Imagine spending your entire life being reviled simply because you were born. Imagine that the sins of your father were placed on your head, and as a result your life is not your own with which to do what you want. Pretty sucky, huh?
This is the plight of Robin Hobb's main character in 'Assassin's Apprentice', book one of the Farseer Trilogy. Fitz, boy, bastard...whichever insult you prefer; Trained to be a tool for the king; isolated and lonely, insulted and ignored; all for no fault of his own.
Robin Hobb's 'Assassin's Apprentice' is cleverly orchestrated so that you, the reader, gradually come to understand the character's position as he himself does. You get a sense that you are a fly on the wall, watching events unfold as they happen - a sensation that is no small feat by author, Hobb.
Having been born on the wrong side of Royal sheets, Ftiz's birth results in his father's abdication from the throne. Never to meet his father, and yet always in his shadow, Fitz is largely ignored until he is old enough to be trained to be useful.
Hobb takes you on a journey from boyhood to manhood, and you stumble alongside the youth as he struggles to find an identity that he is both comfortable and safe with. Being a threat to the throne, the reader never knows when Fitz's life will next be at stake, and Hobb cleverly intrigues the reader as they stagger alongside this likable 'victim' of circumstances.
Admittedly, it took me a while to 'get into' this book. I tend to walk away from a book if I am not enjoying it. This was not necessary with 'Assassin's Apprentice', and yet I still felt it to be a bit slow for the ball to get rolling. However, by about halfway through the novel I was thoroughly enjoying myself and I found it difficult to put the book down.
Hobb's 'Assassin's Apprentice' is well worth the read and I cannot wait to see this trilogy unfold.
I think that I am going to start this book today. I think that I am going to abandon all of my group reads to start knocking books off of my TBR list. This will be my first Hobb book to read. I have heard that this series is really good. Thanks for the quick review of Assassin's Apprentice.
ReplyDeleteAssassin's Apprentice was right at the top of my TBR list. It's definitely worth the read! It was my first Hobb experience too, and now I can't wait to read the rest of her works.
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