel. It is a phenomenal Fantasy story with a rich world that sets up nicely for a long story arc. We follow Fitz, bastard son to Prince Chivalry, who is unceremoniously dumped at the castle by his maternal Grandfather and mom one day when he is six. He is taken under the wing of the Stablemaster Burrich, and thus builds a life at Buckkeep. This installment is his coming of age.
      Not only is the writing great, the characters are fantastically developed and evoke empathy or hatred. I really like George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, but most of those characters are unequivocally bad. It's also hard to form attachments when you think a character is going to die any second anyway. I loved the magic present, from the Skill to Fitz's use of the Wit, evoked when bonds are formed with animals. I liked the Mountain people presented later in the story...particularly the novel concept that royalty pitches in and performs the same duties as servants, because everyone works together in a true attitude of service for their community.
      Fitz's observation skills, particularly when he apprentices under Chade, are fun and unique. For whatever reason, it reminded me of mom and I eavesdropping on people in the grocery checkout lines. Nice to hear a male doing that in a novel for a change! There is political intrigue galore, all of it well-paced. This is one of my favorite books of the year. I journaled the maps, characters, and main plot points while reading- because I know I will be reading all books by this author. If you know my commitment issues with series (as in stopping after the first or second book) this is high praise indeed. I find this a great intro into Fantasy, especially for those who love literary fiction and are interested in exploring another genre. I've heard this series pales in comparison to the next trilogy, The Liveship Traders, which must be really fantastic. I can't wait to keep reading!

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