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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
13 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Robin Hobb
334 books115k 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
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 - 2 of 2 reviews