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Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robin Hobb (Author)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (146 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 832 pages
Publisher: Spectra; First THUS edition (Feb 2 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553575635
ISBN-13: 978-0553575637
Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.7 x 3.3 cm
Shipping Weight: 386 g

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (146 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #64,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#14 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( H ) > Hobb, Robin

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This is item 1 in The Liveship Traders Series.

Product Description

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Robin Hobb, author of the Farseer trilogy, has returned to that world for a new series. Ship of Magic is a sea tale, reminiscent of Moby Dick and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series in its details of shipboard life. It is also a fantasy adventure with sea serpents, pirates, and all sorts of magic. The liveships have distinct personalities and partner with specific people, somewhat like Anne McCaffrey's Brain ships and their Brawns, though these are trading ships and have full crews.

Hobb has peopled the book with many wonderfully developed characters. Most of the primary ones are members of the Vestritts, an Old Trader family which owns the liveship Vivacia. Their stories are intercut with those of Kennit, the ambitious pirate Brashen, the disinherited scion of another family who served on the Vestritt's ship, and Paragon, an old liveship abandoned and believed mad. The sentient sea serpents have their own story hinted at, as well.

Though Ship of Magic is full of action, none of the plotlines get resolved in this book. Readers who resent being left with many questions and few answers after almost 700 pages should think twice before starting, or wait until the rest of the series is out so that their suspense won't be too prolonged. But Hobb's writing draws you in and makes you care desperately about what will happen next, the mark of a terrific storyteller. --Nona Vero --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The untimely death of Old Trader Ephron Vestrit deprives his daughter Althea of her inheritance and places her ambitious brother-in-law Kyle in command of the live ship Viveca and the family fortunes. The author of the Farseer trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, LJ 3/15/95; Royal Assassin, Bantam, 1996; Assassin's Quest, Bantam, 1997) launches a new series set in a world of sentient ships, merchant traders, ruthless pirates, dangerous treasures, seagoing dragons, and a mysterious elder race. Hobb excels in depicting complex characters; even her villains command respect, if not sympathy, for their actions. Most libraries should purchase this exotic, nonstandard fantasy.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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	72% buy the item featured on this page: Ship of Magic: The Liveship Traders 4.4 out of 5 stars (146) CDN$ 10.79
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Customer Reviews

146 Reviews

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (146 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Works on Many Levels., Jun 27 2008

By	Colin Saraka "Desafio" (Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps, by now, you've read this time and time again. Hobb's characterization is superb. Fitz is a timeless character, and one that will forever shadow the rest of Hobb's work. In that respect I won't flog the point to you. Hobb's characterization is amazing. That's all I need to say for the rest of my review.

Mayn people count the two trilogies involving Fitz as their favourite, with this being a close third. I personally thing that this is her best trilogy so far. There are a few reasons for this.

1. Hobb brings her strong characterization to a variety of viewpoints. Where Tawny Man/Farseer deals with Fitz only, Liveship Traders has a rich set of characters, all with their own story. While this means you don't get to know any one character as well as you get to know Fitz, it means that there are so many plot lines that you love. You care about every aspect of the story, with no plot line completely winning your attention. Even the 'serpent' viewpoint, which I would argue is the weakest (which is to say that it is slightly less interesting than the rest), revels in the mystery it contains. Who are these creatures and what do they have to do with the plot? Also, Hobb keeps these ones short, to give you a taste, then moves onto a juicier plotline. Kennit starts out as a figure that you revile, but Hobb quickly takes his flaws and paints them against a jaw-dropping canvas of humanism, so that you can't help but sympathesize with him.

2. The world building in this novel is superior to that of Farseer and Tawny Man. Of course, this may have been Hobb's intention, but there it is nonetheless. Hobb easily transcends many trite conventions of fantasy to make a world that is fully her own, owing little to Tolkien or her fantasy contemporaries (On a related note, if you appreciate a 'different' sort of world building in your fantasy, you should check out her Soldier Son trilogy, which is even more unique in setting). Part of the successful world building is due to the wide cast of characters. For most of the story, they are sprawled all around the world, giving you a huge scope of reference.

Also, a nice little touch was that she referred to the events of Farseer and the Six Duchies themselves. It was not that much but it helped to see how the two worlds of each of these stories combine. I would love to see more stories in this world, perhaps centering in the south (Where the white people are), or in the royal city - both of which, I think, have names that are escaping me right now.

3. The plot is faster. I don't have a lot to say on this, but in general I found these books to be more of page-turners than the Fitz books. Something was always happening, some revelation just around the corner, and I was constantly sucked in. I devoured these books, voraciously, but everything came to a full circle in the end, and I could be nothing but completely satisfied with the story I had been fed.

Well, I hope this helps! I found this trilogy to be absolutely wonderful, and some of the best fantasy I have read. It has now been about two years since I read them, and after writing this review, I think it is high time I picked them up again.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Keep it up!, Feb 19 2006

By	Jerry "a sci-fi/fantasy lover" (Macon, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Excellent work of fantasy. Exciting and engaging. A must read. Just put it down and wow!

**A book I would also recommend is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. This, the first installment of The Morcyth Saga is a great beginning for a new author. Battles, magic, gods, secret passages and intrigue, all the elements of a classic epic fantasy! Any fantasy reader will enjoy it. Also it didn't take 4-6 weeks to come as I had been worried about. Only about fifteen days. Still a wait but worth it!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless fantasy, July 19 2004

By	Ms. H. Sinton "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick. U.K.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Robin Hobb has managed to achieve the impossible with her Liveship Traders trilogy. In a genre that so often uses the same themes and ideas, Ms Hobb has produced an original work.
The Liveships of the title are very expensive and rare ships built from the mysterious wizardwood only found in the Rain River Wilds. After 3 generations of the owner's family have died on board, the wizardwood 'quickens' and the ships become living, sentient beings.
Throughout the book, the author interweaves the story of the Liveship traders, the story of the sea serpents who are driven by an instinct to search for their 'beginnings' and the tale of Kennick, a ruthless man determined to be King of the Pirates.
Ms Hobbs shows an extraordinary talent for characterisation. There are no totally black or white characters in her stories but realistic characters who have their good sides and their faults in abundance. At times the reader will feel antipathy toward the heroine and at others empathy for the 'bad guy'.
This is a book that you will find difficult to put down. Highly recommended

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