Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb

Ship of Magic

By Robin Hobb

  • Release Date: 1998-03-02
  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
4.5 Score: 4.5 (From 218 Ratings)

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Book Synopsis

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

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Latest Impressions

  • Part one, not Book one

    3
    By JoeTam07
    This is a difficult book for me to rate. As a novel, with all of the elements and characters and plots, it is a five star written novel; However ... The one star part of this review is that this novel is NOT book one of a trilogy, but PART one of a three part story. There is absolutely zero resolution at the end of this novel. Every character and every plot (9 by my count) has just made the move from Beginning to end of act one, ready to move into the 'action' phase of doing things. Understand that what I am saying is that this is an 809 page Act one to a long epic tale. But, what makes me read this is the rip-roaring maritime adventures of these characters in different parts of the world and on different ships. The action is lively, the stories are intriguing, and everything is continually flowing. Were there some sort of feeling that this was a stand alone book, it would retain the 5 star rating. However, this is no more a trilogy than the repackaged Lord of the Rings. LotR is very much one long tale, and has never tried to be anything but. This is the Liveship Trilogy, yet, it is not. It should be renamed The Liveship Epic, and each novel be titles Book One, Book Two, and Book Three. I cannot in good conscience give this a 5 star rating because this is NOT a novel that is able to be read and enjoyed without having to complete the series.

  • Fatal Attraction

    3
    By Other sci-fi guy
    Having grown up on Robert Heinlein and Frank Herbert, I find myself at a loss looking for a good, well crafted, entertaining story that teaches a lesson and makes me think without giving me nightmares. Hobbs is an amazing writer. The character development, depth of visual detail, and intricate multiple story lines show the mark of a master. The problem I have with this book is one I've run across in several recently purchased titles. The introductory chapters are beguiling and engrossing with just enough bittersweet anxiety to pique my interest in developing a bond with the characters. Then, gradually, the scenes become more and more vicious and cruel with graphic images of torture, severed limbs, and callous mass murder. I realize that these are the things that many people find fascinating but it's one of the reasons I don't go to the movies much anymore. I appreciate a good bloody duel between good and evil but cold blooded violence really turns me off. I love a good adventure, but am not a fan of horror. I wish I could find an author as good as this one who shares my sensibilities. I see that there are quite a few titles by this author but I'm not going to take a chance on another one right away.

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