Rating: 
Summary: I Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: This was the first book I read from Robin Hobb. I saw it in a bookstore several times before I decided to buy it. Once I started reading it, wow! The book grabbed you right from the start and kept on pulling you in throughout the entire thing. Ship of Magic is not just one long story dealing with a few characters, but a collaboration of many different stories put together that fit together to create a certain point in each of the characters' lives. The best analogy I could use is a stained glass window. Each of the different points of view in the book are like a different color glass. When they are laid out on the table they don't seem to make anything in particular, but once you look at the finished product, you can see why each piece was needed. I have read Ship of Magic and Mad Ship, and together, I get an idea about why each part is there, but I can't wait for the next one to come out. I imagine that at the conclusion of the last book in the series, Hobb will make it clear why there were so many different stories needed to tell this tale about Bingtown. Ship of Magic is mainly about the Vestrits, a merchant family in the port city of Bingtown. They own what is called a Liveship, which is a ship built out of a special type of wood that comes to life after three generations of the family die on it's decks. Althea Vestrit is a headstrong daughter who believes that this liveship should belong to her when her father dies. However, the father bestowes the ship and the estate to his older daughter, Keffria. When Ephron Vestrit dies aboard the ship, Vivacia, Althea runs away. She joins up with another ship and sails away to prove herself fit to be the captain of her ship. Kyle then forces his son Winthrow to serve as a ship's boy to appease Vivacia's need for a blood relative aboard her. What follows this is the tale of the fallacy of a man uncomprehending how life is in a world outside his own. His stubbornness leads to a family's near destruction, the loss of a ship, and perhap's the degredation of the society of Bingtown. This book will have you up all night, and beyond that!
Rating: 
Summary: Like reading a half interesting, extremely long prelude...
Review: Forewarning: I will not spoil any plot, so read on without fear.I've only just finished this book, so I can only review from that perspective. Looking over reviews, people tend to be either absolutely impressed, or else disgusted. Both views have merit. I decided to read this after being pleasantly surprised with Hobbs "Farseer Trilogy". Most people will agree that the strongest point was the character of Fitzchivalry, even moreso than the plot itself. Hobb certainly has a way of creating deep characters. However, in Ship of Magic, Hobb has changed from writing in first person to third. This is a double edged sword in that her writing seems to have matured greatly, and she can follow all of the many stories within. Unfortunately though, none of the characters draw you in like Fitzchivalry did. I didn't find myself caring much for Althea, nor did I seem to really dislike the "evil villian" figure in the way that I loathed Regal. In terms of storyline, I'm rather disappointed. I feel that this could easily have been written in 400 pages rather than 800, without losing any of it's strength. The only real progression at all occurs in the first few and the final few chapters. There seems to be a WHOLE lot of inconsequential little events spread throughout. Considering that the next books in the series are even longer, I feel I may not read them for fear of wasting my time. What storyline there is, some is interesting, most is not. I did like the story of Wintrow, a priest-in-training who is forced to leave that way of life and sail aboard Vivacia with his ignorant and controlling father. This story touches more on some real life moral issues such as religion, aspirations, and slavery. Also the comparatively small story of the abandoned liveship Paragon, although it goes absolutley nowhere, seemed like it had potential to unveil well. The pirate Kennit seems to be the "baddie", but as said before he doesn't seem to build up too much. On the other hand, we follow Althea who has been betrayed by her family and kicked off her families liveship Vivacia. From that point on, her plot doesn't go very far, but stretches unnecessarily. Then there's the most tedious story of all, the household of the Vestrits. Very long and rather uninteresting. Not to mention the serpents, which for the most part seems totally unrelated, though I'm sure it'd be revealed late in the last book. I suggest if you are intent on reading this series, read this before you buy the others, because you may, like me, find that you simply can't be bothered reading through it all for something that doesn't seem to be happening. There honestly doesn't seem to be some ultimate goal that this is leading to, and that makes it very hard to read and remain motivated and drawn into it. 2 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Read it, enjoy her other novels as well.
Review: I was reading another fantasy novel that just had to be put down! I then picked up this novel, after having recently read her excellent 'Assassin' series.
The characters are developed and are individuals, and there are those you will care for, and those you will 'boo and hiss' when they have thier turn on the stage. Will your division of who are 'the good' and who are 'the bad' remain consistent let alone agree with mine?
There was an obvious original inspiration here, and there has also been the careful thought through of second and third drafts, plot elements are added and 'in thier proper time' utilized; and there are a few plotlines revealing themselves, discovering they are tied to other events.
I recommend this novel, I am left wanting to read the rest of the storyline, and wanting to read the 'Tawny Man' series. I guess I should say, it left me wanting to read MORE good writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty strong first book
Review: Just finished "Ship of Magic" by Robin Hobb Pretty good first book in this trilogy. Hints at a lot of things to come, but of course I already knew that since I've read both Farseer and Tawny man before it, which is not really the right order. I'm particularly interested in the dragon aspect with this trilogy, because that will become important later on, and Hobb is handling it very nicely in this first book. I'm also very fond of Paragon, the mad liveship, easily my favorite character from the series sofar. Amber is an enigmatic and very sensitive character, she's good as well. The story revolving Althea and Brashen fails to capture my interest and I almost found myself skipping their pages. The scenes regarding the three Vestrit women at home (Ronica, Keffria and Malta) are ok, but not spectacular. Which leaves Wintrow's storyline aboard the Vivacia, which is quite good because the attitude towards him remains so very cruel. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the concept (and humanity) of the Liveships. All in all there's still much to develop, and I'll be reading book two soon. I have to add that at least this first book doesn't draw you in the way the Farseer trilogy does, and I also think that series attains a higher level overall, if only it were because the great lead, Fitz Chivalry (of course there's more to it than that). But these Liveships books are still above average. I give the first one 7,5 out of 10.
Rating:
Summary: Not For Those Seeking Fast Paced Action
Review: This was the first book of Robin Hobb's that I'd read, and I must admit that I approached it with some reservations. I suspected that with the inclusion of pirates it would become some rousing seafaring tale long on action and stereotypes and short on craft and characterization. I could not have been more mistaken. In many ways this tale was more reminiscent of work written by any of a number of 19th century authors, such as E.M. Forrester or Joseph Conrad. With a great amount of detail devoted to multifacted characterization and evolving relationships, as well as to the Trader culture of Bingtown, Hobb is not in any hurry to push the storyline along by punctuations of suspense and action. Instead she gradually developes her characters and their interpersonal conflicts until they possess a depth and individuality rarely encountered in fantasy fiction. While I doubt such writing skills will be appreciated by all - especially those who moan and groan about Jordan's unwillingness to rush his saga to conclusion - I appreciate and applaud Hobb's effort. I look forward to "Mad Ship" and have already gone back to discover her earlier "Farseer Trilogy." For those who enjoy a well written tale that is not dependent upon repeated battles and bursts of sorcery to hold one's interest, I heartily recommend this story.
Rating:
Summary: Great books!
Review: If you like your characters to have depth, reasons for what they do and to be like real people, no one's pure evil and no one's pure good, then these are for you. What I like about this series is not only that the characters are great, but also that she follows some of them, one by one. They get one chapter each and take turns, which makes you scream when the chapter ends and you want to read more about that person, but then you start reading about the other one, and scream when that one ends, but then it's her again and... Wonderful, full of imagination and originality. I love them.
The only bad thing is two rape scenes. I DON'T enjoy reading them. I'm thinking about cutting out those pages. They feel unneccessary and I just hate such scenes. But that's the only bad thing about these books and they're worth it, I promise. Read the first book and if you still love them, keep reading even though these scener come later on, they are not in the first book.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, but I never felt attached to the characters.
Review: This is hard to write mostly because I had such high hopes for this book. Many reviews were wonderful. And, goodness knows Hobb's Assassin trilogy predecessors were worth a full five stars each. This first book in the Liveship Traders series just did not click so-to-speak. Maybe it was the hundred or so pages of waiting for a character's death (a character I honestly liked that plays no part other than dying) that starts the book that turned me off (don't worry, I'm not giving away anything important here, not a spoiler). The character development is good in that all characters are all self motivated. However, many of the characters are not enjoyable to read about which at times makes the book seem very long indeed. Clearly Hobb wants us to embrace Althea (our heroine), Brashen, Wintrow, and of course Vivacia herself. I like Althea. Really I do, but she just doesn't keep me interested (insert here: like Fitz Chivalry Farseer did). Brashen is interesting and I think I'll like him more in the next book. Vivacia is wonderful to read about. I wish Wintrow would just go away. Here is a problem since so many chapters revolve around him and I really could care less about him and his complete inability to be what he needs to be. On the other hand not all of our villains are all that bad (again, true self-motivation and believable characterization - Hobb's strength). Kyle Haven is such an ass. Ok, he's trying to do what he believes is right ... but he can't see the forest for the trees. Kennit is respected by many but such a complete idiot - I hope Hobb kills him off soon. Kennit's [prostitue] however is so engaging that I hope she becomes a major character in the series. Of all the characters, she has the most potential. Malta ... someone please spank this whiny little brat and put her to bed without any supper before she messes up everything. I don't hate her ... I frankly just don't want to read about her ... ever. Filler characters that SHOULD be more: Ronica never comes into her own and she should have started off as a strong matriarch ... not a weenie. Keffria is completely useless and I hope she goes away soon. Storyline / Plot is well thought out and definitely worth the time it takes to read it. The Rain wild traders are intriguing and promise much in the future. The Serpents promise many twists in the plot and I'm looking forward to hearing more about them as the series progresses. So, overall: Character development is good in that they are all self-motivated but many of the characters are not enjoyable to read about which at times makes the book seem very long indeed. Storyline / Plot is well thought out and definitely worth the time it takes to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting new fantasy
Review: Sea serpents, pirates, sailing ships that are alive, a feisty female heroine who is bereft of her rightful inheritance by a cold, calculating brother-in-law, a young priest torn from his vocation and forced into a life he does not want, tantalizing, teasing hints about the Rain Wild River folk that leave you eager for more, and yes, even politics - this enchanting new fantasy explores new ideas in a genre that all too often plays the same old tune. Perhaps there is a hint of influence from Anne McCaffrey's "Ship Who Sang" series, but the ideas here are fresh. The characters are solid, their dilemmas absorbing, and you alternately admire, then are irritated by them as they develop.
Rating:
Summary: Hobb rules the waves!
Review: Can fantasy get any better than this? I don't think so. Robin Hobb is one of the best writers out there and she vastly proves it in this trilogy. The idea of mixing seafaring high adventure (pirates included!) and fantasy is just another example of Hobb's mastership. The setting is spectacular: the world is, in general, ample terms, that of the Farseer trilogy; but while this latter's story is set in a medieval-like group of kingdoms and fiefdoms, the Liveship Traders trilogy is set far to the east of these, in the lands controlled by the city-metropolis of Jamaillia. This city is a kind of Byzantium or Rome, an ancient, sophisticated metropolis with a very complicated (and corrupt) political system, and several very rich colonies-satellites. Bingtown, where the main characters of the story come from, is one of these colonies and its commercial elite has survived the harshness of the dangerous setting by sheer strength, sharpness and will power...and by an extremely accute sense of honour that has always made them be true to their word and pay their debts (in "gold or blood"). This pride in their sense of honour has allowed them to keep strong links with their metropolis, while trading in the most precious and costly of merchandise, a merchandise that hides a well-kept secret that has made them rich but for which a terrible price has had to be paid. The moral issues arise from the conflicts that the characters have to face in their changing and corrupt society, but the author is too good to hit us with these issues on the head -as so many fantasy authors do nowadays. And this is what is really glorious about the author: she manages to present her themes without writing an overly simple pamphlet about what is right and wrong. Because in times of change, they are not so easy to see.
Rating:
Summary: Not on Par With the Farseer Saga
Review: The first book of this series didn't grab me like her Farseer trilogy did. I will read the next one, but did anyone else get the feeling that Hobb really doesn't like her characters? She really beats the heck out of them... Mainly Althea and Wintrow. Wintrow was shaping up to be my favorite character in this big door-stopper of a novel, but as time goes on, the poor kid just gets his face rubbed in the doo-doo over and over again. By the end of the novel, I was ready to beg Hobb to just put the poor guy out of his misery. He needs an adult! As I write this, I can't help but recall how she did the same thing to poor Fitz-Chivalry in Farseer. I don't think it grated on my nerves as badly then, but I have to wonder if Hobb is some kind of literary sadist. I mean, we get the point- Your characters are real survivors! Well anyway... I am dying to read the Tawny Man series, soon, but I am determined to finish (or officially give up on) the Liveship Traders series first. So, Mad Ship will be the test of where I go.
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