Musings of a Middle-aged Mum: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

This past week I have been really busy, so I hadn't finished reading my 50 chapters of the Bible, which in turn meant I hadn't read as much of my current fiction book as I would have liked. Not only that, but once a year (roughly) I read a Classic, as there are many great books that I haven't read. However, as it the case with this one, the language is slightly old fashioned so requires a bit more concentration than some of the easier to read books, so that makes me read it even slower.

So, I thought I would give a review of a book (and series) that I have read in the past. I only discovered this author around 5 years ago, because the first book which I'll review below, was free on Kindle. As I've said in previous book reviews, most the books I have are free - and then I get hooked and end up buying the rest of the series, as I did in this case. Then I read through all the books of all the series so fast (even with books by other authors in between) that I ended up waiting and having to pre-order the final book back in 2017. These books were so good, that I still remember all the stories and characters and think of them as part of my life. (Yes, I am sad/geeky enough that when I read a good book it impacts me deeply.)

This 'series' of books, is actually a collection of 5 trilogies (where one trilogy is actually a tetralogy...). Whilst the trilogies can be read in any order, I just happened to read them in the correct order, and so I would recommend that. I will list them all below, in order, and you can make your mind up yourself.

The first book, of The Farseer Trilogy, is called Assassin's Apprentice. It starts when a young boy, Fitz - named because he is the bastard son of a royal - is removed from him home and taken to the castle. As the illegitimate son of a prince, Fitz is sent to be looked after by the stableman Burrich. Eventually, Fitz meets the mysterious Chade, the royal assassin, who trains Fitz up in his art.

The blurb says:

The kingdom of the Six Duchies is on the brink of civil war when news breaks that the crown prince has fathered a bastard son and is shamed into abdication. The child’s name is Fitz, and his is despised.

Raised in the castle stables, only the company of the king’s fool, the ragged children of the lower city and his unusual affinity with animals provide Fitz with any comfort.

To be useful to the crown, Fitz is trained as an assassin; and to use the traditional magic of the Farseer family. But his tutor, allied to another political faction, is determined to discredit, even kill him. Fitz must survive: for he may be destined to save the kingdom.

This is fantasy at its best, imo. There are kings and castles, magic and mystery, friendships and rivalries, love and battles, dragons and prophets, death and birth. If you like any of these things in your fantasy, you'll learn to love them all, as the stories of each character is woven beautifully throughout the series. As you read more books, you'll come to a new understanding of what happened in the earlier books and why, as revelations, twists and turns keep the story fresh and alive.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a bit of escapism.