REVIEW - ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE & ROYAL ASSASSIN
I am really taken with Robin Hobb's writing. The ruthlessness and beauty of it are awesome. Robin Hobb writes with all the reality, cruelty and eloquence of George R.R. Martin but focusing, in a more traditional fashion, upon a central protagonist. Her writing is easily as sophisticated and fascinating as his, and the safety of one main character makes reading her work more enjoyable.
The Farseer trilogy follows the life of Fitz - Prince Chivalry's bastard who is moulded from childhood into the role of assassin. Fitz's role is never as simple as just poisoning people though - he is first and foremost a 'King's Man', a duty which leads him into all sorts of unexpected and difficult situations, from which he is just as likely to have to use his wits as his physical prowess to resolve. The first two books of the series follow Fitz' life from birth into early manhood, and they are a perfect example of how to balance court and political intrigue with action. Hobb's timing is perfect - always throwing a catalyst or twist into a section you may have just been beginning to feel was stretching on. You receive enough daily detail to feel intimately close to the protagonist, and yet important scenes are handled swiftly and satisfyingly. Nothing is dragged out unnecessarily.
The Farseer trilogy follows the life of Fitz - Prince Chivalry's bastard who is moulded from childhood into the role of assassin. Fitz's role is never as simple as just poisoning people though - he is first and foremost a 'King's Man', a duty which leads him into all sorts of unexpected and difficult situations, from which he is just as likely to have to use his wits as his physical prowess to resolve. The first two books of the series follow Fitz' life from birth into early manhood, and they are a perfect example of how to balance court and political intrigue with action. Hobb's timing is perfect - always throwing a catalyst or twist into a section you may have just been beginning to feel was stretching on. You receive enough daily detail to feel intimately close to the protagonist, and yet important scenes are handled swiftly and satisfyingly. Nothing is dragged out unnecessarily.
I have no complaints to make of the first book and only one for the second - which is the handling of the relationship of Fitz and Molly. Towards the end of Assassin's Apprentice (book one) this relationship is tied up neatly - Molly played only a minor role in the first book and I did not expect her to reappear at all in the second. Indeed one particular passage seems to allude to the fact that she does not remain part of Fitz's life (although he wishes, retrospectively, that she had). However, from the opening of Royal Assassin (book two) the relationship is given a massive amount of attention. Whether this is due to Fitz 'growing up' and realising his feelings for Molly, or an oversight in continuity in Hobb's writing I cannot tell. The brilliance of the rest of her work would point towards the former, however the relationship does seem jarring.
The rest of the characters, and all their relationships, are brilliantly written. Part of the lore of the Six Duchies is the convention of naming your children after virtues you wish them to embody. At first I thought this was kind of lame - as it resulted in first names such as Bounty, Wisdom and Shrewd. However once you become absorbed in the world, and you get used to this tradition, it functions as a very clever device. There is nothing 'Hollywood' about any of Hobb's characters. They all have flaws and behave like real people - rather than typical black and white fantasy characters.
Fitz's world features some brands of magic - cleverly tied into the lore and mythology of the Six Duchies. This trilogy is low fantasy, and features two known types of magic; The Skill and The Wit. I love magic systems which are actually imagined in the context of ordinary humans - that is systems in which the flaws of the magic have to be carefully considered before using it, and over-use will always result in physical or mental ruin. It adds an element of danger and makes the magic system believable.
Fitz's world features some brands of magic - cleverly tied into the lore and mythology of the Six Duchies. This trilogy is low fantasy, and features two known types of magic; The Skill and The Wit. I love magic systems which are actually imagined in the context of ordinary humans - that is systems in which the flaws of the magic have to be carefully considered before using it, and over-use will always result in physical or mental ruin. It adds an element of danger and makes the magic system believable.
The most outstanding part of this series is the way Hobb constructs the backstory of an assassin. The entirety of books one and two are Fitz's 'origin story'. This much time spent recounting formative moments in Fitz's life means that his motivation for becoming a killer are understandable. Instead of the rough glossing over a difficult childhood that obviously led the protagonist to this evil career (e.g. Iron Man 3's Aldrich Killian), you live through the 'villain's' anguish and eventually empathise with their desire to kill.
The Farsser trilogy is basically what I yearn A Song of Ice and Fire to be at times - pure court intrigue where succession is still uncertain, motives are still as clouded, characters' personlities just as grey; but in a smaller, more manageable context. Something that you do not have to refer to a fan-made Wiki to understand and enjoy.
