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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
After finishing Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy in early 2023, I took a break from her works since I was a bit emotionally wrung out. After reading Ship of Magic, I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to jump back into this world.
Set in the same world as the previous trilogy, but functionally unrelated, Ship of Magic introduces many new characters and struggles, nearly all of whom are, in one way or another, concerned with the eponymous liveships.
Most obvious is Hobb's gorgeous prose, which makes reading this tome of a book a delight. Her descriptions of the world, of ship life, of family units, and more resonate so truly and honestly that I feel like I know these people. Tied strongly to that is her amazing characterization. It's not just that her characters have flaws, but that those flaws feel informed, grounded, and honest. I don't think it's a hot take to dislike the characterKyle Haven , but the attributes of their personality that make them so disliked feel real. They don't come across as a caricature, but an actually feeling person, which in tun helps the audience to understand, if not sympathize with them.
I used that character as an example because engaging and human antagonists can be so difficult to write, but there's not a character in this book I'm not invested in. Even the seemingly unconnected chapters from the perspective of a sea serpent remain engaging even before it's clear how they tie in to the greater narrative, because of Hobb's writing.
As for the plot, it can be difficult to judge the first book in a trilogy. Over hundreds of pages, Hobb slowly reveals how all the various characters slowly intersect with one another, ending with an incredibly climatic clash in a storm at sea. While riveting, it's also a book that so heavily is setting up the future of the trilogy, and so the heaps of praise I've given to it have to be tempered until I've seen what everything is building up to.
But if you're the sort to enjoy epic fantasy, unbelievably human characters, great prose, and are willing to read through multiple, near 1000-page books, then Ship of Magic and the Liveship Traders as a whole is setting up to be a great recommendation.
Set in the same world as the previous trilogy, but functionally unrelated, Ship of Magic introduces many new characters and struggles, nearly all of whom are, in one way or another, concerned with the eponymous liveships.
Most obvious is Hobb's gorgeous prose, which makes reading this tome of a book a delight. Her descriptions of the world, of ship life, of family units, and more resonate so truly and honestly that I feel like I know these people. Tied strongly to that is her amazing characterization. It's not just that her characters have flaws, but that those flaws feel informed, grounded, and honest. I don't think it's a hot take to dislike the character
I used that character as an example because engaging and human antagonists can be so difficult to write, but there's not a character in this book I'm not invested in. Even the seemingly unconnected chapters from the perspective of a sea serpent remain engaging even before it's clear how they tie in to the greater narrative, because of Hobb's writing.
As for the plot, it can be difficult to judge the first book in a trilogy. Over hundreds of pages, Hobb slowly reveals how all the various characters slowly intersect with one another, ending with an incredibly climatic clash in a storm at sea. While riveting, it's also a book that so heavily is setting up the future of the trilogy, and so the heaps of praise I've given to it have to be tempered until I've seen what everything is building up to.
But if you're the sort to enjoy epic fantasy, unbelievably human characters, great prose, and are willing to read through multiple, near 1000-page books, then Ship of Magic and the Liveship Traders as a whole is setting up to be a great recommendation.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
slow-paced
I was not overly impressed with this one. I know Robin Hobb writes trilogies, but this one really felt like it was all setup, and things didn't really begin to happen until the last 50-100 pages.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide