Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her—a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.
But the fate of the Vestrit family—and the ship—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will.
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"I liked the FitzChivalry books a lot, but if this first book is any indication, this series is even better, ranking right next to Game of Thrones. The characters are really interesting, not cliches--I particularly enjoy Wintrow--and even Kyle Haven has some sympathetic moments. The plot is compelling, and the setting--well, I have a thing for books set aboard ships, and if it is a magical living ship made of something called wizardwood, that makes it all the better."
— Gayla (5 out of 5 stars)
The characterizations are consistently superb.... Kudos to the author and encore!
— Booklist Starred Review" Awesome, why can't they make THIS a tv series? That I would to see! "
— Amber Lamont , 3/9/2020" I'm not a huge fan of ships and ship-lore, and some of the characters were quite distasteful (especially when shown from their point of view - Malta and Kevin come to mind), but the mystery of the Rain Wilds is offered up as a tantalizing tease and the main characters only get more well rounded and compelling as the book went on. After a somewhat lackluster start I am practically frothing at the mouth to read the next one. "
— Leslie, 2/19/2014" Good enough to make me check the next one out! "
— Nicole, 2/9/2014" The first third of Ship of Magic feels bogged down in exposition, which is understandable considering that it's the 800-page first novel in a trilogy. Once all the groundwork has been laid, however, the plot picks up steam and the characters really come to life. I'll definitely finish the Liveship Traders trilogy, but given the heft of the books, it'll take me a while to do it! "
— Autumnmoon, 1/30/2014" Giving up on this, as although I loved the idea of the liveship, I am just getting irritated by the characters. "
— Kate, 1/22/2014" Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1) by Robin Hobb (1999) "
— Jenn, 12/26/2013" When you dream about a book your reading you know it's a good book. "
— Jessica, 12/26/2013" Man does this author make it easy to hate the bad guys "
— Jen, 12/20/2013" Not a bad book looking forward to see where it goes. "
— Chris, 12/12/2013" I tried to like this one. I loved the Farseer trilogy. But I just couldn't get into this book. I read about half if it and put it down. I felt nothing for any of the characters. I am hoping that the Tawny man series is better than this. "
— Calicojack19, 7/22/2013" Only begin reading this book if you can keep motivated for two other books. I didn't like this first chapter. The second became a little bit better. But the third book is perfect and will make your effort worth while. "
— Marc, 4/20/2013" Took awhile to get started, but completely won me over. "
— Sonia, 4/6/2013" I've never read the Farseer or Tawny Man series (which are linked by this series), but I did enjoy the Liveship Traders even without the context. There aren't too many fantasy sagas about merchant-trader families, so this is something of a rare bird. "
— Allen, 12/1/2012" Robin Hobb is quite wordy...the books are hundreds of pages long, but I found them a good read. Although, lots of characters to keep track of... "
— Rosey, 5/4/2012" Never have I read such a frustrating book... bad things happen to all the good characters, and the characters you don't like just make the lives of the characters you DO like worse. Ugh. And yet, I continued reading. "
— Katie, 4/20/2012" On my list of all time favorites. "
— Loretta, 11/4/2011" I had A Robin Hobb book fest this summer and read (or re-read) all of this series. Excellent developed world and characters that interplay well with each other without getting redundant or forced. "
— Aubrey, 10/30/2011" Best Trilogy by Robin Hobb bar none. "
— Bartee, 5/10/2011" Took awhile to get started, but completely won me over. "
— Sonia, 4/20/2011" I enjoy the writing style of the author but find the characters less convincing than the previous trilogy. At times they feel forced. Still an enjoyable read with an urge to continue the adventure into the next book. "
— Dan, 3/26/2011" True to form Robin Hobb comes through with another fascinating series that is hard to put down. "
— Nikolina, 2/28/2011" Yet again Robin Hobb sucks me into her series one brain cell at a time. There is a joy in reading a series that flashes bits of other books/stories she has told. "
— Kelly, 2/21/2011" One of the more satisfying and well tied up fantasy trilogies I've ever read. "
— Stephen, 2/5/2011" This is my favourite Robin Hobb trilogy: it has interesting concepts, varied social settings and switches perspectives between multiple characters. There is hardly a dull moment in the books and you get quickly attached to the characters. "
— Ana, 2/4/2011" This book started really slow for me. I stopped reading it and read the fool's books instead. When I discovered all the cross overs from the Fool's books I came back and read these. I had to force myself to get through the first book but enjoyed the next 2 books in the series. "
— Bunny, 2/3/2011" Enjoyable read. Well crafted foundation for trilogy. Must read all 3 to really understand full picture. Worth the time spent. Went on to read Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. Have plans to read the Fool's Trilogy. Writer has good imagination and is a superb storyteller "
— Carol, 1/25/2011" This is a really ripping yarn and I totally loved this magic world.I also really enjoy the strong female characters in this trilogy. I was completely sucked in. "
— Angela, 1/13/2011" This book cannot stand on its own, but it's a good start to this middle trilogy. The characters are strong, but don't leave the same impression as the Assassin and Fool books. "
— Jordan, 12/26/2010Robin Hobb was born in California but grew up in Alaska, where she learned to love the forest and the wilderness. She has lived most of her life in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Tacoma, Washington. She is the author of the Rain Wilds Chronicles, the Farseer trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy, and the Tawny Man trilogy. Her books under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm include Wizard of the Pigeons, The Windsingers, and Cloven Hooves. She is also the author of The Inheritance, a collection of stories written under both names. Her short fiction has won the Asimov’s Readers’ Award and been a finalist for both the Nebula and Hugo awards.
Anne Flosnik, a seasoned audiobook narrator, has over four hundred titles to her credit and several awards and distinctions, including AudioFile Earphones Awards, a USA Today Recommended Listening selection, an AudioFile “Best Narration of the Year” selection in 2009, and the American Library Association’s Special Services to Children Award. She has also been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She is an award-winning British actress with lead credits on stage, on television, and in commercials and voice-overs.