The Farseer Trilogy is a unique blend of traditional fantasy with atypical characters and several very interesting magic systems. It is also one of the best-loved trilogies amongst fantasy fans.
An Epic Fantasy Series Review by Mulluane
This is the story of Fitz, the bastard son of King-in-Waiting Prince Chivalry. When, at the age of six, Fitz is left at the doorstep of the keep, his embarrassed father immediately abdicates his position as King-in-Waiting and goes off to live in the country. He leaves the boy's care to Burrich, Prince Chivalry's sworn man, and stable master. So begins a young boy's story. This series will be told from the sole POV of Fitz and the reader will literally live this tale through his eyes as he grows up and tries to find his place in the world.
There are many reasons why this series is so well loved. This is emotional, character driven fantasy at its best. You feel Fitz's loneliness, his frustration, his anger, and his guilt. When he succeeds you cheer, when he fails, you sympathize, and when he is just plain stupid, you find yourself yelling at the pages or wishing you could just shake some sense into him. The secondary characters, at times, come across just as well, everybody is flawed in some way, and the line between good and bad is blurred. In addition, it has one of my favorite types of magic systems. I have a soft spot for magic that allows for communication with animals. This is actually a very believable system too; it is not all-inclusive except when the Witted actually bonds with one animal, outside of that they can only sense basic emotions as a rule. Then we have the Skill, which is mind magic that works only humans. Fitz possesses the ability to use both, one openly (Skill is accepted magic) and Wit which is punishable by death if one is caught using it! Fun stuff.
Action/adventure lovers may be disappointed by this series. There are incidences of both but the focus is the development, trials and tribulations of Fitz and his companions. There is plenty of political intrigue, a war against an evil foe, a basic medieval type world and some cool twists and turns. The content is mild by most standards. Love scenes are not explicit, the violence that takes place is not too bad, there is rape but it is not described in detail, there is torture with some detail and as with any war, there is tragedy and death. I personally think it all fell within the boundaries of PG-13.
If you love traditional fantasy settings, emotionally driven characters, well thought out magic systems, dysfunctional families and books that will keep you up far into the night, you will love this series. If you want a closer look at what poor Fitz goes through, I recommend reading the individual reviews. This series sits on my reread shelf, has for many years and will for many years to come!
| Author: Robin Hobb Genre: Epic Fantasy, Content: 13+, Heroes Series: Farseer Trilogy Publisher: Spectra Source: Personal Copies | Read an Interview with Robin Hobb Similar Reads from LibraryThing Farseer Novella: Words Like Coins  Author's Web Presence Website - Myspace - LiveJournal - Facebook - Twitter Available in Kindle and Audible See individual reviews for more information. More Great Epic Fantasy |
Epic Fantasy Series Review of Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb
- Reviewed by
Mulluane
- on
January 01, 2009
- Rating:
of 5 Stars
I'll have to check this one out sometime. I've been put off by "assasins" in the past, but this deserves a closer look. {SMILE}
ReplyDeleteI'll need to finish some of the birthday-books first tho. {REALLY BIG GRIN, wink}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
No do the other two serieses! I've got all 9 on my shelf (or at least most of them)
ReplyDeleteHe is trained as an assassin but he rarely plies his trade. When he does, there is usually a darn good reason for it, instead of the petty ones alot of assassins are faced with.
ReplyDeleteHe also, interestingly enough, is mostly an unsung hero, which adds another uniqueness to this tale. He does a few things which get him noticed but mostly, his deeds are only known and appreciated by a select few.
Not your typical hero nor your typical assassin at all :>)
And to Loopdilou, I will but I spread them out. Next up is Chronicles of The Black Company!
ReplyDeleteAnother atypical fantasy series.
No, he doesn't sound like a typical assasin. That's all to the better as far as I'm concerned. {BIG GRIN}
ReplyDeleteAnne Elizabeth Baldwin
Fitz isn't a "typical" assassin.
ReplyDeleteBut he is worth to follow his live with all the ups and downs.
Thanks. I think I will look into this after the local branch of the public library reopens. They're currently closed to fix a leaky roof. They hope to reopen in late March. {Smile}
ReplyDeleteAnne Elizabeth Baldwin
I quite enjoyed this series. In fact it is THE series that pulled me away from reading mostly Science Fiction. I stalled out on the last book and have never finished it, but that's pretty much my own pathology and not a ding on the book. I've had some of the 2 other trilogies for over a year, but haven't cracked them open. I should probably get on that.
ReplyDelete