Rating: 
Summary: A superb conclusion to a fantastic trilogy
Review: Robin Hobb managed to take me by surprise with the Farseer trilogy, where she took one of the stock characters of fantasy fiction -- the assassin with the heart of gold -- and deftly wove an epic of magic and betrayal that left me gaping. But the third book in the trilogy was a disappointment, with an ending that was, well, completely wrong. So when I began reading the third Liveship Traders book, it was with the apprehension that Hobb would once again fumble the ball at the finish. I needn't have worried. If anything, "Ship of Destiny" is the strongest of the three Liveship Traders books. Fast-paced plotting makes this book hard to put down, and increasingly complex characterization left me a) liking characters I'd earlier hated and b) unable to guess what they would do next. Particularly praiseworthy is Hobb's characterization of the would-be Pirate King, Captain Kennitt. Kennitt started off in Book 1 as the most interesting person in a set of (I thought) rather bland characters, and has since become one of the most facinating villains in fantasy literature. In "Ship of Destiny" we finally get insight into Kennitt's past, and its well worth the wait. Finally, the ending of the book not only wraps up the Liveship trilogy, but puts a surprisingly different slant on the conclusion of the Assassin series, with hints of more to come. I hope Robin Hobb comes out with the next Farseer book soon, because I'm now an established fan. If you like good fantasy, The Liveship Traders series is well worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: .... And They Lived Happily Ever After....
Review: (This review is based on the UK paperback release from Voyager, published May 2001.) About halfway through this book, I decided that it did not match the quality of the first two. What distinguishes Hobb in the previous instalments - powerful, sympathizable characterization - is markedly less developed, and worse, curtailed and de-evolved. This concluding volume comprises mainly action, necessary for finishing up the various plot lines. But considering that Hobb complexifies/unifies the plot even further by connecting previous separate plot elements together - it is both impressive, necessary but not without cost. There are some startling revelations, psychological or otherwise, which reflect and explain much about the characters, but even at 900 pages, this book does not really develop these points as well as Hobb has done previously. The grittier, hardier and more emotionally epic tone of the first two books is surprisingly replaced with sentimentality of the fluffy "...and they lived happily ever after" romanticized kind. This is not a fault in itself, but what disappoints is that the previously believable characters abruptly start to do somewhat incredulous things. There is no "warning" at times, and this makes their sudden changes of heart hard to believe. Very often, it is simply that things become overly optimisitic as Hobb starts tying up plot threads. The last 50 pages or so of "Ship of Destiny" are so saccharine-sweet that one truly misses the grim/heroic/arduous grandeur of the previous two volumes. In one particular case, the abrupt demise of a certain character - presumably a much detested (but wonderfully real) personality - apparently induces no reaction nor pity in his family members, save one half-hearted paragraph. After all that the characters have been through, I simply cannot believe that "that's it". I hate to say this, but I think in her rush to finish the trilogy, the author may have forgotten or foregone her ingenius skills in making characters believably human. Nevertheless, if you have already read the first two books, I strongly recommend that you finish up with book 3. Perhaps other readers may appreciate Hobb's change of direction. For me, I feel enlightened to see how the author has resolved her plotlines, but ultimately, for me, this is the worst volume in an otherwise most original and mostly terrific trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Pirates
Review: to all those people out there who do not like the idea of reading about pirates and ships and stuff. Before I read this trilogy I was pretty narrow-minded too. I didn't like the idea of reading about pirates and sailing and the like ~ I think it was because I was used to reading sorta earthy fantasy that takes place in woods and stuff - ie. The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Sword of Truth Series... Anyway, after reading the books my only ambition in life was to become a swashbuckling pirate like Kennit or a beautiful, independant seawoman like Althea. So read the ...books.
Rating:
Summary: I like the dragon!!
Review: Well after just finishing the book I want more, although to be honest it did become quite hard going at times, especially in the middle of the book. The characters are amazing, very indepth, and this could be some of the problem. You spend so much time with a character the book begins to slow down slightly and you lose the theme a bit. Some of the revelations in the book are very cool and make pieces from the earlier books make sense. But I liked the dragon the best anyway, such arrogance, and also weakness. The descriptions of her are also amazing. i will be reading any other books she writes although i feel that the assassin trilogy was better. It was very daring to write a whole trilogy that was solely dependant on ships and the pirates do keep it exciting, although i think i will keep my imagination firmly on dry ground in future!!
Rating:
Summary: I like the dragon!!
Review: Well after reading the last 300 pages of the book i was impressed, although it did take me a fair while to get into the book. I thought the ending was fantastic, but throughout the first half of the book i only carried on reading because i didn't really want to leave the book half finished. Saying that though the characters are excellent and Even kennit appears to be almost a hero at times! I find it good that more authors are moving away from the completely separate good versus evil, and alot of it becomes a grey area, where even the characters who are meant to be bad do some particularly heroic deeds. And the dragon is wicked, arrogant, and in control, but also very reliant on the ones she controls. Anyway cool book, waiting for another trilogy, although i must say i enjoyed the assassin books more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book...
Review: Simply stated this is a great book. The plot, while some may complain it is either too dark for fantasy or is not as great as her others, is still engrossing. One thing with Hobb's novels I find is that often, the fantasy will only be a backdrop to other ideas. In this book rape, emulation of those you hate, and redemption are major points which may be overlooked by some. More importantly than the plot, is Robin Hobb's skill. All her characters are amazingly realistic, none of them ever err from character to complete a plot device. And in the end I feel almost as if they were people I knew. No other author has ever been able to do anything such as this before, and my readings are not confined to the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre.
Rating: 
Summary: A Huge Disappointment.
Review: 1st off the first book was great. However, it has been downhill from there. Another step down from Book 2. Book 2 was a step down from Book 1. Rape has no place in this book (Shame !!). One reviewer wrote here that this was a fun book. Rape is a significant theme in this book. The fact that it happens and how the character struggles with its consequences does not make Ship of Destiny a fun book. The series is pretty much light fantasy and rape is just too strong a subject for this series. Further, and parents be warned, this book left me disturbed. This theme was not at all necessary and should not of been included. It is controversial and unwarranted in a light fantasy novel and will more than likely to keep the whole series from being considered classic fantasy. I felt that Bingtown politics had not much drama. I thought the author tried hard to make it work, but it never happened for me. There was no political intrigue and there was just too much of it. Unfortunately, not at the end of any one chapter did SOD leave me on the seat of my pants. Some suspense would of did much for the book, but there wasn't any. Eventually SOD does get going. Robin Hobb has a definite talent for making the live ships seem very life like. Her dragon Tintaglia is captivating and entrances the reader so, that I felt I was under a spell whenever she spoke. Unfortunately though, there just isn't enough. I wanted more Tintaglia and I didn't get it. I wanted more of the serpents. I wanted more of Maulkin and Shreever, but that didn't happen. The author just stops writing about them. I was wrapped up in their quest. For the sparse times when they were part of the story, I read fanatically and I always wanted more. Eventually the author does them a great injustice by wrapping up their plight in a page and a half. I felt a whole book could of been written about these wonderfully unique characters. Maulkin is a very deep character. A serpent you say? Yes a serpent, a prophet, a being that has a vision and a leader. You reading this might think I'm crazy, but Moses and his people's flight to the promised land came to mind. It is a captivating plot line but theres hardly any of it when you consider the size of three books. When authors choose to write multi-books, they need to keep the reader reading and interested. Robin Hobb lost me several times here. I found myself skimming or skipping many pages at a time because I just didn't care or I felt what she was writing about had no impact on the story. I felt that she was writing just to write and that she just wanted to fill some pages at the expense of the reader and that was a shame. The first book Ship of Magic was literally magic. It was special because of the depth and development of the characters, but too much depth can be a death senetence for a book and I felt that was what happened here. The ending I felt had too many inconsistencies and many a story line is just left out on the clothesline. A waste. What could of been. What could of been.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but overhyped
Review: Who could resist a review that says something's the best fantasy trilogy in forever? I had started the Liveship traders, and liked the first book, though the second dipped in interest for me. I guess maybe I'm missing something. This is a solid series, the writing competent if not awe-inspiring, and I enjoyed most of it. SHIP OF DESTINY, for all the hype, left me a little bit confused and a lot unfulfilled. I don't think anyone does anyone else a favor by praising a competent but not classic book to the skies. This is a good book. It will not change your life forever. Maybe I'm just too conservative a reviewer, but that's what I think 5 stars means. Four is something that you just could not put down. I feel comfortable giving this a three--solid, but nothing to call home about.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I've purchased and read all three of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders and I have to say that there is some excellent material in this series. His character development is first rate and while the story seems to at times follow standard progressions, where things seem pretty well laid out as to whom, what and where, Hobb manages to keep you guessing up until the last page as to what exactly is going on and what will happen. One of the best series I've read in a long time and well worth purchasing if you enjoy good fantasy. The first two books in the series are absolutely necessary to enjoy this one but the series as a whole is excellent, both in plot, characters and imagary.
Rating:
Summary: I've packed my bags; I'm heading for Bingtown!
Review: As always Hobb has managed to craft her characters excellently and imbued them with qualities so human that even when you hate them you can't resist admiring some part of them. You get to know the characters so well that even though their deeds may be treacherous, your understanding of their motivations and their own inner struggles forces you to feel compassion for them (to a greater or lesser extent). Skillfully crafted! I didn't want this series to end. I loved it even more than the Assassin series. Please Robin, if you are out there, tell us what happens next.
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