It was inside me. The more I sought it, the stronger it grew. It loved me. Loved me even if I couldn't, wouldn't, didn't love myself. Love me even if I hated. It set its tiny teeth in my soul and braced and held so that I couldn't crawl any further. And when I tried, a howl of despair burst from it, searing me, forbidding me to break so sacred trust.
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This past weekend I finished reading my first book of 2017, and man was it a good one! A few weeks ago I mentioned that I had won some money to spend at Chapters, some being a modest $5,000. This was a dream come true for me. I'm such a book worm, I love to read, to write, and I've spent countless hours in Chapters just perusing the aisles in search of more books to add to my ever-growing list of must reads. Over the years I had amassed quite a large list of books, there were classics, modern fiction, poetry books, photo books, fantasy, graphic novels, everything, and after winning all that money, I may have splurged a bit and ticked off my list, book by book. There were a number of books that I couldn't find, or that weren't for sale in-store, but I managed to get about three-fourths of my wish-list. Which is not to shabby!
One of the books I bought in my first haul was Assassin's Apprentice by fantasy author Robin Hobb (one of the pen names of Margaret Ogden). Now I have to admit something, and it's a little embarrassing, but I haven't read a tremendous amount of fantasy. I know! That's ridiculous for a fantasy author to admit. I've read the classics and many popular series, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, but for the most part, I've read more fiction and classic lit than fantasy. Last year I tried to rectify that. I started off with Elizabeth Bear's Eternal Sky Trilogy which I really enjoyed for the most part. I wasn't too connected to the characters, but her world-building was impressive enough to capture my imagination. It all came to a stall with George R.R. Martin. In my year end review of the books I read in 2016 (which you can find here: 20 Books in 2016) I mention how miserable A Game of Thrones was. It took me months to get through it, it was terribly written, exceptionally boring, with characterization that's worse than the show. I honestly think it's one of those rare occasions where the show is better than the book. But after I trudged my way through that, I picked up some more modern fantasy books, books written by younger authors with a few books under their belt, just to see what else was out there in terms of fantasy (and what my competition might look like). And once again, I was disappointed. I think I started and put down three or four separate fantasy books between November and the New Year. There was just a lot of dry characters, stereotypical plot, and, to be honest, terrible world-building and writing. I was just a little disappointed to say the least.
Then I saw Assassin's Apprentice recommended to me on Goodreads. I'd heard the name Robin Hobb before, I've seen her books in Chapters, heard her name thrown around when it comes to fantasy authors, but I never gave her a serious thought. After winning all that money at Chapters, however, I thought, "What the hell, let's give it a try," and bought Assassin's Apprentice. I was a little turned off by the cover, only because there's a quote from Martin that says, "Fantasy as it ought to be written." And I thought, well if it's anything like A Game of Thrones, I'm going to hate it. But it wasn't, and I loved it!
This book is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. One of the best novels, period! It tells the story of Fitz, a bastard prince, who's raised by numerous tutors in the capital of the Six Duchies. He learns about tending and caring for animals, how to hone and use an ability called the Skill, almost like a telepathic and emotional bond between others with the Skill, and (as the title would suggest) how to be an assassin for his grandfather, the king. While the story itself is really good, and Fitz's character is one that the reader feels sympathy and connection with almost immediately, it's Hobb's writing style that really drew me in. She has a very detailed, yet delicate writing style that paints these characters and settings for us in a thorough, but not overbearing way. It's not like Tolkien's endless meandering about Fangorn Forest, or Martin's emotionless description of plot, she expresses everything through Fitz's eyes, and the result is a very personal read. It's definitely a book that I'd recommend, and I can be pretty picky about my books.
But I liked this book so much I went out and bought every other Hobb book out there set in this world. I've already started the sequel to Assassin's Apprentice; Royal Assassin, and plan on finishing the trilogy before moving on to another book or series.
So if you're looking for something new to read, and want to sink your teeth into a beautiful fantasy series, I'd definitely check this one out if you haven't already. There's a reason Hobb is named one of the best modern fantasy authors!
