25 years ago, when I sat down to read Assassin’s Apprentice, I had no idea that I was about to start a series that would become one of my all time favorites. While it has elements common to many fantasy novels I’ve enjoyed (e.g., coming of age story, great world building), it is much slower and less plot driven than  the type of fantasy I usually like. Hobb’s strength is writing great characters and relationships and I simply fell in love with characters like Fitz, The Fool, Burrich and Molly (and developed a really strong hatred for Galen and Regal!)

This special anniversary edition is beautifully bound and contains 10 full color illustrations. Hobb  wrote a new foreword, the last line of which reads “But most of all, I thank you for offering my characters a home in your heart.” It’s funny – I know that writing is a craft and a profession and that authors rely on the sale of their works to make a living. But books have always seemed to me to simultaneously be a gift from the author to the reader. So I would say back to Ms. Hobb that her characters have indeed found a home in my heart and I am incredibly grateful she chose to share them.