Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Published: 27th March 2014 | Publisher: HarperVoyager | Source: Bought
Robin Hobb’s Website

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 he 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. From The StoryGraph.

Purchase from Bookshop.org*
The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features child abuse, drug use/addiction, regerence to rape, abuse, misogyny, violence against women, animal cruelty/animal death, references to suicide, suicidal ideation, child abuse, ableist language, eference to paefophilia, and regerence to abuse of the disabled.

Continue reading Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Review: Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb (borrowed) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series, and the series that come before. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series/the other series set in The Realm of the Elderlings and don't want it spoilt for you.

The final book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy.

Prince FitzChivalry Farseer’s daughter Bee was violently abducted from Withywoods by Servants of the Four in their search for the Unexpected Son, foretold to wield great power. With Fitz in pursuit, the Servants fled through a Skill-pillar, leaving no trace. It seems certain that they and their young hostage have perished in the Skill-river.

Clerres, where White Prophets were trained by the Servants to set the world on a better path, has been corrupted by greed. Fitz is determined to reach the city and take vengeance on the Four, not only for the loss of Bee but also for their torture of the Fool. Accompanied by FitzVigilant, son of the assassin Chade, Chade’s protégé Spark and the stableboy Perseverance, Bee's only friend, their journey will take them from the Elderling city of Kelsingra, down the perilous Rain Wild River, and on to the Pirate Isles.

Their mission for revenge will become a voyage of discovery, as well as of reunions, transformations and heartrending shocks. Startling answers to old mysteries are revealed. What became of the liveships Paragon and Vivacia and their crews? What is the origin of the Others and their eerie beach? How are liveships and dragons connected?

But Fitz and his followers are not the only ones with a deadly grudge against the Four. An ancient wrong will bring them unlikely and dangerous allies in their quest. And if the corrupt society of Clerres is to be brought down, Fitz and the Fool will have to make a series of profound and fateful sacrifices.

ASSASSIN’S FATE is a magnificent tour de force and with it Robin Hobb demonstrates yet again that she is the reigning queen of epic fantasy. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

The Lack of Periods in Fantasy Novels

The very wonderful Cait of Paper Fury wrote a post asking How Realistic Should Books Be? It's a wonderful post, you should definitely check it out.

When reading her post and thinking about how I'd like books to be more realistic, and it occurred to me how few fantasies - YA or adult - mention teenage girls and women having their period. Or at least, that I've read. Mention of periods are needed in a lot more in all books, not just fantasy, but I can name more books outside of fantasy that include periods than I can fantasy novels.

Continue reading The Lack of Periods in Fantasy Novels

Review: Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Happy endings never last…

Years ago, they freed a dragon from the glaciers on Aslevjal. Then they parted ways, the Fool returning to far-off Clerres, while Fitz finally claimed a wife, a family, and a home of his own.

Now, betrayed by his own people and broken by torment, the Fool has made his way back to the Six Duchies. But as Fitz attempts to heal his old friend in Buckkeep Castle, his young daughter Bee is abducted from Withywoods by pale and mysterious raiders who leave ruin and confusion in their wake.

Fitz must find a way to rescue his beloved Bee. At the same time it is the Fool’s fiercest wish to return to Clerres with the best assassin he has ever known, to gain vengeance and justice.

Can Fitz bear to take up the tools of his old trade again, even to avenge his dearest friend and save his child? From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb

Review: Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb - Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown.

But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more…

On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing.

Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger?

Suddenly Fitz's violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe. From Goodreads.

Continue reading Review: Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

Review: Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

The legendary dragon city of Kelsingra has been discovered. But most of the dragons now lack the strength for the final hazardous river crossing, and the mythical silver wells they need to survive are nowhere to be found. In a desperate attempt to unlock the whereabouts of the wells, the keepers risk "memory walking" _ immersing themselves in the drug-like memories of long-deceased Elderlings. The magic of the city and the final secret it conceals present their only chance of survival, not just for the queen dragon Tintaglia but for Malta and Reyn's infant Elderling son as well.

To make matters worse, time is of the utmost importance. The Duke Of Chalced has dispatched his forces to the Rain Wilds with a compelling mission: slaughter a dragon to stave off his own demise. The tide of history is about to turn on a life-and-death battle that will ultimately decide the dragons; fate. If they win, the regal serpents will rule the world once more. And if they lose, they will vanish from the world forever. From the blurb.

Continue reading Review: Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Review: City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Once dragons ruled the Rain Wilds, tended by privileged human servants known as Elderlings. But now the magnificent creatures have been driven nearly to extinction--and the last of their kind, born weak and deformed, have one last hope of survival: to return to their ancient city of Kelsingra.

After a long and harsh journey, Kelsingra is finally near, on the far side of the toxic Rain Wild River. But the greatest trial still lies ahead for the dragons and their human keepers. Rapidly approaching enemies driven by wickedness, greed, and dark desires covet the treasures that await within the magical city's walls. And to reach their ancestral sanctuary, the dragons must reawaken a power lost to them generations earlier. The dragons must learn to fly. From Goodreads

Continue reading Review: City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Review: Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

The dragon keepers and the fledgling dragons are forging a passage through the uncharted and treacherous waters of the Rain Wild River, supported by the liveship Tarman, its captain, Leftrin, and Alise Finbok, who has escaped her cruel marriage in Bingtown. They are searching for the mythical city of Kelsingra, hoping to find a safe haven away from the society that has rejected them.

When a vial of dragon blood can earn a man enough gold to last a lifetime, there may be some in the party who see the growing dragons as more valuable as body parts than whole and alive. But it is the Rain Wilds themselves - mysterious, unstable and ever perilous - that may provide the deadliest danger, one that will push them all to the very brink of survival. From the blurb.

Continue reading Review: Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

News: New US & UK Covers for Robin Hobb's Novels!

So today, I discovered a hoard of new covers for Robin Hobb's novels, both in the UK and the US. And as I love these books, I thought I'd share them with you.

The US covers from Del Rey Spectra for The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb have been revealed. Aren't they gorgeous?!

Continue reading News: New US & UK Covers for Robin Hobb's Novels!

Cover Reveal: New Look for The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

I know I don't post news posts any more, but this is just to awesome not to share!

To celebrate 20 years since the release of Assassin's Apprentice, Harper Voyager UK have given Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy a brand spanking new look!

Continue reading Cover Reveal: New Look for The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Review: The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (review copy) - Guided by the dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpants fighting their way up the Rain Wild River, the first to make the perilous journey in generations.

For Thymara, a Rainwilder born with scales and claws, the return of dragons symbolises the return of hope to her war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life's work to study dragons.

But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the dragons of old. Soon, they become a danger to all: it is decided that they must be moved. Far upriver lies the legendary Elderling city of Kelsingra. Perhaps there the dragons will find their true home.

However, if the dragons are to get there, a band of dragon keepers must be recruited to attend them. None are expected to return, or even survive, but Thymara is certain it is her destiny... From the blurb.

Continue reading Review: The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

Review: The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb

The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb - One of the darkest legends in the Realm of the Elderlings recounts the tale of the so-called Piebald Prince, a Witted pretender to the throne unseated by the actions of brave nobles so that the Farseer line could continue untainted. Now the truth behind the story is revealed through the account of Felicity, a low-born companion of the Princess Caution at Buckkeep.

With Felicity by her side, Caution grows into a headstrong Queen-in-Waiting. But when Caution gives birth to a bastard son who shares the piebald markings of his father’s horse, Felicity is the one who raises him. And as the prince comes to power, political intrigue sparks dangerous whispers about the Wit that will change the kingdom forever…

In her trademark style, Hobb offers a revealing exploration of a family secret still reverberating generations later when assassin FitzChivalry Farseer comes onto the scene. Fans will not want to miss these tantalizing new insights into a much-beloved world and its unforgettable characters. From Goodreads

Continue reading Review: The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb

Review: The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb



Fool's Errand, The Golden Fool
and Fool's Fate
In this fantastic follow up to the Farseer Trilogy and the Liveship Traders Trilogy (the third series set in the Realm of the Elderlings), FitzChivalry Farseer has been away from Buckeep for 15 years, living life as he wants. But he is reunited with the Fool when events bring him back to court. Prince Dutiful, heir to the Six Duchies, is to marry a Princess of the Outislands. There has been peace between the two peoples, but it is a guarded and wary peace, and Queen Kettricken wants to make it stronger with Dutiful's marriage. However Dutiful has vanished, days before his Betrothal Ceremony. The Prince's disappearance isn't the only thing Fitz has to worry about. Narcheska Elliana of the Outislands plans to set the prince a challenge to prove he's worthy – bring her the head of a dragon.

Continue reading Review: The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb

Review: The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb



Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin,
and Assassin's Quest
The illegitimate son of former King-in-Waiting Chivalry, and a secret user of the Wit - the abhorred beast magic which allows the user to bond with animals - Fitz is trained up to be a royal assassin. As he is raised being educated in quiet work, the Six Duchies is attacked by Red Ship Raiders, who take townspeople hostage only to return them soulless. With only the Skill - the royal magic that allows those who have it the ability to communicate telepathically and control the minds of others - wielded by current King-in-Waiting Verity, as their only defence against the Red Ships, the fate of the Six Duchies looks bleak. Only the help of the mythical Elderlings can help them, if they even actually exist.

Continue reading Review: The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb