The Liveship Traders
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
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 abandoned old liveship believed to be insane. The sentient sea serpents have their own story which is hinted at as well.
Though Ship of Magic is full of action, none of the plot lines is 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 an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers… what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics.'
The Times
Assassin's Apprentice:
'A gleaming debut'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Assassin's Quest:
'Assassin's Quest achieves a bittersweet, powerful complexity rare in fantasy' LOCUS
'Robin Hobb writes achingly well'
SFX
Praise for The Liveship Traders series:
'Even better than the Assassin books. I didn't think that was possible'
George R R Martin
'Hobb is a remarkable storyteller.'
Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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 owners 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
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 owners 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
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like many others who have reviewed the work of Ms. Hobb, I could not put this work of art down. For me, the mark of a really good book include: The feeling of extreme disappointment when you have been reading for three hours solid and suddenly realise you have nearly finished; characters which make you love, hate, admire and empathise with all at once; a storyline which is so fresh and original with new theories presented in an artful and subtle way; a story which catches you up and doesnt drop you until the very last word of the very last page. This trilogy and this book in particular fulfill all this and more.
The first book of hers I read was the Assassin's Apprentice and I bought it, not realising it was in first person view. So I left it and came back to it a few months later. I only regret not discovering this lady's immense talent earlier. To my mind, no other fantasy author who has been published can come near her for style, strength of her characters, technical ability, plot and originality. She packs more into one book than some authors pack into three or more. A real inspiration to an aspiring authoress and a truly epic book.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I started reading Robin Hobb last week in hospital, and now I feel I've become a morphine addict. These are the fantasy novels I've been waiting for all my life - real novels, with characters who grow, shrink, waver and become real in your imagination. I'm desperate for my next fix in the Farseer trilogy, and book 2 of Liveships, but for those who want excellent plot summaries, look at other reviews below. What I want to point up is just how original Hobb is. The sea-serpents are out of Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and CS Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but as with her other books she's taken a good fairy-tale idea and given it richness and depth. (That said, I believe that starting with the thoughts of sea-serpents on page 1 was a mistake...it's the pirate who searches for treasure and prophecy in chapter 2 who gets you shivering with pleasure.) You believe in her strange world of ships that come alive and bond with their human families because every detail is so convincing and complete. Robb is the wife of a marine engineer, and has obviously sailed herself. But then you also believe she could talk to wolves. The idea of a ship's figure-head which can move, feel, respond and even go mad is brilliantly realised. This is a really remarkable writer, working in a genre which the literary world still despises. You need time to chomp through 880 pages, but the compelling nature of her intricate plots and the vivid, vigorous style make this effortless. What I want to know is why they haven't been filmed...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
admiring
One has to admire the organisation and the skill at creating this world which is a gripping story of extremely possible scenes - suspend your disbelief and you will enjoy it.
Published 8 days ago by S. A. Jones
The Liveship Traders 1
I'm not sure why but I find this author addictive and I find it hard to put the book down. Some how I get caught up in this fantasy world and am glad that it is a series.
Published 1 month ago by Binkie
great but flawed...but great
I loved the farseer trilogy and i have to admit i enjoyed the 1st liveship book i read. The author has a great imagnation, often embellishing some existing old folktales. Read more
Published 4 months ago by eggamon
Enjoyable and engaging.
I highly enjoyed this series of books and feel that the descriptions are fantastic, she has created very real characters and a wholly believable world. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Edward A. Thomson
Brilliant!
It's hard these days to find an original idea in fantasy novels, but Hobb has it nailed with this one :) Liveships are a genius idea, and the novel is utterly unputdownable. Read more
Published 7 months ago by FantasyBytes
Just as good aas the Farseer books, with some excellent relationships
I was warned before I started reading this first book in the Liveship Traders trilogy, a follow-up to the Farseer trilogy, that it was very different to the series which preceded... Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. R. Johnson-Rollings
Not quite so good...
...as either the preceding trilogy or the following one.
In fact, it probably wouldn't really have hurt the series too much for these three books to have been left out... Read more
In fact, it probably wouldn't really have hurt the series too much for these three books to have been left out... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Richard Pipe
excellent work as always!
As a big fan of Hobb's writing, i wasn't disappointed by this book at all!
The characters are flawless, each with their own dazzling personality, whether they be good,... Read more
The characters are flawless, each with their own dazzling personality, whether they be good,... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Larewen Evenstar
Another tour de force from Robin Hobb
I have just finished reading the full Liveship Traders trilogy, from this 1st book 'Ship of Magic' to the final volume 'Ship of Destiny', and I am still amazed by Robin Hobb's... Read more
Published 21 months ago by M. Ferrandon
Robin just gets better!
After reading Robin Hobb's first trilogy with young Fitz and his challenges, I wondered if this trilogy would be as good? Read more
Published 21 months ago by MacStuart
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