Assassin's Apprentice - Assassin's Quest

I want to like these books. The characters are likeable, but the plot just plods along. Almost nothing of note is resolved and the main character refrains from taking any responsibility for his actions until mid-way through the third book.

Fitz's skill and wit are fascinating, and his character is so fully developed that you feel as if you are living his world with him. He's a very strong protagonist, and there are several other characters who are strongly developed but retain an air of mystery that keeps you reading way past bedtime!

This is the best trilogy i have ever read. This is the best trilogy Robin Hobb has ever written. Read the first few pages, and you will fall in love with her style of writing. Love this trilogy. Love it.

I love horror and paranormal when I'm just reading for mindless relaxation and pleasure. But I decided to give fantasy a try when I saw Robin Hobb's Assasin's Apprentice, Book 1 in the
"Farseer Trilogy."

Never was I so immediately and so completely drawn into another place and time. Hobb created a world and characters that I felt I'd known my entire life and never wanted to leave. And not just the human ones!

The "Tawny Man Trilogy" carried on where the "Farseer Trilogy" left off, just seen through the eyes of a different, but still beloved, character. I devoured all six books in these series as fast as I could read and impatiently searched the store for more.

I was ecstatic to find that the world of Robin Hobb continued, maybe not with exactly the same characters, but the same world and time period. And the new characters sometimes knew of the old and familiar ones. "The Live Ship Traders Trilogy" are neighbors to "The Rain Wilds" world and I suspect it is the Tawny Man who puts in a cross-dressing appearance several times.

The four books in "The Rain Wilds Chronicles" were merely a different part of the same place and people I had come to love and never want to leave. I loved The Rain Wilds and Live Ship characters just as much.

"The Soldier Son Trilogy" was a completely different set of characters and but the world was a completion to the original one Hobb created throughout each series, though on the other side of the world. It was just as magical and captivating.

I've tried hard not to spoil anyone's reading experience with details. Only stating here how excellent the quality of writing is, as well as plotting, characterization and world-making. I am a writer and lifetime reader and none have captured me like Robin Hobb's writing.

And now I can't wait to delve into Hobb's coming home again at last in the 2-book series "Fitz and the Fool." Anyone who has read Hobb's novels have never forgotten Fitz who wandered their worlds in the first six books with his beloved Fool. Now that I know I can return to them I will leave off reviewing and pick up those books!

I loved this trilogy! Its been since the early '80's (thru The Belgariad by David Eddings) that I have chanced to read such an enchanting saga with rich magic and fantasy characters.

The magic is of a new -type, two main types of magic but with the feel of a gritty King Author's court and the intrigues of such. The people are all too human with the drama that comes with that territory. Magic, animal bonds, kings n queens, fools n assassins, prophets n dragons and acient races etc. I love how Robin Hobb has made common a role reversal, or rather an acceptance of both genders performing whatever work they were good at: women weapons masters and men weavers for example. This is a complete trilogy with a very satisfying ending and with twists and turns that 'keep you guessing' on the who-dunnits in the intrigue. Just when you think you got it figured out - you'll get more info that will change your mind.

I will be getting the rest of her novels! Superb writing and storey-telling! Well worth the cost.

I bought each book individually, so I didn't actually buy this bundle. But I have read all the books.

It was neither fantastic or awful. I think the main reason it was not better was the fact that the main character Fitz is AWFUL. He is whiny, petulant, bratty and emo pretty much throughout the series. I feel like he didn't grow as a character at all. He is so damn annoying I don't know if I want to go ahead and read the other series with him in it because I don't know that I'm not going to get more of the same. You need character development and I feel his is sorely lacking. The Fool is somewhat enigmatic and interesting so maybe I'll pick up the next trilogy just for him, but I'm very skeptical and wondering if it's even worth my time. If I get to the end of that trilogy and find that Fitz is pretty much the same I think I'll just pass on the third trilogy completely.

I wanted to really like these books. Ms. Hood writes well, and that's what got me to read all the way through the trilogy. But, in the end, with the exceptions of Lady Patience, and Queen Kettricken, there really aren't any characters to like. This is fantasy in the modern style; where all the heroes are flawed. The main character and narrator, Fitz begins as an assassin, and that is synonymous with coward in my book. Throughout the book, he endeavors to be a King's man. The bastard grandson of King Shrewd, he works to preserve the Farseer line. But, repeatedly, constantly, I kept asking myself, to what purpose? Shrewd shows no great wisdom at any point, and is completely blind to the evil of his youngest son, Regal. We are told that Verity fights for his people, but throughout he seems aloof and above it all. And the aforementioned Regal is a sociopath. Wouldn't the Six Duchies be better off without the Farseers entirely?

As I mentioned at the beginning, Ms. Hood's descriptive prose is quite good. But the pacing lacks. Through two and three quarter books, the action drags. Then, at the very end, things go very quickly, without sufficient explanation. I hesitate to use the term 'deux ex machina', because I see that as a severe criticism of a work and yet, there it is. Throughout two plus books, the Skill is one fairly specific, strictly limited type of magic. But at the end, it's suddenly capable of almost anything.

I could go on. However, what it comes down to is I want my heroes to be heroic. I realized that throughout, I often pitied Fitz, but I never liked him. I'm sure many who read this review like the flawed hero type. For them, I can recommend Ms. Hood as a writer. As for myself, I won't be reading any more of her works.

Robin Hobb is an eloquent writer. She builds an interesting and deep fantasy universe for readers to immerse themselves in. The type of magic in the world is unique and helps keep the series from feeling like generic fantasy. The characters are well developed and do a good job of creating reactions and feelings in readers. The time progression in the series leads to an interesting story that covers a wide breadth of action in the world but also leaves long enough to focus on details to fully enjoy that aspect as well. Over all very enjoyable and I look forward to continuing to read her other trilogies.

One of the best fantasy trilogies that I have ever read. The depth of the characters and the world building aspects of the series pull me in, with the interactions of the Fool and Fitz Chivalry Farseer being the central pivot on which the books are based. I've read it over at least 4 times and will, without a doubt, do so again in the future.

This is a richly fashioned world and the characters engaging and interesting. I look forward to reading more. The reason for not giving 5 stars is that the last book ends very abruptly, without really winding down the story. It's a good tactic, I suppose, to lead you to read more of the series, but in the earlier books you could at least tell there was a winding down of the action. The third book I turned the page and there just wasn't more story.

2nd time reading it. Frost time I reat it I was in high school now that I am in my 30s the books have a whole new meaning and insight. Much love for Robin hobbs books. If you liked this you might like the sword of truth books.

This series was a surprise to me. Something about the covers struck me as cheesy, so I resisted reading it, even though I got the first book free because of a prime deal. Then I got hooked.

Character development is very well done, dialogue is also very smooth and believable, which is VERY hard to do, and key factors in readability, and rare to find them well done in a pleasure read. The plot, is, of course the key factor in a pleasure read to get me from one page to another, and is sufficiently complex and suspenseful to keep me itching for the next page, while enough within the genre to be a great pleasure read. Very fun, too, though I enjoy the books that have a lot of political intrigue and magic as well, so this personal bias factors into all my reviews, but that's often only a one star factor in my reviews.