A Weighty Tome: 2023 Challenge: Ship of Magic

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I’m back to this now that TT is over and I am very behind schedule!! Any one else still in the read?

[Ashley]

I've been sitting on the same page for months. I keep picking other books over it... bah! I really should just suck it up and read.

[Sammy]

Ahem...

Still to read past the prologue 😂

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Ashley wrote: "I've been sitting on the same page for months. I keep picking other books over it... bah! I really should just suck it up and read."

😆

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sammy wrote: "Ahem...

Still to read past the prologue 😂"

At least you are a fast reader!!

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

chapter 10

I found this a really interesting chapter. Until this point Kyle has just been an ass hat but this explored more of his motivations and put a logical case forward for why he should have control.
Don’t get me wrong, he is still a despicable person but I liked that we got more of an insight into why he thinks he is “right” to take control.

[Sammy]

Karen ⊰✿ wrote: "Sammy wrote: "Ahem...

Still to read past the prologue 😂"

At least you are a fast reader!!"

Only if I actually pick the darned thing up! 😂 It would seem reading via osmosis isn't my talent...

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

chapter 15

Loved the ceremony with the Rain Wild people! And can totally see how something like this would get watered down and over time forgotten by the generations. Has also taken the story into an interesting direction for next winter…. 😬

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Chapter 19

Things are getting interesting! I'm still trying to picture the Vivacia and how she interacts with people seeing that she is a ship figurehead but also aware of everything within the ship. So interesting the development between her and Wintrow.

Getting close to catching up to the schedule now!! :o

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

chapter 26

Woohoo I’m on target!

Malta is a worry… (view spoiler)[ I already thought she’d end up in the rain wilds as payment but that now seems like a given as she accepted that dream box. She has so much of her father in her I guess. (hide spoiler)]

I am enjoying the development of Keffria and Ronica and how K is trying to find her place. Also the introduction of (view spoiler)[ policitical tensions and the bargains bingtown struck are adding layers to the story which I like - it’s not just shoved all in one chapter (hide spoiler)]

As for Althea… face palm at (view spoiler)[ giving her real name. And the story of her having to be a boy or otherwise all the men would treat her as a whore… I get a bit tired of these storylines. Surely fantasy is one genre where we can pretend the patriarchy and misogyny don’t exist?! I get frustrated that so many authors continue these themes in this genre when they can easily break from it. (hide spoiler)]

[Cat]

@Karen re Althea & spoiler: don't forget that this book is a classic at this point, right? the majority of pre-millennium books really hadn't thought about much more than giving us strong(er) female characters. so very much of it's time in that respect plus of course the world Hobb had already created was your classic fantasy world at that point, so she was somewhat strait-jacketed by that.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Cat - yes all very valid points. I am probably unfairly expecting a female author to have broken out of the trope - but at the time it just quite simply may not have sold books 🤷‍♀️
I am enjoying the book, it is just one of those things that really bothers me in fantasy where we should be able to make the world how we like and not how it is

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Finished!

Overall I really enjoyed this. Great world building, love the idea of the liveships and the characters were well put together. My only issue, is as above, in my own frustration with the role of womem but I also accept this was written at a time that doing otherwise may not have been commercially viable.

As for the ending (view spoiler)[
Man for almost 900 pages I wanted another 100. haha.
-Does Althea get back to Bingtown?
-Will Vivacia even want to see her?
-Does Kennit live? Will Vivacia break with so much trandition and expectation and 'bond' with him (can she?)
- Will Kyle get ehat he deserves? Or perhaps he already has with Kennit. Seems Marta will end up in the rainwilds so perhaps that along with Wintrow no longer being 'his son' is enough punishment?
- Etta is a sleeping lion. Will she be a threat to Vivacia somehow if she thinks Kennit gives the ship more attention?

Ah. I guess I need to start book 2

(hide spoiler)]

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

2024 Weighty Tome Nominations are now open:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Sammy]

I'm finishing up a couple of other books, then will finish this one.

And by finish I mean I may as well go back and re-read the prologue too, because I vaguely remember a beach and that is about it 😂

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sammy wrote: "I'm finishing up a couple of other books, then will finish this one.

And by finish I mean I may as well go back and re-read the prologue too, because I vaguely remember a beach and that is about it 😂"

haha

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Voting is now open for the 2024 Weighty Tome

only vote if you intend to join

https://forms.gle/reABr1ZoJDdMqQnJA

[Sammy]

I read the Jan/Feb section. I have finally started it! 😂

I did think about listening to the audio instead, but the narration made me cringe, so sticking to the paperback, lol.

Brashen is an interesting character so far. Althea was promising at first, but she really came across as childish after a while. I'm hoping that's just so she can "grown up" as character development and whatnot.
The ship itself intrigues me. Looking forward to seeing where that goes.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sammy wrote: "I read the Jan/Feb section. I have finally started it! 😂

I did think about listening to the audio instead, but the narration made me cringe, so sticking to the paperback, lol.

Brashen is an inter..."

I ended up reading rather than listening to most of it, too
Your thoughts on the characters are the same as mine at this point

[Sammy]

On chapter 22 now.

Still think Brashen the more interesting character so far, but saw (view spoiler)[ him and Althea getting together (hide spoiler)] coming a mile away.

Malta is now my least favourite character. Awful little brat! My kids would never have gotten away with behaving like she does. Luckily, it also never would have crossed their minds!

I agree that though Kyle really isn't very likable, at least his motivations seem to make sense, even if his manner doesn't make him pleasant.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sammy wrote: "On chapter 22 now.

Still think Brashen the more interesting character so far, but saw [spoilers removed] coming a mile away.

Malta is now my least favourite character. Awful little brat! My kids..."

Oh yeah those chapters with Malta are excruciating! But that is what happens when you have parents that don’t give boundaries I guess

[Sophie, The other one]

I find this tricky, because in the 2nd set of books set in this world, Malta is so much better. I forget that she starts as a whining, entitled brat.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sophie wrote: "I find this tricky, because in the 2nd set of books set in this world, Malta is so much better. I forget that she starts as a whining, entitled brat."

That’s good to know! I’ve started the Mad Ship and she hasn’t turned up yet so I also forgot about her until Sammy’s post !

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

2024 winner has been posted

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


The Way of Kings won, closely followed by Shogun and Wanderers

[Sammy]

I finished it! Phew!

While there were certain things that were obvious from the start that would happen (view spoiler)[ Like Kennit taking over the Vivacia for example (hide spoiler)], they were well enough done that it was still fun to read about, and I like the way the above situation played out.

It very much left it as an unfinished story though, so I guess I'm looking out for book 2, lol.

[Ashley]

I can't do it. There's no way. I even got the hold at the library for the audiobook and I've just lost it. I am giving up. I should have just finished it in January

[Sammy]

Ashley wrote: "I can't do it. There's no way. I even got the hold at the library for the audiobook and I've just lost it. I am giving up. I should have just finished it in January"

You're dodging a bullet there... The audio is terrible, lol.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Ashley wrote: "I can't do it. There's no way. I even got the hold at the library for the audiobook and I've just lost it. I am giving up. I should have just finished it in January"

Oh no :(

But I agree, the audio isn’t the best

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

Sammy wrote: "I finished it! Phew!

While there were certain things that were obvious from the start that would happen [spoilers removed], they were well enough done that it was still fun to read about, and I li..."

Well done!
I started book 2 (although I’ve put it to the side for some other books!) and I’m getting into this world much more now - especially with the live ships and trader families

[Ashley]

I did actually buy the kindle version - maybe I'll try to restart it next year, lol.

[Karen ⊰✿, Fiction Aficionado]

I'm happy to say that I read book 2 this year and I'm almost finished with book 3 (I'm at 83%) so I will finish it before 2024 is up!

This series really does get better and I recommend completing it if you enjoyed book 1. The character development across the books is really well done.