Assassin's Apprentice
by Robin Hobb
★ Top 25 book of 1995 · #11 on Best Books of 1995
Fitz, the unwanted bastard of a prince, grows up at the edges of the royal court. The scheming king secretly trains him as an assassin, and his Skill magic may prove vital as raiders threaten the coast.
Best for: Fantasy readers who enjoy court intrigue and a coming-of-age underdog
Assassin's Apprentice is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 1995, out of 28 1995 books that cleared our data bar.
What Assassin's Apprentice is about
A six-year-old boy is brought to Moonseye by his maternal grandfather and named as the bastard son of King-in-Waiting Chivalry. Burrich, the royal stableman, takes him in, calls him Fitz and trains him at Buckkeep. Fitz has the Wit, a distrusted magic that lets him speak mind to mind with animals, and Burrich warns him never to use it. King Shrewd takes an interest in the boy, who swears loyalty to him and secretly learns the assassin's trade from Chade Fallstar. Not everyone at court is kind to him, and his uncle Prince Regal treats him with contempt. Meanwhile Red-Ship Raiders strike the coasts of the Six Duchies, turning hostages into emotionless Forged Ones, and Prince Verity fights back with the Skill, a Farseer magic. This is the first book of The Farseer Trilogy, a quiet, melancholic story of belonging and duty for readers who like immersive fantasy.
Assassin's Apprentice on the Best Books of 1995
Assassin's Apprentice came out in 1995. Of the 28 books first published in 1995 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #11 on our Best Books of 1995 list.
Why it made the list: 436 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (61 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 1995 list
- The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson, #9
- Kiss the Girls James Patterson, #10
- Sabriel Garth Nix, #12
- Poppy Avi, #13
See all Best Books of 1995 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1994 Best Books of 1996.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 321 want to read it, 13 are reading it now and 102 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.9 out of 5 from 61 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 71 | 55% |
| Reader love | 43 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 46 | 20% |
Questions about Assassin's Apprentice
When was Assassin's Apprentice published?
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb was first published in 1995.
Was Assassin's Apprentice one of the best books of 1995?
Assassin's Apprentice is #11 on BookWard's Best Books of 1995, out of 28 1995 books that cleared our data bar. 436 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (61 ratings).
Why is Assassin's Apprentice on the Best Books of 1995 list?
436 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (61 ratings).
More of the best books of 1995
- The Lost World Michael Crichton, #1
- Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman, #2
- Northern Lights Philip Pullman, #3
- Mindhunter John E. Douglas, #4
- Rose Madder Stephen King, #5
- Wicked Gregory Maguire, #6
See the full Best Books of 1995, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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