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49th out of 1,588 books
—
10,573 voters
Ship of Magic (Liveship Traders #1)
by
Robin Hobb (Goodreads Author)
Demonstrating world-building finesse, Robin Hobb begins the climactic story of a seafaring clan and its tangled destiny. Though expected to inherit her family's newly quickened liveship, Althea Vestrit loses the honor to her scheming brother-in-law, who plans to use it as a slave ship. The ruthless pirate Captain Kennit also sees a captured liveship as his key to success....more
Paperback, 880 pages
Published
1999
by Voyager
(first published 1998)
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Final verdict: a great antidote to A Game of Thrones, with brilliant, complicated characters.
My friend introduced to me to Ship of Magic because I'd been complaining about annoying stupid characters. She recommended Robin Hobb in general, but Ship of Magic especially, primarily for Althea Vestrit, our primary protagonist.
One thing I want to point out is that I would have never picked this up on my own. Not for the title, not the cover (yes, I'm disproportionately attracted to pretty covers--the...more
My friend introduced to me to Ship of Magic because I'd been complaining about annoying stupid characters. She recommended Robin Hobb in general, but Ship of Magic especially, primarily for Althea Vestrit, our primary protagonist.
One thing I want to point out is that I would have never picked this up on my own. Not for the title, not the cover (yes, I'm disproportionately attracted to pretty covers--the...more
18 likes · like · see review
view all 5 comments
12/21/10
I'm about 75% through with this book, and I'm finding it frustrating.
As others have said, it's very much a character-based book, and I can dig character-based books if I like the characters, but I'm having a hard time really latching onto anyone that I don't want to smack upside the head.
Actually, no, I do like some characters (Brashen and Paragon, for instance) - but the ones I do like we don't seem to spend enough time with, while we spend far too much time with the likes of Kyle and...more
I'm about 75% through with this book, and I'm finding it frustrating.
As others have said, it's very much a character-based book, and I can dig character-based books if I like the characters, but I'm having a hard time really latching onto anyone that I don't want to smack upside the head.
Actually, no, I do like some characters (Brashen and Paragon, for instance) - but the ones I do like we don't seem to spend enough time with, while we spend far too much time with the likes of Kyle and...more
5 likes · like · see review
Having immensely enjoyed Robin Hobb's "Farseer Trilogy", I enthusiastically turned to her next fantasy series, the vast "Liveship Trader's" trilogy. This first novel in the series, "Ship of Magic", is set in the same world as the "Assassins Apprentice" but otherwise has very little to do with it, instead focusing on a whole new and unique fantasy setting. Liveships are large masted sailing ships made of wizardwood that actually become sentient beings after three generations of their owners' fami...more
What can I say? I just loved it!
This book combines two things that make up a brilliant fantasy book to me: amazing world-building and a bunch of real characters for me to love or despise (or constantly change my mind about). Add to that many intriguing storylines and you got a five star book right here!
Differently to Farseer this book is written in a few point of view characters. It all starts in one place, but quickly changes into many different storylines, all of them moving forward with a st...more
6 likes · like · see review
I'm afraid I'm yet another disappointed "Farseer" reader. In fact, I may be one of the originals. I purchased both, the first book in the Farseer trilogy, Assassin's Apprentice and Ship of Magic the 1st Live Ship Trader book shortly after they were each released. In spite of an uncertain jacket synopsis on Ship of Magic, I’d hoped for a continuation of the well tempered, 1st person character driven action I'd found in the Farseer books. ( I didn’t much like how that series ended, but I loved ‘em...more
1 like · like · see review
Woot woot..Wow, this trilogy is incredible.
I mean, I've re-read these bible-sized books three to four times. And I keep discovering new bits and pieces, new clues in this extremely rich, yes epic, (now that I'm on a superlatives-roll: MINDBLOWING) story.
Sure, Hobb's first trilogy was such an intense reading experience. I was quite young when I discovered the first Farseer book and I felt like I could almost crawl into Fitz's skin and live his life with him. And Night Eyes' life! I forgot to st...more
I mean, I've re-read these bible-sized books three to four times. And I keep discovering new bits and pieces, new clues in this extremely rich, yes epic, (now that I'm on a superlatives-roll: MINDBLOWING) story.
Sure, Hobb's first trilogy was such an intense reading experience. I was quite young when I discovered the first Farseer book and I felt like I could almost crawl into Fitz's skin and live his life with him. And Night Eyes' life! I forgot to st...more
4 likes · like · see review
1/28/04 - 8/10
Book 1:
plot kind of implausible and overboard, why make decisions they do - just to set up bleak situation...no one realize kyle terrible? Could be predictable - althea end up with kennit romantically and to help steal vivacia. some very annoying 1 dimensional characters - malta and kyle
overdramatic, semi-simplistic (not intricate) mysteries - rain wild traders / liveship histories (paragon and vivacia), brashen past
very readable though and some good charcters
Book 1:
plot kind of implausible and overboard, why make decisions they do - just to set up bleak situation...no one realize kyle terrible? Could be predictable - althea end up with kennit romantically and to help steal vivacia. some very annoying 1 dimensional characters - malta and kyle
overdramatic, semi-simplistic (not intricate) mysteries - rain wild traders / liveship histories (paragon and vivacia), brashen past
very readable though and some good charcters
DO NOT SKIP THIS TRILOGY!
This book is just utter brilliance. After reading the extremely gripping Farseer Trilogy I nearly skipped this entire series out simply to follow Fitz into the next chapter of his life !
After my girlfriend forced me not to, I began reading this novel and my first impression was it was slow and completely random. However as I read on ( despite the slowness I was still intrigued ) it began to develop and pull everything together and the important information began to domi...more
This book is just utter brilliance. After reading the extremely gripping Farseer Trilogy I nearly skipped this entire series out simply to follow Fitz into the next chapter of his life !
After my girlfriend forced me not to, I began reading this novel and my first impression was it was slow and completely random. However as I read on ( despite the slowness I was still intrigued ) it began to develop and pull everything together and the important information began to domi...more
I couldn't stop reading the "Ship of Magic" from the first few pages onward. Robin Hobb has created a tale that is so vivid and realistic that I was loath to wrench my eyes away from its pages for more than a few minutes at a time. Robin Hobb has built an incredible, complex world, much of which is gradually revealed throughout the story, naturally and through the characters' perspectives.There isn't one simple conflict between good and evil or even two families. Bingtown is a colony, only now,...more
After finishing I commented to my husband that Hobb's work that I've read thus far and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire have many superficial similarities. The main difference I can find is that Hobb just continues torturing her characters rather than killing them all off. The misfortunes befalling everyone in the Liveship Traders trilogy have not approached Fitz's trials in the Farseer books however, and the characters are less whiny than he. I've also become far more intrigued by a...more
Originally published on my blog here in March 2001.
Though set in the same world as the Farseer trilogy, Ship of Magic has almost a completely independent background; there are only two or three references to the places and events of those novels. The main part of the action is based in the port of Bingtown, home to the liveships. These are made of wizardwood, and come alive ("quicken") three generations after being built, having a special relationship to the family that commissioned them and abi...more
Though set in the same world as the Farseer trilogy, Ship of Magic has almost a completely independent background; there are only two or three references to the places and events of those novels. The main part of the action is based in the port of Bingtown, home to the liveships. These are made of wizardwood, and come alive ("quicken") three generations after being built, having a special relationship to the family that commissioned them and abi...more
**A bit Spoiler-y*
The first line reads: “MAULKIN ABRUPTLY HEAVED HIMSELF OUT OF HIS WALLOW WITH A WILD THRASH THAT LEFT THE ATMOsphere hanging thick with particles.” Hmm, let’s read that again. “Maulkin abruptly heaved himself out of his wallow…” Bit clumsy? Yes, this is a perfect example of unnecessary adverbs – on the first line! That sentence would have been a thousand times better if ‘abruptly’ were simply removed. Abruptly isn’t even the right word here – it's not being original, it just do...more
The first line reads: “MAULKIN ABRUPTLY HEAVED HIMSELF OUT OF HIS WALLOW WITH A WILD THRASH THAT LEFT THE ATMOsphere hanging thick with particles.” Hmm, let’s read that again. “Maulkin abruptly heaved himself out of his wallow…” Bit clumsy? Yes, this is a perfect example of unnecessary adverbs – on the first line! That sentence would have been a thousand times better if ‘abruptly’ were simply removed. Abruptly isn’t even the right word here – it's not being original, it just do...more
Ship of Magic is the first part of the Liveship Traders and is a tale of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, and bloody battles. The book weaves 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.
When I started this book, I did feel a bit overloaded with information. There are so many plots and sub-plots; the books I'm u...more
When I started this book, I did feel a bit overloaded with information. There are so many plots and sub-plots; the books I'm u...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This was good and I enjoyed it. Following up Wise Man's Fear is a tough thing. I probably can't LOVE anything else right now. My heart is not mine, and probably won't be mine for awhile. At any other time, I would probably would love this book. So, with that qualification...
Unlike her Forest Mage series that follows just the one character, this follows about eight, which I enjoyed much more. Our heroine is stubborn and spoiled, but she is smart, capable and has good intentions. Our hero is a boy...more
Unlike her Forest Mage series that follows just the one character, this follows about eight, which I enjoyed much more. Our heroine is stubborn and spoiled, but she is smart, capable and has good intentions. Our hero is a boy...more
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This is a multi-series combined review and is copied/pasted across all of Hobb's related series. It does not refer only to this trilogy, and includes Liveship, Rain Wilds, Farseer, Tawny Man, and Dragon Keeper series.
These are the most compelling, most enjoyable, best-plotted, most complicated epic fantasy books I've read in ages. I adored them. There are 5 (?) interwoven, inter-dependent series that the author clearly outlined before picking up her pen for the first time. The characters are wo...more
These are the most compelling, most enjoyable, best-plotted, most complicated epic fantasy books I've read in ages. I adored them. There are 5 (?) interwoven, inter-dependent series that the author clearly outlined before picking up her pen for the first time. The characters are wo...more
I have to say that when this book was chosen by my Book Club my heart did sink a little. A fantasy book is not really up my street although I have dabbled in some Terry Pratchett, Mort being a particular favourite! When I downloaded it onto my kindle and saw that it was a tomb of 880 pages my heart sank a little deeper. But hey this is what book clubs are about and reading new authors and genres that I wouldn’t necessarily pick up.
In a nutshell the trilogy is about a fleet of ships called Livesh...more
In a nutshell the trilogy is about a fleet of ships called Livesh...more
This review is really for the whole trilogy, which I read back-to-back, and so think of as one longer story than three individual books.
So-so at best. In the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies, Hobb had created not only a great, realistic world, but a fantastic narrator in the protagonist. In this new series, she went from first person to third, which I have no problem with, but also shifted from having just on point of view, to having far, far, far too many! There were AT LEAST SEVEN different reg...more
So-so at best. In the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies, Hobb had created not only a great, realistic world, but a fantastic narrator in the protagonist. In this new series, she went from first person to third, which I have no problem with, but also shifted from having just on point of view, to having far, far, far too many! There were AT LEAST SEVEN different reg...more
This series is a guilty pleasure, really, as the books are most decidedly flawed.
But it's a ripping yarn nonetheless, mainly because of the excellent way she has envisaged dragon culture, hierarchy and history.
The humans can be VERY irritating, especially the Vestrits mimble wimble on and on and on.
But she has a very solid grip on all her plots and subplots, her characters are well fleshed out and she is deft at leading to their final destinations in the third book, with some very good dropkicks...more
But it's a ripping yarn nonetheless, mainly because of the excellent way she has envisaged dragon culture, hierarchy and history.
The humans can be VERY irritating, especially the Vestrits mimble wimble on and on and on.
But she has a very solid grip on all her plots and subplots, her characters are well fleshed out and she is deft at leading to their final destinations in the third book, with some very good dropkicks...more
Althea Vestrit, wrongly denied her inheritance of the beautiful Liveship Vivacia, leaves Bingtown in order to prove herself as the true sailor she is and claim back her beloved ship from her brother-in-law's greedy grasp.
For Wintrow, Althea's nephew, Vivacia is nothing more than a slave ship wrenching him away from his religious studies so his father can have his son aboard his ship to inherit and keep Althea from coming into her inheritance.
But no one counted on Captain Kennit, a ruthless pirat...more
For Wintrow, Althea's nephew, Vivacia is nothing more than a slave ship wrenching him away from his religious studies so his father can have his son aboard his ship to inherit and keep Althea from coming into her inheritance.
But no one counted on Captain Kennit, a ruthless pirat...more
Ship of Magic was a really good book. Hobb does an excellent job of accomplishing characterization and creating characters you really begin to care about. She delves deep into the sinuous fibers of friendship, love, lust, family, duty, and what makes a man and sailor. It's a very entertaining book, full of various storylines of each character as they begin their ascent of the overall plot. Something that was missing, for me, however, was the deep, all-encompassing intrinsic characterization and...more
That's it. I am definitely going to read every Robin Hobb I can get my hands on after this fantastic book - starting with the next book in this trilogy that I'm starting immediately.
A fantasy sea adventure starring liveships - sentient ships crafted from wizardwood and each bound to a blood member of the families that own them - I wouldn't have thought I'd find myself feeling so strongly for what are, essentially, a bunch of boats but that's where I find myself (especially poor, tragic Paragon)...more
A fantasy sea adventure starring liveships - sentient ships crafted from wizardwood and each bound to a blood member of the families that own them - I wouldn't have thought I'd find myself feeling so strongly for what are, essentially, a bunch of boats but that's where I find myself (especially poor, tragic Paragon)...more
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For a long while I have waited to read these books. I very much enjoyed the Farseer trilogy that she wrote (I read it a few years ago) and just knew that this series would be just as good, so I guess I was waiting for the right moment of enjoyment. I am not displeased of my choice. I was wrong in one thought that I had, while this story is in the same world as the first trilogy, it is not exactly connected to the first. There are all new characters and magics.
I found the idea of the Live Ship t...more
I found the idea of the Live Ship t...more
Oct 06, 2012
Kaspar
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi-fantasy,
favourites
I've read the Farseer Trilogy, I've read the Tawny Man books; and I have to admit that always I enjoyed the most the very first book in each trilogy. Now I am really hoping that this series will disprove this bothersome rule for me, for this book I consider superior to the previous ones.
I appreciate that the series takes place in the realm of the Elderlings just like the aforementioned books, but I really like it that it also uncovers a new facet of that magical and epic universe - namely that...more
I appreciate that the series takes place in the realm of the Elderlings just like the aforementioned books, but I really like it that it also uncovers a new facet of that magical and epic universe - namely that...more
What I want from escapist fantasy is a good story with good characters, paced well. With Ship of Magic, I got all that. With only a couple of annoyances. (I'll address those later.)
The story, unsurprisingly, centers on majestic sailing ships, the docks, and the lives of its sailors and officers. The style and detail compare favorably to Patrick O'Brien. Heavy discipline, tidy ships, scary storms, politics and abuse all keep the story moving - and the story is good. Liveships are made from rare a...more
The story, unsurprisingly, centers on majestic sailing ships, the docks, and the lives of its sailors and officers. The style and detail compare favorably to Patrick O'Brien. Heavy discipline, tidy ships, scary storms, politics and abuse all keep the story moving - and the story is good. Liveships are made from rare a...more
TCL Call #: SF HOBB
Madeleine - 5 stars
Lord! To think I almost did not read this because of the humilitation inducing cover art (our library's cover looks a close cousin to a breathless ladies romance novel).
A not-to-be-missed series! Every single person I've suggested the "Ship of Magic" to has gone on to read the entire series. Do not be put off that it is labeled as fantasy nor that it has dragons in it.
The entire Liveship series by Robin Hobb have absolutely horrible covers - very Romance nov...more
Madeleine - 5 stars
Lord! To think I almost did not read this because of the humilitation inducing cover art (our library's cover looks a close cousin to a breathless ladies romance novel).
A not-to-be-missed series! Every single person I've suggested the "Ship of Magic" to has gone on to read the entire series. Do not be put off that it is labeled as fantasy nor that it has dragons in it.
The entire Liveship series by Robin Hobb have absolutely horrible covers - very Romance nov...more
TCL Call #: SF HOBB
Madeleine - 5 stars
Lord! To think I almost did not read this because of the humilitation inducing cover art (our library's cover looks a close cousin to a breathless ladies romance novel).
A not-to-be-missed series! Every single person I've suggested the "Ship of Magic" to has gone on to read the entire series. Do not be put off that it is labeled as fantasy nor that it has dragons in it.
The entire Liveship series by Robin Hobb have absolutely horrible covers - very Romance nov...more
Madeleine - 5 stars
Lord! To think I almost did not read this because of the humilitation inducing cover art (our library's cover looks a close cousin to a breathless ladies romance novel).
A not-to-be-missed series! Every single person I've suggested the "Ship of Magic" to has gone on to read the entire series. Do not be put off that it is labeled as fantasy nor that it has dragons in it.
The entire Liveship series by Robin Hobb have absolutely horrible covers - very Romance nov...more
I have not read Robin Hobb before and I was looking forward to discovering what makes her such a popular fantasy novelist.
This is the first book in a trilogy of three and the scope of the world that is created is enormous. What Hobb has brought to the page is place and a time that you can truly believe exists. The world is revealed through the eyes of the characters and her imagination is stunning. All the characters are complex and are infallible. It was good to be introduced to characters tha...more
This is the first book in a trilogy of three and the scope of the world that is created is enormous. What Hobb has brought to the page is place and a time that you can truly believe exists. The world is revealed through the eyes of the characters and her imagination is stunning. All the characters are complex and are infallible. It was good to be introduced to characters tha...more
THIS REVIEW RELATES TO ALL THREE LIVESHIP TRADERS NOVELS AND AS SUCH MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
There is a lot to be said for the Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first and my favourite being the setting. So many fantasy novels follow the same interchangeable means of transport or generic locations that it makes a refreshing change to have one that is set so much at sea. This is tied in to a World that is beautifully developed both in the broad strokes of the places that we never see down to the fin...more
There is a lot to be said for the Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb, the first and my favourite being the setting. So many fantasy novels follow the same interchangeable means of transport or generic locations that it makes a refreshing change to have one that is set so much at sea. This is tied in to a World that is beautifully developed both in the broad strokes of the places that we never see down to the fin...more
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb is the first in a trilogy about the “Bingtown Traders.” Specifically, it is about the Vestrits, a once wealthy family struggling to pay off their debts in a bad economy. Their only asset is their liveship, a magically sentient ship tied to their family. Ephron, the captain-patriarch of the family, has just died, leaving the family in the midst of a bitter feud as to who will succeed him. Intertwined with their problems is the story of Kennit, a pirate seeking to becom...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Thirty-One to Finish | 14 | 10 | 07. Mai, 00:35 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Twenty-Six to Thirty | 15 | 4 | 01. Mai, 13:48 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Twenty-One to Twenty-Five | 21 | 7 | 29. April, 17:15 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Sixteen to Twenty | 12 | 8 | 27. April, 14:15 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter One to Five | 50 | 20 | 25. April, 05:55 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Eleven to Fifteen | 10 | 7 | 22. April, 19:43 Uhr | |
| The Robin Hobb Co...: Ship of Magic > Chapter Six to Ten | 20 | 11 | 20. April, 06:05 Uhr |
** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 st...more
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“For the weakest has but to try his strength to find it, and then he shall be strong.”
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