Assassin's Apprentice
Young Fitz is the bastard son of a prince, raised in the royal household and trained as an assassin. His first-person memoir recounts a life shaped by duty, magic, and loss.
Where Assassin's Apprentice keeps showing up
Twelve of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Books in conversation with Assassin's Apprentice
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Assassin's Apprentice
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Fitz, the unwanted illegitimate son of a prince, is taken to court and quietly trained from childhood as the king's assassin. First in the Farseer Trilogy, opening Robin Hobb's wider Elderlings saga.
Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings comprises 16 novels across five sub-series: the Farseer Trilogy (starting with Assassin's Apprentice), the Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, the Rain Wild Chronicles, and the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy.
Most readers recommend publication order: Farseer, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, Rain Wild Chronicles, then Fitz and the Fool. Each sub-series has its own arc, and the connections deepen across the full reading.
Assassin's Apprentice was written by Robin Hobb, published in 1996 by Spectra.
Assassin's Apprentice is 464 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Assassin's Apprentice takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
Assassin's Apprentice is a standalone novel by Robin Hobb, not part of a series.
Assassin's Apprentice is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
