Ship of Magic: Robin Hobb: Book 1 (The Liveship Traders)

Product Information

The only character who didn’t annoy me at some point was Brashen, probably because he has already left his wildest days behind him, which had led to him being disowned by his family. However, at the outset of the book, he has already made his own way and is a capable sailor, which is not to say he doesn’t have some more growing to do, but he seems most grounded in who he is, despite his regrets. And I really SHIP him and Althea. Pun intended. The Ship of Magic is book one of the Liveship Traders trilogy written by Robin Hobb. First published in 1998, the series is set far to the south of The Six Duchies, the setting for the excellent Farseer Trilogy. Love isn't just about feeling sure of the other person, knowing what he would give up for you. It's knowing with certainty what you are willing to surrender for his sake. Make no mistake; each partner gives up something. Individual dreams are surrendered for a shared one.” And you know what? i'm unapologetically proud that Robin Hobb has been able to create a book where women shine in various roles. One way or the other the women in this book, no matter what their situation was, rallied and took control of their damn lives!! One thing that Hobb does beautifully that Martin fails entirely, is have a focus to her narrative. Althea's story is central to the unifying thread. All of these characters have very important stories of their own, but Althea's is going to be right in the middle of it all.

But lovely, wild-spirited Althea, sailing the Vivacia with her father since childhood and sharing its half-awakened memories and ocean secrets, has bonded with the ship in her deepest soul.Joined by Brashen--her father's first mate, now demoted by the Vivacia's new commander--she will stop at nothing in a bitter quest to claim its captaincy. Anyways, a solid but slightly disappointing start to this new trilogy and I can only pray it gets better from here. :/ I can barely contain my excitement about what an amazing writer Hobb is. I have a feeling she’ll make my list of favorite fantasy authors. Truth be told, I dreaded having to abandon Fitz, the MC of the previous trilogy, for a new cast of characters, knowing I would miss him terribly. While I still need to know what happens to Fitz next, I am so on board with the Liveship Traders. Honestly, I did not expect to love this book so much. And here I am, mind blown by Hobbs’s writing genius.

Become a Member

Malta is now a changed person, gone is the spoilt and selfish brat, life has changed her for the better, and I'm loving the new her. Rye is a Rain Wilder that I also like. Within these characters a found those I liked and those I hated, but the wonderful thing about Robin Hobb's characters is that they are never static. They are changing. And one that you hated in one book, could completely be redeemed in another book. Half the evil in this world occurs while decent people stand by and do nothing wrong. It’s not enough to refrain from evil, Trell. People have to attempt to do right, even if they believe they cannot succeed.’

Robin Hobb has built an incredible, complex world, much of which is gradually revealed throughout the story, naturally and through the characters' perspectives. The world-building is crucial to the story's success, because in many ways, its core theme is the clash of worlds, old and new. There isn't one simple conflict between good and evil or even two families. Bingtown is a colony, only now, they're being settled again by people who don't understand the land and customs--and worse, Bingtown has started following the customs of the mainland, even those that just a generation ago would have been too horrifying to contemplate. Now, the newcomers may not understand the reasons for Bingtown's customs, but the locals won't explain them either (more on that later). Wintrow, Althea's oldest nephew, lived with the priests since infancy, because in Bingtown, it's an honor. Wintrow can't wait to be a priest. But since Kyle captains the Vivacia, he needs a family-member by blood on board, especially now that Vivacia is conscious. Wintrow's struggles: to stay safe, to stay sane--my heart BLED for him.Also, I normally wouldn't post this, but I just have to talk to SOMEONE about this... and I tried finding answers without posting and was rewarded with accidental spoilers. I stay away from posting on any type of social media because my fragile heart can't handle the toxicity.... so if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all. None of the characters really are whoever I think they are/will be on first meeting. Even side characters have more depth than most main characters, and they are all hugely part of this world and their own stories. Althea, however is not the only protagonist. After the Farseer Trilogy and its single viewpoint character, it took some getting used to the plethora of viewpoint characters here. Beyond Althea, there’s Wintrow, Althea’s 13-year-old nephew and priest-in-training; Brashen, a 24-year-old sailor, erstwhile heir of a wealthy Trader family and former first mate on Althea’s father’s ship; and the unscrupulous pirate Captain Kennit. But beyond these four protagonists, minor characters like Keffria (Althea’s sister) and her husband Kyle ; Ronica, her mother; or Malta, her daughtertwo liveships are also viewpoint characters.