Robin Hobb – The Farseer Trilogy

First book in the trilogy

This is by far one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read, and even that’s saying a lot with it being one of my favourite genres.  It definitely deserves the number 14 spot on the Top 100 Fantasy Books list, if not higher.

Robin Hobb is the pen name of Margaret Ogden, and Assassin’s Apprentice (the first book in the series, pictured right) is her first novel, which is surprising, given the quality of the work.  Hobb writes mainly high fantasy, with two other published trilogies set in the same world as Farseer, and a third on the way.  Orson Scott Card (author of the immensely popular and groundbreaking novel Ender’s Game, one of my other favourite books), praises her for setting “the standard for the modern serious fantasy novel.”

This series has us following the life of FitzChivalry, as he grows up from a small child, and is trained to be a, you guessed it, assassin.  For those of you who are squeamish out there, the book does not have as much violence as you would think.  (This initially disappointed me, I was hoping for a book version of Assassin’s Creed).  Fitz is the Bastard heir to the Farseer throne, and his life is full of adventure, deceit, friendship, love, and solitude, as he is the catalyst that keeps recurring in the struggle for the throne.

Having read her previous work, I was expecting a repeat of her unique way of developing characters by telling the story through every character’s own eyes and thoughts.  This novel is told entirely from FitzChivalry’s perspective, but Hobb’s talent shines through here as you fall in love with him, his life, and the other characters that interact with him. By the time I finished this trilogy, I was so feverishly engrossed in the novel, that I could hardly put it down for schoolwork, dinner, or sleep.  It’s simply amazing how you end up living and breathing as if you were actually Fitz, and start feeling emotions in real life to match his.  You meet so many characters along the way that aren’t simply static, you start connecting with them as well.  I think I can easily count off at least 8 characters essential to the story with whom you develop a close relationship.  This book had me giddy with delight at Fitz’s exploits, crying at his hardships, laughing with him and his friends, and finding in him a parallel to my own life.  Honest and original, despite having many of the stereotypical traits of the fantasy genre, this is a true story of a boy’s travels through life and everything it entails.

I would recommend this book to anyone who already loves fiction, and even to new-comers to the genre.  Hobb’s world is not as extensive as, say J.R.R. Tolkien’s; it’s very easy to pick up the story and the context and dive right in.  Brilliantly written narrative and dynamic characters make sure that this is a book I’ll be reading again and again.