Series: Liveship Traders #1, Realm of the Elderlings #4
Published by Spectra on March 2, 1998
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 685
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
The start of a new trilogy set in the same world, Ship of Magic follows the events of Robin Hobbs’ Farseer Trilogy. Outside of a few allusions to events of the previous trilogy, it appears otherwise unconnected.
South of the Six Duchies, where the Farseer Trilogy took place, lies the mysterious, enchanting port city of Bingtown, where exotic goods are traded in and out and aristocratic Trader families flaunt their liveships, sentient vessels made of wizardwood and born of three generations of memories and (family members’) lives spent on the ship. Tensions are rising in this prosperous city as New Traders stake a claim in what has traditionally been Old Trader lands and, with them, bring the threat of the slave trade, which has never before been allowed in Bingtown. As the New Traders gain economic power, the Vestrit family prepares to welcome the awakening of their liveship Vivacia, which they hope will turn their fortunes around for the better. However, their family will need to confront their internal divisions and unite if they are to succeed in their forthcoming ventures. Elsewhere, the cunning pirate captain Kennit plots to steal a liveship in his greater scheme to unite the Pirate Isles under his rule as its would-be king. What will happen when these various parties come into contact with each other?
Robin Hobb continues to demonstrate a profound understanding of what motivates people to do the things they do and how others will react, in the heat of the moment or otherwise. Although the characters find themselves at a turning point in history, this book is very much about the people that populate it. Each character is portrayed with her (or his) imperfections laid bare as she tries to navigate the challenges before her, all the while unaware that her chosen path will lead her to a higher purpose that she didn’t expect to surmount. Each scene delves deeply into the thoughts and experiences of a POV character, through whose eyes the world and culture naturally come to life.
The Liveship Traders Trilogy promises to be more ambitious than the Farseer Trilogy in the broadness of its scope, encompassing going-on ten different POV characters (some of which only cover a few pages, others more so), and more humble in its focus on the characters’ day-to-day lives and their struggles in a world that seems to reject the lives they had planned for themselves. While this lends to the epic scope of this book as it intertwines the stories of the POV characters, no one POV character is developed more than another. As a result, this book reads more as a series of vignettes that build upon one another to portray a larger story at work.
Fans of Robin Hobb’s other works and readers who enjoy stories featuring compelling female heroines may enjoy this book. Plus, most of this book takes place on the high seas.
Writer’s Craft
There are three things that stand out to me about Robin Hobb’s writing.
1. Her ability to develop complex, deeply flawed characters
I’ve already discussed this above, and I’ve shared about this in my reviews of her Farseer Trilogy and Tawny Man Trilogy. (Speaking of which, I still need to type up my review of the final book to the Tawny Man Trilogy. I’ll get to that ASAP!)
The next two are a little more specific to this book: the worldbuilding and the multi-generational nature of the Vestrit family’s story.
2. World Building
Robin Hobb naturally builds the world through the characters’ eyes. Information about the world comes to the reader only as the characters lay eyes on something or take action. Through the characters’ actions or reactions, the reader learns about the workings of the world and what people value. Sometimes, the characters will supplement additional information, but only as needed to understand the present situation. The effect is that the author worldbuilds without seeming to worldbuild (or being obvious about it).
3. A Multi-Generational Story
While there are at least four additional POV characters, five of the POV characters are Vestrits, spanning three generations, and each Vestrit has a significant role to play in major events. Therefore, Ship of Magic reads very much like a family saga, except that all of their stories take place within the same time period (as opposed to being built over multiple generations). Each Vestrit is an imperfect individual with his or her unique strengths and weaknesses, and they come into conflict with each other over their differing ideals. Their ideals and actions take them on different paths that force them to confront their incorrect beliefs about the world, overcome their weaknesses, and develop their strengths to persevere through this time of crisis. As an added bonus, the women of the family feature prominently in this book as four of the five Vestrit POV characters.
Rated R
A heads up for fans of Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy (and any other books featuring FitzChivalry): Robin Hobb’s Liveship Trader books are heavier in content, hence the R rating.
- Multiple sex scenes
- Violence and slaughter
- Some alcohol
Bias Notes
Robin Hobb quickly became one of my favorite authors after I read her Farseer Trilogy. Furthermore, Ship of Magic is set in the same world as the Farseer Trilogy.
Chat With Me
Have you read any of Robin Hobb’s books? What’s a multi-generational story that you’ve read and loved? Or a book with an ocean setting?
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
I didn’t see her ability to deal with multi generational POV quite like you Crystal but I thought your perspective is fascinating. It is really neat how she uses the different POV to give us a comprehensive picture. I really need to read more Robin Hobb. I’ve not aged out of YA quite yet, but I do need to branch out more.
Crystal says
Thanks, Dani! I’d love to hear your thoughts on Robin Hobb’s use of multiple POVs in Ship of Magic.
I’ve been reflecting a bit more on aging out of YA. I believe there are some other related factors, which I’ll share once I’ve had some time to think!
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader says
I haven’t read this author, but I do love deeply flawed characters.
Anika says
I haven’t read any of Robin Hobb’s books but I feel like I’m seriously missing out! Awesome review, really enjoyed reading.
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Crystal says
She’s a fantastic writer. Thanks so much, Anika! 🙂
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
I LOVE Robin Hobb!! I actually didn’t remember that these books went into R-rated territory. It’s good that you mentioned it.
Crystal says
Robin Hobb is one of my new favorite authors! The FitzChivalry books that I’ve read (Farseer Trilogy, Tawny Man Trilogy) have some sex scenes, but they’re tame compared to Liveship Traders!
Edit: I don’t recall the Farseer books giving explicit content. If they did, it was only a few details.