also drew praise. Scholar Darren Harris-Fain felt that Hobb's "skill" at worldbuilding and characters set the trilogy above most fantasy. David Langford similarly remarked on her construction of a "convincingly textured society" with strong characters, including women, and added that "Hobb writes achingly well". Publishers Weekly described the wolf Nighteyes as her best creation, and Teitelbaum wrote that Hobb's "generosity with detail" allowed the castle of Buckkeep to become a "memorable setting". Publishers Weekly also praised Hobb's "shimmering language", and Fantasy & Science Fiction called her prose in the first volume "skillful", and Library Journal considered it "gracefully written". Interzone noted that Hobb's had avoided the "more obvious clichés", and that the book was "very occasionally brilliant", but found it "stylistically patchy". Fellow novelist Steven Erikson has remarked on Hobb's writing of Fitz's perspective, describing it as a "quiet seduction" and "handled with consummate control, precision and intent". He uses chapters from the trilogy as reading material in his workshops for writers. The plot of the trilogy, according to Harris-Fain, was an "effectively balance[d]" blend of dark occurrences and warm moments between characters. In a review of Assassin's Apprentice, Booklist felt the plot was traditional but praised its execution. The second book contained plot twists that drew praise from reviewers including Kirkus, though the reviewer found "ominous signs" of the narrative losing control. A year later, Kirkus termed the sequel an "enthralling conclusion". The length of the third book was criticized by Booklist and Langford, although both critics praised other facets of Hobb's writing. Booklist felt the extra pages delivered in terms of "emotionally compelling scenes of both magic and battle". A review for Locus praised the pacing of the third volume, adding that its "lively dialog" and divergence from a typical quest narrative made it a "great read". The Farseer novels led to Hobb receiving broader recognition as an exemplar of fantasy writing. The trilogy, as well as its sequels, were viewed by Library Journal as "masterworks of character-based epic fantasy". Comparing the first nine Elderlings novels with the works of Le Guin and Tolkien, The Times described Hobb as "one of the great modern fantasy writers", and stated that her novels were "grown-up fantasy". The Telegraph held that "Hobb is acknowledged – not least by her colleague, George RR Martin – as one of the pre-eminent writers of modern fantasy fiction", and The Guardian described her as "the