This is one of the best series I’ve ever read. True, The Assassin’s apprentice is just a warming up; the true, big story begins only in the next book. But I love the way Hobb writes her characters. It’s not only Fitz (who, IMO, is the best written and developed character in fantasy so far), but all the other characters. They feel so, well, REAL. There are many fantasy books where I feel the characters are my imaginary friends. But Hobb writes hers in such a way that I feel they are my NEIGHBOURS, living just around the corner.