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vaxildidi 's review for:
Assassin's Apprentice
by Robin Hobb
As I closed this book I said outloud to myself "That was really good.” About 2/3rds of the way through, I thought to myself "This is the platonic ideal of a fantasy coming of age story," and it is only my personal taste in liking something more plot forward that prevents this from being higher than 4 stars.
From the world Ms. Hobb built, to the characters within, to the prose, there is not much to complain or critic about this story. The biggest hurdle for me was adjusting to the 1st person POV, as this entire story is told through the eyes of Fitz in first person. Once I adjusted to that, it was an absolute breeze to read.
Not so much a plot driven story, as much as a coming of age tale, Assassins Apprentice follows the story of Fitz, a young bastard to the eldest prince of the Farseer throne. The story tracks his growth from a near mute child terrified of the world, to stable boy with the ability to magically inhabit the minds of animals (a taboo magic), to awkward teen learning in the way of court life, and into the life of a fledgling royal assassin. All the while he is learning and seemingly failing to learn the magic known as Skill, the ability to inhabit the mind, influence the thought, and speak to others, regardless of distance.
Fitz growth is set against the backdrop of a coastal nation known as the Six Duchies, consistently being raided by a group known as the Red Ship Raiders, who pillage villages and Forge villagers. The magic of Forging, a process henceforth uknown, turns the villagers into base beings who only want and will satiate that want by any means without thought or emotion. Meanwhile, there are court politics as the nation must turn to a neighboring nation for help through a political marriage, and intrigue as a plot unfolds.
What I truly liked most about this book was the relationships Fitz forged with other characters. From Burrich, to Molly, to Patience, to Chade, to even his relationships with people who he doesnt get on well with like Regal and Galen, how Fitz navigates himself through the people in his life is the driving force of this book.
My only three real criticisms of this book are:
1. I wish we had more time spent with certain characters. Patience and Molly specifically were two of my favorite characters in the story but I felt time with them was fleeting, same could be said of The Fool, however I do think characters like The Fool work best in small doses.
2. Why "Wit" (the magic of bonding/connecting with beasts) is bad while "Skill" is good isnt sufficiently explained to my liking. Burrich, the stablemaster to Fitz father and the man that more or less raises Fitz, vehemently despises the use of Wit,. But as Fitz keeps his ability as a closely guarded secret after Burrich`s reaction to it, we never learn from any character whether Burrich`s beliefs are true or well founded.
3. As macabre as it sounds, I do think more time/energy could have been spent exploring Fitz schooling/preparation in becoming an assassin. Most of his lessons in assassination are breezed over as "He spent time with Chade (his instructor) going over various things" while his training with the Skillmaster is covered in heavy detail over multiple pages, chapters, and passages.
From the world Ms. Hobb built, to the characters within, to the prose, there is not much to complain or critic about this story. The biggest hurdle for me was adjusting to the 1st person POV, as this entire story is told through the eyes of Fitz in first person. Once I adjusted to that, it was an absolute breeze to read.
Not so much a plot driven story, as much as a coming of age tale, Assassins Apprentice follows the story of Fitz, a young bastard to the eldest prince of the Farseer throne. The story tracks his growth from a near mute child terrified of the world, to stable boy with the ability to magically inhabit the minds of animals (a taboo magic), to awkward teen learning in the way of court life, and into the life of a fledgling royal assassin. All the while he is learning and seemingly failing to learn the magic known as Skill, the ability to inhabit the mind, influence the thought, and speak to others, regardless of distance.
Fitz growth is set against the backdrop of a coastal nation known as the Six Duchies, consistently being raided by a group known as the Red Ship Raiders, who pillage villages and Forge villagers. The magic of Forging, a process henceforth uknown, turns the villagers into base beings who only want and will satiate that want by any means without thought or emotion. Meanwhile, there are court politics as the nation must turn to a neighboring nation for help through a political marriage, and intrigue as a plot unfolds.
What I truly liked most about this book was the relationships Fitz forged with other characters. From Burrich, to Molly, to Patience, to Chade, to even his relationships with people who he doesnt get on well with like Regal and Galen, how Fitz navigates himself through the people in his life is the driving force of this book.
My only three real criticisms of this book are:
1. I wish we had more time spent with certain characters. Patience and Molly specifically were two of my favorite characters in the story but I felt time with them was fleeting, same could be said of The Fool, however I do think characters like The Fool work best in small doses.
2. Why "Wit" (the magic of bonding/connecting with beasts) is bad while "Skill" is good isnt sufficiently explained to my liking. Burrich, the stablemaster to Fitz father and the man that more or less raises Fitz, vehemently despises the use of Wit,
Spoiler
he more or less disowns Fitz for his continued use of it3. As macabre as it sounds, I do think more time/energy could have been spent exploring Fitz schooling/preparation in becoming an assassin. Most of his lessons in assassination are breezed over as "He spent time with Chade (his instructor) going over various things" while his training with the Skillmaster is covered in heavy detail over multiple pages, chapters, and passages.