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| Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy - Book 1) |
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Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy - Book 1)
Harper Voyager
by Robin Hobb
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| Product Details |
ISBN/ASIN: 0006480098
Release Date:
Sales Rank: 3216
Average Rating: 
Media: Paperback
Audience Rating:
Product Group: Book
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| Product Description |
| A glorious classic fantasy combining the magic of Ursula Le Guin's The Wizard of Earthsea with the epic Mastery of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Now reissued in gorgeous new livery. |
| Customer Reviews: Average Rating: 4.5/5 | | An excellent read, with some minor annoyances: Rating: 4/5 |
Much has been said by other reviewers regarding this book, but I thought I'd give my opinion anyway.
Prior to reading this, I had never heard of Robin Hobb, and had never read any of her works before. I was on the lookout for some new fantasy works after reading the excellent "Black Magician" trilogy by Trudi Canavan, which I really enjoyed, and came across this based on other people's recommendations.
The problem I have with these trilogies is the time, money and investment you put in when you choose one: you know there's three books, all probably over 400 pages long. That's a lot of time and cash. There's also the temptation to purchase all three books at once, with the risk that, after the first book, you find it so boring that you really can't be bothered to read the rest. So I decided to purchase Assassin's Apprentice only, and if it was rubbish, I wouldn't bother with the others.
I started reading this about four days ago, and as of writing, I have just finished it, and am expecting the delivery of the second and third books today from Amazon. That should give an indication of how much I enjoyed it. I found the characters believable, well rounded, and with a level of depth that was satisfying. In particular, the political intrigue and relationships between characters was well thought out. The world Hobb has created is perhaps not too unique - a fairly typical medieval fantasy setting - but there is a good attention to detail which makes things seem alive and fresh. She also knows how to keep the reader hooked, dropping little nuggets here and there that make you want to keep reading to find out more. The book is written in the first person, and this is carried off well, and generally avoids the trap (not always, mind you) of being a bit whiny, as some first-person stories can be.
It is not without its flaws, however. I can certainly understand some individuals who claimed the book was tedious. A few pages in, and I was a little annoyed at the length of descriptions for rooms and settings, where things seemed to be a little too flowery for my liking. Sometimes you'd read several pages of what seemed to be endless descriptions, with little seemingly happening. Because of this, while the pacing was generally well done, I found myself skipping ahead slightly, which I don't normally do. You get used to it after a while, however, and like I mentioned in the title, this is a minor annoyance, and is the only real negative I could give the book.
All in all, this is an enjoyable read, and I found it worth the effort. I was genuinely surprised at places, and couldn't put the book down. It's a story well told, and I look forward to the next two, to see how things unfold.
A last point: as the title "Assassin's Apprentice" suggests, there are some dark themes throughout, so I wouldn't say this would be suitable for children, but it would obviously depend on the maturity of the child. | | Tedious: Rating: 1/5 |
My experience with this book ensures that I'll no longer accept that the majority must be right, that a book must be really good if there are at least a dozen people talking about how great it is.
I'm in the middle and have had to (browse) read the last 30 pages or so. And here's why (1)The writing style makes me feel as if I'm walking through knee high sand while surrounded by thick fog (2)There's a dearth of action (3)Things that should be explained like 'the Skill' are not (4) There's no suspense
For all these reasons I don't feel it's necessary to keep on reading. I'd recommend that you avoid this particular work. And I'll be avoiding this author from now on.
| | Writing style to one end of the extreme: Rating: 1/5 |
| This series by R.H. is characterized by very few "events" and a lot of feeling, reviewing and considerations. The books can thus feel slow paced in the extreme to those used to more action, less talk. Not a lot of assassinations to say the least. Without wanting to offend anyone, this work clearly has a woman's touch. For many that will be a positive, as can be seen from the large number of favourable reviews. For others its just tedious. | | Dry: Rating: 1/5 |
| A recurring problem in fantasy...the main character has a million unique special talents, and no personality. The setting is not bad, but there isn't much of a story to go on. | | Great Read: Rating: 5/5 |
| One of the great fantasy fictions, a fantastic mix between Lord of the Rings and The Earthsea Quartet. Creating an original mythical world of magic and adventure. This is a great start to an amazing trilogy. | |
