Assassin's Apprentice

I'm going to have to begin this by saying those words all readers know. It won't be the first time I've said it, it won't be the last, and it's a phrase you'll probably constantly hear where it comes to this book.

I should have read these sooner.

FitzChivalry is the bastard son of the king-in-waiting, the ironically named Prince Chivalry. At the age of six his grandfather carries him to Buckkeep, refusing to raise him anymore, and so begins his coming of age tale. Raised by a loyal servant of his father's, he accepts the King's deal and begins his training as an assassin in service to the ruler of the Six Duchies.

Robin Hobb is one of those writers who has a major following in epic fantasy circles, and it was with a bit of trepidation I picked up her first book recently. It's rare for an author this hyped to live up to it, but surprisingly she did, and what ensued was one of the most mesmerising stories I've ever enjoyed reading.

Robin Hobb's writing just steals the show for me. Right off the bat, barely five pages in and I was already hooked. Her writing felt so absolutely relaxing; it was like my brain was being swaddled in a soft, downy blanket. It immensely amplified my enjoyment of what is literally a generic story. There wasn't a moment of this entire book I was bored, or distracted, or could easily put it down.

In addition to having extremely absorbing prose, she presents her tale with a brevity that other notable series debut releases of the time period [A Game of Thrones, The Eye of the World, Wizard's First Rule] seemed to consider anathema; at only four hundred pages Assassin's Apprentice weighs in at exactly half of what can be expected elsewhere. The reason for this is due to her worldbuilding and exploration of magic, two big parts of the story which are laid only enough as is necessary to fuel the plot. It made the story tighter and also pack a lot more punch for it's weight.

As a result I found myself taking every spare moment I could find to read another page or three, which is always the sign of a good story for me. Enjoyable it may be, but this isn't a fairy tale with a happy ending. One of the thoughts I kept in the back of my mind when I started this book is that most of my friends have the same opinion of Hobb's stories; she does the most brutal things to her characters. And you know what? I felt every single tug and twist of it when the she begins to bring the pain. Which brings me to the second element of the story that made me enjoy it so much.

Her characters are extremely sympathetic. From the get go I felt myself attached to Fitz, a child who leads a lonely life and has rocky relationships with everyone important in his life. From the female friend he develops feelings for, to the gruff stable master who raises him out of loyalty to his prince, to the assassin who in many ways becomes a father figure to Fitz, but also strictly maintains the boundaries of teacher and student. Fitz's tale is the tale of a lonely child growing up who never really enjoys the reciprocated attachment we all have from peers, family members, and other important people in our lives. He's literally a child kept at arms length largely due to the fact of what he is; a royal bastard.

Hobb put me through the emotional wringer as she subjects young Fitz to trial after trial, and it made me attached to him in very much the same way I got attached to Harry Potter as a child. Her characters, everyone from Fitz to the stereotypical Prince Regal, contain an emotional depth that is absolutely entrancing to experience. And it's a good thing the writing and the characters had their hooks stuck so deep under my skin, because other than those there's really nothing else to recommend this book.

As far as plot, worldbuilding and magic goes, this book is as generic as they come. They're all creative in their own ways, but at the same time there's nothing really new about it; straight up pseudo-medieval setting, court intrigue fueled by war, in this case invasion by a rival nation, and fantastical magic that is largely telepathy based, from what we've seen of it. In addition to this, most of it is largely unexplored, which is something I thought really added to the book, instead of took away from it. This is quite simply a book where if you're not captured by the character, the magic will be lost on you.

All in all, Assassin's Apprentice was a wonderful book that easily lived up to the hype, and one I can say is a new favorite. Robin Hobb is one of the best writers I've ever read, who captured me not only with her characters but with writing that was incredibly relaxing to experience, and magnificently relates the tale she set out to weave. Very highly recommended.