The first book of the epic Farseer Trilogy, praised by George R. R. Martin as "fantasy as it ought to be written," back in trade paperback with glorious new covers!Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.
As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.
Story Locale:Fantasy world/Realm of the Elderlings
Series Overview: The king's bastard grandson comes to court and is turned into his gradfather's secret assassin in the start of one of most lauded fantasy series of all time.
Publication History:Del Rey MM (03/1996)PUBLICATION HISTORY:
Assassin's Apprentice and
Royal Assassin were originally published as trade paperback originals, but those editions went out of print, with the mass market long serving as the main format. Del Rey's new ISBNs bring the books back into the trade paperback format.
Assassin's Quest was originally published in hardcover, and this new ISBN brings it into trade paperback for the first time.
Summer '23, on sale 8/1/23
The Farseer Trilogy:
Assassin's Apprentice Royal Assassin Assassin's Quest Fall '23, on sale 12/5/23
The Liveship Traders Trilogy:
Ship of MagicMad ShipShip of DestinySpring '24, on sale 4/30/24
The Tawny Man Trilogy:
Fool's Errand Golden FoolFool's FateSummer '24, on sale 8/13/24
The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy:
Fool's AssassinFool's QuestAssassin's FateMore praise for Robin Hobb:- "Rich, enchanting fantasy from one of today's best practitioners . . . reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin's The Other Wind [and] Anne McCaffrey's Pern series." BookPage
- "A major work of high fantasy, reading like a cross between Tolkien and Patrick O'Brian . . . one of the finest fantasy sagas to bridge the millennium." Publishers Weekly
- "Superbly written, wholly satisfying, unforgettable: better than any fantasy trilogy in print--including mine!" Melanie Rawn
- "One of the most important writers in 21st century fantasy." Contra Costa Times
- "A full master of the epic fantasy." Tulsa World
- "[Hobb's] prose sparkles, her characters leap off the page." Tordotcom
- "Splendid . . . Despite some truly wrenching twists, there is a welcome sense of new beginnings." Locus
- "Solid storytelling with warmth and heart." The Kansas City Star
- "Hobb knows the complicated workings of the wayward human heart, and she takes time to depict them in her tale, to tell her story sweetly, insistently, compellingly. . . . A book meant to be inhabited rather than run through." The Seattle Times
- "Fantastic . . . emotionally rich storytelling." Library Journal (starred review)
- "Glorious and beautiful storytelling . . . Hobb lets rip with revelations, treachery, vengeance, sword fights and full on magical mayhem." SciFiNow
- "Rich, complex . . . [Hobb's] plotting is complex but tightly controlled, and her descriptive powers match her excellent visual imagination. But her chief virtue is that she delineates character extremely well." Interzone
- "This is the kind of book you fall into, and start reading slower as you get to the end, because you don't want it to be over." Steven Brust
