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Liveship Traders 1 : Ship of Magic (Hardcover)

by Robin Hobb (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 667 pages
  • Publisher: Voyager (16 Mar 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0002254786
  • ISBN-13: 978-0002254786
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 301,272 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #38 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > H > Hobb, Robin

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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

Synopsis

The story of Althea Vestrit, who, on her father's death, finds that she will not inherit the family liveship as she had expected. Meanwhile, a plague of serpents is drawn into the Bingtown waters by Chalced's increasing slave trade.
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Customer Reviews

42 Reviews
5 star:
 (32)
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 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless Fantasy, 5 July 2004
By dragondrums "dragondrums" (Ingleby Barwick, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Liveship Traders 1: Ship of Magic (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
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Never has a book evoked such reactions in me., 17 Sep 2005
By Ms. M. Makin (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Liveship Traders 1: Ship of Magic (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.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars hooked, line and sinker, 5 July 2005
By A. Craig "Amanda Craig" (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Liveship Traders 1: Ship of Magic (Paperback)
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

5.0 out of 5 stars Put your life on hold.....
Once started you won't be able to put this down. Having really enjoyed the farseer trilogy, I couldn't wait to read the next trilogy. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Morgan

4.0 out of 5 stars Pirates, talking ships, and moving characters, ahoy!
The premise of this series sounds sort of silly. This is the first installment of the Liveship trilogy. Yes, this book is partly about talking ships. Read more
Published 3 months ago by L. R. Richardson

1.0 out of 5 stars boring,
I also after reading several 5 star reviews of this series bought this book and was really disapointed by it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by rpg gamer

2.0 out of 5 stars Get ready to be bored
As everyone else, I also read the Farseer Trilogy, and despite some boring phases I truly loved them... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Thanos

5.0 out of 5 stars It Doesn't get Better Than This...
Of course you have to read the whole book to understand the climax but I must say that in all of the books that I've read, NONE of them compare to the final ten chapters of this... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. Robert Harrison

5.0 out of 5 stars it is a gem of a book - I loved it.
It does not get more original than this. It is a breathtaking book, go for it and get the second and the third when you order - You will not regret it. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Isabella Balkert

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining
I thought this was a very entertaining and engaging read, and will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ephiny

5.0 out of 5 stars The start of another excellent Robin Hobb epic
Having read the Robin Hobb Assassin and Tawny Man series i had come to the conclusion that Hobb is a fantasy writer fit to be compared to such luminaries as Tolkien and George R... Read more
Published 23 months ago by russell clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars Liveship review
Another master piece from my favourite fantasy writer of the age! These books are easily underappreciated if you read them directly after the Farseer books. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2007 by Laylarnie

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun
If you can get past the "Circled in endless Circles" in the opening pages , this is a great series. It is a little stilted at the start but she really writes her way into it. Read more
Published on 6 April 2007 by SoshUK

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