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Ship of Magic: Liveship Traders, Book 1
‘As addictive as morphine’ THE TIMES
From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, SHIP OF MAGIC is the first part of the Liveship Traders. Set in a land bordering the Six Duchies, Robin Hobb begins her epic tale of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.
Wizardwood, the most precious commodity in the world, comes only from the Rain Wilds. But only a liveship can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain Wild River, and liveships are hard to come by. They quicken only when three family members from successive generations have died upon their deck.
The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her Althea Vestrit waits for the ship that she loves more than anything in the world to awaken. But her dream of taking her father’s place at Vivacia’s helm is not to be, for her family have other plans…
And the dark, charming pirate Kennit also lusts after such a he well knows the power of wizardwood and has plans of his own …
From the author of the classic Farseer trilogy, SHIP OF MAGIC is the first part of the Liveship Traders. Set in a land bordering the Six Duchies, Robin Hobb begins her epic tale of pirates, talking ships, magic, sea serpents, slave revolts, dashing heroes and bloody battles.
Wizardwood, the most precious commodity in the world, comes only from the Rain Wilds. But only a liveship can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain Wild River, and liveships are hard to come by. They quicken only when three family members from successive generations have died upon their deck.
The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her Althea Vestrit waits for the ship that she loves more than anything in the world to awaken. But her dream of taking her father’s place at Vivacia’s helm is not to be, for her family have other plans…
And the dark, charming pirate Kennit also lusts after such a he well knows the power of wizardwood and has plans of his own …
Audible Audio
Published February 26, 2026
About the author
Robin Hobb
338 books116k followers** I am shocked to find that some people think a 2 star 'I liked it' rating is a bad rating. What? I liked it. I LIKED it! That means I read the whole thing, to the last page, in spite of my life raining comets on me. It's a good book that survives the reading process with me. If a book is so-so, it ends up under the bed somewhere, or maybe under a stinky judo bag in the back of the van. So a 2 star from me means,yes, I liked the book, and I'd loan it to a friend and it went everywhere in my jacket pocket or purse until I finished it. A 3 star means that I've ignored friends to finish it and my sink is full of dirty dishes. A 4 star means I'm probably in trouble with my editor for missing a deadline because I was reading this book. But I want you to know . . . I don't finish books I don't like. There's too many good ones out there waiting to be found.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.
In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.
She also writes as Megan Lindholm, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 16, 2026
“I don’t know if I can do this, she thought in despair. I don’t know how to be myself without help. What if I go mad?”
“I only ask you that you allow me to help you
“Allow you to help me what”
Amber smiled, “thwart fate”, she replied
“She heard her voice mouth the familiar command he’d always given Brashen in difficult times. She straightened her spine. “Cope” she ordered him succinctly”
I haven’t really read a story like this, so entering into a swashbuckling territory was a bit more difficult than I imagined. I love the characters and have such a good feeling about the next book being an insanely good book, but this one was very very slow. It wasn’t a slog, as I was interested, but the story takes a lot of time building characters and doing character work. I think it’s partially due to a large cast all having first person perspectives.
I deeply enjoyed learning the magic that’s in this book. Live ships are awesome and I can’t wait to learn more about them (hopefully through Amber and Paragon).
The characters were amazing, Althea Ronica and Keffria are such good and different standpoints of the three generations of women coming to terms with a patriarchal society and how they are being pushed down. Malta just pisses me off so much, I’m glad she makes me mad but oh my she’s the worst. Kyle also needs his head on a stake, but he was written so well. Kennit and Etta lean on the side of a character I need more time with, Kennit is a pure misogynistic masochist it feels like who is struggling with finding a true identity as a pirate. Etta is wonderfully tender but I need more time for her to grow.
Wintrow is easily the character I feel resonated to the most. He is interesting and really delving into the hard topics of morality and theming that I think Hobb is trying to get at. Slavery, religious hatred, difficulty growing up, morality, and familial conflicts all from a largely passive POV is a very interesting way to play the character. I love seeing him grow and hope to see more interesting dilemmas of care/love/support and doing what ones fate pushes them to do between Wivacia and Wintrow.
I can’t wait to read Mad Ship and learn more about the rainwild traders and the at home politics.
“I only ask you that you allow me to help you
“Allow you to help me what”
Amber smiled, “thwart fate”, she replied
“She heard her voice mouth the familiar command he’d always given Brashen in difficult times. She straightened her spine. “Cope” she ordered him succinctly”
I haven’t really read a story like this, so entering into a swashbuckling territory was a bit more difficult than I imagined. I love the characters and have such a good feeling about the next book being an insanely good book, but this one was very very slow. It wasn’t a slog, as I was interested, but the story takes a lot of time building characters and doing character work. I think it’s partially due to a large cast all having first person perspectives.
I deeply enjoyed learning the magic that’s in this book. Live ships are awesome and I can’t wait to learn more about them (hopefully through Amber and Paragon).
The characters were amazing, Althea Ronica and Keffria are such good and different standpoints of the three generations of women coming to terms with a patriarchal society and how they are being pushed down. Malta just pisses me off so much, I’m glad she makes me mad but oh my she’s the worst. Kyle also needs his head on a stake, but he was written so well. Kennit and Etta lean on the side of a character I need more time with, Kennit is a pure misogynistic masochist it feels like who is struggling with finding a true identity as a pirate. Etta is wonderfully tender but I need more time for her to grow.
Wintrow is easily the character I feel resonated to the most. He is interesting and really delving into the hard topics of morality and theming that I think Hobb is trying to get at. Slavery, religious hatred, difficulty growing up, morality, and familial conflicts all from a largely passive POV is a very interesting way to play the character. I love seeing him grow and hope to see more interesting dilemmas of care/love/support and doing what ones fate pushes them to do between Wivacia and Wintrow.
I can’t wait to read Mad Ship and learn more about the rainwild traders and the at home politics.
March 13, 2026
Het levend ship Vivacia staat op het punt te ontwaken, terwijl Althea Vestrits vader in zijn doodstrijd aan dek wordt gedragen. Atlhea wacht tot het schip ontwaakt. Maar dan ontdekt ze dat de Vivacia in het testament van haar vader is nagelaten aan haar brute zwager, Kyle Haven. Tegelijkertijd plannen anderen een aanval op een levend schip om het zelf in handen te krijgen.
Het duurde even voor het verhaal goed op gang kwam en voor ik er helemaal in kon komen. Maar uiteindelijk was het een heel goed verhaal. Het is soms wat verwarrend met de vele plotlijnen, maar het was zeer interessant. Robin Hobb slaagt erin om zowel personages te creëren die je wel moet leuk vinden als personages die je haat vanuit het diepste van je hart. Ik ben enorm benieuwd naar de rest van de serie en ik kijk er naar uit om me verder in deze wereld te verdiepen.
Dit boek is 4,5 sterren waard voor mij. Het is een echte aanrader voor fantasylezers en ik vind het beter dan de boeken van de zieners van Robin Hobb. De boeken van de zieners komen eigenlijk voor de levende schepen, maar de series zijn heel goed afzonderlijk te lezen.
Tropes: pirates, high-fantasy
Trigger warnings: Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, sexual assault, drug use
Het duurde even voor het verhaal goed op gang kwam en voor ik er helemaal in kon komen. Maar uiteindelijk was het een heel goed verhaal. Het is soms wat verwarrend met de vele plotlijnen, maar het was zeer interessant. Robin Hobb slaagt erin om zowel personages te creëren die je wel moet leuk vinden als personages die je haat vanuit het diepste van je hart. Ik ben enorm benieuwd naar de rest van de serie en ik kijk er naar uit om me verder in deze wereld te verdiepen.
Dit boek is 4,5 sterren waard voor mij. Het is een echte aanrader voor fantasylezers en ik vind het beter dan de boeken van de zieners van Robin Hobb. De boeken van de zieners komen eigenlijk voor de levende schepen, maar de series zijn heel goed afzonderlijk te lezen.
Tropes: pirates, high-fantasy
Trigger warnings: Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, sexual assault, drug use
April 23, 2026
After a slow start, the story becomes engrossing. A rich narrative filled with complex characters who inhabit a fully realised world. The only reason this audio version of Ship of Magic doesn't get 5 stars from me is because of technical issues with the narration.
Warning: Do not try to listen to this while falling asleep!
The dynamic range of the audio can be very off-putting. Within a few seconds the narrator's voice could go from an intimate whisper to an ear splitting bellow, depending on whether a character is intimately confiding to a friend or yelling orders from the deck of a storm tossed ship. Generally, the main narration is considerably quieter than any dialogue.
Why this wasn't noticed and corrected with a little compression and volume levelling is beyond me.
that said, this is the only blot on an otherwise flawless reading of a very good book!
Warning: Do not try to listen to this while falling asleep!
The dynamic range of the audio can be very off-putting. Within a few seconds the narrator's voice could go from an intimate whisper to an ear splitting bellow, depending on whether a character is intimately confiding to a friend or yelling orders from the deck of a storm tossed ship. Generally, the main narration is considerably quieter than any dialogue.
Why this wasn't noticed and corrected with a little compression and volume levelling is beyond me.
that said, this is the only blot on an otherwise flawless reading of a very good book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews