Robin
Hobb is one of my all-time favourite authors, and this year I’ve been
re-reading her original series, Assassin’s Apprentice. I haven’t read
the books in over fifteen years, and going back to the first book again was
like coming home.
It reminded me of all the delight I felt reading it the
first time; the awesome fantasy world, the fascinating and complex political
landscape, and the masterful character work. Fitz (the protagonist) was as (adorably)
frustrating as I remembered, but Burrich! And Chade! And Kettricken!
These
characters grow on you slowly and steadily with every page you read until you
feel like they’re your own family. Reading Fitz growing up amongst the court of
Buckkeep was as wonderful on second reading as it was all those years ago, and
I’m so glad I went back to re-read this series. Robin Hobb writes epic
fantasy—my favourite genre—at its finest.
Voyager Classics - timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.
A beautiful clothbound edition of Assassin's Apprentice, the first book in the critically acclaimed Farseer Trilogy.
In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if…
Oh my goodness, this book! Warning, do not read
while hungry. Legends and Lattes is like a warm woolen blanket on a cold
winter’s day.
It focuses on Viv (the main character) retiring to a riverside
town after a life of fighting, and setting up a coffee shop. The unique and
wonderful friends she makes and the appetite-rousing coffee and pastry
descriptions were a sheer delight. As I turned every page, I could envision
myself sitting in the coffee shop breathing in the aroma of cinnamon buns and
sipping at a rich, full-bodied coffee.
Found family is one of my absolute
favourite tropes, and this book has it in spades. Highly, highly, recommend
this read. It sent me to sleep every night feeling warm.
High fantasy, low stakes - with a double-shot of coffee.
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream - for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can't go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune's shady underbelly could make it all…
I
absolutely adored The Priory of the Orange Tree, and so when this book
came out, I dived right into it as soon as the stunning paperback arrived in my
mailbox.
As with Priory, it’s a sweeping tale with multiple point-of-view characters who are all dynamic and interesting. Fallen Night is set
generations before Priory so you don’t need to read one to enjoy the
other, but reading both gives you fantastic journey into an incredibly rich
fantasy world.
I had my favourites amongst the different POV characters – I
found Dumai’s story the most compelling of all – but each character kept me
turning pages well after bedtime each night! If you love a sweeping fantasy
saga, you’ll love this book.
'A magnificent, sweeping epic' JENNIFER SAINT, Sunday Times-bestselling author of ARIADNE
'Shannon is simply a master of the genre' C. S. PACAT, New York Times-bestselling author of DARK RISE
'A tremendous triumph' LONDON SHAH, award-winning author of the LIGHT OF THE ABYSS series
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A return to the world of Samantha Shannon's Sunday Times and New York Times-bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree
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Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms - but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the…
An ambitious orphan. A ruthless
warlord. An impossible destiny.
Arya Nameless is a lowly Raider posted to an isolated fort in the most
dangerous place in Dunidaen. She has few prospects, and as much as she loves
her fellow soldiers, she burns for more. When her bravery during an unexpected attack leads to joining the household of
one of Dunidaen’s warlords, Arya finds a home she never expected. But as her
warlord embroils them in a dangerous political game to rule Dunidaen, to the
west, the Nightstalker lurks. A king who wields powerful magic, the
Nightstalker’s fate is inextricably entwined with Arya’s. His relentless
pursuit will force Arya into a choice between loyalty and love, and taking hold
of the destiny she was born to fulfill.
