
Assassin’s Apprentice
The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Paul Boehmer
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By:
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Robin Hobb
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.
©2012 Robin Hobb (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
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Performance
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With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
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Not a waste of 83 hours...just the 60 I spent.
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It doesn't get any better than this!
- By Robert on 10-26-12
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The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice
- By: Robin Hobb
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 17 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
With unforgettable characters, a sweeping backdrop, and passionate storytelling, this is a fantasy debut to rival that of Robert Jordan. Filled with adventure and bloodshed, pageantry and piracy, mystery and menace, Assassin's Apprentice is the story of a royal house and the young man who is destined to chart its course through tempests of change.
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Not a waste of 83 hours...just the 60 I spent.
- By Sean on 01-07-13
By: Robin Hobb
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Fool's Errand
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For fifteen years FitzChivalry Farseer has lived in self-imposed exile, assumed to be dead by almost all who once cared about him. But now, into his isolated life, visitors begin to arrive: Fitz's mentor from his assassin days; a hedge-witch who foresees the return of a long-lost love; and the Fool, the former White Prophet, who beckons Fitz to fulfill his destiny. Then comes the summons he cannot ignore. Prince Dutiful, the young heir to the Farseer throne, has vanished.
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Performance
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Story
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-
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-
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-
Overall
-
Performance
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Story
After the War of the Gods, the demons were cast out and fell to the world. Mankind was nearly eradicated by the seemingly unstoppable beasts until the gods sent the great hero, Ramrowan, to save them. He united the tribes, gave them magic, and drove the demons into the sea. Ever since, the land has belonged to man, and the oceans have remained an uncrossable hell, leaving the continent of Lok isolated.
-
-
Woo'd & Won
- By Toriangirl on 11-06-15
By: Larry Correia
-
House of Earth and Blood (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)
- Crescent City, Book 1
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Narrated by: Danny Montooth, Kit Swann, Sarah Ruth Thomas, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
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Story
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life–working hard all day and partying all night–until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose–to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked.
-
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Hunt’s voice
- By Bridget on 05-26-24
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-
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- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
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Performance
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Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the 10 consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor.
-
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It doesn't get any better than this!
- By Robert on 10-26-12
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
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I'll definitely finish the trilogy, will probably continue on with the Liveship Traders (in audio format this time) and will finish with the third trilogy in that same universe, The Tawny Man trilogy, with which we'll return to the Farseer protagonist. Can't wait, even though it'll probably take me a year or so to finish all of them!
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Great start of Realms of the Elderlings trilogies
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Where does Assassin’s Apprentice rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It rates right up at the top. It has become a favourite.Who was your favorite character and why?
Apart from the main character Fitz I think Chade is my favourite because he is the one that needs the most unraveling. He is the Master Assassin the one character who has the most to unravel,.Have you listened to any of Paul Boehmer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I enjoy this performance. The reading is very crisp and clear. I hate it when it is time to stop. Paul Boehmer really does bring the characters alive and takes you right into the story.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The moment when Fitz stabs King Shrewd's knife into Chade's hearth Defiantly.Any additional comments?
Like I said this book has become a firm favourite, I've read it over and over. I love the court intrigue. The fast pace as the story unfolds.Engrossing
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Intriguing
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If you could sum up Assassin’s Apprentice in three words, what would they be?
The most amazing story.What did you like best about this story?
All of it.What about Paul Boehmer’s performance did you like?
Sometimes I did not like the voices he put to some of the characters, but the story took over.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
BasicallyOutstanding
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Excellent
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Story is great !
Great
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I normally prefer books narrated with a British presenter, but as this book is written in a first person style the performance is spoken in a horrible upper-class English accent. H's are dropped ehverywhhere (!). Which is a shame because most of the other characters in this book are performed quite well and that's actually what makes the book ok to listen to.
The story is solid. A growing-up up story for the most part about a boy making his way in court as a royal bastard. And a few little adventures with a bit of court intrigue at the end. You can tell the author is just setting the scene for what's to come.
It's well written and the characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. Overall I enjoyed it - yes would have been better with a different narrator but it didn't completely ruin it for me.
Good story, disappointing performance.
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On a more subjective note I find the narration overly shakespearian(is that a word?) creating a wall between me and the events of the story, I feel very much like I'm being told a bedtime story by captain Picard and not so much as I am part of the action. Which does in some way make sense for the way the book is written but still it is not a perfect fit for me.
Great story narration leaves some to be desired
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Great story!
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Gripping story
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