A review by vigil
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

i've felt extremely hesitant to being the realm of the elderlings in the past. i think it is a testament to the strengths of this book and what i've gleamed being around 60% into it's sequel that immediately went out and purchased nearly all of the realm of the elderlings books upon finishing. I actually bought royal assassin and assassin's quest before i even finished the first one. 

to begin with, it is certainly a slow paced character driven fantasy. i would argue that your enjoyment of this book depends entirely on your connection with fitz, and how much you enjoy being in his head and going through his daily life. it is not a book about badass assassin. fitz does kill, and work as an apprentice to an established assassin
his grand uncle chade
but farseer is a character examination and a tragedy. you walk through fitz's daily life and witness the destruction of a childhood and personality, and read as fitz is reshaped into a tool for the crown. 

fitz was almost certainly the stand out for me, which was shocking as i don't always love male fantasy protagonists, and i was pretty sure i was
going to love the fool the most here.
he is an incredibly lonely child,
and judging by my knowledge of further book and his narration here, grows into a lonelier adult
and his dependence on guardians who love him but can only fail him over and over is hard to watch. robin hobb has a very evocative prose style, especially when it comes to emotions, and you can feel every bit of fear, loneliness, insecurity and pain that rolls of the page from younger fitz.
during his skill test with galen where he is beaten into unconsciousness i could hardly keep my eyes on the page. i'm glad burrich beat his ass.
 

this introspective narrative style doesn't leave much room for worldbuilding in the actual setting, though i do say it's a pretty atmospheric novel. it is not reinventing the wheel in terms of set up, it is very much a classic medieval / middle ages / indeterminate fantasy european time period but i do believe robin hobb expands the world in later books in the series. it wasn't a distracting while reading, but it was noticeable when hobb introduces certain aspects of the greater plot, such as the elderlings, the outislanders, and the red ship raiders as i don’t quite feel the book provided enough details that allowed for me to reconcile the plot elements with the world at large when they were first introduced. i enjoy other aspects of hobb’s opaque approach to the story, but this was where the story suffered the most from it for me. 

however, i think the two magic styles in the novel are done wonderfully. i like how robin hobb grounds her magic systems (hate that phrase but i digress) in the politics and attitudes of the world. i appreciate how content she is with mystery or ambiguity. much about the six duchies is taken for what it is. there are of course curiosities and questions presented by the characters, but magic has ingrained itself seamlessly into the world even if there isn't a known origin or cause. multiple different characters have their own thoughts and approaches to
skilling such as galen vs the previous skillmistress as well as the wit, which burrich and the people of buck view as an abomination.
 

there is a significant portion of the book, the introductions of each chapter, that are dedicated to the history, myths, legends, and day to day of the six duchies. i think this lends well to the focus of the book, and gives us information we otherwise wouldn't posses. not all of these tidbits are equally important, but they are all relevant. this is really where a good portion of the worldbuilding came in, things not explained in fitz's narration of events due to his status and introversion.
given that these books are being retold by post-AQ fitz as his memoirs, I also like the book within a book vibe it gave off. It felt like a memoir and a first person historical account all in one.
given the more insular style of worldbuilding hobb has chosen to take (because fitz is a unreliable narrator with questionable awareness) this helped me to start cohering the introduction of the overarching plot better. 

i've been trending towards slower paced introspective fantasy lately, ones that are more focus on the internal lives of the characters, and the dynamics with the people around them and so far, robin hobb is my prime example of that niche. i think for fans of the later asoiaf books and rj barker will appreciate this one. 
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