Received as an impressive debut under the Hobb name, with critics praising the intimacy of the first-person narration and the emotional honesty of Fitz as a protagonist. Reviewers noted the willingness to ground epic fantasy in the texture of an ordinary - if extraordinary - life rather than in world-saving heroics. It was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1996. The novel found its readership gradually rather than immediately, and its reputation has grown considerably over the subsequent decades as the full sequence has been completed and reassessed.

Locus Award

Fantasy novel category. 14th place.

Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award

Best first novel. Finalist.

British Fantasy Award

August Derleth Award for Best Novel.