A review by kell_xavi
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

3.0

This tale follows Fitz, the illegitimate son of a prince, who is left to the royal family at the age of six. The book follows the boy from his young life as a stable hand and street kid to his teenage years, through his education in sword arts and writing, and to his teenage years training in the art of espionage, poisons, and the Skill. Fitz possesses both the Skill, the in-world name for a form of mind connection and control with people, and the Wit, a similar ability with animals. The Wit, Fitz' use of it with dogs he befriends, and the stigma that surrounds it, was one of my favourite elements of the novel. Sadly, this aspect of the character stays in the background except for its influence on relationships with other characters, and as a handy deus ex machina.

King Shrewd reigns over Buckkeep and its six duchies along a coastline, where there is growing trouble from Red Ship Raiders, who have an unusual method of terrorizing the people of the kingdom. This appears to be the main conflict of the series, though this initial book is largely putting all the pieces on the board. I came to realize through this book that the reason I've seldom sought out epics is the long timeline they cover, and my preference for relatively short, well-explored periods as opposed to broad swaths across ten years (which we have here). While there are strong emotions around education, the Skill, the Raiders, assignments as an assassin, and the royal house, a great many are navigated with more speed and less depth than was needed for me to care about the unfolding plot and setting. There is a trauma here, for inhabitants of the dutchies losing their people and homes, for the prince attempting to fight a war he hasn't the strength for, for Fitz when he is abused by a teacher; I was looking for a lot more sensitivity, concern, and attention on these aspects.
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