Young Fitz comes of age
in the royal household and comes to grips with his bastard origins and his
natural talents in the mysterious forces of the Wit and the Skill. He wrestles
with his conscience after being apprenticed to the Royal Assassin. With the
help of his friends Burrich and the Fool, he seeks to overcome the machinations
against him and his liege.
This book is remarkably
well written. The author paints vivid portraits of the characters and
locations, with exceptionally detailed descriptions and meticulous character
development. This results in an overall slower pace to the book than a lot of
contemporary fantasy, which was the only thing I would ding the book on
(probably accentuated by the fact I had just finished two very faced
paced fantasy novels before reading this). It's not that nothing happens - a
lot does, but most of it is less dramatic until the climax in the final hundred
pages where all the set up starts to pay off.
It took me a few chapters
to really get into the story. At first, the naming the mayor royal characters -
King Shrewd, Prince Chivalry, and Prince Verity - was too on-the-nose for my
tastes, but I got used to it after a while. The overall arc of the story was
familiar - a boy of mysterious but noble origins finding his immensely powerful
hidden talents (cough-Harry Potter/Luke Skywalker-cough), but as always, the
details of the story are what matters and the author sets off her main
characters nicely so this story certainly stands on its own.
I would recommend this
book to fantasy readers who prefer finely crafted prose, rich character
development, and slow pacing and buildup. Those more interested in lots of
battles, sorcery, and sword fighting might look elsewhere.
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