Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders

Robin Hobb

Dec 2003 · Liveship Traders Trilogy Book 1 · Sold by Spectra

About this ebook

The first book in a seafaring fantasy trilogy that George R. R. Martin has described as “even better than the Farseer Trilogy—I didn’t think that was possible.”

Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.

For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea’s young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will.

Don’t miss the magic of the Liveship Traders Trilogy:
SHIP OF MAGIC • MAD SHIP • SHIP OF DESTINY

Ratings and reviews

A very good read. Liveships! very creative! The relationships between the ships and the families was a wonderful weave. The idea of ships nearly sailing themselves, but working with the crew, even through storms...wonderful. What a deep dive into the immorality of slavery. Well done.

Robin Hobb has completely shattered all expectations I had going in to the Liveship Traders trilogy. I finished the entire trilogy over the course of a few weeks and really felt like I had to force myself to savor them. It takes a unique combination of insight, empathy, and talent to craft characters that are simultaneously heroic and infuriating. Watching them all grow and struggle and seeing my own thoughts and feelings about them change throughout the trilogy was an absolute pleasure. Please do yourself a favor and read these marvelous books.

[DNF] I tried to like it, made it about 2/3 the way and just completely lost interest. I'm giving it a 3 star since I enjoyed some of it but it felt like I was in the middle of 'is it gonna get better, or worse' and I kept trucking on but I don't know, just wasn't for me. Haven't checked out the author's other books but I hope they don't leave me feeling the same way as this one did. To those that loved the series, more power to you.

About the author

Robin Hobb is the author of the Farseer Trilogy, the Liveship Traders Trilogy, the Tawny Man Trilogy, the Soldier Son Trilogy, and the Rain Wilds Chronicles. She has also written as Megan Lindholm. She is a native of Washington State.