My Top 10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels: #3 – The Farseer Trilogy
#3 – The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (1995 – 1997)
Assassin's Apprentice: Book 1 of the Farseer Trilogy
Robin Hobb’s writing style has a lot of similarities with George RR Martin. She makes her audience identify with the main character, and then she makes that character suffer.
She also creates villains so evil that I get physically angry when I read her books. I get invested in the character’s struggle and I cannot put the book down.
The Farseer Trilogy follows the story of FitzChivalry Farseer; the bastard child of a murdered prince who has to grow up in the castle where, were he conceived legitimately, he would have one day ruled.
Instead, he works as a stable-hand until the King decides he could be trained in a more useful purpose: an assassin.
While it is set in a fantasy world, there is only a limited amount of magic. The two types are called ‘the skill’, which is the ability to speak to others minds and influence their thoughts. The second is called ‘the wit’, a magic which allows those with the talent for it to speak to animals. This magic is considered ‘unclean’ and its use is forbidden.
Of course, poor Fitz has both the skill and the wit. Craziness.
Fitz manages to befriend the King’s court jester, known only as ‘the Fool’. The Fool however, is more than what he seems.
The second and third books expand the story into an all-out struggle for Fitz and the Fool the save not only the Kingdom, but the entire world.
Although the story is considered ‘epic’, it is the characters that truly drive this story. It is also interesting to read a story written by a woman, but told in the first-person perspective of a male character.
This is definitely a trilogy to check out if you have any interest at all in fantasy novels.
“The fight isn’t over until you win it, Fitz. That’s all you have to remember. No matter what the other man says.”
– Robin Hobb, The Farseer Trilogy
All Entries
#6 – To Say Nothing of the Dog
#4 – Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
Leave a Reply
A Quantum of Knowledge 
Farseer is a great series! Really got me hooked on Hobb and helped to get me hooked on fantasy in general.
I read your review of the trilogy and I agree that the final book was the weakest. But its still a dynamite read.
You should also check out The Tawney Man Trilogy, if you haven’t already. It didn’t have as big an impact on me as the Farseer Trilogy, but it was a worthy follow up, and cool to see what Fitz and the Fool were up to.
yes, absolute dynamite read, it just kinda slowed down at the end for me. We went on a Hobb buying spree last year, picked up the entire Mad Ship trilogy, the Soldier son trilogy, and at least the first book of Tawny man, which I am very intersted in. Somehow I got started on the Soldier Son instead. . . .
Check the night series by sergei lukyayenko. Fiction mixed with reality just like harry potter but for more adult audiences.