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Assassin's Apprentice: The Farseer, Book One

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Overview

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him sectetly tutored in the arts of the assassin.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews for this product are not available at this time.

Author Information

Bio of Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb, who has also written a number of novels as Megan Lindholm, is a native of Washington state.

Customer Reviews

  • 5 stars out of 5Great story

    Posted March 19, 2009 by Sally, Norfolk, Va

    I got this as a free download - thinking, i'll give it a try , if its horrible i'll just delete and go on to my next book. I really enjoyed it and am back to pay for the successive books. Robin Hobb is a new author for me, i am thinking that i will be reading more than just this series by him.
    Thanks I am looking forward to reading more of Fitz's adventures.

  • 4 stars out of 5Also enjoyed - new author to me

    Posted April 05, 2009 by JVL, Phoenix, AZ

    I also got this as a free download. I really liked the writing style, very smooth and absorbing - I have discovered another author to add to my list of resources for satisfying reading!

  • 4 stars out of 5Free load yet a great read

    Posted April 25, 2009 by Boy, Waikoloa Hawaii

    The first few pages were a struggle but once clear of those the book became enthralling. Strongly recommended for young boys who are deep thinkers.

  • 5 stars out of 5Time Out!

    Posted May 11, 2009 by read her, fort lauderdale, fl

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was my first venture into epic fantasy and I'll be back. The author did an excellent job of creating intertwined plots and espionage as well as introducing us to a character that is as much a mystery to himself as to the reader. A great read sprinkled with sentimentality, courage, adventure, a little evil ... and a lot of good.

  • 5 stars out of 5I am hooked!

    Posted May 12, 2009 by CB, Aurora, CO

    Since I got this as a free download, I was not expecting it to be that good. I was wrong. This author has a talent for developing the characters so that you actually care about what happens. I could not put it down and now I am on the second series of books...The Tawny Man trilogy...all very good!

  • 5 stars out of 5WOW!

    Posted May 22, 2009 by Monica, Woodbridge, VA

    I got this as a free download - how bad could it be, right? But then I got hooked on the characters, the plot, the whole story.........I'll definitely buy future books in this series!

  • 5 stars out of 5A great trilogy!

    Posted May 27, 2009 by Gail, Cheyenne

    I downloaded the first book for free, and true to the publisher's intent, purchased books 2 and 3. I haven't had so much fun reading a trilogy in a long, long time. I am now well into the third book and haven't hit a dead spot yet. This author is highly imaginative and unpredictable, and I certainly intend to read her other trilogies!

  • 5 stars out of 5Great book full of twists and turns and life-like characters

    Posted July 06, 2009 by Lani, Federal Way, WA

    Robin Hobb has a gift for telling a story that isn't too high-flown and unrealistic but still epic enough to satisfy my taste for tragic heroes. I can't recommend this book enough and hope that everyone will give all of her books a try.

  • 4 stars out of 5Well worth the read

    Posted July 11, 2009 by reader, Glendale, AZ

    Like others, downloaded as a freebie and had to buy the other books in the series I enjoyed this one so much.

  • 5 stars out of 5Wonderfully Written

    Posted July 16, 2009 by VRod, Karaf

    It's not often that I find a book I hate to put down, at least for reasons other than action and excitement. Assassin's Apprentice weaved an absorbing tale with details that truly put you into the shoes of the main character. Many is the time I found myself smiling at the description of a field just entered, or an animal being approached. Subtle writing, and attentive in the most enjoyable way. The book is not heavy on plot, and the conflict resolution at the end is almost in passing, such that this story is best treasured as a path and not a destination. Highly recommended for anyone willing to discover a superb writer.

  • 4 stars out of 5Good overall story with moral dilemma's interspersed

    Posted July 26, 2009 by Julie, Fairless HIlls

    Although I never considered myself a fantasy lover, this book made me change my mind somewhat. The story involves the illegitimate son of a prince that is begrudgingly taken in by the royal household, taught to be an assassin, and, despite his lower status, ultimately helps to shape the monarchy in direct and indirect ways. Good story, good characters, some moral dilemmas about the rightness/wrongness of his actions. All in all a good yarn and I'd read another book by this author.

  • 5 stars out of 5Amazing!

    Posted August 17, 2009 by Rodrigo Porto, São Paulo

    I've reluctantly bought this book at a tallow thinking that it wouldn't be much great but after reading the first few pages I find that I could no longer stop. It's just amazing!

    You will be thirsty to read the sequel! (Which is just as amazing as the first).

Additional Info

Imprint

Spectra

Filesize

795.13 KB

Number of Pages

464

eBook ISBN

9780553897487

Excerpt from: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The Earliest History

A history of the six Duchies is of necessity a history of its ruling family, the Farseers. A complete telling would reach back beyond the founding of the First Duchy and, if such names were remembered, would tell us of Outislanders raiding from the sea, visiting as pirates a shore more temperate and gentler than the icy beaches of the Out Islands. But we do not know the names of these earliest forebears.

* * *

And of the first real King, little more than his name and some extravagant legends remain. Taker his name was, quite simply, and perhaps with that naming began the tradition that daughters and sons of his lineage would be given names that would shape their lives and beings. Folk beliefs claim that such names were sealed to the newborn babes by magic, and that these royal offspring were incapable of betraying the virtues whose names they bore. Passed through fire and plunged through salt water and offered to the winds of the air; thus were names sealed to these chosen children. So we are told. A pretty fancy, and perhaps once there was such a ritual, but history shows us this was not always sufficient to bind a child to the virtue that named it.... My pen falters, then falls from my knuckly grip, leaving a worm's trail of ink across Fedwren's paper. I have spoiled another leaf of the fine stuff, in what I suspect is a futile endeavor. I wonder if I can write this history, or if on every page there will be some sneaking show of a bitterness I thought long dead. I think myself cured of all spite, but when I touch pen to paper, the hurt of a boy bleeds out with the sea-spawned ink, until I suspect each carefully formed black letter scabs over some ancient scarlet wound.

Both Fedwren and Patience were so filled with enthusiasm whenever a written account of the history of the Six Duchies was discussed that I persuaded myself the writing of it was a worthwhile effort. I convinced myself that the exercise would turn my thoughts aside from my pain and help the time to pass. But each historical event I consider only awakens my own personal shades of loneliness and loss. I fear I will have to set this work aside entirely, or else give in to reconsidering all that has shaped what I have become. And so I begin again, and again, but always find that I am writing of my own beginnings rather than the beginnings of this land. I do not even know to whom I try to explain myself. My life has been a web of secrets, secrets that even now are unsafe to share. Shall I set them all down on fine paper, only to create from them flame and ash Perhaps.