Farseer Trilogy Books in Order

Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb is one of the defining works of modern epic fantasy — a deeply personal, psychologically rich story following FitzChivalry Farseer, the royal bastard of the Six Duchies kingdom, from childhood through young adulthood as he is trained in assassination, discovers he possesses two dangerous magical abilities, and watches the kingdom he loves be slowly torn apart by a conflict he cannot stop.

Hobb writes fantasy with a literary novelist's commitment to interiority. Fitz is one of fantasy's most fully realized protagonists — his voice is intimate, his emotions are painfully credible, and his relationships (particularly with his wolf-bond Nighteyes and his mentor Chade) are among the genre's most moving. These books hurt in the way that great fiction hurts: because you care completely.

The magic systems — the Wit (a bond with animals) and the Skill (a form of telepathy) — are beautifully conceived and deeply integrated with character and theme. The political world of the Six Duchies has historical texture and moral complexity. Everything in these novels serves the human story at their center.

Begin with Assassin's Apprentice and read in order through all three books, then continue with the Tawny Man trilogy for Fitz's further story. Essential reading for anyone who takes epic fantasy seriously as a literary form. Among the most emotionally powerful fantasy ever written.