Assassin’s Apprentice

The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Remove from Wish List failed.

Please try again later

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Try Premium Plus free

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.

Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.

Member-only deals & discounts.

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Assassin’s Apprentice

By: Robin Hobb

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.99

About this listen

The first volume in Robin Hobb’s internationally bestselling Farseer series.

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.

Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

Animals

Epic

Epic Fantasy

Fantasy

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Military

Political

Royalty

Assassin

Magic

Critic Reviews

'Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers … what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.'
The Times

‘In today’s crowded fantasy market Robin Hobb’s books are like diamonds in a sea of zircons’
George R.R. Martin

‘Hobb is superb’ Conn Iggulden

‘Hobb is a remarkable storyteller’ Guardian

‘This is a historical novel with a sly touch of magic. The first in the Farseer trilogy, this book will get new readers hooked on a series that recalls HBO’s Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings’ Telegraph

Most relevant

Set aside plenty of free time because once you tuck in your headphones you won't be able to put them down! This engaging story is narrated exceptionally well by Paul Boehmer who gives voice to the personality behind each character.

Follow the journey of a young boy from the moment he is abandoned by his mother and discovered to be the bastard son of the heir to the Farseer throne. The shame upon learning of his bastard causes King in Waiting Chivalry to abdicate and flee the castle. Now abandoned by both his parents, the boy, referred to simply as the Fitz, struggles to find his place in the world.

By virtue of his royal bloodline Fitz has inherited not only the royal Skill magic but also the hated and feared animal magic called the Wit. Perils abound from both his magics as discovery of the Wit could mean execution while the addictive nature and the brutal teaching of the Skill can hold death in their own right.

All the while Fitz trains in the skills of an assassin in order to become a useful tool to his grandfather, the King. He becomes tied up in many perilous situations from attacks by mindless Forged ones, devoid of all emotion and soul, to the machinations of his uncle Prince Regal.

If you are after a brief adventure with a simple plot line this isn't the book for you. This story is delicious in its detail, drawing you into every situation and moment until you become a part of the narrative.

Should you fall as much in love with this story as I have, don't fear! This book is the first in a brilliant trilogy which is followed by several other trilogies detailing further escapades of the characters that you come to know and love. You will be enmeshed in this world for months.