Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice takes place in a mythical kingdom where some are gifted with the Skill and some perhaps gifted with the Wit. The former allows mind to mind communication between humans. The latter mind to mind communication between humans and animals. The apprentice in this story is the product of the king's son and a peasant women of unknown origin. Fitz is a bastard and none let him forget it. However he's and blessed or cursed with both the Skill and the Wit and he's pulled into court intrigue that keeps the story very interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy. Highly recommended.