Solid material
I read the live ship traders as my introduction to Robin Hobb, and now I'm a believer. My brother read the farseer first and he isn't a believer. I can't help but see his point. Assassin's apprentis is a solid, character driven, well written story, good enough to keep me going for another book, but not enthrawling. I don't usually get two reads, but I just finished a reread of assassin's apprentis so that I could continue with the trilogy using my downpour credits. Now, I have been through a lot of fantasy and scifi books in the year and a half since my first read of this book, and I find I remembred very little of what actually happened in the story. That I finished it and still want two more books tells me that it was good enough, but the fact that so little of it stuck with me tells me it wasn't particularly special. I remember most of what took place in the entire live ship traders trilogy. Assassin's apprentis is written like the cycles of night and day. Periods of white hot action, intersperce with periods of dark nothing. We get to sit in on some of fits's lessons seemingly in realtime for example. Paul Boehmer is a very creditable narrater and not a bad choise at all for this book. I've enjoyed listening to everything He's read in my audiobook collection. He could easily have a four or better on this particular performance, except that he is reading in a fake British accent. I really lowthe this tactic. It's so unnecessary and transparent. Fortunately he doesn't go for something too strong, and it doesn't slip during the reading, but it's clearly not right either. It doesn't fit the book, and even if a british accent would be a good fit for this particular book, there is no end of really good british voice talent out there to be had. So, books two and three are wending down to my phone as I write, and I'll finally get to read what becomes of Fits. Then I'll sigh and move on to another of the series I want to catch up on.