Who Would Like This Book:
If you crave epic fantasy with intricate world-building, nuanced characters, and a dash of nautical adventure, "Ship of Magic" is a fantastic voyage. Robin Hobb expertly crafts a multi-generational family saga set among living, sentient ships, pirates, political upheaval, and rich cultural clashes. The female characters - especially Althea Vestrit - are given agency and depth rarely seen in the genre, while the narrative explores themes of tradition, change, and personal growth. Lovers of character-driven plots, complex family dynamics, and morally grey choices will find themselves glued to the pages. If you enjoy series like A Game of Thrones but want more focus on character agency and less on relentless grimness, this is for you.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers found the book slow to start, with a hefty focus on character development and world-building before the action really gets going. If you prefer your fantasy with non-stop battles or you dislike multiple POVs, you might find the pacing tough at times. There are also several unlikable (though very realistic) characters, and some found the constant suffering or villainous behavior tough to handle. Additionally, the story leaves many major threads unresolved by the end since it's meant as a trilogy opener, so those wanting tidy closure from book one might be frustrated.
About:
"Ship of Magic" is the first installment in the "Liveship Traders" series by Robin Hobb. It revolves around the liveships made of wizardwood that come to life after three generations of the family who commissioned it have died on its deck. Set in Bingtown, a port town known for trading, the story follows the Vestrit family and their liveship, Vivacia. The plot intertwines multiple storylines within the family, political upheaval, piracy, sea serpents, and the mysterious elder race, creating a rich and complex narrative. The writing style is described as immersive, detailed, and nautical, with a focus on character development and intricate world-building.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include themes of slavery, abuse (including child and sexual abuse), and complex emotional trauma due to powerful narrative conflicts.
Has Romance?
There are elements of romance present, though they are not the book's central focus. Instead, relationships develop alongside the main plot.
From The Publisher:
"A truly extraordinary saga . . . The characterizations are consistently superb, and [Hobb] animates everything with love for and knowledge of the sea."-Booklist
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 ship, the Vivacia 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.
Praise for Robin Hobb and the Liveship Traders Trilogy
"Fantasy as it ought to be written . . . Robin Hobb's books are diamonds in a sea of zircons."-George R. R. Martin
"A major work of high fantasy, reading like a cross between Tolkien and Patrick O'Brian . . . one of the finest fantasy sagas to bridge the millennium."-Publishers Weekly
"Rich, complex . . . [Hobb's] plotting is complex but tightly controlled, and her descriptive powers match her excellent visual imagination. But her chief virtue is that she delineates character extremely well."-Interzone
Ratings (141)
Incredible (39) | |
Loved It (55) | |
Liked It (26) | |
It Was OK (14) | |
Did Not Like (6) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (301):
Read It (149) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (120) | |
Did Not Finish (6) | |
Not Interested (22) |
4 comment(s)
Didn't like the narrator. Couldn't get into the writing style, it's nice but didn't grab me. Also 5% in and didn't introduce the FMC?
****5.0****
A very long read but worth it. It's different from Farseer Trilogy, if you are hoping for a book like that then no, it's completely different.
The main characters are more, the story lines, the worlds entwined are more and complex, magic is more complex and lovely. Totally, Its a ride on a ship and a good one. Very good one :)
Ship of Magic is the second book by Robin Hobb I've read, the first being Assasin's Apprentice. I struggled to get through that book, and I struggled to get through this one (although admittedly not as much). I don't know if it's just a case of my reading style or Hobb's writing style not matching, but there is something about her books that makes it hard for me to make progress in them. I'm glad I completed this book, and surprisingly enough, I think I'll continue the series.
I simultaneously love and hate the characters that Hobb has created in this world. They go through some fascinating inner struggles, and I feel compelled to see them all to their designated endings, but their personalities grate on me at times. My motivation for continuing this series is uncontrollable curiosity. I might not love these characters, but I want so badly to know what happens to all of them. Even the most irritating character, Malta, holds some of my interest through her courtship.
Suffice to say: I'm glad this series is only a trilogy because I probably wouldn't be able to handle more than three books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwO6CfWKpds
What can you read after
Ship of Magic?
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.
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