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Assassin's Apprentice

Assassin's Apprentice

AdventureYoung Adult
Pages
392
Published
1995
Language
English

Synopsis

In the coastal kingdom of the Six Duchies, a boy known only as Fitz is delivered to Buckkeep Castle as the unacknowledged bastard son of Prince Chivalry, heir to the Farseer throne. His existence forces his father to abdicate, and Fitz is left to be raised by the gruff stablemaster Burrich. As he grows, the aging King Shrewd takes an interest in the boy and has him secretly trained as a royal assassin under the scarred, enigmatic poisoner Chade. Fitz also discovers he carries two forms of magic: the Skill, the hereditary mind-magic of the royal line, and the Wit, a despised and outlawed bond with animals. While learning the brutal trade of court politics and quiet killing, the kingdom faces a growing terror as Red-Ship Raiders attack the coast and leave their victims hollowed of humanity. Told in first person by an older Fitz looking back, the novel is a slow, interior coming-of-age set against political intrigue and looming war. Loyalty, duty, and the loneliness of a child raised as a weapon shape every choice Fitz makes as he is drawn deeper into the schemes surrounding the throne, including the ambitions of his uncle Prince Regal.

Prose complexity
7/10

Collected in

Book cover of The Complete Farseer Trilogy
The Complete Farseer Trilogy

Vibe

MelancholicAtmosphericEmotionalTense
Coming of AgeCourt IntrigueMentor Figure

Genres

Adventure Young Adult Fantasy Epic Fantasy High Fantasy

About the author

R
Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is the principal pen name of American fantasy author Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, born in 1952 in California. She spent her childhood from around age ten in Fairbanks, Alaska, and that rural Pacific Northwest and Alaskan upbringing informs much of her work. She published her first novel at thirty while working as a waitress and raising four children, her husband often away at sea as a commercial fisherman. From the early 1980s she wrote as Megan Lindholm, producing more grounded, o...

Characters

FitzChivalry FarseerProtagonist

The royal bastard and narrator, raised at Buckkeep and trained as an assassin while carrying both the Skill and the forbidden Wit.

Prince RegalAntagonist

Shrewd's ambitious youngest son, whose scheming for the throne makes him an enemy to Fitz.

GalenAntagonist

The cruel Skillmaster who tutors Fitz in the Skill and becomes one of his bitterest foes.

King ShrewdSupporting

The cunning aging king of the Six Duchies who claims Fitz's loyalty and has him trained as a covert weapon.

Prince VeritySupporting

Shrewd's dutiful second son and heir, who defends the realm against the Red-Ship Raiders using the Skill.

All characters in Assassin's Apprentice

Frequently asked questions

  • Has Assassin's Apprentice been adapted for TV or comics?

    There is no television or film adaptation of Assassin's Apprentice. Dark Horse Comics has published a graphic novel adaptation of the Farseer Trilogy, written by Jody Houser in collaboration with Robin Hobb.

  • Is Assassin's Apprentice a standalone book?

    Assassin's Apprentice is the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, which is itself part of a larger series of interconnected trilogies known as The Realm of the Elderlings. While it introduces a complete story arc for Fitz, many plot threads continue into the subsequent books.

  • Who is Fitz in Assassin's Apprentice and why is he raised at Buckkeep?

    Fitz is the illegitimate son of Prince Chivalry, heir to the Farseer throne, and is brought to Buckkeep Castle as a young boy. His very existence pushes Chivalry to abdicate, and the boy is left in the care of the stablemaster Burrich. He eventually earns the name FitzChivalry.

  • What makes Assassin's Apprentice unique among fantasy novels?

    The novel is notable for its deep dive into the psychological development of its protagonist, Fitz, through a first-person narrative that offers an intimate and often introspective look at his experiences and moral dilemmas. This focus on character interiority sets it apart from many action-driven fantasy narratives.

  • What are the two kinds of magic in Assassin's Apprentice?

    The book introduces the Skill, a hereditary mind-magic of the Farseer royal line used for telepathy and influence, and the Wit, a bond-magic that lets a person link with an animal. The Wit is despised and outlawed in the Six Duchies, while the Skill is prized by the royal family.

  • Who trains Fitz to be an assassin?

    Fitz is secretly trained by Chade Fallstar, the scarred and reclusive royal assassin. Chade teaches him poisons, espionage, and the quiet trade of killing on the king's behalf.

  • Is Assassin's Apprentice the first book of the Farseer Trilogy?

    Yes. It is the first of three Farseer novels, followed by Royal Assassin (1996) and Assassin's Quest (1997). The trilogy is complete at three books.

  • Who is the antagonist threatening the throne?

    Prince Regal, King Shrewd's ambitious youngest son, schemes to seize power and views Fitz as a threat. His maneuvering puts both the Farseer line and Fitz himself in danger.

  • Was Assassin's Apprentice Robin Hobb's first book?

    It was the first novel published under the Robin Hobb pen name, in 1995. The author had previously written as Megan Lindholm; Robin Hobb is a pseudonym of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden.

  • What point of view is the novel written in?

    It is narrated in first person by an older FitzChivalry looking back on his youth. This retrospective, interior voice gives the trilogy its slow, reflective tone.

  • What threat hangs over the Six Duchies in the book?

    Red-Ship Raiders attack the coast and 'Forge' their captives, leaving them stripped of human feeling. This growing menace shadows the court intrigue throughout the novel.

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